WEBVTT - The DiMaggios

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<v Speaker 1>This is our American Stories, and we tell stories about

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<v Speaker 1>everything here on this show. One of our favorite subjects

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<v Speaker 1>is the subject of sports. More than three hundred and

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<v Speaker 1>fifty sets of brothers have played in the major leagues

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<v Speaker 1>since the eighteen seventies, and we're talking about baseball. But

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<v Speaker 1>few have had the skill, the charisma, or the success

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<v Speaker 1>of the Demaggio brothers, Jolton, Joe, dom and Vince. Here

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<v Speaker 1>to tell the story is the four time New York

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<v Speaker 1>Times bestseller author Tom Cleveland. He'll be sharing stories from

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<v Speaker 1>his book The Demaggio's Three Brothers, their passion for baseball

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<v Speaker 1>and their pursuit of the American dream. Here's Cleveland. The

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<v Speaker 1>Demagio's is about family. That's the reason why I wrote

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<v Speaker 1>the book. It's dedicated to my own family. I had

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<v Speaker 1>actually turned down the oppunity to write the Demaggios twice.

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<v Speaker 1>I was not interested. I thought that Richard ben Kramer

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<v Speaker 1>had done the book on the Demaggio's because of his

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<v Speaker 1>biography of Joe Demajo in A Hero's Life. I'm not

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<v Speaker 1>a big fan of that book, but I figured it

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<v Speaker 1>would be pretty thorough and what else could I do.

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<v Speaker 1>The third time that my agent suggested that I do

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<v Speaker 1>a book on the Demago's, all three brothers. I agreed

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<v Speaker 1>to look into it, mostly just so I could get

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<v Speaker 1>him off my back and he could stop suggesting that.

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<v Speaker 1>And I started to do some research. I mean, like

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<v Speaker 1>most people, I maybe didn't even know there were two

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<v Speaker 1>other Demaggio brothers, or I knew that there was Dominic

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<v Speaker 1>in Boston, but I didn't know about Vince at all.

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<v Speaker 1>And it is kind of remarkable that you had three

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<v Speaker 1>brothers playing at the same time, not unheard of. I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>we know about the Alue brothers, for example, and we

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<v Speaker 1>had other brothers who have played at the same time

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<v Speaker 1>with the Demaggio's. My first stop was, after doing some

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<v Speaker 1>initial researches, I made an appointment with Dominic Dmazo Junior

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<v Speaker 1>and went up to see him. He had taken over

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<v Speaker 1>his father's factory manufacturing business in the Boston area, and

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<v Speaker 1>I went up to see him and spent the day

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<v Speaker 1>with him talking about his father. And I came away

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<v Speaker 1>realizing that and many writers would not want to say

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<v Speaker 1>something like this, my agent was right. There was a

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<v Speaker 1>terrific story here and it went way beyond Joe Damagio,

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<v Speaker 1>which I was very glad for. Because even though I

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<v Speaker 1>was born and raised the Yankees fan, my father's favorite

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<v Speaker 1>player was Joe Damaco. Again, a Joe Dmazo biography didn't

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<v Speaker 1>interest me, so I wrote a book that really is

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<v Speaker 1>from the viewpoint of family. Giuseppe and Rosalie coming over

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<v Speaker 1>from Italy barely could speak English, becoming a fisherman in

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<v Speaker 1>the San Francisco area, raising nine children. The last of

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<v Speaker 1>home where Vincent DiMaggio, Joe DiMaggio and the baby Dominic DiMaggio,

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<v Speaker 1>and those are the three that became baseball players. They

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<v Speaker 1>were in carbon copies of each other. They all three

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<v Speaker 1>loved baseball. It's interesting that the Giseppi and Rosalie and

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<v Speaker 1>had six children and then they had Vincent, and Vincent

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<v Speaker 1>was passionate about baseball, and he was talented, and he

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<v Speaker 1>the father, Giuseppe forbade his children to play baseball. And

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<v Speaker 1>so when Joe was a teenager, he couldn't play, or

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<v Speaker 1>he would have to play in secret. When Dominic was

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<v Speaker 1>very young, he couldn't play, or the mother would sometimes

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<v Speaker 1>cover for them. But Vincent was very blatant about it.

