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Hello Folks,

Chuck's Finnigan's idea about baseball questions struck a cosmic cord with
me.

About a year ago I stumbled upon an up and coming folk singer named Chuck
Brodsky.  His words had all the power and insight of Dylan, but his voice
was better.  Many of his songs are about the people and conditions of life
around us.  The lessons contained in his songs touch our hearts and minds.
I predict that some day in the future, reviews of up and coming folk
singers will be saying things like, he sounds like a young Brodsky.

I had the good fortune if meeting Chuck after one of his concerts here in
NJ.  About 15 minutes before Chuck Finnigan's message arrived, I received a
message from Chuck Brodsky about his next appearance.  It will be at the
Baseball Hall of Fame in Coopertown, NY on April 7.

So what does this cosmic coincidence have to do with Chuck's Finnigan's
idea of posting three baseball questions.  Well, one of Chuck Brodsky's
loves is baseball.  As I sit here writing this, I am listening to four
songs from which you can create questions, but more importantly, YOU can
create engaging and powerful lessons about the parallels between life and
the game, in ways that are more powerful than one might imagine.

Below are a few questions that are answered in Chuck's songs, along with a
reference or two to books or Internet sites that have more details.  They
are probably more appropriate for the upper grades, because they may
require Internet searches that may be difficult for elementary students.

Question: What Hispanic pitcher for the Yankees won 21 games in 1931 and
was quoted as saying, ""I want to thank all my teammates who scored so many
runs and Joe DiMaggio, who ran down so many of my mistakes."

Answer:  Vernon "Lefty" Gomez

Lefty a song by Chuck Brodsky (A Fingerpainter's Murals)
The story of Vernon "Lefty" Gomez and his declining years in the minors

Vernon "Lefty" Gomez
http://www.latinosportslegends.com/lgomez.htm

Hispanics and Discrimination in Major League Baseball
http://www.knox.edu/kmegli/

Question:  At about the same time Jackie Robinson was breaking the color
barrier in the Major Leagues, another player broke similar barriers by
signing with the Cleveland Buckeyes and becoming the first white player in
the Negro Leagues.  Who was he?

Answer: Eddie Klepp

The Ballad of Eddie Klepp by Chuck Brodsky (Letters in the Dirt)
For the first part of this song you believe it is about Jackie Robinson and
the discrimination he faced as the first Negro player in the major leagues.
 The surprise is that it is about the first white player in the Negro
leagues.  On April 13, 1946, five days before the debut of Jackie Robinson,
he was banned from the field when they played in Birmingham, AL.

Trotting Out Eddie Klepp
http://www.baseball1.com/carney/notes187.html#2

Question:  He graduated Princeton, got a law degree from Columbia, spoke
seven languages and played for the Dodgers.  He was a spy for the U.S. and
his baseball card is on display at the CIA museum.  Who is he?

Answer:  Morris "Moe" Berg

Moe Berg: The Song by Chuck Brodsky (Radio)
Moe was a catcher during WWII.  His baseball card is on display in the CIA
museum.  Moe was a spy with the OSS.  As he traveled Europe with a team of
All-Star baseball players, including Babe Ruth, his job was to determine if
Germany had the bomb.  This is just a small piece of the story...

More details can be found in the books, The Catcher Was a Spy and The Spy
Behind Home Plate.  Details on both can be found on Amazon.com

Here's a side note for anyone who may live near Cooperstown, NY.

Letters in the Dirt by Chuck Brodsky (Letters in the Dirt)
In this song, Chuck sings about his youth in Philadelphia and trips to see
the Phillies with his father.  He didn't understand why Richie Allen, one
of the Phillies best players would be booed by fans.  A while ago, Chuck
got to sing the song for Richie Allen when he met him face to face.  I'm
sure he will be singing it again this coming Saturday at 11:00 or noon at
the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.  607-547-7200.

Personal note:  If you are going to check out any of his CD's, start with
Radio.  I've listened to it so much that if it were an LP it would be so
worn that I would be listening to both sides at once.

Take care,
Art




***************************************************************
Art Wolinsky                                awolinsky@oii.org
OII Technology Director         http://oii.org/
East Coast Facilitator           http://web-and-flow.com/
National Action Committee    http://www.wiredkids.org
(609) 597-9481 ext 337          (609) 698-8223

***************************************************************
I am perfectly capable of learning from my mistakes.
I will surely learn a great deal today.
***************************************************************

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