SIDEWAYS GLANCE BABE'S BABY OPENS UP THE FAMILY ALBUM.Byline: - Mike Morrow --The book: ``Major League Dad: A Daughter's Cherished Memories'' --The author: Julia Julia, feminine name in the Julian gens. 1 Died 54 B.C., daughter of Julius Caesar and wife of Pompey. By her grace and tact she maintained the bond between her father and her husband. After her death the two statesmen became open enemies. 2 39 B.C.–A.D. 14, daughter of Augustus and wife, in turn, of Marcus Claudius Marcellus (d. 23 B.C.), Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, and Tiberius. Ruth Stevens with Bill Gilbert --The essential info: Triumph Books, 118 pages, $12.95 --The review: Babe Ruth definitely was this little girl's daddy. Julia Ruth was adopted by Babe when her mother and the New York Yankees outfielder were married in 1929, and she has put together an interesting collection of sentimental and humorous memories, glimpses into the private family life of Babe Ruth. But there are hints that life wasn't as pleasant as portrayed. Julia Ruth says Babe's own daughter, Dorothy, never had the type of relationship with her stepmother that she had with her stepfather. She never refers to Ruth as her stepfather, noting that she received a blood transfusion from him when she was a teen-ager ``and from that time on, I felt we were blood relatives, father and daughter, because I had some of his blood in me.'' Beside the expected notations (``The Best Father a Girl Could Ask For,'' ``Dancing With Daddy''), there are several (``A Family Feud feud, formalized private warfare, especially between family groups. The blood feud (see vendetta) is characteristic of those societies in which central government either has not arisen or has decayed. In modern times the feud, outlawed in most countries, has persisted where public justice cannot be easily enforced and private means are a simpler recourse. With the Gehrigs,'' ``Daddy's Disappointment'') that provide more insight. A seven-year feud apparently existed between the Ruth and Gehrig families, and the two players did not speak on the field until July 4, 1939, which was Lou Gehrig Day at Yankee Stadium. They hugged and the feud was over. Ruth, his daughter writes, was terribly disappointed that he never got to manage. In 1946, after being snubbed for the Yankees job, ``Daddy just sat down in our living room and cried.'' She also believes he didn't ``officially'' die of cancer but of a broken heart because of the perceived snub. The book has a pleasant collection of family photographs, many first-time releases to the public, and could be pushed aside as a little too sappy. ``It was such a lot of fun just to be with him.'' If nothing else, this book is fun. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: no caption (book: Major League Dad: A Daughter's Cherished Memories) |
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