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<v Speaker 1>He wanted to play baseball. That's what he wanted to

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<v Speaker 1>do with his life. And when Giuseppe kept being optioned

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<v Speaker 1>about it, but Vincent did as he ran away. Some

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<v Speaker 1>kids run away and joined the circus. Vincent ran away

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<v Speaker 1>to join a baseball team, and he started playing in

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<v Speaker 1>leagues up and down the up and down California, up

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<v Speaker 1>and down the West Coast into Oregon and Washington. Eventually

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<v Speaker 1>made it to the Pacific Coast League, which was almost

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<v Speaker 1>a Major league caliber. One of the enjoyments for me

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<v Speaker 1>of writing the book The Damajo's was that all three

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<v Speaker 1>brothers played first the Pacific Coast League before going onto

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<v Speaker 1>the major leagues. Anyway. Vincent went off to play baseball,

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<v Speaker 1>and he was gone for about two years, and he

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<v Speaker 1>came back to the family home in the San Francisco area,

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<v Speaker 1>and his father basically had his arms crossed and said,

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<v Speaker 1>so you come back. You probably have no money and

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<v Speaker 1>you've been a big failure, and now you're ready to

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<v Speaker 1>be a fisherman, just like your father, just like your brothers,

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<v Speaker 1>well two of the brothers anyway, And instead Vincent reached

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<v Speaker 1>into his pocket and put something like, you know, six

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<v Speaker 1>thousand dollars cash on the table. That's what I earned

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<v Speaker 1>playing baseball, and gi Seppi took a look at that,

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<v Speaker 1>and he went to Joe and he said, what are

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<v Speaker 1>you going to start playing baseball? Well, Joe is ready,

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<v Speaker 1>willing and able to jump right in. And he also

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<v Speaker 1>started playing for local teams and for the Pacific Coast League,

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<v Speaker 1>and he quickly apt distance Vincent. Now we should really

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<v Speaker 1>give credit defence in here, because he had the courage

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<v Speaker 1>to follow his dream. And it was because of that

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<v Speaker 1>the door got cracked open for Joe Domaco. If it

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<v Speaker 1>had not been for Vincent, we would never might never

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<v Speaker 1>know Joe Dimaco, a Hall of Fame player, winner of

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<v Speaker 1>nine World Series titles. So Joe started to play the

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<v Speaker 1>Pacific Coast League and it was in the Pacific Coast

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<v Speaker 1>League that he had a sixty one game hitting streak.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, we know about the longer than the long

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<v Speaker 1>hitting streak he had Major League Baseball, but he had

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<v Speaker 1>his longest one of his careers in the Pacific Coast League. Meanwhile,

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<v Speaker 1>Vincent does get called up to the major leagues. I

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<v Speaker 1>believe his first team he played for was the Pittsburgh Pirates.

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<v Speaker 1>He eventually played for the Philadelphia Phillies, but it was

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<v Speaker 1>with the Pirates that he had a couple of all

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<v Speaker 1>Star seasons. He was a very good defensive outfielder, probably

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<v Speaker 1>during his years in the National League, the best center

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<v Speaker 1>fielder in the National League. And he was a pretty

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<v Speaker 1>decent hitter, and he made the All Star team into

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<v Speaker 1>a couple of years. Joe came up with the Yankees

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<v Speaker 1>in nineteen thirty six, was his rookie season, and he

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<v Speaker 1>and Dimajo were on great Yankee teams that won the

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<v Speaker 1>Pennant in thirty six, thirty seven, thirty eight, thirty nine,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, four straight Pennants, four straight World Series. As

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<v Speaker 1>it turned out too, so Joe right away got used

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<v Speaker 1>to winning, and he was an All Star every year.

