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VOA慢速英语2014 Play Ball! Baseball is America's 'National Pastime' 说到球类运动,棒球是美国全国性的娱乐活动!

时间:2014-05-10 14:55:16

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Play Ball! Baseball is America's 'National Pastime' 说到球类运动,棒球是美国全国性的娱乐活动!

From VOA Learning English, welcome to This Is America.  I'm Steve Ember.  Baseball is a sport that began in the eastern United States in the 1800s.  It became known as the "national pastime," a game that millions of people continue to enjoy each spring and summer. 

Major league baseball recently opened its new season.  So this is a good time to explore the influence of baseball on popular culture, including music and poetry.  Many songs and poems have been written about baseball, and today, Shirley Griffith and I will tell you about some of them.

Baseball expert Warner Fusselle writes that there are probably more than 1,000 songs about baseball.  The most popular is "Take Me Out to the Ball Game."  It was written in 1908 by Jack1 Norworth.  He wrote it after seeing a sign about baseball in an underground train in New York City.

His friend, Albert Von Tilzer, put the words to music.  Mr. Norworth reportedly had never seen a major league baseball game.  He did not see one until 33 years after he wrote the song.

Seventh Inning – Time for Stretching and Singing!

People still sing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during baseball games. 

[Seventh inning stretch at a Chicago Cubs2 game]

Near the end of the game, people become tired of sitting on the hard seats.  So, during a special time in the game, everyone stands up and stretches their arms and legs.  This tradition is called "the seventh inning stretch."  Everyone sings a song together.  Most often, it is "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." Here, it is sung by the National Pastime Orchestra and singers.

Nelly Kelly loved baseball games,

Knew the players, knew all their names,

You could see her there ev'ry day,

Shout "Hurray," when they'd play.

Her boy friend by the name of Joe

Said, "To Coney Isle3, dear, let's go,"

Then Nelly started to fret4 and pout5,

And to him I heard her shout.

"Take me out to the ball game,

Take me out with the crowd.

Buy me some peanuts and cracker6 jack,

I don't care if I never get back,

Let me root, root, root for the home team,

If they don't win it's a shame.

For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,

At the old ball game."

Baseball expert Richard Miller7 writes that many songs about other subjects -- such as love -- use words and expressions from baseball.  For example, in a song written in 1912, a woman tells her boy friend that she will not like him unless he is a good baseball player.  The song is called "If You Can't Make a Hit in a Ball Game, You Can't Make a Hit with Me."

In 1943, George Moriarty wrote a song designed to support American forces fighting in World War II.  Mister Moriarty was a former baseball player and manager for the Detroit Tigers team.  His song is called "You're Gonna Win That Ball Game, Uncle Sam."  It is performed here by the National Pastime Orchestra and singers.

Many songs have been written about America's baseball teams.  These include the Brooklyn Dodgers8, the Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago Cubs.  Other songs have been written about famous baseball players: Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson and Joe DiMaggio.

Hello Joe, whatta you know?

We need a hit so here I go.

Ball one (Yea!)

Ball two (Yea!)

Strike one (Booo!)

Strike two (Kill that umpire!)

A case of Wheaties

 

Joltin’ Joe DiMaggio Gets His Own Song

Some people think Joe DiMaggio was the greatest player in the history of baseball. He hit safely in a record 56 games in a row for the New York Yankees in 1941.  This record never has been broken.  That same year, Les Brown and his band recorded the song "Joltin' Joe DiMaggio." Betty Bonney sings about the way DiMaggio hit the ball very, very hard -- how he "jolted9" it.

He started baseball's famous streak10

That's got us all aglow11

He's just a man and not a freak,

Joltin' Joe DiMaggio.

Joe, Joe DiMaggio

We want you on our side

He tied the mark at forty-four

July the 1st you know

Since then he's hit a good twelve more

Joltin' Joe DiMaggio

Joe, Joe DiMaggio

We want you on our side

From coast to coast that's all you'll hear

Of Joe the one man show

He's glorified12 the horsehide sphere

Joltin' Joe DiMaggio

Joe, Joe DiMaggio

We want you on our side

In 1955, a popular musical play about baseball opened on Broadway in New York.  It was called "Damn Yankees."  It was about a middle-aged13 man who gets a chance to play baseball for his team, the Washington Senators.  He plays against the best team in baseball, the New York Yankees.

The Senators are not a very good team.  Their manager wants them to play better.  He urges them to play with all the feeling that is in their hearts.  Here the cast of "Damn Yankees" sings "You Gotta Have Heart."

You've gotta have heart

All you really need is heart

When the odds14 are sayin' you'll never win

That's when the grin should start

You've gotta have hope

Mustn't sit around and mope

Nothin's half as bad as it may appear

Wait'll next year and hope

When your luck is battin' zero

Get your chin up off the floor

Mister you can be a hero

You can open any door, there's nothin' to it but to do it

 

You've gotta have heart

Mighty15 Casey has a Bad Day at the Ball Park

In addition to the many songs written about baseball, there is a famous poem about the game, too.  It is called "Casey at the Bat."  A young man named Ernest Thayer wrote the poem in 1888.  It was published in the San Francisco Examiner newspaper.  The poem still is popular today.

