A nude beach and a goat, Toronto's monument to a baseball god.
Toronto is famous for many things: the Maple Leafs, CN Tower, Aubrey Graham. In the summer, it's many beaches are swarmed by suburbanites, enjoying all the perks the lakes have to offer. One such beach is Hanlan's Point on Toronto Island. Famous now as a clothing-optional beach, it was home to several baseball stadiums.
It was first built in 1897, to house the minor league Toronto Maple Leafs, a team that existed in some form until 1967 and was a minor league affiliate of many big leagues in clubs. After burning to the ground and being rebuilt twice, a new stadium was erected in 1910.
It is now September 5th 1914, and the Toronto Maple Leafs are hosting the Providence Grays, a well-known minor league team unconnected with the major league ball club of the same name. On this particular day, a young 19 year old is dazzling on the mound for the visitors, limiting the hometown Leafs to just one hit. This kid also happens to a fantastic hitter and during the game hit a three run homer over the right field fence.
While that may seem like a just a footnote in a 9-0 blowout win, it was notable because it was the kid's first professional home run. He was no ordinary player either, this kid was special.
A few months earlier the Grays, who were then part of the Tigers organization, had been purchased by Joseph Lannin, owner of the Boston Red Sox. As part of the transaction, he agreed to send a player as compensation to help the team win the pennant. So, he sent this two-way playing wunderkind.
The kid had already made his debut earlier in the year for Boston as a pitcher and went largely unnoticed.
Starting with the 1915 season, the kid was in the major leagues for good. He had a long, successful, legendary career. Some say he was the best to ever play the game. Some say he was the GOAT. Back then, he was known as George Herman Ruth, but history knows him as the Babe.
If you ever find yourself at Hanlan's Point, you will notice a plaque near the spot where Babe Ruth hit his first professional home run. Originally instituted in 1980's, it was given a makeover in 2006.
And that is the story of the nude beach and the goat.
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| POLL | ||
JANVIER 12 | 85 ANSWERS A nude beach and a goat, Toronto's monument to a baseball god. Have you ever visited the Hanlan's point monument? | ||
| Yes | 9 | 10.6 % |
| No | 76 | 89.4 % |
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