Ruth Talks Hitting

Ruth Talks Hitting

By Dana Yost

It’s a young Ruth, slimmer,
certainly not the caricatured
fat man. He’s wearing a Yankees
uniform, pinstriped but with no
logo, except for the overlaid NY on the cap.
He’s showing a man in a suit
and fedora something with his bat,
cradling it near the trademark,
as if to say this is the sweet spot,
where I hit them the best, the
farthest. The man in the fedora
— maybe a New York sports writer —
looks on intently, but with a slight
smile — perhaps picturing one
of Ruth’s majestic clouts
into the far reaches of the Stadium.
They’re in front of the Yankees dugout,
probably pre-game, and I wish
I had been there, eavesdropping,
or even in the midst of the conversation,
listening in as greatness explains
what it means, what it takes,
to be great. How it feels to become legendary.
Did Ruth hit a homer
later, in that game, the one
in the photograph — did he find
the sweet spot that day?
I want to say yes, I want to say
that he slugged one beyond
the limit of sight, the ball falling
like a rocket, landing with a racket
— so loud, oh God, so loud —
in the seats, or maybe deeper,
rattling around an outfield concourse.
I want to say that’s how it happened.
I want to say Ruth was Ruth and the bat
was sweet and so was the swing —
and so was the swing, then and forever.

This poem was nominated for Best of the Net.

Dana Yost was an award-winning daily newspaper editor and writer for 29 years. Since 2008, he has published eight books with two more forthcoming next year from Finishing Line Press. He is a three-time Pushcart nominee.

Elliot Lin is a college student who spends their free time musing about sports and how they shape or reflect identity. You can find their other baseball-related illustrations here, on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram.

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