1948: Waite Hoyt's Tribute to Babe Ruth – Burger Beer Network

Complete original Burger Beer Baseball Network radio broadcast of Waite Hoyt's extemporaneous tribute to George Herman "Babe" Ruth, aired on the evening of August 16, 1948, from the studios of WCPO in Cincinnati, Ohio. The broadcast was part of a regularly scheduled Reds game telecast, which Hoyt interrupted to deliver this intimate, unrehearsed eulogy to his former teammate. 00:00 - Historical Context and Introduction 00:25 - Original Historical Broadcast Audio Context (verified through multiple sources): • Babe Ruth died at Memorial Hospital in New York City at 8:01 p.m. on August 16, 1948, at age 53, from a type of throat cancer. Francis Cardinal Spellman conducted his funeral from the high altar at St. Patrick's Cathedral. • Waite Hoyt (1899–1984), a Hall of Fame pitcher who was 22–7 for the 1927 "Murderers' Row" Yankees, was in his seventh season as the radio voice of the Cincinnati Reds. Burger Beer had been the sponsor of Reds broadcasts since 1942, and Hoyt referred to the network as the "Burger Beer Baseball Network." Hoyt was an honorary pallbearer at Ruth's funeral; at Ruth's wake, he and former teammate Joe Dugan famously joked about cold beer. • The broadcast originated from the studios of WCPO, Cincinnati's exclusive news and baseball station at the time. Hoyt spoke for approximately 50 minutes, sharing personal memories of Ruth as a teammate, a pitcher, a home-run hitter, and a man. Broadcast highlights (from original audio): • Hoyt recalls spending a day with Ruth in Cincinnati a year earlier, when Ruth already looked "particularly sick and ailing." • Ruth, he says, "rebuilt baseball after the Black Sox scandal" and "raised baseball players' salaries" by creating new economic standards in the game. • Hoyt speaks frankly about Ruth's "escapades off the field," acknowledging that some "would not bear telling on this radio," but stresses that Ruth "did what he thought was just and right." • The only real disappointment in Ruth's life: he was never given a chance to manage a Major League team. "He did hold a resentment toward the game that he practically saved," says Hoyt. • A reflection on the 1927 Yankees: Hoyt lists the many key members of that team who had already passed away by 1948, including Gehrig, Grabowski, Shocker, Pennock, Lazzeri, Huggins, and traveling secretary Mark Roth. • Stories of Ruth's superstitions (insisting on a glass of bicarbonate of soda before every game after it seemed to end a slump) and his generous autograph sessions with fans, "never too busy to do something for the fans." • The anecdote about Ruth mixing up "Hawaiians" and "Filipinos" while telling a story of a barnstorming tour, with his wife correcting him repeatedly: "The Babe says, 'What the heck's the difference? I hit the home run, didn't I?'" • The iconic moment when President Franklin D. Roosevelt recalled meeting Ruth in Binghamton in 1920, only to be told that the crowd had actually turned out for the Babe; Ruth's reply: "Ha ha! Yeah, Pres, that happens all the time." • After nearly 50 minutes, Hoyt concludes: "There never was one like Babe Ruth. There will never be one again. Ever." The broadcast ends with "Auld Lang Syne" played in Ruth's honor. Notable moments: • Hoyt's rain‑delay story style – His ad‑lib, off‑the‑cuff eulogy became one of the most celebrated examples of his legendary ability to fill time with personal recollections; many listeners later said they hoped for rain just to hear Hoyt's stories. • The Babe as a pitcher – Hoyt emphasizes that Ruth could have been elected to the Hall of Fame as a pitcher alone, noting that for years he held the left‑handed winning‑percentage record. • The "spare‑ribs" story – When the Yankees traveled, Ruth would have racks of spare ribs delivered to the train, then sell them to teammates for 50 cents a rack. Subscribe for more vintage baseball broadcasts and historical audio. #WaiteHoyt #BabeRuth #BurgerBeer #Reds #CincinnatiReds #WCPO #HallOfFame #1948