April 19, 1919

New York Gov. Al Smith signs into law a bill that allows professional baseball to be played on Sundays after 2 p.m. in the state.

Smith says attending a baseball game on Sunday is a most harmless diversion. "It is in no sense deteriorating to the moral fiber of the witness," he says. "Well-to-do people can and do on Sunday pursue their amusements with entire impunity and under the protection of the laws. Our golf courses are crowded, our highways are thronged with automobiles seeking on Sunday a change of scene and the beneficial effects resulting therefrom.

"The activities of a poor man along this line are necessarily restricted by the limit of his means. It comes, however, within the reasonable reach of many to enjoy a baseball game and to obtain the rest which comes from recreation by such an outdoor health giving amusement."

The bill also eliminates the prohibition against fishing on Sunday. Gov. Smith signs another bill permitting movies to be shown on Sunday.

April 19, 1949

In a pregame ceremony in "The House That Ruth Built," the Yankees honor the Babe, who died last year. Ruth's widow, Claire, unveils a granite monument that is placed next to the ones honoring Lou Gehrig and Miller Huggins in deep centerfield in Yankee Stadium.

The inscription says: "George Herman 'Babe' Ruth. 1895-1948. A great ball player. A great man. A great American. Erected by the Yankees and the New York Baseball Writers, April 19, 1949."

New York Gov. Tom Dewey and Mayor Bill O'Dwyer participate in the ceremony, attended by 40,075 fans on opening day.

Afterwards, in Casey Stengel's debut as Yankees manager, Tom Heinrich shows he's as reliable as ever, hitting a solo homer with two outs in the ninth to give the Yankees a 3-2 victory over the Washington Senators.