In the end, we are all prisoners of circumstance ... and it was circumstance that kept Al Rosen from being in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Rosen, who died a couple of days ago, was a truly great player. Circumstances kept many from knowing it. Rosen's father left the family when Al was a baby. He was born with a terrible case of asthma -- for this reason his mother moved the family to Miami from Spartanburg, South Carolina when he was still a toddler. He was Jewish in a part of Miami where there were no other Jews, and he spent much of his childhood fighting bullies. He boxed for a time. Rosen loved baseball more, though; he once had a high school coach tell him that baseball was not a game for Jews. He signed with the Cleveland Indians when he was 18. A manager there told him he probably should find a real job. He joined the Navy and went to war.
Al Rosen
Al Rosen
Al Rosen
In the end, we are all prisoners of circumstance ... and it was circumstance that kept Al Rosen from being in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Rosen, who died a couple of days ago, was a truly great player. Circumstances kept many from knowing it. Rosen's father left the family when Al was a baby. He was born with a terrible case of asthma -- for this reason his mother moved the family to Miami from Spartanburg, South Carolina when he was still a toddler. He was Jewish in a part of Miami where there were no other Jews, and he spent much of his childhood fighting bullies. He boxed for a time. Rosen loved baseball more, though; he once had a high school coach tell him that baseball was not a game for Jews. He signed with the Cleveland Indians when he was 18. A manager there told him he probably should find a real job. He joined the Navy and went to war.
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