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<v Speaker 1>And then what about Dominic DiMaggio, the youngest one. He

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<v Speaker 1>was also nicknamed the Professor. He had these stick glasses.

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<v Speaker 1>Nobody thought of him as a baseball player. He had

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<v Speaker 1>to really go against a lot of stereotypes to eventually

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<v Speaker 1>work his way through the Pacific Coast League and then

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<v Speaker 1>into Major League Baseball, where he was signed by the Yankees.

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<v Speaker 1>Had a chance to sign him and they passed. I

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<v Speaker 1>didn't think he was, you know, anything like his brother,

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<v Speaker 1>and he was not Joe Dimajo, but he was Dominic

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<v Speaker 1>Dimajo when he was a darn good ball player, and

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<v Speaker 1>I happen to think I should have been given more

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<v Speaker 1>consideration for the Hall of Fame. But he was taken

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<v Speaker 1>by the Boston Red Sox and he had nine All

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<v Speaker 1>Star seasons. He played thirteen seasons, played from about nineteen

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<v Speaker 1>forty to fifty three fifty two, I think, and he

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<v Speaker 1>made the All Star Team nine seven times. Excuse me.

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<v Speaker 1>Joe had made the All Star Team thirteen times and

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<v Speaker 1>Vincent twice, so he had the three brothers between the

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<v Speaker 1>three of them made twenty two All Star teams. That's

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<v Speaker 1>a remarkable level of achievement for any family, and their

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<v Speaker 1>careers took different paths. Now in Vincent's case, by the

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<v Speaker 1>time World War Two ended, he was done with baseball.

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<v Speaker 1>He still played. He just kept playing in less accomplished

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<v Speaker 1>in smaller leagues, and eventually ended up back on the

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<v Speaker 1>West Coast. And he had a troubled post baseball career alcoholism,

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<v Speaker 1>couldn't having a hard time holding a job. So he's

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<v Speaker 1>also kind of like a story of the American dream.

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<v Speaker 1>Like the Demajo family was that his dream was to

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<v Speaker 1>play baseball, and the accomplished it. It was outside of

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<v Speaker 1>baseball that he had trouble, you know, dealing with life. Joe,

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<v Speaker 1>as we know, was a great leader of the Yankees.

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<v Speaker 1>He did miss three seasons because of World War Two.

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<v Speaker 1>I discussed in the books some of the controversy about

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<v Speaker 1>that because he yet to be sort of dragged kicking

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<v Speaker 1>and screaming into the military service. But he's a guy

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<v Speaker 1>who was about to make one hundred thousand dollars and

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<v Speaker 1>studies making two hundred forty dollars a month being in

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<v Speaker 1>the army when he got out of the service. When

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<v Speaker 1>World War Two ended, the Yankees again won the pennant

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<v Speaker 1>in forty seven, forty nine, fifty fifty one. Joe with

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<v Speaker 1>diminishing skills, and then he retired after the fifty one season.

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<v Speaker 1>By this time, Mickey Manner was on the Yankees and

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<v Speaker 1>a new era began for the Yankees. Joe had a

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<v Speaker 1>pretty famous post baseball career. He was always introduced as

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<v Speaker 1>the greatest living ballplayer. Much of the detriment and lot

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<v Speaker 1>of amusement of Ted Williams. When you look at their

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<v Speaker 1>respective statistics, Ted Williams far out distanced Joe DiMaggio. He

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<v Speaker 1>just didn't have nine World Series titles. And you're listening

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<v Speaker 1>to Tom Cleveland, and he's sharing stories from his book

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<v Speaker 1>The Demaggio's Three Brothers, their passion for baseball and their

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<v Speaker 1>pursuit of the American dream. When we come back more

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<v Speaker 1>of the story of the Demaggio brothers here on our

