Babe Ruth and The Beatles

This very well could be one of those posts that sounded good in thought but not as good in action. 

Strange title, huh? Two of my biggest interests growing up were Babe Ruth and The Beatles. An unlikely pair, but they caught my attention and started me down the path of researching and, most importantly, reading. I can be very obsessive about subjects. I probably would be diagnosed with something.  When I find out about someone or some event, it’s not enough to know the event, but I want to know why, where, and how. Maybe that is the reason I started to blog. On the blogs, if Dave mentions a music festival that has been long forgotten, I want to know. If Lisa shows a painting on her site, I want to know who did it and what inspired them. When Halffastcyclingclub mentions a little-known artist or song, I want to know more about them. 

I always pay attention to the comment section. That is why I blog. When all of you start commenting, I look up the bands you mention. CB, obbverse, M.Y.,  Warren, Jim, Randy, Matt, Christian, Clive, Phil, Nancy, and Colin (apologies to everyone I left off!) have supplied me with artists that I listen to on a normal basis. Just because I don’t post on them doesn’t mean I don’t listen to that band or artist. It might be months, but they will usually always pop up. Anyway, enough of this boring stuff…on to this other boring stuff. I guess I felt I had to set this up. 

When I was a kid, George Herman Ruth was one of my heroes. I’m not a Yankee fan (always have been a Dodger fan); in fact, I usually root against them (especially last November). Those  Red Sox and Yankee teams he was on are great to look back on from 1914 through 1935. His stats are unbelievable, and his personality was as big as his home runs. The man would not leave a kid behind waiting for an autograph. He did have bad habits; you could ask any brothel about him if they were still alive. 

I parallel my interest in Babe Ruth with my interest in the Beatles. It’s not just the stats of Babe’s career or the popularity of the Beatles. It was never about popularity. No, because I didn’t know how great they were until I started to read about them. It’s an incredible story they both have. To start with little hope of making it in life, hardly at all…much less gaining popularity worldwide… and end up owning the world. Babe came from a poorer background, but the Beatles’  meeting at the right place and time defied the odds. So many things could have happened, but both worked out.

Both were bigger than life. People would travel from miles around to see The Babe hit one out or strike out, and the Beatles drew their share of people as well. They both defined a generation and are still talked about decades and in Babe’s case, a century later. Both are known around the world. You could go almost anywhere in the 20s – 50s and mention Babe Ruth, and they would know exactly who you were talking about. Even now, his name is alive, and the average person has heard of him, and it’s the same with The Beatles. 

Maybe that is the reason I’m drawn to Big Star, The Replacements, and other lesser-known artists, and I like to spotlight them. Why did some get so big and others with a lot of talent didn’t? There are similarities between sports and music. Yes, you can be a one-hit wonder in both. The Kingsmen with Louie Louie and Mark Fidrych with one huge season. Both professions can make you a star or a goat. You could get on Bubblegum cards with both as well. 

There is one difference between music and baseball/sports. In baseball, if you produce, you WILL get noticed or remembered. You might not be a Hall of Fame player, but you will get remembered by people. In music, you can produce the greatest album or song, but if the record company doesn’t promote you…it doesn’t matter because people won’t hear you. You are judged by the charts, and as we have all seen, sometimes the charts are not always the best. Want proof of that? Look up Chuck Berry’s only number 1 song. 

If I had a time machine…I would go back to 1922 and watch Babe Ruth play, and 1961 to see The Beatles play. I would have loved to have sat in the smoky Hamburg club and to go to the Polo Grounds to grab a beer and a dog and watch the Babe. 

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

51 thoughts on “Babe Ruth and The Beatles”

  2. Wonderful essay, Max. You put your heart and your soul into things. If that gives you a diagnosis, it’s a good one. I just noticed how much Babe Ruth and Jonathan Winters look (and sound) alike.

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    2. Thanks Lisa…I stupidly posted this as I was walking out the door at work. I appreciate the kind words…I never caught that before but you are right!

