1 THE OLD BALL GAME

"Another aphorism which has become proverbial for American sports officials, if not for

the public at large, is Umpire Bill klem‟s „I never missed one in my heart.‟ So seriously

did Klem take this statement of umpiring integrity that he claimed to have retired in 1941,

the first time he ever wondered if he had called a play correctly—a tag at second on an

attempted steal".

Babe Ruth made some bad choices and his bad behavior became known by the

public. As a result he began to think about how children would judge him. "With tears

streaming down his face, he apologized to the kids of America, right after Mayor Jimmy

Walker had given him a public dressing down worthy of a school-marm".