What you need to know about baseball and the islands.

Much enthusiasm
Teams going to the Little League World Series a couple of times.
Softball played everywhere all days of the week.

A softball field called Cartwright Field because legend has it that
Alexander C himself laid out the diamond and taught the locals when he came
to live here.

Probably not, but the field was officially renamed sometime in the 1930s.
It's a little bitty thing with very high fences to keep the thumpers from
hitting home runs every time up.  Playing the outfield is like having a
chainlinked Green Monster from fair pole to fair pole.

(I rooted for the Cubs and like all baseball fans found myself shouting at
the TV in game six when he brought in Chapman.  Game seven was even worse,
but I suppose when you have 108 years of bad luck, when the good stuff
shows up, it can overcome multiple boneheaded moves by the manager.)

On Fri, Nov 4, 2016 at 7:38 PM, Tracy Wuster <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Hello all,
>
> On the subject of Mark Twain and baseball, I wrote a book chapter several
> years ago on Mark Twain's 1889 speech at a banquet honoring a group of
> baseball players taken around the world by the baseball impresario Albert
> Goodwill Spalding (who founded the sporting goods company, the National
> League, and the Chicago Cubs).  The tour itself was a wonder.  I got so
> distracted by the story that I accidentally wrote my Master's Thesis on it.
>
> You can find a portion of the book chapter here:
>
> https://books.google.com/books?id=3Df-wYBwAAQBAJ&pg=
> 3DPA133&lpg=3DPA133&dq=
> =3Dmark+twain's+imperial+ambivalence&source=3Dbl&ots=
> 3Dh2DyMImJcz&sig=3Dnai=
> tnWNA9edjrlA7h72d2hivPqM&hl=3Den&sa=3DX&ved=3D0ahUKEwj496D775DQAhUIZCYKHVe
> N=
> AGcQ6AEIHzAB#v=3Donepage&q=3Dwuster&f=3Dfalse
>
> And in plain text, maybe:
>
> https://books.google.com/books?id=3Df-wYBwAAQBAJ&pg=
> 3DPA133&lpg=3DPA133&dq=
> =3Dmark+twain's+imperial+ambivalence&source=3Dbl&ots=
> 3Dh2DyMImJcz&sig=3Dnai=
> tnWNA9edjrlA7h72d2hivPqM&hl=3Den&sa=3DX&ved=3D0ahUKEwj496D775DQAhUIZCYKHVe
> N=
> AGcQ6AEIHzAB#v=3Donepage&q=3Dwuster&f=3Dfalse
>
> Mark Twain adapted his earlier Sandwich Islands lecture for the occasion.
> Here's a sample or two:
>
> One cannot realize it, the place and the fact are so incongruous; it=E2=80=
> =99s like
> interrupting a funeral with a circus. Why, there=E2=80=99s no point of
> cont=
> act, no
> possible kinship, between baseball and the Sandwich Islands; baseball is
> all fact, the Islands all sentiment. In baseball you=E2=80=99ve got to do
> everything just right, or you don=E2=80=99t get there; in the islands you=
> =E2=80=99ve got to
> do everything just wrong, or you can=E2=80=99t stay there. You do it wrong
> =
> to get
> it right, for if you do it right you get it wrong; there isn=E2=80=99t any
> =
> way to
> get it right *but* to do it wrong, and the wronger you do it the righter it
> is
>
> We don=E2=80=99t talk enough about that--don=E2=80=99t give it its full
> val=
> ue. Why when
> these boys started out you couldn=E2=80=99t see the equator at all; you
> cou=
> ld walk
> right over it and never know it was there. That is the kind of equator it
> was. Such an equator as that isn=E2=80=99t any use to anybody; as for me,
> I=
>  would
> rather not have any equator at all than a dim thing like that, that you
> can=E2=80=99t see. But that is all fixed now; you can see it now; you can=
> =E2=80=99t run
> over it now and not know it is there; and so I drink long life to the boys
> who plowed a new equator round the globe stealing bases on their bellies!
