His Departure From Yankees Was Ruthless

There was no doubting it. One of the great sports careers of the 20th century was near its end.

Everyone could see that on this date in 1935, when it was announced Babe Ruth was leaving the New York Yankees after 15 years and joining the Boston Braves.

Ruth was once baseball’s most valuable asset. Indeed, by himself he had lifted the game out of the shame of the 1919 World Series gambling scandal. His fame and drawing power enabled the Yankees to build Yankee Stadium.

But he was fat and 40, and he was handed over to Boston virtually free of charge.

Even more humiliating, the Yankees easily got waivers on Ruth from every American League club to send him to the National League.

The Braves would pay Ruth $20,000--he’d once made $80,000 with the Yankees--to be a player and vice president.

At a press conference, Ruth’s penchant for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time bit him again. He pronounced himself the Braves’ “assistant manager,” which came as news to Manager Bill McKechnie.

Ruth made it clear he also eventually wanted McKechnie’s job, souring the relationship from Day 1.

Also on this date: In 1964, the Dodgers gave Don Drysdale a $21,500 raise, signing him to a $72,500 contract and making him the highest- paid Dodger ever. . . . In 1957, Danny Rogers led USC to an upset over UCLA’s basketball team, 84-80, at the Pan Pacific Auditorium. . . . In 1960, David Jenkins won the men’s figure skating gold medal at the Squaw Valley Winter Olympics.