Bambino

Bambino, released in 1938 by Bally, designer is not accredited, artwork by George Molentin.

"Bambino", Italian for infant or baby, was a nickname for George Herman "Babe" Ruth, probably the most famous baseball player of all time. His career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 years; from 1914 to 1935. Although he had been retired for 3 years his fame and legacy demanded tribute via a pinball machine themed in his honor. Ruth had the tag "Babe" grafted to him by way of his first contract to Jack Dunn, owner of the Baltimore Orioles. Referred to as Dunn's "Darling" or "Dunnie's Babe", he later earned the nickname "Sultan of Swat" because of his ability to hit home runs bringing baseball out of the "dead-ball" and into "live-ball" era in 1920. In 2006, sportswriter Leigh Montville from his book, The Big Bam: The Life and Times of Babe Ruth, wrote:

"The fascination with his life and career continues. He is a bombastic, sloppy hero from our bombastic, sloppy history, origins undetermined, a folk tale of American success. His moon face is as recognizable today as it was when he stared out at Tom Zachary on a certain September afternoon in 1927. If sport has become the national religion, Babe Ruth is the patron saint. He stands at the heart of the game he played, the promise of a warm summer night, a bag of peanuts, and a beer. And just maybe, the longest ball hit out of the park."

One of Ruth's most famous stunts was in 1932 when his Yankees were met with jeering crowds in Chicago playing game 3 of the World Series. In the 5th inning he was at bat facing insults and cat calls from the crowd when he gestured to Center Field, calling his shot, and delivering a nearly 500 ft. home run.

Baseball has always had a close relationship with pinball and to that end, 44 years later, pinball savior Roger Sharpe was in the Manhattan City Council at a hearing to determine whether or not to recognize piball as a game of skill and make it legal or continue banning it as a gambling machine. Before plunging the ball, Sharpe called his shot, predicting where the ball would land. In true Ruth fashion Sharpe succeeded and pinball's history was changed forever.

-Michael Schiess