Work, fight, or play ball: when Babe Ruth paused his career and headed to the mill

During the first world war, Americans across society were expected to contribute. And that included baseball's biggest stars

Great Bambino ... Sultan of Swat ... steelworker?

Yes, Babe Ruth, the man who would hit 714 home runs in Major League Baseball had a stint as a steelworker early in his career. Why the move to working for Bethlehem Steel in Lebanon, Pennsylvania? The career change was a result of a US government directive during the first world war called the Work-or-Fight Order: Eligible men had to either register for the draft or find essential work - such as at a steel mill. But there was a loophole for Major Leaguers like Ruth. Bethlehem Steel had its own baseball league and was all too happy to hire professional athletes, ostensibly for war-related jobs but actually to enhance its league's competitiveness. This story rises from obscurity in a book published earlier this year - Work, Fight, or Play Ball, by Pennsylvania-based journalist William Ecenbarger.