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<v Speaker 1>American Stories. And we continue with the story of the

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<v Speaker 1>Demaggio brothers here on our American Stories. Let's return to

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<v Speaker 1>Tom Cleveland. Joe and Dominic were very close brothers. They

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<v Speaker 1>really loved each other. They were also very fierce competitors,

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<v Speaker 1>and it didn't help that they would both considered the

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<v Speaker 1>best set of fails of the American League. In the

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<v Speaker 1>case of how they loved each other, I think one

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<v Speaker 1>example as the nineteen forty one season. It also shows

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<v Speaker 1>that Ted Williams cared so much for Dominic and for

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<v Speaker 1>Joe too, even though they were very much rivals. But

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<v Speaker 1>in the nineteen forty one season, Joe was doing his

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<v Speaker 1>fifty six game hitting streak and out in the outfield

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<v Speaker 1>when they were at Fenway Park, you had Ted Williams

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<v Speaker 1>and left and Dominic and center. And usually in those

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<v Speaker 1>days games were played, you know, in the daytime, and

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<v Speaker 1>it was hard for finding out, you know, what was

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<v Speaker 1>going on in the game that was being played at

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<v Speaker 1>the exact same time. So Ted basically bribed the scorekeeper

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<v Speaker 1>who was behind the green wall and Fenway Park to

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<v Speaker 1>listen to radio or some kind of way to get

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<v Speaker 1>information from the New York game. And whenever Joe got

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<v Speaker 1>a hit, he would yell it out to Ted, who

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<v Speaker 1>in turn would yell it over to Dominic in center field.

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<v Speaker 1>And Dominic paid attention very fiercely to every moment that

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<v Speaker 1>he could get his hands on Joe dimago hitting streak.

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<v Speaker 1>I think one way that they were competitors is that

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<v Speaker 1>one illustration of this in nineteen forty eight, the Yankees,

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<v Speaker 1>the Indians, and the Red Sox are all competing for

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<v Speaker 1>the American League Pennant Yankee. The Red Sox had one

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<v Speaker 1>in forty six, the Yankees had one in forty seven.

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<v Speaker 1>And now you had these upstart into Cleveland Indians. And

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<v Speaker 1>as it happened, Dominic had been dating a woman named Emily,

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<v Speaker 1>and they had made plans to marry, and they planned

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<v Speaker 1>to get married in October nineteen forty eight, and Joe

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<v Speaker 1>dimag Joe calls his mother and his mother is expressing

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<v Speaker 1>some concern that what happens if the Red Sox win

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<v Speaker 1>the pennant and Dominic won't be able to get married

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<v Speaker 1>when he's supposed to, and Joe says, don't worry, mama,

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<v Speaker 1>I'll personally take care of it, make sure Dominic's available

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<v Speaker 1>for his wedding. And sure enough, on the last weekend

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<v Speaker 1>of the season, Joe demolishes the Red Sox and the

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<v Speaker 1>Cleveland Indians win the pennant, and the Dominic is sent

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<v Speaker 1>home in time to get married, with of course Joe

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<v Speaker 1>as his best man. I think another good example of

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<v Speaker 1>their competitiveness is that in nineteen forty nine, Dominic had

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<v Speaker 1>a hitting streak of his own going on. I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>he ended up all of all the people in all

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<v Speaker 1>of baseball. Joe's own brother is the one coming the

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<v Speaker 1>closest to his fifty six game hitting streak, and it's

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<v Speaker 1>up to thirty seven games, so Dominic only has another

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen games to go. He'll at least tie his brother.

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<v Speaker 1>And they're actually the Yankees are playing the Red Sox

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<v Speaker 1>of all places, of all teams, and Dominic is over

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<v Speaker 1>three and he gets up again, it's it'll be his last.

