Babe Ruth: From Baseball To Bartender And Back Again

Before Babe Ruth became the defining figure of 20th century baseball, he was his father's kid, so troublesome that he was farmed out to a Baltimore orphanage, so devoted that after his first season, he returned to the old man's bar and grill.

The proof of that is in a remarkable photo of Ruth's Cafe.

The original George Herman Ruth was a saloonkeeper and from all available evidence, ran a first-class joint. At Christmas time, he decorated the place with festive tinsel, ornaments and lights hanging from the ceiling.

On the bar, he placed a huge punch bowl filled with egg nog, or perhaps something a tad stronger. And behind the bar, he stationed the Babe.

It's all right there in the photo, part of Leland's Golden Age auction last weekend in New York City.

In the winter of 1915, Babe Ruth, age 20 and just back from his first season in the major leagues with the Boston Red Sox, tended bar at Ruth's Cafe. At least he did on Dec. 27, 1915, the date on the classic picture.

Left unsaid is the fact that this was a brand new spot for pop, located at the corner of Lombard and Eutaw Streets in downtown Baltimore and financed in large measure by his son's winning World Series share, a hefty $3,780.25 - pocket change these days.

The Babe, a pitcher then, went 18-8 for Boston that season and batted .322 with four of the 14 home runs the team hit that summer. He was not thrilled about being unused in the World Series but the check made up for the disappointment, especially since it would help set up his old man in a new place.

Josh Evans, who runs Leland's auction house, had placed a minimum price of $5,000 on the photo, which is probably a lot more cash flow than Ruth's Cafe generated in a good year. Young Babe, however, would eventually do much better than that and he wouldn't have to pour drinks to make it, either.

But in 1915, if the senior Ruth said, "Set 'em up," the junior Ruth did exactly that.

Wearing a natty vest and an apron, the Babe stands in this picture with one hand on his hip and the other on the well-stocked liquor shelf.

At the other end of the bar is the proprietor of the place, holding a Ruth-sized cigar in one hand with the other positioned casually in the cash draw. The register's last sale reads .25, which probably bought a decent bit of refreshment then but wouldn't get much more than a seat on a stool in most places these days.

Ruth's Cafe was a full service tavern. Want a bite to eat? No problem. A sign advertises oysters at the raw bar. And behind the owner is another sign suggesting customers "Take Home A Fry."

They must have done some business, too. Besides father and son, the photo shows another bartender, towel casually slung over his shoulder, and a waiter with a tray full of drinks, ready to serve them. There is just one customer in the place, although he looks content enough.

At the end of the bar seated on a chair and also looking reasonably happy with the way things were going in that holiday season, is the bar's resident dog. Running the length of the bar along the floor is a spittoon trough, provided as a convenience for customers. There is no word on the health department's opinion of this bit of barroom ambiance.

The resemblance between father and son is startling. They are mirror images of each other and yet there is a difference, especially in their eyes.

The elder Ruth looks like a no-nonsense, tough guy, a stern taskmaster, who would think nothing of shipping out a problem son. The younger Ruth, not yet completely wise in the ways of the world, looks considerably softer.

As well as things seemed to be going that day, all would not remain serene in Ruth's Cafe. Three years after the Christmas picture was taken, Babe's father became involved in a street brawl outside the bar and died of his injuries.