Babe Ruth called his shot vs. the Cubs 80 years ago today

Eighty years ago today (Monday), Babe Ruth and the New York Yankees created MLB legend. For Chicago Cubs fans, it might be less-appealing legend, but the fact that it was so long ago probably takes away any of the pain that made said legend directly contribute to a World Series loss. We're talking about, of course, Ruth calling his shot in the World Series down two strikes to break a 4-4 tie, as noted by John R. Schmidt of WBEZ.org.

As legend has it – and grainy 8mm film seems to corroborate in some form – Ruth came up to bat in the fourth inning of Game Three, gave up two strikes, then pointed toward the center field bleachers, announcing he'd hit the next pitch there. Ruth then proceeded to slam a home run right where he had pointed, and the Yankees won the game (and the next one, winning the World Series in four-straight games).

Schmidt does a good job of chronicling the myth, from the fact that it wasn't widely reported that Ruth swung at all to the video that surfaced in 1992. It's well worth a read if you're remembering one of the great baseball legends, even if it involves the Cubs losing.