Wednesday’s Hot Clicks: This New Batting Practice Footage Makes Babe Ruth Look Like a Chump
Watch Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in HD
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For anyone who doubted free-agent reliever Adam Ottavino when he said he would strike out Babe Ruth “every time,” this should convince you.
Newly modernized footage posted to YouTube this week shows Ruth and Lou Gehrig taking batting practice before an exhibition game in Brooklyn in April 1931. The original film was shot in slow motion by Fox Movietone News, a newsreel company, and preserved by the University of South Carolina’s Moving Image Research Collection. Here it is sped up to the modern standard of 60 frames per second.
Those are supposed to be two of the greatest hitters of all time? Ruth looks at times like he’s about to fall over or spin himself into the ground. In any later era, that slide step he did would have made it impossible to time pitches correctly. Gehrig looks a little more like he’d fit in in the modern era, but either guy would stick out like a sore thumb to any scout used to watching the game in the 21st century.
And yet, Ruth and Gehrig were as good in 1931 as any other year. Ruth hit .373 with 46 home runs and 162 RBI, while Gehrig batted .341 with a .446 on-base percentage, 46 homers and 185 RBI. I bet a time-traveling Justin Smoak could have done the same thing, though.
Still, the footage is really cool. It’s awesome to see two of the best players of their era in a modern-quality video and hear the sounds of the ballpark from nearly 90 years ago.
Jimmy Butler still hates the Wolves
Jimmy Butler’s exit from Minnesota was as messy as can be. Remember when he showed up at Timberwolves practice for the first time in weeks, assembled a group of players from the bottom of the roster and proceeded to whoop the Minnesota starters in a scrimmage? Joel Embiid does.
Embiid doesn’t even really have anything to do with this beef, but you know he can’t resist an opportunity to talk trash.
The Warriors scored 51 in one quarter
The Warriors absolutely embarrassed the Nuggets last night, scoring 51 first-quarter points in a 142–111 win that moved them past Denver for first place in the West.
Kevin Durant scored 17 points in the quarter all by himself and the Warriors hit a franchise-record 10 threes. With DeMarcus Cousins set to make his Golden State debut on Friday, don’t be shocked if the Warriors never relinquish first place.
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Email dan.gartland@simail.com with any feedback or follow me on Twitter for approximately one half-decent baseball joke per week. Bookmark this page to see previous editions of Hot Clicks and find the newest edition every day. By popular request I’ve made a Spotify playlist of the music featured here. Visit our Extra Mustard page throughout each day for more offbeat sports stories.
