Sportswriter Tommy Holmes once said of Babe Ruth “I stopped talking about the Babe for the simple reason that I realized that those who had never seen him didn’t believe me.” This sentiment holds true today. Most know the name Babe Ruth, but many don’t fully understand the fascination and awe that Ruth had as a player, even after his retirement from the game in June of 1935.
An American icon, Ruth was the most celebrated athlete of his time and the first great slugger to play the game. After playing with the Red Socks for six years (1914-1919), he played for the Yankees (1920-1934), leading the team to seven American League pennants and four World Series titles. He retired from the Boston Braves after one season (1935).
After 22 years in the major league, Babe Ruth’s stats included: 2,873 hits, 714 home runs (including 60 hit in 1927 alone; a record that would stand until Roger Maris hit 61 in 1961), 506 doubles, 2,174 runs, 2,213 RBI, a .342 batting average, a .474 on-base percentage, and a .690 slugging percentage.
Impressive stats, raw talent, power and a larger-than-life personality drew massive crowds when the Babe played. In Colorado he made the news often. In 1927 the Longmont Daily Timesreported fans traveling to Denver to see Babe Ruth (and Lou Gehrig) in action. Advertisers used his name to promote products and services—a 1926 Longmont National Bank advertisement asked readers “What if “Babe” Ruth does earn more than the President” and then told them to be grateful for living in a country where a baseball hero could become a millionaire overnight and to start saving! Did the Babe earn a million overnight, no, but he did earn $52,000 in 1926 for playing ball, plus $100,000 for his vaudeville appearances that year.
Special appearances and exhibition games also served as an income source. Perhaps the most famous Ruth off-season event was the 1927 barnstorming tour that occurred immediately after the Yankees swept the Pirates in the World Series. Ruth’s team, known as the “Bustin’ Babes” consisted mostly of local amateurs and minor leaguers. His team and Lou Gehrig’s team, the “Larrupin Lous,”played 21 exhibition games in nine states. Ruth and Gehrig traveled 8,000 miles, played before 220,000 fans and autographed 5,000 baseballs (per a Nov. 11, 1927 article that appeared in the Times of Munster, Indiana).
To see the Babe play was memorable, to meet him, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Denver native James Capillupo (1909-2002) did meet the baseball legend, after winning The Denver Posthomerun contest in October of 1927. Capillupo was an avid baseball player who won the 1927 contest after hitting several home runs at the exhibition game attended by Ruth and sponsored by The Post. Capillupo not only met Babe Ruth, he received an autographed baseball signed by the Great Bambino himself!
James Carmen Capillupo was born January 28, 1909 in Sheridan Wyoming. The son of Francesco “Frank” and Caterina Granato Capillupo, James and his family settled permanently in Colorado around 1920. By 1930, Frank Capillupo was working in Denver as a street cleaner and James as a packer in a dry goods store. The family was living at 1727 W 32ndAvenue in Denver’s Little Italy. In 1936, James Capillupo married Ruby Rotola. The couple had seven children: Rose, James, Anthony, Mary, Sarafino, Rinaldo and Lenora.
In 1954, James Capillupo (and brother-in-law Albert Rotola) opened the Wazee Supper Club on 15thand Wazee Streets. Located in a 1880s historic building that formerly housed a saloon, the Club offered downtown workers comfort food and a friendly atmosphere. Rotola and Capillupo operated the Club until 1974, when they sold the business to the Karagas Brothers (who also owned My Brother’s Bar). James Capillupo died in Denver on December 18, 2002 at the age of 93. By: Alisa DiGiacomo
The author thanks James Bullock and Lenora Capillupo Bullock for their assistance in writing this article.
