Our state

tar lied sports by Jim Sumner The Babe’s First Home Run On the 50th anniversary of his death, we remember the dawn of Babe Ruths career in the Tar Heel State when the larger-than-life titan hit his first home run in professional baseball. A Ьл11ч \ ago America's great¬ est x|x>iis hero died. ( k-orge let man Km i i died ol • am ei on August Hi. 1948. Kven those who were mil spoi ls Ians recognized Kuili .in the larger-than-life lilan who set Imme mu lecorcLs lor llie Nnv Mirk Yankees. Fewei knew lhal Rulli liegan his professional baseball career in llie lai I leel Slale. Horn in Baltimore in 1895. Rulli gu-v\ up in llie i ii\. I le 'pent a sizable « hunk ol liis < IliUlhocMl as an "incorrigible" ai Si. Mar y's Industrial School, where he learned m play baseball under llie tute¬ lage ol the s< bool’s lathers. Ruths bud¬ ding skills i .line lo ibe .mention of Ja« к Dunn, llie doininanl figure on Baltimore's baseball sfenc. Dunn lx>ih owned and managed llie Ballinioie Orioles. (II ibis conjures up images ol (ill Ripken and Frank Robinson, these Orioles were in die Inlemaiional League: Baltimore woulcln'l have an American League bam hise uniil 1953.) Minor league or mil. Dunn's success was well known in Baltimore. In 191 I. hnvvev- er. Dunn Ix-gan lo woi i у alxml a new league in town: I be Federal Ix-ague was < hallenging die National and Ameru an leagues and bad placed a team in Baltimore. Dunn needed new blcxxl to meet the challenge of the Baltimore Fedemls; be lielieved the raw Ruth was Worth a si lot. Dunn's Baltimore learn s|x-nt die spring ol 191 I training in Fayetteville, largely lx’< ause of the efforts ol Fayetteville businessman I Ivinan Fleisliinan. also a Baltimore native, Fleishman contacted I >111111 about train¬ ing in Fayetteville ami assembled lixal merchants who agreed lo house the I iiFavette elevator ii|> and down. I lis amused teammates looked at this lialx- in the woods and crowned him with die dubious nickname “Balxr." Ruth also played baseball in Fayetteville. .Ys is customary. die pitchers and catchers arrived for spring training a lew «lavs before the rest of the team. (Ruth started his career as a pitcher.) Impatient foi the others 10 at rive. Dunn put together an intntsquad practice game for March 7. filling out the squad with re|x»rteis from the Baltimore Amniian and faming Sun. who were trav¬ eling with the team. Hyman Fleishman's 1 1 -year-old son Maurice was the batlxiy for Ruth's team. Ruth played shortstop and pitched two innings, leading bis team, the Buzzards, to a 15-9 win over the Spai rows. In bis last at-Uit Ruth bit a mammoth home 1 un ovei the light fielder's bead. Ruth's teammate. Anuriran leportei Rodgei Pippen. lilt** I a re|xirt with bis pa|x-r 011 the game — his headline read. “Ruth Makes Mighty Clout." But Ruth was a pitcher, this was an iiltmsqu.id game, and imlxxlv knew that Ruth would become the home 1 1111 king. How would be do on the mound? Dunn wasted little time finding out. Ruth did¬ n’t disap|xiint and first revealed bis pitch¬ ing skills while in North Carolina. Dunn bad 35 players in camp and div ided his squad into several teams, which played other teams training in North Carolina — major league, minor league, college, anybody who could field nine players. Ruth pitched first against local Donaldson Military Academy, then three innings o| a +3 win over the National I Prague Philadelphia Phillies. ( )riolcs at the I aFayette I lotel. Ruth bad just lx*en signed lo a minoi league contra* t by Diiiiu. I lis train ride to Fayetteville was his first trip outside ol Baltimore. In fa* t. Ruth bad never lx-en on a train, nevei stayed at a hotel, nevei lx-en on an «-levator. It rained incessantly the fust lew days Ruth was in Fayetteville, and be spent time h of bis time riding the In his finifessimml baseball dibul. Babe Rulli lii I his Jirsl home mu in Fayetteville. 60 Our Suite August 1998