Even in the waning months of his life, Babe Ruth made time for baseball and the boys who played it. In 1947 Ruth was the “Sports Consultant” for the American Legion, and in that capacity, he took in the 1947 National Championship in Los Angeles. The championship game was won by the Robert Bentley Post 50 of Cincinnati, featuring future big leaguer and coach Don Zimmer. According to Zimmer’s biography by Bob Hurte, “In 1947 Zimmer’s American Legion team won the national American Legion championship in the finals in Los Angeles. He and his teammates met Babe Ruth and everyone on the team got a ball autographed by Ruth. (Don literally tore the cover off his ball by playing with it.)”

Fortunately, this example featuring Ruth’s autograph along with the championship team did not meet the same fate as Zimmer’s ball. This Spalding Official League ball was personalized by Ruth to one of Zimmer’s teammates, Jim Frey, who would go on to have a successful career as a big league manager, coach, and executive with the Orioles, Royals, Cubs and Mets. Ruth’s signature (6-7/10) in bold black fountain pen on the east panel is joined on the ball by 19 members of the Post 50 Champs including Don Zimmer. A great example of the Babe’s unyielding dedication to the game and the young fans that made him famous. This ball comes with an LOA from PSA/DNA with a 6 auto grade (average grade for all signatures on the ball).