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A Legend Returns
July 1940

Leaning over the ship’s railing, the passenger flicked the ash from his cigar into the turbulent waters below. Afforded a rare occasion where his ever-present wife was not tending to him, the man retired to a lonely spot along the promenade deck to enjoy a contraband havana, one he had stowed away in the inner lining of his coat pocket.

Having watched the port town of Honolulu slowly recede from view, the man closed his eyes, lost in thought, allowing the South Pacific sun to warm his face. Suddenly, the silence was broken.

“To hell with ‘em!”, he heard himself holler. The man opened his eyes and stood erect, surprising himself at his sudden outburst. He looked around to make sure he wasn’t overheard.

But he now realized that any misgivings he had of leaving America were gone. He was going to pursue his dream one way or another, and if the baseball barons stateside were going to shut him out, he’d simply take his business elsewhere. One way or another, he was going to get his chance.

Just then, he heard his name being called by someone just around the corner.

“George? George? Oh, where is that man?”

He quickly took one last puff from his cigar and tossed it overboard just as his wife came into view.

“George – there you are! What on earth are you doing out here?”

“Just enjoying the sea air, my pet.”

His wife leaned into him and took a big whiff. “Is that tobacco smoke I smell? George, how could you? You know how I feel about them.”

“Now don’t get yourself all riled up – I just had the one. Besides, this is a long trip. A man is entitled to one now and again, ain’t he?”

“But they’ll be the death of you, I swear!”

“Oh, now don’t worry, yourself, Claire. I’ll get the better of them before they ever get the better of me! But what’s with all the ruckus? What’s the panic?”

“There’s some gentlemen on board that would like to meet you. They say they have some important matters to discuss. You need to get dressed and meet them straight away.”

“Meet them? What important matters? The only important matter I want to discuss is the return to our cabin and chow down! I’m starving! And dress up? Who are these people anyway?”

“Now, George, you’ll find out soon enough. They’re very important people and they’ve invited us to dine with them in the private banquet hall. The sooner we get going, the sooner we can eat and find out what this is all about. Now come on, George – they’re waiting!”

Following a frantic visit to their suite to freshen up, they made their way to the banquet hall. With his wife pulling him by the hand, George reluctantly followed, but stopped just short.

“Wait, wait – I haven’t finished doing up my tie! Why do I have to wear one of these things anyway?”

His wife neatly fixed his tie, kissed him gently on the cheek and looked at him with a knowing smile on her face.

“You’ll thank me later.”

Reaching their destination, attendants on either side opened the doors on their behalf. Stepping into the opulent room, George looked around to see guests formally dressed seated around a large elongated dining table. He recognized none of them until his eyes lighted upon a young man seated at the far end. A man he had not laid eyes on in nearly five years.

Upon seeing him enter the room, the young man’s face lit up. He immediately jumped up from the table and raised his champagne glass with an exuberance that startled the others who had been in quiet conversation.

“Hello, Babe! Remember me?”

Ruth beamed at seeing his old friend. “William! What the devil are you doing here? I wasn’t expecting to see you until we arrived in Braeland!”

William rushed over to greet his idol with a hearty handshake and hug. “You know me; I couldn’t wait that long and so we sailed to Hawaii to meet up with you half way. It’s so good to see you again! Hello Claire – thank you for keeping it a surprise for me!”

One of the guests, startled at Mr. Ruth’s informality, leaned over and whispered into the ear of Alexander Louden, the King’s Private Secretary. “He calls him ‘William’?”

“He calls him ‘kid’, too”, added Louden, as the guest looked on in disbelief.

For a moment, the two began to reminisce while the guests stood in awkward silence. Finally, a beautiful young woman approached and gently tugged on the King’s arm.

“William dear, perhaps you should introduce them to the rest of your guests?”

The King, having returned to the present, turned around and realized that all eyes were upon him.

“Why yes, of course. Thank you, Lily. How foolish of me. My friends, allow me to introduce to you Mr. George Ruth and his wife Claire. They are our honored guests for this evening.”

“We do apologize for our tardiness, your Majesty”, replied Claire as she and her husband were shown to their seats at the dining table.

“No apology necessary, Mrs. Ruth”, the King countered, as he and his fiancée returned to their places. “It is I who should apologize, for springing this last minute engagement upon you. And I know how all of you must be famished, so I will make my remarks brief. We can dine and then following which, we can tend to the business at hand.”

