Picnic? Yeah! Is There a Ball Game Today?

[DOUGHBOYS]

This is a story from 'The Boston Evening Transcript'.
Back in the day, newspapers and fledgling radio were the only ways to get news accounts.
So there were many newspapers.
I'll do the reverse and set this story up after you've read the original.
Remember, anything in parenthesis is me, not the newspaper.

'To say that yesterday was a banner day at Fenway Park is putting it a little meekly. The crowd of 38,000 (no official tallies of attendance were immediately known to writers and they had a deadline, so reporters would give their best estimate) which jammed its way into the park was paying tribute once more to George Herman "Babe" Ruth's ability to draw a crowd anywhere. (This crowd did set a then attendance record at Fenway Park, at the time, Fenway's seating capacity was less than 34,000. The writer's estimate was spot on as over 38,000 were admitted)

A crowd from all parts of New England, estimated as high as 70,000, tried to force its way into the enclosure. As early as 1:05 (Game time 2:30) ticket selling for seats stopped. Then for another 20 minutes, standing room was sold, and that completed the sale for the day.
Once inside, it was a question of finding a place for yourself. Some lined along the outfield, which necessitated the usual ground rules (It was common for fans to sit along fences in games then. The 'usual ground rules' were that if a ball were hit into this crowd along the fence, that it would be ruled a ground rule double); Others climbed fences and perched on them to get a better view, some watched from under the grandstand, while many of those unable to gain admittance took to higher buildings overlooking the park.With such an auspicious crowd it was befitting that the Red Sox should put up a great battle and at the end of 18 innings emerge victorious.
It was 6:30 when the first game was over and most of the crowd had started home for dinner. With the sun fast sinking (No lights), Umpire Nallin called the second game after five innings.
The battle between Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig goes merrily onward, with the two deadlocked once more. In the third inning of the first game, Gehrig, the former Columbia University Star sent one of Charles Ruffing's pitches into the right field bleachers, scoring Koenig ahead of him.
Gehrig has found the Boston pitchers easier to solve than Tuth. He has totalled 10 homers off the Red Sox, compared to just six by Ruth.

Then this from the New York Herald-Tribune:

'A girl with a yellow slicker ran out on the field yesterday,turned her back in front of Babe Ruth and insisted that he autograph her slicker. The Babe obliged and then looked around for more slickers to sign.'

These two stories accentuate how little thought went into crowd control then. Another story says that Gehrig had the advantage in the home run race because he could walk to the dugout unmolested in between innings, while Ruth had to avoid fans and full out sprint to the dugout when the last out of a game was made.
In some parks, center field was so far away from home, that fans and vendors would be allowed on the field. Some fans would bring table cloths and 'picnic' on the field.

The top story was from September 5, 1927. It marked the last day that Ruth and Gehrig would be even in home runs. Both at 44 home runs.The next day, Ruth would hit three the next day on his way to having a monster month of September and reaching 60 homers. Gehrig would also hit one the next day and 'settle' for 47 for the year.
The crowd was amazing and typified how America was caught up in the Ruth-Gehrig home run contest. The home run derby captured the imagination of everybody who could read a sports section.
If thinking that they came to see a game related to the pennant race, think again.
The Yankees were 17 games ahead of their nearest rival and an amazing 49 games ahead of the hometown Red Sox
(They would finish the year, 59 games behind the Yankees).

An 18 inning game between the Yankees and Red Sox in four hours?
They can't do four hours in a nine inning game now!

And just a footnote since speaking of Labor Day-
In this era, most men wore straw hats during spring and summer months. They were inexpensive and head covering was the order of the day. One of the Babe's favorite pranks was to ask a teammate (usually an unsuspecting rookie) to borrow his hat. He would take a large bite out of the hat and hand it back to the player.
These hats were only to be worn during spring and summer and it was traditional on Labor Day to change head garb from straw hats to derbies. A stronger hat made to withstand fall and winter.
So, on Labor Day, the Yankees would have a straw hat destruction party, which included some of the hats hurled onto the field after a Ruth or Gehrig home run. These parties were one of the Babe's favorite events.