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<v Speaker 1>Unless there's an amazing comeback, there's going to be his

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<v Speaker 1>last at bat of the game, and he sends a

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<v Speaker 1>screamer to the left center field gap and in a

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<v Speaker 1>brilliant play, who chases it down but Joe DiMaggio, robbing

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<v Speaker 1>his brother of a base hit and breaking his brother's

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<v Speaker 1>thirty seven game hitting streak. They used to keep score too.

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<v Speaker 1>I should mention this how many times one robbed a

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<v Speaker 1>hit from the other. And by the end of their careers,

0:13:04.120 --> 0:13:08.720
<v Speaker 1>Dominic actually by an easy margin, had out scored his

0:13:08.800 --> 0:13:11.760
<v Speaker 1>brother Joe and who stole a hit from the other

0:13:11.760 --> 0:13:14.160
<v Speaker 1>one by their play in center field. So they loved

0:13:14.200 --> 0:13:15.800
<v Speaker 1>each other very much that they did. It was a

0:13:15.840 --> 0:13:22.640
<v Speaker 1>lifelong thing. The biggest claim to fame for Joe after

0:13:22.679 --> 0:13:25.360
<v Speaker 1>his career as a baseball player was marrying Marilyn Monroe.

0:13:26.240 --> 0:13:30.840
<v Speaker 1>That marriage lasted only nine months. And there's I think

0:13:31.120 --> 0:13:34.280
<v Speaker 1>information in my book about the Joe Marilyn relationship that

0:13:34.320 --> 0:13:37.200
<v Speaker 1>you won't find other places. And a big reason for

0:13:37.240 --> 0:13:39.200
<v Speaker 1>that is because I had access to members of the

0:13:39.240 --> 0:13:42.719
<v Speaker 1>Demaggio family. They're quite a few of them did not participate.

0:13:43.240 --> 0:13:46.880
<v Speaker 1>And then Richard ben Kramer Joe Demaco biography, I think

0:13:46.920 --> 0:13:50.080
<v Speaker 1>because they got and I a sense from him that

0:13:50.160 --> 0:13:52.840
<v Speaker 1>I was going to be rather critical. My book is

0:13:52.880 --> 0:13:56.439
<v Speaker 1>not pro Demajo anti Demajo. It's the story about the family,

0:13:56.760 --> 0:14:00.160
<v Speaker 1>even to the point where Dominic and Emily as if

0:14:00.200 --> 0:14:02.080
<v Speaker 1>they really liked Marilyn Monroe. They thought she was a

0:14:02.080 --> 0:14:04.560
<v Speaker 1>wonderful girl. They thought she and Joe were wrong for

0:14:04.600 --> 0:14:06.800
<v Speaker 1>each other, but they can see that they were in love,

0:14:06.840 --> 0:14:10.200
<v Speaker 1>and they were fully supportive of Joe getting married to Maryland.

0:14:10.320 --> 0:14:12.800
<v Speaker 1>That's what he wanted. Now we know that the marriage

0:14:12.880 --> 0:14:15.400
<v Speaker 1>lasted only nine months, I think in nineteen fifty four,

0:14:15.480 --> 0:14:17.760
<v Speaker 1>and they broke up and went their separate ways. But

0:14:17.840 --> 0:14:20.120
<v Speaker 1>apparently they still had a strong attraction to each other.

0:14:20.200 --> 0:14:23.320
<v Speaker 1>Because what most people don't know, and I learned this

0:14:23.360 --> 0:14:26.080
<v Speaker 1>from Emily Demajo, who again is the only one of

0:14:26.120 --> 0:14:29.200
<v Speaker 1>that generations still alive. She's in her nineties now, that

0:14:30.040 --> 0:14:32.640
<v Speaker 1>Marilyn and Joe used to have these secret rendezvous up

0:14:32.640 --> 0:14:36.000
<v Speaker 1>at Dominic and Emily's place up in the Boston area

0:14:36.040 --> 0:14:39.600
<v Speaker 1>in Massachusetts, sisters in the nineteen fifties, and every so

