Baseball

The Best Photo of Babe Ruth in All of Texas

Is there ever a best or a favorite of anything? It’s hard to say, and it’s even harder to defend once it’s said. Individual opinions will vary wildly from person to person. One of my personal favorite vintage baseball photos of them all is a photograph of Babe Ruth from 1930 in downtown San Antonio, Texas. It is easily my local favorite photo of Babe Ruth — bar none! Every time I am in San Antonio, I stop by (if not stay there) the historical Menger Hotel that is immediately next to the even more famous Alamo to pay homage to The Babe.

The Menger Hotel is better known for having photos and items about Teddy Roosevelt than it is for anything about sports. Still, this more than remarkable photo captures a lesser-known part of baseball’s great history of MLB teams traveling around the country to play local teams in exhibition games. And for those who know about Babe Ruth’s personal life, the photo is very appropriately hanging outside of the entrance to the small hotel bar.

The photo’s caption reads: Babe Ruth in front of Menger Hotel, March, 1930. Ruth was in San Antonio to play in a game between the New York Yankees and San Antonio Indians. The photo is credited as part of the San Antonio Light Collection and the Institute of Texan Cultures. As an apology, my own photo caught a glare but this one at least belongs to me without the need for any outside sources needed.

Babe Ruth Menger Hotel photo

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A second photo is also inside the Menger Hotel but just around the corner, and it shows The Babe proudly and confidently standing right in the middle of the players.

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And what about the actual game? The New York Yankees, with Babe Ruth and teammates, played their exhibition game against the minor league San Antonio Indians. The Yankees won in a punishing 14-1 score, and Babe Ruth belted a homer on his first at-bat that day. Ruth reportedly signed autographs even while he was playing in the outfield by signing baseballs, scorecards, gloves, books and whatever else the kids would give him to sign.

If you have other photos of Babe Ruth from his visits in Texas please feel free to share them by emailing “editor at collectorsdashboard dot com” with the note “Other Babe Ruth Photo TX” in the subject line.

Categories: Baseball, Sports

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