![](\"http:\/\/cyber.law.harvard.edu\/blogs\/static\/dowbrigade\/came2play.jpg\")
Back
\n in the early 1960’s, five young dudes moved separately to New York City
\n from different states. They
\n met at the basketball courts at Green and Washington streets, where a
\n group of 30 or 40 young, unemployed black kids would meet up every day
\n there wasn’t snow on the courts, and play ball. Afterward, they
\n would hang out by the busted up picnic tables, smoke a few joints, drink
\n wine out of brown paper bags, and sing.<\/p>\n
Eventually the five of them started meeting in a basement
\n apartment and recorded some homemade tapes, which were passed around
\n and eventually passed to Frank Zappa, and the rest is history. They became
\n know as the Persuasions, and they did exclusively a cappella stuff –
\n no instruments, just the five voices. <\/p>\n
We were reminded of the Persuasions by a snatch of audio
\n from some commercial, the subconscious soundtrack of our times, not specifically
\n remembered, but caught in the nooks and crannies of the mind, sparked
\n into nagging sentience by random cues and associations.<\/p>\n
There was a period when the Downrigade listened to the Our interest piqued, we discovered that the Persuasions Life is a Ballgame<\/strong><\/p>\n Life is a Ballgame, but you’ve got First base is Temptation, You know Daniel’s up to bat first, he said I pray You know prayer is a strong bat, to hit at Satan’s ball. Well you know Moses is on the Life is a ballgame, being played each day Wise words for trying times. Well, this got me thinking. Just On our scorecard, we have fleet Mercury roaming centerfield Morose third baseman Pluto is a fixture at the corner and Batting ninth (for there is no designated hitter in We’ll take on all comers. Anybody up for a game of Ultimate Back in the early 1960’s, five young dudes moved separately to New York City from different states. They met at the basketball courts at Green and Washington streets, where a group of 30 or 40 young, unemployed black kids would … Continue reading
\n Persuasions seminal second album, They
\n Came to Play<\/a> (1971) at least once
\n a day. The cover features a photo of the band on the NYC basketball
\n court where it all started.<\/p>\n
\n lasted a lot longer than our LP collection. Among their more recent
\n production we found this gem:<\/p>\n
\n to play it fair.
\n Life is a ballgame, being played each day
\n Life is a ballgame, everybody
\n can play
\n You know Jesus is standing at the Home Plate
\n He’s waiting
\n for you there
\n Life is a Ballgame, but you’ve got to play it fair<\/p>\n
\n Second base is Sin
\n Third base is Tribulation, if you pass you can make
\n it in
\n Oh man, Solomon is the Umpire, Satan is pitching the
\n game
\n He’ll do his best to strike you out, keep trying just
\n the same<\/p>\n
\n three times a day
\n You know Satan pitched him a fastball, he hit it anyway
\n Job is up to bat
\n next, tried to strike him out every way
\n But Job hit a home run, and he came
\n on in that day<\/p>\n
\n Well when you’all
\n start swinging, you got to give it your all and all
\n You know Fate’s gonna
\n be your catcher, and on him you can depend
\n Cause Jesus’ standing at the
\n Home Plate, he’s waiting for you to come in<\/p>\n
\n sideline, waiting to be called
\n Well the day he parted the Red Sea, he knew
\n Christ all in all
\n Now John came in the ninth Inning, and the game was
\n almost done
\n God gave John a vision, and we knew we’d already won!<\/em><\/p>\n
\n Life is a ballgame,
\n everybody can play<\/em><\/p>\n
\n imagine, for the sake of argument, there
\n is some sort of ecumenical Valhalla or Olympus or Pantheon of the gods,
\n majority and minority, past and present, not just the Judeo-Christian
\n Hall of Fame of the Persuasions persuasion.<\/p>\n![](\"http:\/\/cyber.law.harvard.edu\/blogs\/static\/dowbrigade\/sixarmed.jpg\")
Despite
\n being divine, we imagine that these gods would get bored sitting around
\n all the time, and so would inevitably come up
\n with some organized diversions. Why NOT baseball? It you were one
\n of the celestial captains, do you know who you would pick for your Divine
\n Nine? The Dowbrigade does.<\/p>\n
\n and batting first. Apollo is a ray of light in right, and a steady second
\n hitter. Second baseman Bacchus, an engaging clubhouse presence who keeps
\n the guys loose, holds down the three hole, at least when he isn’t hung
\n over. The Hammerin’ Hun, Thor, bats cleanup and patrols left field.<\/p>\n
\n fifth in the order, despite a huge contract and reputed underworld
\n connections. Nimble shortstop Krishna switch-hits in the six spot, seemingly
\n unaffected by being permanency blue. Playing first, and batting seventh,
\n is Illapa, Inca God of weather, especially thunder, lightning and rain,
\n usually depicted as a man carrying a club and rocks in his hands. Between him and Thor, rain delays are a team speciality. Batting
\n eighth is the pugnacious catcher, Vulcan, who is built like a Babylonian
\n blacksmith.<\/p>\n
\n the Divine Baseball League) is the starting pitcher Mahakal, one of the many
\n incarnations of the Buddha, this one a six-armed god of Tough Love.<\/p>\n
\n Fantasy Baseball?<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"