0:14:39.680 --> 0:14:42.640
<v Speaker 1>often somebody would somebody from the press would wonder was

0:14:42.680 --> 0:14:45.280
<v Speaker 1>at a Demago sighting, and they would stake out the

0:14:46.160 --> 0:14:49.920
<v Speaker 1>Emily house in the Boston area. So sometimes they would

0:14:49.920 --> 0:14:53.080
<v Speaker 1>have to Dominic would get into disguise. This Joe would

0:14:53.080 --> 0:14:54.720
<v Speaker 1>get into Joe's car and drive it a rod a

0:14:54.720 --> 0:14:58.000
<v Speaker 1>little while. Meanwhile, Emily would and would get a cab

0:14:58.120 --> 0:15:01.040
<v Speaker 1>for Joe and Marilyn to take them to the train

0:15:01.080 --> 0:15:03.440
<v Speaker 1>stations that they could head back to New York. That

0:15:03.480 --> 0:15:05.520
<v Speaker 1>went on until Marilyn met Arthur Miller and then at

0:15:05.560 --> 0:15:07.600
<v Speaker 1>the all the hanky panky, which Joe ended. As far

0:15:07.640 --> 0:15:11.560
<v Speaker 1>as we know so, Joe had already a failed marriage,

0:15:11.800 --> 0:15:15.160
<v Speaker 1>and as his life went on, he became more and

0:15:15.200 --> 0:15:19.000
<v Speaker 1>more disenchanted with his fame, it seemed, with life in general.

0:15:19.560 --> 0:15:22.240
<v Speaker 1>He had a very difficult relationship with his only child,

0:15:22.320 --> 0:15:24.760
<v Speaker 1>Joe Dimago Junior. You can imagine what that was like

0:15:24.880 --> 0:15:28.480
<v Speaker 1>for him, being Joe Dimajo junior and always being compared

0:15:28.520 --> 0:15:30.720
<v Speaker 1>to his father. He tried and did not become a

0:15:30.760 --> 0:15:33.360
<v Speaker 1>baseball player. He did become a join the Marine Corps,

0:15:34.160 --> 0:15:36.200
<v Speaker 1>but he also drifted a lot. He was more like

0:15:36.240 --> 0:15:40.200
<v Speaker 1>his brother Vince. Couldn't quite get traction on the rest

0:15:40.200 --> 0:15:43.280
<v Speaker 1>of his life. And when Joe died, it was a

0:15:43.440 --> 0:15:46.960
<v Speaker 1>national headlines all over the place, of course, because he

0:15:47.000 --> 0:15:49.880
<v Speaker 1>was an icon. You know, where have you gone, Joe Dimajo?

0:15:50.000 --> 0:15:53.960
<v Speaker 1>He was in songs. He was lionized in the press.

0:15:54.000 --> 0:15:56.200
<v Speaker 1>He always got good press, even though in a lot

0:15:56.240 --> 0:16:00.640
<v Speaker 1>of ways he couldn't stand the press. But what about Dominic. Now,

0:16:00.960 --> 0:16:06.040
<v Speaker 1>in a case of Dominic Domajo, I believe it's fair

0:16:06.120 --> 0:16:09.000
<v Speaker 1>for me to say that I did not start this

0:16:09.040 --> 0:16:11.880
<v Speaker 1>book with the idea that he would become really more

0:16:11.880 --> 0:16:14.560
<v Speaker 1>of the central character or coming out of the book

0:16:14.520 --> 0:16:17.720
<v Speaker 1>as my sort of hero. But what happened was, I

0:16:17.760 --> 0:16:19.960
<v Speaker 1>think as I got to know Dominic from talking to

0:16:20.000 --> 0:16:24.720
<v Speaker 1>his children, and thankfully his widow was still alive. She

0:16:24.840 --> 0:16:28.240
<v Speaker 1>was ninety ish, but I was able to visit with

0:16:28.280 --> 0:16:31.400
<v Speaker 1>her several times, at many conversations with her. She was

0:16:31.440 --> 0:16:33.760
<v Speaker 1>the keeper of the Domaggio family history. She was the

0:16:33.800 --> 0:16:37.400
<v Speaker 1>only one of the nine Demargio children and their spouses.