"Casey at the Bat" is about a baseball team from a town called Mudville.  The team is losing an important game.  The game is almost over.  Mudville is depending on its best player, Casey, to win the game. 

The outlook wasn’t brilliant for the Mudville nine that day;

The score stood four to two with but one inning more to play.

And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same,

A sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game.

A straggling few got up to go in deep despair.  The rest

Clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast;

They thought if only Casey could but get a whack16 at that-

We’d put up even money now with Casey at the bat.

 To the surprise of the crowd, two players hit the ball well.  They reach second and third base.  They are ready to score.  Then it is Casey's turn at bat.  He can win the game if he hits the ball hard enough so that he and the other players can cross home plate.  That will give their team more points than their opponent.

There was an ease in Casey’s manner as he stepped into his place;

There was pride in Casey’s bearing and a smile on Casey’s face.

And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed18 his hat,

No stranger in the crowd could doubt ‘twas Casey at the bat.

Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt;

Five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt.

Then while the writhing19 pitcher20 ground the ball into his hip21,

Defiance22 gleamed in Casey’s eye, a sneer23 curled Casey’s lip.

The opposing pitcher throws the ball.  But Casey does not try to hit it.  The pitcher throws the ball again.  Again, Casey does not try to hit it.  There are now two strikes against him.  One more strike and he will be out.  The game will be over.  Will Casey finally hit the ball?  Will he win the game?  The crowd is sure he will.

The sneer is gone from Casey’s lip, his teeth are clinched24 in hate;

He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate.

And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go,

And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey’s blow.

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;

But there is no joy in Mudville – mighty Casey has struck out.

[Dave Frishberg sings]

Heeney Majeski

JohnnyGee

Eddie Joost

Johnny Pesky

Thornton Lee

Danny Gardella

Van Lingle Mungo

Dave Frishberg is a song writer and jazz pianist. And he loves baseball. In fact, he wrote a song in which the words are nothing but the names of famous and, perhaps, some not-so-famous baseball players. “Van Lingle Mungo” is the name of the song.

Augie Bergamo, Sigmund Jakucki, 

Big Johnny Mize and Barney McCosky

Hal Trosky, Augie Galan, and PinkyMay

Stan Hack17 and Frenchie Bordagaray

Phil Cavarretta, George McQuinn

Howard Pollet and Early Wynn

Roy Campanella, Van Lingle Mungo

Our program was written by Shelley Gollust.  Jim Tedder25 read portions of the poem “Casey at the Bat.”  I'm Steve Ember. Join us again next week for another This is America from VOA Learning English.

