.png)
Former precocious schoolhouse shot prima Joe DePugh - who inspired Bruce Springsteen's opus 'Glory Days' - has died astatine the property of 75.
DePugh passed distant astatine a hospice installation successful West Palm Beach, Florida owed to metastatic prostate cancer, his member Paul told the New York Times.
Springsteen and DePugh grew up unneurotic successful Freehold, New Jersey, and played small league shot together.
While Joe was known arsenic the team's prima pitcher, Springsteen was really nicknamed 'Saddie' by his person owed to his unfortunate deficiency of quality connected the diamond.
And though the brace yet embarked connected antithetic paths successful life, with Springsteen of people becoming a stone euphony icon, DePugh's shot quality made an interaction connected him and into 1 of his astir celebrated songs.
As reported by the The Times Leader, he and Springsteen re-connected 1 nighttime astatine a barroom successful 1973, aft being retired of interaction for years pursuing their precocious schoolhouse graduation.
Bruce Springsteen posted a touching tribute connected Instagram to his precocious friend Joe DePugh
In the song, Springsteen references a teammate who could 'throw that speedball by you'
The brace caught up implicit immoderate drinks and the speech yet inspired respective lyrics successful 'Glory Days.'
'I had a person was a large shot subordinate backmost successful precocious school,' Springsteen sings successful the song. 'He could propulsion that speedball by you, marque you look similar a fool, boy.
'Saw him the different nighttime astatine this roadside bar, I was walking in, helium was walking retired We went backmost inside, sat down, had a fewer drinks, but each helium kept talking astir was Glory Days.'
Springsteen acknowledged his friend's passing with a station connected Instagram, quoting his ain lyrics.
'Just a infinitesimal to people the passing of Freehold autochthonal and ballplayer Joe DePugh,' he said.
Springsteen is seen pitching a shot for the 'Glory Days' euphony video
'He was a bully person erstwhile I needed one. 'He could propulsion that speedball by you, marque you look similar a fool'….Glory Days my friend.'
The song, released successful 1985, went platinum and is inactive known arsenic 1 of his astir celebrated songs to this day.
While DePugh tried retired for the Dodgers, helium really ended up playing assemblage hoops for DIII King's College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
He reportedly worked arsenic a contractor and spent clip surviving successful some Florida and Stowe, Vermont.
English (US) ·