LEARNING MODULE #1
Historical Overview
I. Outline:
A. 19th Century Ancestors:
1. Rounders and Townball
2. Chronology
of baseball.
a. Cooperstown to Hulbert to Black Sox to Ruth to 40-40.
3. Doubleday Myth
a. Spalding
invention or Cartwright rules?
4. Chapman and Mays
a. Only fatality to occur on
field of play.
b. How could the ball be seen?
c. Other "beanings"
B. Chronological
Index
1. Gentleman's game to professionalism.
2. First "Golden Age" - 1880's.
3. Second "Golden Age" - 1920's.
4. Austerity - 1932-1945.
5. Expansion.
6. Realignment.
II.
Required Reading:
Voigt I - (3-204)
VoigtII - (137-278)
Voigt III - (3-110)
Bowman - (39-70)
III. Required
Written Work ("Summary"):
Download the article,
"Rickwood" and use the information contained to
"fill in" the blanks and complete the following passage:
"Rickwood Field, the last remnant of the glorious early
days of American
Baseball, was built in the year, _____. It is located in _____, AL and has
hosted great players like Ty Cobb, _____ _____, Honus Wagner, and _____
_____, the last legal spitball pitcher in the Major Leagues.
It was at Rickwood that Dizzy Dean lost a 1-0 decision to
local pitcher, _____
_____, who, at 43, was in the twilight of his career. _____ _____, a young
outfielder (age-16) was the starting centerfielder for the 1948 Black Barons,
who captured the league championship. He grew up only a few blocks from
Rickwood.
Memories abound at Rickwood. The _____-style pressbox and the
Museum of
_____ _____ _____ both remind the visitor of the wonderful history of our
National Pastime.
IV. Vocabulary:
| A. Southpaw |
------- |
F. Fungo |
| B. Limber |
|
G. Trapper |
| C. Hit & Run |
|
H. Crow Hop |
| D. BP |
|
I. -Little ball |
| E. Tater |
|
J. -Bird Dog |
LEARNING MODULE #2
Baseball & the Masses (1):
"Literary Baseball"
I. Outline:
A. The First Voices:
1. Unlikely candidates:
a. Jane Austen
b. James Fenimore Cooper
c. Walt Whitman
d. Mark Twain
e. Stephen Crane
f. Hamlin Garland
B. Baseball "Books for Boys"
1. Fiction stories for juveniles.
a. Frank Merriwell - "All-American Boy"
b. "Baseball Joe"
C. Ring Lardner
1. Adult baseball literature comes of age.
a. First two decades of Twentieth Century.
b. "You Know Me Al" (sets the stage).
2. Lardner the master of using a baseball background
to extract human insights.
D. James Thurber
1. "You could look it up"
2. Typical of writers in the 30's and 40's who experimented
with baseball stories (short or long, serious or comic).
E. Eliot
Asinof
1. "Eight Men Out" - a classic on baseball's darkest hour.
F. Douglas
Jones
G. Between Lardner and Malamud ("The Natural")
1. Many writings
indirectly touch baseball.
2. Several curious literary baseball associations:
a. Cosmic Baseball Association
3. Literary baseball bibliographies:
a. Grobani's "Guide to the Literature of Baseball" (1975)
b. Myron Smith's "Baseball: A Comprehensive Bibliography"
(1986)
c. McCue's "Baseball by the Book: A History and Complete
Bibliography of Baseball Fiction" (1991)
d. Bjarkman's "The Immortal Diamond: Baseball in American
Literature and American Culture" (1996)
e. Baseball
fiction - baseball novels.
H. Graduate theses and dissertations:
1. Numerous research and scientific writings conclude the
literary exploration.
II. Required
Reading:
Voigt III - (329-334)
Bowman - (252-287)
III. Required
Written Work:
Film report of the movie: "Field of Dreams."
IV. Vocabulary:
| A. Express |
------- |
F. Hot Corner |
| B. Squeeze Play |
|
G. Tally |
| C. Sidearm |
|
H. Ephus |
| D. Drag |
|
I. -Dying Quail |
| E. Portsider |
|
J. -Pop-up |
LEARNING MODULE #3
Baseball & the Masses (2):
"The Movies"
I.
Outline:
A. Baseball a popular subject for movies from the beginning.
1. Thomas Edison's "Casey at the Bat" (1899 and 1916).
2. 1928 - Jean Arthur and Richard Dix in "Warming Up."
B. Hall of Fame listing - 83 baseball movies
1. Dating back to 1913: "Little Sunset" and "Right off the
Bat."
