In the spring of 1925, Babe Ruth suddenly collapsed in the arms of a teammate, sparking ridicule in the New York press for what became known as “The Bellyache Heard Round the World.” Stomach surgery 94 years ago this week would keep the Babe out for two months and tank the Yankees’ hopes that year. Mike and Bill look at Ruth’s tumultuous offseason, what really happened to the Babe that spring, and how the resulting controversy may have helped set him and the Bombers up for their run of dominance for the next decade. Plus, happy birthday to Joe Mauer and Jake Daubert.
Michael Bouton’s passionate and elegant open letter to the Yankees is published in the New York Times on Father’s Day, asking the franchise to reconsider its long-time snub of his dad, Jim, the team’s former 21-game winner and controversial author of Ball Four, a book that angered the baseball establishment for revealing the game’s less glamorous side. Thanks to his son’s efforts, Jim Bouton’s banishment from Yankee Stadium will end next month when the right-hander is invited to return to the Bronx ballpark for the first time in nearly thirty years to participate in the team’s Old-Timers’ Day.
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June 21, 1998