Big Johnny Mize and Barney McCosky

Hal Trosky, John Antonelli, Ferris Fain

Frankie Crosetti, Johnny Sain

Harry Brecheen and Lou Boudreau

Frankie Gusteen and Claude Passeau

Eddie Basinski, Ernie Lombardi

Huey Mulcahy, Van Lingle…

Van Lingle Mungo


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 jack 53Hxp     
n.插座,千斤顶,男人;v.抬起,提醒,扛举;n.(Jake)杰克
参考例句:
  • I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
  • He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。
2 cubs 01d925a0dc25c0b909e51536316e8697     
n.幼小的兽,不懂规矩的年轻人( cub的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • a lioness guarding her cubs 守护幼崽的母狮
  • Lion cubs depend on their mother to feed them. 狮子的幼仔依靠母狮喂养。 来自《简明英汉词典》
3 isle fatze     
n.小岛,岛
参考例句:
  • He is from the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea.他来自爱尔兰海的马恩岛。
  • The boat left for the paradise isle of Bali.小船驶向天堂一般的巴厘岛。
4 fret wftzl     
v.(使)烦恼;(使)焦急;(使)腐蚀,(使)磨损
参考例句:
  • Don't fret.We'll get there on time.别着急,我们能准时到那里。
  • She'll fret herself to death one of these days.她总有一天会愁死的.
5 pout YP8xg     
v.撅嘴;绷脸;n.撅嘴;生气,不高兴
参考例句:
  • She looked at her lover with a pretentious pout.她看着恋人,故作不悦地撅着嘴。
  • He whined and pouted when he did not get what he wanted.他要是没得到想要的东西就会发牢骚、撅嘴。
6 cracker svCz5a     
n.(无甜味的)薄脆饼干
参考例句:
  • Buy me some peanuts and cracker.给我买一些花生和饼干。
  • There was a cracker beside every place at the table.桌上每个位置旁都有彩包爆竹。
7 miller ZD6xf     
n.磨坊主
参考例句:
  • Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
  • The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。
8 dodgers 755721a92560aef54a57a481bf981739     
n.躲闪者,欺瞒者( dodger的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • a crackdown on fare dodgers on trains 对火车逃票者的严厉打击
  • But Twain, Howells, and James were jeeringly described by Mencken as "draft-dodgers". 不过吐温、豪威尔斯和詹姆斯都是被门肯讥诮地叫做“逃避兵役的人。” 来自辞典例句
9 jolted 80f01236aafe424846e5be1e17f52ec9     
(使)摇动, (使)震惊( jolt的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The truck jolted and rattled over the rough ground. 卡车嘎吱嘎吱地在凹凸不平的地面上颠簸而行。
  • She was jolted out of her reverie as the door opened. 门一开就把她从幻想中惊醒。
10 streak UGgzL     
n.条理,斑纹,倾向,少许,痕迹;v.加条纹,变成条纹,奔驰,快速移动
参考例句:
  • The Indians used to streak their faces with paint.印第安人过去常用颜料在脸上涂条纹。
  • Why did you streak the tree?你为什么在树上刻条纹?
11 aglow CVqzh     
adj.发亮的;发红的;adv.发亮地
参考例句:
  • The garden is aglow with many flowers.园中百花盛开。
  • The sky was aglow with the setting sun.天空因夕阳映照而发红光。
12 glorified 74d607c2a7eb7a7ef55bda91627eda5a     
美其名的,变荣耀的
参考例句:
  • The restaurant was no more than a glorified fast-food cafe. 这地方美其名曰餐馆,其实只不过是个快餐店而已。
  • The author glorified the life of the peasants. 那个作者赞美了农民的生活。
13 middle-aged UopzSS     
adj.中年的
参考例句:
  • I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
  • The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。
14 odds n5czT     
n.让步,机率,可能性,比率;胜败优劣之别
参考例句:
  • The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
  • Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗?
15 mighty YDWxl     
adj.强有力的;巨大的
参考例句:
  • A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
  • The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。
16 whack kMKze     
v.敲击,重打,瓜分;n.重击,重打,尝试,一份
参考例句:
  • After years of dieting,Carol's metabolism was completely out of whack.经过数年的节食,卡罗尔的新陈代谢完全紊乱了。
  • He gave me a whack on the back to wake me up.他为把我弄醒,在我背上猛拍一下。
17 hack BQJz2     
n.劈,砍,出租马车;v.劈,砍,干咳
参考例句:
  • He made a hack at the log.他朝圆木上砍了一下。
  • Early settlers had to hack out a clearing in the forest where they could grow crops.早期移民不得不在森林里劈出空地种庄稼。
18 doffed ffa13647926d286847d70509f86d0f85     
v.脱去,(尤指)脱帽( doff的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He doffed his hat. 他脱掉帽子。 来自互联网
  • The teacher is forced to help her pull next pulling again mouth, unlock button, doffed jacket. 老师只好再帮她拉下拉口,解开扣子,将外套脱了下来。 来自互联网
19 writhing 8e4d2653b7af038722d3f7503ad7849c     
(因极度痛苦而)扭动或翻滚( writhe的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • She was writhing around on the floor in agony. 她痛得在地板上直打滚。
  • He was writhing on the ground in agony. 他痛苦地在地上打滚。
20 pitcher S2Gz7     
n.(有嘴和柄的)大水罐;(棒球)投手
参考例句:
  • He poured the milk out of the pitcher.他从大罐中倒出牛奶。
  • Any pitcher is liable to crack during a tight game.任何投手在紧张的比赛中都可能会失常。
21 hip 1dOxX     
n.臀部,髋;屋脊
参考例句:
  • The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.股骨连着髋骨。
  • The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line.新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。
22 defiance RmSzx     
n.挑战,挑衅,蔑视,违抗
参考例句:
  • He climbed the ladder in defiance of the warning.他无视警告爬上了那架梯子。
  • He slammed the door in a spirit of defiance.他以挑衅性的态度把门砰地一下关上。
23 sneer YFdzu     
v.轻蔑;嘲笑;n.嘲笑,讥讽的言语
参考例句:
  • He said with a sneer.他的话中带有嘲笑之意。
  • You may sneer,but a lot of people like this kind of music.你可以嗤之以鼻,但很多人喜欢这种音乐。
24 clinched 66a50317a365cdb056bd9f4f25865646     
v.(尤指两人)互相紧紧抱[扭]住( clinch的过去式和过去分词 );解决(争端、交易),达成(协议)
参考例句:
  • The two businessmen clinched the deal quickly. 两位生意人很快达成了协议。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Evidently this information clinched the matter. 显然,这一消息使问题得以最终解决。 来自辞典例句
25 tedder 2833afc4f8252d8dc9f8cd73b24db55d     
n.(干草)翻晒者,翻晒机
参考例句:
  • Jim Tedder has more. 吉姆?特德将给我们做更多的介绍。 来自互联网
  • Jim Tedder tells us more. 吉姆?泰德给我们带来更详细的报道。 来自互联网

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