Babe & the Kid:: The Legendary Story of Babe Ruth and Johnny Sylvester (Sports)

On the eve of game four of the 1926 World Series, Ruth heard that a young New Jersey boy, Johnny Sylvester, was laid up with a deadly illness. Ruth autographed a ball for Johnny, inscribing it, I'll knock a homer for you in Wednesday's game-Babe Ruth." The rest was history. Ruth delivered on his promise, and Johnny made a miraculous recovery. In Babe & the Kid, author Charlie Poekel traces the story behind the sensational headlines. Picking up in the aftermath of Ruth's incredible feat, he follows Johnny's remarkable life story."

Charlie Poekel is a former member of the New Jersey State Historical Commission, having been twice appointed by Governor Christine Todd Whitman. He currently serves on the Board of Managers of the Sons of the Revolution, which owns the Fraunces Tavern Museum in New York City. He is a trustee of the Elisha Kent Kane Historical Society, chairman of the Essex Fells, New Jersey History Committee and is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research. In 1976 he was honored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as an Outstanding Young Man of America. He holds a BA degree from the George Washington University and a JD degree from the Washington College of Law of the American University. He is a practicing attorney and a member of the Bar in New York, New Jersey and the District of Columbia. Charlie Poekel is the author of West Essex and a contributing author to the Encyclopedia of New Jersey. He is married to the former Lynn Giordano. They have three children, Charles III, Will and Patty, and they divide their time between homes in Manhattan, Essex Fells, New Jersey, and Marion, Massachusetts.