Local Man a Foremost Expert on Life of Babe Ruth

It’s almost time for the Fall Classic, as Major League Baseball’s playoffs continue apace.

No single character represents the myths and iconography of baseball than George Herman “Babe” Ruth Jr., also known as “The Sultan of Swat” and “The Bambino.”

One of the nation’s premier experts on the life and times of Babe Ruth is Patrick Trimble, of Boalsburg.

How does a kid from Erie grow up to be an expert on the life and times of Babe Ruth?

“For as long as I remember, I have been a Yankee fan,” said Trimble. “I am fascinated with the history of the game.” And no figure has had more influence on that history than Ruth.

Trimble spent a career teaching theater, film, literature and popular arts. “I am interested in the expansion of story,” he said. “All the details of the crazy things that happen in the baseball story. I once interviewed the great (Philadelphia) pitcher Robin Roberts who told me that if you get enough baseball people together, they start lying. Like fishermen.”

Trimble decided to conduct serious scholarship on baseball. He was inspired to do so by friend Roberta Pearson. “She was a Mets fan and convinced me to focus on Ruth.”

Following years of research, the writing of many articles and books on the icon and myth that was Ruth, Trimble found himself invited to many symposiums and conventions to serve as an expert on Ruth’s life and career.

“I had a great deal of fun hunting down articles and stories about Ruth. You have to remember that he had the size and swagger to become a hero, especially to kids. He was a big man with a moon face that towered over kids. His size and bombasity made him an attractive figure.”

Trimble noted that professional athletes were just becoming popular at the turn of the 20th century.

“I wondered why Ruth should be any more popular than Ty Cobb or George Sisler. I think the answer is that Ruth, for the most part, spent his career in New York City. The media was centered in New York. There were 23 newspapers and many magazines in New York. The film industry was located there and radio and television were born there.”

Along comes a guy who projects as a larger-than-life figure who seems to enjoy the media and he soon becomes an iconic character.

Trimble thinks that Ruth’s salary — much larger than anyone else in the sport — made him an “important” person. It was the commodification of an icon. “Ruth’s talks of his contract were like a rite of spring. It was a grand spectacle. Boston socialites could not believe that Ruth’s wife spent $450 on hats on one day. That was just his style. He once drove a car into a cornfield and decided to give it to the farmer.”

Babe Ruth was instrumental in helping to launch the life insurance industry. “That’s what saved him,” Trimble said. “He was a millionaire when he retired.”

Trimble calculated the economic impact that Ruth had on the Yankees. “Sunday games alone accounted for thousands of dollars. At that time, the Red Sox did not allow Sunday baseball. They didn’t until 1929.”

Another factor in Ruth’s popularity was his appearance on the vaudeville stage. He even convinced the quiet Lou Gehrig to join him.

“I always thought that the real Ruth was much smarter than people gave him credit for. He knew what hard work was and didn’t like it,” said Trimble.

Trimble worked with Saber Metrics on several projects. “I was known as the numbers guy on Ruth,” he said. “I tracked a West Coast barnstorming tour that Ruth did to raise money for pitcher Walter Johnson.”

Trimble has had chances to meet many of the writers and scholars who view the sport of baseball the way he does. His favorite scholar is Tim Kurkjian of ESPN. “He has more knowledge of baseball than anyone I know,” Trimble said, “I debated Tim many times on ‘Mike and Mike in the Morning.’”

Trimble now serves as an adviser to the Babe Ruth Museum in Baltimore, Ruth’s birthplace. “I have done research for the Baseball Hall of Fame and that’s where I met Bob Ryan, of the Boston Globe. A very nice fellow.

“During my research, I found a letter from Ruth to one of his many girlfriends. It said ‘Look sweety, the wife is with me. Signed, The Babe.’ His second wife, Claire, kept a much closer eye on Ruth than his first wife. He always slept in brothels on the road, prompting Bing Bodie to famously say, ‘I don’t room with Ruth. I room with his luggage.’”