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  3. Good comparison. Both are literally household names. People who weren’t baseball fans 100 years ago (and there were only a few of them then) would know who Babe Ruth was; people who liked orchestral symphonies or opera in the ’60s knew who the Beatles were. And people still do. Very few like that- maybe Muhammad Ali in sports (also OJ Simpson, but for wrong reasons) and in music, Elvis with maybe the Rolling Stones , Michael Jackson and Dolly Parton coming semi-close for recognition. And both, rightfully legends. Until Ohtani came along…a legend in the making…I didn’t think we’d see another baseball player who could pitch well and hit well, like the Babe did. Mind you, Ohtani ‘s a real good hitter, Ruth was in a league of his own back then…hitting 60 homers in a year when the runner-up had 24 or something. Big characters, big stories.

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    1. Thanks Dave…I’m still not sure what the post was about…maybe it was just about how I work so if people wonder why I like to dig into things…it’s either me or the sickness that follows me LOL.
      I agree 100 percent…I never thought about it until later but what made me like these two? No one around my house talked about The Beatles or Babe Ruth…I honestly found them on my own…Babe for sure….but cousin did show me the Beatles though.
      Two stories…that were a million to one that they actually would make it. Everything had to fall just right. Babe was so poor it was awful…and the Beatles just happen to make the right choices at the time with the people they trusted and were not ripped off like other bands of that era until the end.

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      1. I liked how you intertwined the two topics and made it cohesive.
        I slightly disagree with John about Ohtani…I think he will be a total legend, but different than Ruth. Ohtani will be unique in having basically a Hall of Fame career as a pitcher and hitter. But won’t be the BEST at either, just very good, whereas Ruth was a league of his own as a hitter

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      2. Yea you just can’t compare the two…. Babes numbers are staggering. One guy at work said Ohtani is as good as Ruth… I showed him his numbers and he retracted the statement lol… but he will be remembered and a legend

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    1. I couldn’t comment…but yes…there is similiar vibes with baseball and rock music more than any other sport. I love the no clock…that is a big reason why I love the game. I realize you have to have it in the other sports except golf…
      I didn’t know about those days! I like that song… it’s really beautiful.

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  5. Babe and the Beatles…only Max could make that work. I like the quirky stories. Not just Bird Fidrych, but also Dock Ellis, who pitched a no-hitter on LSD. Or the story of the Beer that made Milt Famie walk us. And one-hit wonders whose one hit may or may not have been their best song. [I’m a fan of Pat mAcdonald of Timbuk 3 who wrote songs like “Einstein at the Pool Hall”, “Too Much Sex (and not Enough Affection)”, and “Reverend Jack and his Roamin’ Cadillac Church”, but we only know “The Future’s so Bright (I Gotta Wear Shades)” and most people misunderstood that one.]

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    1. I hope it did…it sounded good in my head anyway.
      Milt Famie the guy that walked the bases loaded after drinking what made Milwaukee’s famous?
      I hear you on that…so many songs that hit and the band would have much better ones….I totally agree.

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      2. Ok I did read about that! I am a huge baseball fan. The other sports are alright but baseball is the game closest to my heart.

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    1. lol… well you are a good example…but you have been over here and Canada…but you probably knew who Babe Ruth was or at least the name.

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      1. Yeah, I’ll agree with Clive- we knew him, the name transcended the game, if that makes sense. You may not care a toss about, say, cricket, but you may have heard the name ‘Bradman?’ The true greats take on a sort of a world wide level of recognition. I used to know a few grid iron names as a kid, Unitas, Jim Brown and one other whose name escapes me now, another who went into acting… Joe something? (I don’t wanna cheat and Goog.)

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      2. Yes I do and the name DOES transcend the game and I should have had that in my post! That is what I meant. No you are not going to know his stats but you know his name!
        Broadway Joe Namath! Now I knew a soccer player in the 70s and all of my life and I had never watched the game…it was of course Pele…so yea I get what you are saying. Ali was like that as well.