>
>
> I'll leave it to Jim Caron to evaluate the accuracy of the assertions
> regarding baseball and the islands.
>
> Best,
>
>
> Tracy
>
> On Thu, Nov 3, 2016 at 6:41 PM, westbook <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> > "Oh, somewhere in this favored land, the sun  is shining bright,
> >  The band is playing somewhere, and     somewhere hearts are light,
> > And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout,
> > And Illinois is joyful--the Cubbies have won out."
> >               (With apologies to Ernest Thayer)
> > Tim Champlin
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "L T Oggel" <[log in to unmask]>
> > To: <[log in to unmask]>
> > Sent: Thursday, November 03, 2016 4:12 PM
> > Subject: Re: Mark Twain was still alive...
> >
> >
> > > "Overcome Maddon" is exactly right.  The Cubs bailed him out for making
> > > one
> > > dumb pitcher change after another last night.  They did the same--bail
> > him
> > > out--3 nights ago, too.  Incredible!  Just what Larry says.  I've heard
> > > the
> > > same comment time after time today, in the office and online.  The
> spor=
> ts
> > > center people and announcers said it last night.  Whew!!
> > >
> > > Good for Chapman that he got the win.  Good for Montera, and for Ross,
> > > too,
> > > who got to play in his final game and help win it despite getting
> bange=
> d
> > > in
> > > the head, and good for all the players.  Rejoice.  I hope there's a
> > > ticker-tape parade down Michigan Ave or some such thing.  The city will
> > > close down for a day to celebrate.
> > >
> > > Twain would have had fun with the Mad-one's bungles.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > On Thu, Nov 3, 2016 at 3:06 PM, Larry Howe <[log in to unmask]>
> wrote:
> > >
> > >> ABE--
> > >>
> > >> Thanks for the shout out.  Your point about Twain being alive to see
> t=
> he
> > >> last time the Cubs won the WS was pointed out to me this weekend by
> > >> another
> > >> colleague.
> > >>
> > >> It was quite a night here in Chicago.  Noisy well into the night.  On
> > the
> > >> el this morning, there were many sleepy people.  Funny, it looked the
> > >> same
> > >> riding on the el on Saturday night when they lost at home.  There's a
> > >> lightness in the fall atmosphere for the first time in ... well, since
> > >> Mark
> > >> Twain walked the earth.
> > >>
> > >> As a lifelong Red Sox fan, I want to give kudos to Theo Epstein who
> ha=
> s
> > >> steered two perennial losers to the top of the mountain.  He should
> > >> retire
> > >> and be declared GM of the century and be instantly admitted to the
> Hal=
> l
> > >> of
> > >> Fame--screw the 5 year rule.  This guy knows how to assemble a team.
> > >>
> > >> This does not diminish the real achievement by the players.  The Cubs
> > >> managed to overcome Maddon, who did almost everything he could to blow
> > >> this
> > >> one:  taking out Hendricks with plenty left in the tank; pulling
> Leste=
> r
> > >> with 2 outs in the eighth after a seeing-eye single, which with any
> lu=
> ck
> > >> could have been the third out; and then bringing in a spent Chapman to
> > >> serve up a double, a homer (the first he'd allowed in months), and a
> > >> single
> > >> before registering the third out.  Chapman's velocity was off in the
> > >> eighth
> > >> inning the night before. So why Maddon gave him the nod is beyond me.
> > >> Sure,
> > >> he's the closer, but overworked is overworked. If the offense hadn't
> > >> rallied we would have had sportswriters waxing incessantly about
> Keats=
> '
> > >> "On
