“The installation carried so much anticipation, excitement, angst, fear and joy all at once. When Babe and Lou were finished, I was at the foundry. I saw them wrapped up in packing blankets and then plastic. I knew that they would be sitting in the foundry owners garage, in the back of his pickup, until he left with his family to drive them down to Waco, Texas. Of course they would be OK, but, truth be told, I still went into a little bit of fear about them arriving safe. My fear was for not, as Brian Ivie, true to form, the consummate, professional, arrived with his family and Babe and Lou, safely in the back of his pickup. Brian had told me numerous times that I could do this myself. I didn’t have to pay him to do it. I personally felt that I could have, but I didn’t want to deal with the anxiety of the moment. Best money I ever spent. Brian has installed hundreds of monumental sculptures the world over. His competency in doing so is beyond evident when watching him work.

Installing the Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig monument took a team. We first had to lift the sculptures out of the truck and place them on the cement bench to determine where they would be permanently installed. After deciding that, the cement was marked, the sculptures were set aside, and using a previously created template marked where the holes were to be drilled in the concrete for the bolt holes. Stainless steel bolts were screwed into the sculptures, the holes that had been drilled in the cement were then blown out and filled with epoxy. The sculptures were then set into the cement benches with the corresponding bolts set into the epoxy. After Babe and Lou were placed, it was determined where each of their bronze gloves would sit. Then the process was repeated for each of the gloves. Notice that Lou has a first baseman’s glove.

Once the sculptures were placed, the biggest weight was taken off my shoulders. I couldn’t stop the tears. I’m not gonna show you the picture that somebody took of me, hugging my wife while I was blubbering. Just know that there was an amazing emotional release as the overwhelming moment of what had just been accomplished, came over me. The rush of knowing, the historical significance, all of the research, study, ability to sculpt, trust from the client, support of my family and colleges, washed over me. I couldn’t stop the emotion. That, with knowing the millions of people that would see and interact with these two men.”

-Scott Rogers

The installation of the Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig monuments happened on May 25, 2022. They can be seen at The Silos on Magnolia’s Katy Ballpark, in Waco, Texas. If you’d like to read more about the Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig monument you can click this link here.