Date: Tue, 16 Dec 1997 10:35:52 -0500 From: "Dennis R. Preston" 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 >To: 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