I encountered one of those “What’s wrong with this picture?” situations yesterday.

Chicago Tonight, the outstanding news show on WTTW, invited me on as a guest to discuss my book, Babe Ruth’s Called Shot: The Myth and Mystery of Baseball’s Greatest Home Run. (Here is the link from Amazon)

The first guest on the show was Pat Quinn, the Illinois governor who is running for re-election. So I’m sitting in one part of the studio getting ready for my interview, while at the other desk, Eddie Arruza is grilling Quinn. I think the governor would have had more fun talking about the Called Shot.

I said to the show’s host, Phil Ponce, “This is the first time I’ve ever followed a governor on a show.”

Ponce was quick to clarify my statement. “No, this is the first time a governor has preceded you.”

Thanks, Phil.

Thanks also for an enjoyable interview. And much appreciate Taurean Small doing a Q/A with me and running an excerpt of the book on the Chicago Tonight site.

From the Q/A:

Where does the infamous “called shot” moment stand in the legacy of Babe Ruth?

That’s the defining/signature moment of his career. Prior to that, he didn’t really have that moment. He never had that game-winning home run like this. When you look at the defining moments of others sport stars’ careers like Michael Jordan, Ruth never had that. This was his crescendo. And it occurred at Wrigley Field during the World Series with the “called shot.” If you ask people — “what’s the defining moment of his career?” — they will invariably hold their arm out and point. Everyone knows it’s the called shot.

And an excerpt from the excerpt of my interview with former Supreme Court justice John Paul Stevens who was at the game.

Ruth hit left-handed, so Stevens, sitting in a box seat along the third baseline, had a clear view of the man at the plate. He could see into his eyes and try to read his lips. “My interpretation was that he was responding to what Bush was saying. He definitely pointed toward center field. My interpretation always was, ‘I’m going to knock you to the moon.’”Stevens laughed. “That was a kid’s reaction,” he said.

So did it happen? According to a man who has sat on the highest court in the land adjudicating matters of national importance for decades, did Ruth call his shot?

“He definitely was arguing,” Stevens said. “He definitely did point to something. I have no idea what he said or his motivation.”