“I have had the privilege of knowing Babe Ruth personally for nearly 15 years and I cannot tell you how excited I am at the prospect of him joining our ‘United League’ family. And so I propose a toast: To Babe Ruth, the greatest ballplayer who ever lived and the greatest friend a person could ever hope to have. May you meet with every success as you embark on your new adventure in Braeland.”

“Thank you, your High–er, your Majesty”, responded Ruth, as his wife nudged him in the ribs, correcting him.

The slight faux pas drew a hearty laugh from William while the other guests followed suit. As the Chief Steward commenced the serving of the meal, Lily’s curiosity got the best of her.

“It’s such a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Ruth. William has told me so much about you, but he hasn’t actually informed me as to the nature of your visit to Braeland.”

“Oh, haven’t I dear?” interjected the King. “You must forgive me. The Babe will be the new field manager for the Brunswick Legends this coming season.”

“Really? Oh, how splendid. I know you will really enjoy it here in Braeland,” Lily continued. “Have you done much managing before in America?”

A look of horror swept across William’s face and an awkward silence descended upon the dining party, but Ruth was unfazed. Indeed, he seemed relish the opportunity to respond.

“No I have not, and it is a fair question to ask why”, answered Ruth, while holding his champagne coupe up as it was being filled. “Ah, thank you”, Ruth replied to the waiter, as he took a big gulp of his champagne.

Ruth continued.

“I believe the American owners are afraid; afraid of being proved wrong. They have this silly notion of me not having the capability of managing a team simply based on personal habits and conduct. But if anyone should know how to handle players on a team, it should be one who has been there, in the trenches and gone through all the ups and downs, both on the field and in personal life. And believe me; I have experienced all of that first hand.”

“Rogers Hornsby, Pie Traynor, Frankie Frisch – all of them big names; and all of them have managed and managed successfully without needing time in the minors. I’m just asking for my fair shot, and I am grateful to the Brunswick Legends and their owner, Mr. Reomel Buesa, for giving me that opportunity.”

“Hear, hear” and “well put” responded the dining party following Ruth’s comments.

“And we’re so very pleased to have you as our manager, Mr. Ruth,” replied Legend’s owner, Reomel Buesa, as he raised his glass in his honor. “Once we conclude this fine meal, I propose that we follow through on the King’s suggestion and retire to the Captain’s Quarters to make everything official.”

The parties involved did indeed make it official following the sumptuous meal, as representatives from the team and League met with the Babe to sign off on the contract and issue the official press release, announcing that none other than the immortal Babe Ruth had signed on to manage the Brunswick Legends for the upcoming 1940-41 season.

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After the evening’s unexpected flurry of activity, Ruth was eager to retire to his cabin and unwind. But as he had done earlier in the day, the Babe found himself once again along the promenade deck alone. Ruth, pleased with the day’s developments, watched as the light from the full moon danced over the restless waves below.

“Beautiful evening, isn’t it sir?” asked a voice that seemingly came from out of nowhere.

Ruth turned to address the stranger. “It sure – William! What on earth are you doing out here?”

“I knew you were a night owl, so I figured you’d still be up”, replied William, as he turned down the collar of his sport jacket that he had used to try and conceal his identity. “It’s not every day that I get a chance to spend time with my good friend.”

The two men leaned forward against the railing and remained silent for a few moments.

Finally William spoke up. “Are you happy with how things turned out?”

“Very”, replied Ruth. “Managing is something I’ve always wanted to do, and now I’m getting my chance. And I have you to thank for that.”

“It’s the least I could do. Besides, this just might be step that’s needed to get that manager’s job back in the States.”

Ruth looked up at William, who had a knowing smile on his face. Ruth smiled as well, and returned to looking out over the waves in silence.

“Here, I have something for you.” William pulled a couple of cigars out of his coat pocket and gave one to the Babe. “I didn’t know you smoked, kid”, replied a surprised Ruth.

“Just on very special occasions; and this is a very special occasion.” William pulled out a lighter and lit the Babe’s cigar, before doing the same for himself. “Just don’t tell Lily, OK?”

Ruth looked at his friend with a wide grin on his face and took a puff from his cigar.

“You’ve got my word, kid; you’ve got my word.”