> > >> First Looking into Chapman's Homer" (sportswriters were mostly English
> > >> majors, you know).
> > >>
> > >> Fortunately, the bats came through. Hats off to Montera, who had
> turne=
> d
> > a
> > >> close one in the NLCS into a blowout Cubs win.  He was the difference
> =
> in
> > >> this one too, when the Indians came within one in the extra inning.
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> Larry Howe
> > >> Professor of English & Film Studies
> > >> Department of Literature and Languages
> > >> Roosevelt University
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> ________________________________________
> > >> From: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of L T Oggel <
> > >> [log in to unmask]>
> > >> Sent: Thursday, November 3, 2016 12:29 PM
> > >> To: [log in to unmask]
> > >> Subject: Re: Mark Twain was still alive...
> > >>
> > >> I agree with Mike--  Hats off to the Cleveland Indians.  A great team
> > >> showing fine sportsmanship.  Both teams did deserve to win, the Cubs
> > just
> > >> a
> > >> wee bit more so.
> > >>
> > >> Terry
> > >>
> > >> On Thu, Nov 3, 2016 at 12:57 PM, Montclair <[log in to unmask]
> =
> u
> > >
> > >> wrote:
> > >>
> > >> > Didn't he write about losing an umbrella at a baseball game in
> > >> Connecticut?
> > >> >
> > >> > Sent from my iPhone
> > >> >
> > >> > > On Nov 3, 2016, at 10:56 AM, Steve Hoffman
> > >> > > <[log in to unmask]
> > >> >
> > >> > wrote:
> > >> > >
> > >> > > Which brings up a question:  Is there evidence
> > >> > > from any writings of Twain, including letters, or
> > >> > > contemporaneous reports, of Twain attending a
> > >> > > major league baseball game?  (or professional
> > >> > > minor league game for that matter)?  Or of him
> > >> > > perusing the sports pages of the newspapers,
> > >> > > perhaps commenting upon scores or World Series
> > >> > > etc?  Any references to baseball during one of his
> > >> > > speeches?
> > >> > >
> > >> > > Is there any indication if he had a rooting
> > >> > > interest in any team?  Perhaps Boston or one of
> > >> > > the New York teams (personally, I'm hoping he was
> > >> > > a fan of the NY Giants).  Or perhaps St. Louis?
> > >> > >
> > >> > > I'm aware of course of that wonderful section of
> > >> > > Connecticut Yankee with Hank Morgan introducing
> > >> > > baseball to King Arthur's Court.  But I don't
> > >> > > recall coming across references to him following
> > >> > > baseball in his personal life.
> > >> > >
> > >> > > As a lifelong baseball fan as well as Twainiac,
> > >> > > I'd be delighted to get answers to this query.
> > >> > >
> > >> > > Steve Hoffman
> > >> > >
> > >> > > Takoma Park, MD
> > >> > >
> > >> > >
> > >> > >> On 11/3/2016 10:11 AM, L T Oggel wrote:
> > >> > >> It was terrific!!  7th game. Extra innings, rain delay,
> everythin=
> g.
> > >> > Wow!
> > >> > >>
> > >> > >> Cubs Win    Cubs Win
> > >> > >>
> > >> > >> The Voice of the Cubs on radio and TV--Jack Brickhouse, Harry
> Car=
> ey
> > >> and
> > >> > >> many others, going back, are rejoicing.  Ernie Banks is smiling.
> > At
> > >> > last!!
> > >> > >>
> > >> > >> Ended about 1am on the east coast.
> > >> > >>
> > >> > >>> On Thu, Nov 3, 2016 at 6:20 AM, AB E
> > >> > >>> <[log in to unmask]>
> > >> > wrote:
> > >> > >>>
> > >> > >>> ... when the Cubs last won a World Series.
> > >> > >>>
> > >> > >>> To Larry Howe and all the other Twain people in greater
> Chicago,=
>  I
> > >> > hope you
> > >> > >>> survived last night, and that this isn't a sign of the end of
> da=
> ys
> > >> (or
> > >> > a
> > >> > >>> Trump presidency).
> > >> > >>>
> > >> >
> > >>
> >
>