One Guy's Viewpoint

Who's Roy Hobbs? Besides "The Natural."

The Natural was on last night and, as usual, I watched some of it. It's a favorite of mine, one I've watched through several times. The movie is based upon a novel of the same title by Bernard Malamud. The book, though, I've never read.

Roy Hobbs, the main character, was a ball player with considerable talent. Played by Robert Redford, Hobbs tells the Glenn Close character that he had always wanted to be known as "the greatest who ever played the game."

Was the Roy Hobbs character based on a real baseball player? Of course he was. Three or four, at least.

First he was a farm boy with an overpowering fast ball. Like Bob Feller, a natural himself, who was pitching in the majors at seventeen. A left handed Bob Feller who struck out "The Whammer" on three pitches. Who was the Whammer you ask. According to Joe Posnanski of the Kansas City Star the Whammer was the best portrayal of Babe Ruth in a movie ever. (Just like, he wrote, Apollo Creed was the best portrayal of Ali.)

But Babe Ruth has to be the person Hobbs is most based upon. A great pitcher who can hit. Can hit? What an understatement. After winning over ninety games, Ruth became a slugging outfielder who held the major league record for home runs in a season from 1919 to 1961, 42 consecutive years, longer than Maris, longer than anabolic steroids. He won a batting championship when Ty Cobb and George Sisler were in the league. Ruth is still considered by many. maybe most, to be the greatest who ever played the game. What a natural Ruth was. Like Roy Hobbs.

So in the big showdown in the movie, Babe Ruth struck out Babe Ruth.

Roy Hobbs is also based on Eddie Waitkus. Huh? Yeah, who's he? Eddie Waitkus was no natural, but he was a good ball player. I saw him play in the spring of 1947 when the Cubs came to Dallas to play our Dallas Rebels an exhibition game. Waitkus played first base; he hit left, threw left. Although he didn't have a lot of power , he usually hit for a good average. Eddie Waitkus was a bachelor. He was known as one of sport's most eligible. After being voted starting National League first baseman on the 1949 All Star team (he was with the Phillies by then), on a road trip he was shot by a mysterious woman in a hotel room. Just like Roy Hobbs.

One reason I never read the book was because a friend of mine told me that in the book Hobbs took the money and did his bit to throw the climactic game. Like another natural, "Shoeless" Joe Jackson? "Say it ain't so, Joe." Say it ain't so, Roy. Me, I'll always go for the happy ending.

posted by Burt @ 12:01 PM