0:16:38.000 --> 0:16:40.120
<v Speaker 1>She was the only one of that generation still alive.

0:16:41.320 --> 0:16:44.320
<v Speaker 1>She had married Dominic in nineteen forty eight, so she

0:16:44.400 --> 0:16:46.600
<v Speaker 1>was there while Dominic was still at the prime of

0:16:46.600 --> 0:16:50.240
<v Speaker 1>his career. Dominic joined the Red Sox in nineteen forty

0:16:50.440 --> 0:16:54.160
<v Speaker 1>He also missed three seasons because he was in the navy,

0:16:55.320 --> 0:16:58.400
<v Speaker 1>and after World War Two he came back and he

0:16:58.440 --> 0:17:01.000
<v Speaker 1>was just getting into his prime. Like his brothers. Joe

0:17:01.000 --> 0:17:02.960
<v Speaker 1>and Vincent, who was starting to get past their prime

0:17:03.000 --> 0:17:05.640
<v Speaker 1>after the war. He was just getting into his prime

0:17:05.680 --> 0:17:08.400
<v Speaker 1>as a ballplayer. I mean, the Red Sox had great

0:17:08.440 --> 0:17:11.240
<v Speaker 1>teams in the mid to late forties. You know you

0:17:11.359 --> 0:17:14.440
<v Speaker 1>had you had Dominic Demacho, who was considered a better

0:17:14.480 --> 0:17:16.879
<v Speaker 1>set to field than his brother. He was not a

0:17:16.920 --> 0:17:19.119
<v Speaker 1>power here like his brother. He was usually bagging in

0:17:19.160 --> 0:17:21.960
<v Speaker 1>the first or second spot, followed by people like Johnny

0:17:22.000 --> 0:17:27.480
<v Speaker 1>Pesky and Bobby Doore, Vern Stevens, Jimmy Fox. There were

0:17:27.480 --> 0:17:30.880
<v Speaker 1>a lot of really good Red Sox players alongside Dominic.

0:17:31.400 --> 0:17:37.120
<v Speaker 1>Dominic right from the beginning after his marriage, emphasized family.

0:17:38.640 --> 0:17:40.760
<v Speaker 1>That was what was most important to me. Loved baseball,

0:17:41.400 --> 0:17:43.520
<v Speaker 1>but he always made sure that at the end of

0:17:43.600 --> 0:17:46.000
<v Speaker 1>after every game, he came home and came home to

0:17:46.040 --> 0:17:50.280
<v Speaker 1>his family. He and his wife had three children, a

0:17:50.359 --> 0:17:53.919
<v Speaker 1>Dominic and Peter were the boys, and Emily Junior was

0:17:53.960 --> 0:17:58.040
<v Speaker 1>the girl. And when Dominic when it was time for him,

0:17:58.240 --> 0:17:59.920
<v Speaker 1>when the writing was on the wall and his career

0:18:00.040 --> 0:18:03.439
<v Speaker 1>was winding down, he walked away and he bought a

0:18:03.440 --> 0:18:07.760
<v Speaker 1>manufacturing company and became an extremely successful businessman. And to me,

0:18:07.800 --> 0:18:09.679
<v Speaker 1>that's an important part of the book too, is the

0:18:09.720 --> 0:18:14.560
<v Speaker 1>post baseball career of Dominic DiMaggio because he knew he

0:18:14.600 --> 0:18:16.359
<v Speaker 1>was always going to be in the shadow of his

