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 “Baseball and Christmas Through the Years” Photo Gallery
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Merry Christmas!

On behalf of all of us here at Baseball History Comes Alive, I’d like to extend to all our readers a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! And to all our Jewish friends, a blessed Hanukkah season. 

As we are now well into our seventh year of posting interesting (we hope!) baseball essays and photos here on our Baseball History Comes Alive website, I’d like to use this occasion to thank our many loyal readers for their support and the positive feedback we continue to receive, making all our humble efforts worthwhile. I’d also like to extend a special word of thanks to all our great contributors who have added so much to the quality of our site this year. 

George Junior Helps Out at the Old Man’s Gin Mill!

Around here, we can never get enough of the great Bambino, so I hope you like the featured photo above. It’s one of my favorites. It’s the classic pic of a young George Herman Ruth, Jr. helping out his old man at George Sr.’s Baltimore saloon in about 1915. Here’s what I wrote about this pic a few years ago: 

“Boy, that George Jr. was the “spittin’ image” of the old man…a real chip off the old block! The word outta’ Old St. Mary’s Industrial over there on Wilkens Avenue was that he could hit the tar outta’ the ball. And he could fling a heater, too. The Brothers over there said they never saw such a kid. But I heard they had a hard time keepin’ the kid in line…had a real mind of his own. I wonder if Junior ever amounted to anything!

Let’s see… the kid was born in 1895, making him about 20 at the time of the photo. Was he old enough to be working in a gin mill?? Did they even have laws like that back then?”

Haha!

My Christmas Photo Gallery!

Anyway…It may be the middle of winter on this Christmas Eve, 2022, but baseball is still on our minds. So to inject a little baseball “cheer” into our celebrations today and tomorrow, check out the nice holiday season photo collection I put together. I’m calling it “Baseball and Christmas Through the Years.” It includes many of the Christmas cards sent out by the George Herman Ruth, Jr. family (and wouldn’t you have liked to be on that mailing list!), and many other players. Plus there’s a neat Lou Gehrig Christmas tree ornament I found.

The Babe as a Very Unconvincing Santa!

I‘m also including some actual footage of the Bambino playing Santa Claus for 50 polio victims at the Astor Hotel in 1947. With his beard falling down, I’m not sure what the kids made of him. Unfortunately, it would be the Babe’s last Christmas. That’s the Babe! He never passed on a chance to mingle with the kids. That’s why we still love him after all these years. 

Again, on behalf of all of us at Baseball History Comes Alive:

Merry Christmas to all. And best wishes for a healthy, happy New Year!

Gary Livacari

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