Date: Tue, 16 Dec 1997 10:35:52 -0500
From: "Dennis R. Preston" preston[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]PILOT.MSU.EDU
Subject: Re: sportswriters' disease
I was reminded by the afterthought to Dan's message that several
professions take (covert) pride in the fact that theirs is the hardest
drinking (or at least heavy tippling). I had not heard 'sportwriters'
disease' before, but I am aware of 'painters' colic' (for the need to 'cut'
the turpentine, etc... fumes that build up in one's throat after a hard day
with a brush). Any others?
dInIs
I have a sportswriter friend who swears that Mudville is actually Stockton,
California. I tend to trust him becuase he's one of those guys who knows
EVERYTHING about baseball, but he also suffer's from sportswriter's disease
(a.k.a. alcoholism).
--Dan Marcus
-----Original Message-----
From: Gerald Cohen gcohen[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]UMR.EDU
To: ADS-L[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]UGA.CC.UGA.EDU ADS-L[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]UGA.CC.UGA.EDU
Date: Sunday, December 14, 1997 12:00 PM
Subject: 'Mudville"
I recently received a request from _Boston Globe_ writer Robert Smith
for help in locating the original town Mudville (assuming it existed) that
inspired E.L. Thayer in his poem "Casey at the Bat." I replied that the
town is almost certainly mythical, like "Dogpatch" of the Li'l Abner comic
strip. I quoted from Paul Dickson's baseball dictionary and also referred
Mr. Smith to onomastics scholar Leonard Ashley.
Mr. Smith replied: "I still hold hope of finding the mythical Mudville,
so I would appreciate you querying your learned friends [at ads-l]. E.L.
Thayer never pinpointed the place, but he grew up in central Massachusetts
and some in these parts are convinced it is here."
A definitive answer might be available from the Massachusetts Historical
Society (I'll check the address tomorrow). Meanwhile, are any ads-l
subscribers able to help out Mr. Smith by shedding any light at all on
"Mudville?"
--Gerald Cohen
gcohen[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]umr.edu
gcohen[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]umr.edu
Dennis R. Preston
Department of Linguistics and Languages
Michigan State University
East Lansing MI 48824-1027 USA
preston[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]pilot.msu.edu
Office: (517)353-0740
Fax: (517)432-2736