0:18:16.400 --> 0:18:18.040
<v Speaker 1>brother as a ballplayer, but he was not in the

0:18:18.080 --> 0:18:19.720
<v Speaker 1>shadow of his brother as a man or as a

0:18:19.760 --> 0:18:23.159
<v Speaker 1>family man, as a husband or a father. He became

0:18:23.440 --> 0:18:26.000
<v Speaker 1>quite wealthy, and he and his wife were very, very

0:18:26.040 --> 0:18:30.119
<v Speaker 1>involved in Charity's philanthropic work in the Boston area. He

0:18:30.200 --> 0:18:35.359
<v Speaker 1>remained a legendary figure in Boston, and he lived until

0:18:35.600 --> 0:18:40.919
<v Speaker 1>he was I believe ninety two, when Dominic died, surrounded

0:18:40.960 --> 0:18:44.159
<v Speaker 1>by family. And it's no coincidence that the very last

0:18:44.200 --> 0:18:47.840
<v Speaker 1>word of the book is family. That's what the book,

0:18:47.880 --> 0:18:50.840
<v Speaker 1>to me was about. The Domaggio's It was, you know,

0:18:50.840 --> 0:18:54.880
<v Speaker 1>the subtitle as three brothers, their passion for baseball, their

0:18:54.880 --> 0:18:57.960
<v Speaker 1>pursuit of the American Dream. I think it sums it

0:18:58.040 --> 0:19:01.200
<v Speaker 1>up the subtitle because it was the families pursuit of

0:19:01.240 --> 0:19:03.880
<v Speaker 1>the American dream. It was the passion of those three

0:19:03.920 --> 0:19:10.160
<v Speaker 1>brothers for baseball, and it was their love and sometimes

0:19:10.400 --> 0:19:14.440
<v Speaker 1>disturbing relationship with each other. Joe being the superhero of

0:19:14.520 --> 0:19:17.200
<v Speaker 1>Vincent being viewed as a lot of ways as a failure,

0:19:17.720 --> 0:19:20.240
<v Speaker 1>but Dominic not the hall of favor though I think

0:19:20.240 --> 0:19:23.680
<v Speaker 1>he should have gotten more consideration, but probably most successful

0:19:23.720 --> 0:19:26.960
<v Speaker 1>as a human being than the brothers, because he had

0:19:27.000 --> 0:19:29.720
<v Speaker 1>this long enduring marriage of well over sixty years with

0:19:29.760 --> 0:19:32.960
<v Speaker 1>his wife, the three children. His son takes over the

0:19:32.960 --> 0:19:38.040
<v Speaker 1>manufacturing company, his daughter becomes a writer and an accomplished person.

0:19:38.880 --> 0:19:42.520
<v Speaker 1>Peter's other Sun becomes an accomplished person. And so I

0:19:42.600 --> 0:19:44.479
<v Speaker 1>just found myself as I was writing the book more

0:19:44.480 --> 0:19:49.760
<v Speaker 1>and more gravitating towards Dominic's story. And I think that

0:19:49.840 --> 0:19:53.320
<v Speaker 1>if people want, even not baseball fans, I think that

0:19:53.359 --> 0:19:55.639
<v Speaker 1>they would enjoy the book because it's really a story

0:19:55.640 --> 0:19:58.359
<v Speaker 1>about the American dream, and it's the story about family

0:19:58.880 --> 0:20:01.520
<v Speaker 1>and great jobs. Away to Greg Hangler for bringing us

0:20:01.560 --> 0:20:05.439
<v Speaker 1>this story, and a special thanks to Tom cleaven by

0:20:05.480 --> 0:20:08.080
<v Speaker 1>the way, get his book The Demaggio's three brothers, their

0:20:08.080 --> 0:20:12.520
<v Speaker 1>passion for baseball and their pursuit of the American dream.

0:20:12.600 --> 0:20:17.440
<v Speaker 1>The Demaggio Brothers their story here on our American Stories