1. Researching the Babe Ruth & Lou Gehrig Monuments

If you checked on Scott in his studio during the time he was researching the Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig monument, you’d often find him studying photographs. One of the most fascinating parts of Scott’s sculpting process comes before he even gets his hands on clay. He spends hours, days and weeks studying his subject. Comparing minute details, like how each man wore their hats, across different periods of their lives. Scott says this about his research process:

“The research part of this project was so fun. Staring at hundreds of photos, for days on end, allowed me to see and feel the nuances and character in the faces and bodies of these two men. An interesting fact is that both men were left-handed, hence, both of their gloves needed to be for left-handed players.

I referred to photos numerous times to learn how each man liked to both wear and hold his hat. Clothes lay differently on different body types. Sometimes with historical photos, the people that print them get the negatives backwards, and can unknowingly change history. Babe Ruth used a 36 inch bat. Lou Gehrig used a 34 inch bat. Both of the barrels, the hitting part of the bat, were of a different shape. Babe Ruth had tiny legs and a barrel chest. Lou Gehrig was massive all over. Take a look at Lou’s calves, and you’ll notice that they were twice the diameter of Babe’s.

One of the reasons I put “Yankees” on the front of both men’s jersey’s was because that’s what they wore as their traveling game uniforms. The uniforms I chose to include in the sculpture are representative of the ones they wore in April 1929, visiting Waco Texas, to play the Waco Cubs. The Yankees only wear the uniforms that say “New York”, at home in Yankee Stadium. It’s subtle things like this that make it fun for me to sculpt, and gives an air of authenticity.”

-Scott Rogers

Not only does one get to enjoy stunning artwork when they see one of Scott’s pieces, they also have the opportunity to learn a great deal about history.

This piece can be found at Katy Ballpark in Waco, Texas. If you’d like to learn more about the research process behind the Babe and Lou monument, this link will direct you to a video that goes into more detail.

We have a portfolio page for Babe and Lou here, if you’d like to have more information about the monument itself.