Valley Talks: Greg Rubano on famed baseball player, Nap LaJoie

The Museum of Work & Culture's Valley Talks

Greg Rubano on Nap Lajoie 
 

When: Sunday, March 6, 1:30pm 

Where: The Museum of Work & Culture, 42 S. Main St., Woonsocket, R.I.

Admission: Free!
 

Baseball historian Greg Rubano will present on his upcoming book, Under the Shadow of Ty Cobb: The Life and Times of Napoleon Lajoie, recounting the meteoric rise of Woonsocket native Nap Lajoie. The presentation will highlight Lajoie's Horatio Alger rise from the mills to national idolatry as a baseball hero. In addition to chronicling Lajoie's incredible exploits on the field, Rubano will tell the tales of the game, including Lajoie's own stories and those of fellow players who played the game as it will never be played again.

Rubano, a long time Rhode Island educator, has recently published two books for middle school youth about inspirational figures in baseball history. Freedom between the Lines dramatizes Native Americans' use of baseball to confront the crippling prejudice of the federal government's boarding school attempt to "civilize" them and Before the Babe, the Emperor brings alive a young mill boy's worship of the American League's first superstar­, Lajoie. 

Soon to be published, In the Shadow of Ty Cobb: the Life and Times of Napoleon Lajoie reveals the character and exploits of the beloved Emperor of the Diamond, whose reign ended too soon. In an attempt to resurrect interest and appreciation of the game among all ages, Rubano has spoken to middle school, college, and museum audiences about America's pastime. The books and presentations are part of his Rhode Island-based campaign Unearthing our Treasure: Napoleon Lajoie.

For more information, please contact the Museum or Work & Culture by calling (401) 769-9675 or emailing Education & Program Coordinator Sarah Carr at scarr@rihs.org.