C. Famous players become "bit" actors:
1. Babe Ruth in "Speedy" (1928)
2. Ty Cobb
3. Hal Chase
4. "Home Run" Baker
D. Traditionally, baseball movies are "busts" at the box office:
1. Exceptions include:
a. "Pride of the Yankees"
b. "The Bad News Bears"
c. "The Natural"
d. "Field
of Dreams"
e. "Bull Durham"
E. Biographies rarely do justice to baseball:
1. Hollywood more apt to change events to suit situational drama.
F. Many actors have been miscast as baseball athletes:
1. Gary Cooper ("Pride of the Yankees") - He was a right-handed
actor/player portraying the left-handed Gehrig.
2. Tony Perkins ("Fear Strikes Out") - Perkins was left-handed
and tried to portray a right-handed Jimmy Piersall.
3. Ray Milland ("It
Happens Every Spring") - Mr. Milland's
throwing motion is not very convincing!
4. Exceptions - These actors are very convincing as ball players:
a. Kevin Cosner ("Bull Durham" and "Field of Dreams")
b. Robert Redford ("The Natural")
c. Tom Selek ("Mr. Baseball")
d. Charlie Sheen ("Major League")
G. Recent poll for "Championship Movie of All Time"
1. As determined by ESPN Sportszone
Fantasy Baseball-1996
2. The candidates, the voting, the winner!
H. Grover Cleveland Alexander (Outstanding pitcher in WWI era):
1. Has distinction of being named after one American President
and portrayed (in the movies) by another! (Ronald Reagan).
II. Required
Reading:
Bowman - (228-251)
III. Required
Written Work:
List the top ten (10) finishers in the movie
poll (in order from one
to ten and the percentages of the votes that each received).
IV. Vocabulary:
| A. Scroogie |
------- |
F. In the Bucket |
| B. Stretch |
|
G. Big RC |
| C. Pud |
|
H. Gapper |
| D. Texas Leaguer |
|
-I. Submarine |
| E. Comebacker |
|
J. Dodgers |
LEARNING MODULE #4
Baseball & the Masses (3):
"Sportswriters, Broadcasters, and Telecasters"
I. Outline:
A. Baseball's "Second Dimension" - Sportswriters:
1. Emerged in 1870's as a new breed.
2. Added (free) publicity for clubs.
B. Early "official" guides:
1. DeWitt's Base Ball Guide.
2. Spalding's Official Base Ball Guide.
C. Most productive and authoritative of early baseball writers:
1. Henry
Chadwick - "Father of the Game"
a. Insisted baseball grew from "Rounders"
b. Chadwick's "Lexicon of Base Ball Slang" (1874)
c. Conservative influence stunted growth of baseball writing.
D. By 1920's, new names on the baseball scene:
1. Ring Lardner
2. Grantland Rice
3. Damon Runyon
4. Baseball Writers National Association (organized in 1908)
a. Met most of their goals by 1920.
E. Second "Golden Age" writers compete with radio:
1. Red Smith
2. H.G. Salsinger
3. Christy Walsh
F. Austerity writers:
1. Jimmy Cannon
2. Art Dailey
G. Post-war years:
1. Comeback of Red Smith as dean of "new breed" of writers.
2. Dick Young, Wells Twombly, Gary Cartwright.
H. "Chipmonk Journalism":
1. Bob Lipsyte, Peter Gammons, Bob Broeg, Fred Lieb
II.
Outline (cont.):
A. Baseball's "Third Dimension" - Broadcasters:
1. By 1925, radio was revolutionizing American leisure habits.
2. Much more impact than "telegraph tickers" that had been
used since the 1880's.
a. Recreate games from Morse Code (add sound effects).
b. Announcers make difference.
3. Among first to emerge:
a. Graham McNamee
b. Ernie Harwell
c. Lindsey Nelson
d. Red Barber
III. Outline
(cont.):
A. Baseball's "Fourth Dimension" - Telecasters
1. Beginning in 1946 (powerful financial influence)
2. Roone Arledge influence.
3. Howard
Cosell
4. Curt Gowdy
5. Mel
Allen
6. Joe Garagiola
IV. Required
Reading:
Voigt I - (90-112)
Voigt II - (94-101, 234-238
Voigt III - (96-102, 321-329)
V.
Required Written Work:
See Enabling Activity #1
VI.
Vocabulary:
| A. |
Heater |
|
F. |
Dial 8 |
| B. |
Tools of Ignorance |
|
G. |
Can-of-Corn |
| C. |
Pull Hitter |
|
H. |
Tweener |
| D. |
Pick-off |
|
I. |
Chin Music |
| E. |
No Break |
|
J. |
White-Wash |
|