Hank Greenberg by Michael Ceraolo

Hank Greenberg

I was anything but a natural athlete:

it took a lot of hard work to get to the big leagues,

a lot of hard work to stay there,

and a lot of hard work to have the success I had

And there was a whole new set of pressures:

to play on the High Holy Days or not?

After consulting with a rabbi,

I played on Rosh Hashanah but not on Yom Kippur

I remember the pressure I felt because of my religion,

from those who wanted me to succeed and from those who didn't,

especially when I was chasing the Babe

I remember the ethnic slurs I received

from opponents, fans, and even the occasional teammate,

well beyond what anyone til then had to endure

And with all that I'm sure

it didn't compare to what Jackie had to endure

Jackie had some nice things to say about me,

and I hope I lived up to them