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  7. I love the passion with which you write and link these two. Baseball means next to nothing here but we’ve still heard of Babe Ruth – which is what I used to call my younger daughter – Ruth – when she was little, to disapproving looks from my wife 🤣

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    1. Thank you Clive I really appreciate that. Two totally different animals…but I was/am a huge fan of both.
      You just made me laugh about you calling your daughter that…that is great!

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    2. Clive that song you recommended is coming tomorrow and I be damned if I didn’t mention you in this! I knew I was forgetting people…sorry about that…I just added you! I knew I shouldn’t have mentioned people by name because I always forget….but you are mentioned tomorrow!

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      2. Ironic…tomorrows post is yours and I completely forget! I will admit though…when I’m off Mon-Thursday I try to stay away from the blogs because work takes a lot of my time.

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    1. No he won’t…I totally agree with you. Babe Ruth was light years above everyone at the time and for me…he was the best player because he could both well and be consistent.

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  9. okay so I immediately thought of the band Babe Ruth lol….I did at one time own their first album first base, which I played to death…funny story, I always assumed that my baseball playing and loving father was a babe and yankees fan..I mean he played, coached, umpired, has a baseball diamond/park here in edmonton with his name on it..he pretty much built the thing and looked after the grounds….so every Christmas, birthday and father’s day, well almost I would try and find him something about the Babe or the Yankees, on a trip I made to NYC I made a concerted effort to find anything….then found out, he could not stand the Yankees…….and yeah, man to have been around way back when, during those Backbeat days….

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    1. Funny you said that Warren…I looked for the band Babe Ruth covering a Beatles song…of course they didn’t cover any…that would have been perfect.
      Your dad…that sounds like me…I respect the Yankees…a lot but I cannot root for them unless they play The Giants (the Dodgers arch rival) or the Braves who I just hate. My dad liked the Tennessee Vols football team and I got him that…. hey you tried!

      Oh wouldn’t that be awesome…Hamburg before the mainia

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  11. Pingback: Babe Ruth and The Beatles – MobsterTiger

  13. Babe Ruth, who full disclosure I didn’t know (I’m just not into baseball and probably still don’t get that game!) and The Beatles are an interesting connection I wouldn’t have thought of. That said, I think your explanation makes perfect sense to me. Both obviously caught your curiosity and, as you noted, you’re passionate about researching stuff. And that’s great and undoubtedly informs your blogging!

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    1. Yea but you know Babe Ruths name right? Babe was The Beatles of baseball lol…or the Beatles are the Babe of music.
      Thanks for reading this…I know it was weird.

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      2. Of course I liked Yeager and Munson… Munson was the only Yankee I liked.
        Simmons looked like a rocker… the can could hit

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      3. We could go on and on with this one. Bench was always the bar. Man there was some great teams back then. My fave Blue Jay is Kirk for so many reasons. I think he is on the same training routine as the Babe.

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  16. Good points about talented musicians vs talented athletes. And although I know popularity is not the driver of your interest, there is a kind of cultural mystique — qualitatively different from popularity but often coextensive with it — when something sticks in the popular imagination of a culture, almost like an archetype, transcending the category that is their earthly fit. In the pop culture of the 20th century (and onward), Babe Ruth broke through to that status via baseball as the Beatles did for music. Until today, I think they still have that standalone mystique in their respective fields.

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    1. I was thinking on the same lines as you…I mean it sounds so easy to say that was the two I icons I loved…but as an 8 year old (when I found the Beatles) and 10 year old (when I found Babe Ruth) I truly wasn’t thinking that way but…the information was out there so I could see it. If they weren’t as popular…then I couldn’t have read about them. If I would have found Big Star at 8 years old…I seriously doubt if there was any books on them…it’s not easy to find it now.
      I agree…they do have that in their fields.

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