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Primary sourceNewspaper article2 October 1927

Sports of the Times: Was There Ever a Guy Like Ruth?

John Kieran · 2 October 1927

A 1927 New York Times sports column by John Kieran reflecting on Babe Ruth's remarkable abilities, including a poem praising him.

A contemporary 1927 newspaper column celebrating Ruth's talent, reflecting his fame at the time.

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Source: Wikisource

About this source

What it is

This is a sports column titled "Sports of the Times," written by John Kieran and published in The New York Times on 2 October 1927. It revisits a verse the columnist had printed months earlier asking "Was there ever a guy like Ruth?" and presents it again now that, in the writer's view, Ruth has answered the question through his play.

Why it matters

This column is a contemporary opinion piece showing how sportswriters and fans viewed Babe Ruth at the height of his career in 1927, the year of his famous 60-home-run season. It reveals the kind of admiring, almost legendary language used to describe him at the time.

Look closer

  • What words does the writer use to praise Ruth, and what do they suggest about his public image?
  • Why might a newspaper repeat a poem it had printed months before?
  • Whose perspective is this—and how might that shape the picture of Ruth it gives us?

This newspaper article is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Babe Ruth on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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