Eddie Basinski, Who Played Both the Infield and the Fiddle, Dies at 99 (link below)
He's memorialized in one of best baseball songs ever, "Van Lingo Mungo," by Dave Frishberg. (that link's below, too)
Only in baseball. Where else does your second baseman also play Duke Ellington or Jelly Roll Morton (founder of the Red Hot Peppers Jazz Band, c. 1918)?
A question for you: Would we all live to 99 and more if, in addition to playing ball, we took up the fiddle? Both are uppers. Good for the capillaries.
Thanks for sharing Mike. I pulled up "Van Lingo Mungo" on You Tube to give it a listen, and admittedly, I now have a better appreciation for Jazz after having baseball names and visuals connected to the score.
Performing music and playing baseball have a lot of similarities: the best recipe for success comes from a hearty dose of dedication, a heaping helping of passion and a sprinkle of talent. And like a great song, there is a bittersweet sadness when a baseball season has to come to an end...until you start the next one.
