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In A League of Her OwnLOS ANGELES, California (Achieve3000, April 5, 2013). You might not have heard of Lavone "Pepper" Paire Davis, but her life helped inspire a movie. Paire Davis, a star of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) in the 1940s and 1950s, was an inspiration for the central character in the movie A League of Their Own. She died on February 2, 2013, at age 88.Paire Davis was the model for the character played by Geena Davis in the 1992 hit movie, which also starred Rosie O'Donnell and Madonna. Tom Hanks played the part of the crusty manager who shouted the famous line, "There's no crying in baseball!"Like her character in the film, Paire Davis was a natural baseball talent who was a particularly adept catcher. After graduating from high school, she enrolled at UCLA as an English major and worked as a welder's assistant at the shipyards in Long Beach, California. She spent every spare moment playing in local softball leagues. HYPERLINK "javascript:void(0);" \o "reading connections" Paire Davis got a chance to pursue her passion in the 1940s. At the time, major league baseball was restricted to men, as it is today. But when the U.S. entered World War II in 1941, the nation began drafting young men into the armed forces. Baseball officials feared for the future of their sport, America's pastime. In 1942, Philip K. Wrigley, owner of the Chicago Cubs, decided to create a league for young women. In the spring of 1943, he and a group of investors created the All American Girls Professional Baseball League. HYPERLINK "javascript:void(0);" \o "reading connections" Although women did not play on high school or college baseball teams, there were softball leagues across the U.S. and Canada. The AAGPBL decided that its teams would play a new kind of ball—one that combined the rules of baseball and softball. For example, the women's game started out using a 12-inch softball, as well as underhanded pitching. At the same time, the players were able to lead off and steal bases, like the men's teams. The organization hired Jim Hamilton, a retired player who had become a Chicago Cubs scout, to go to the women's softball leagues and sign the most talented players. Hundreds of women were interested in the new venture. Many were chosen to be tested for their throwing, catching, running, sliding, and hitting abilities, but in the end, only 60 players were signed. HYPERLINK "javascript:void(0);" \o "reading connections" Like male players, the women were expected to be gifted athletes, but they were held to standards that were not necessarily applied to men. The AAGPBL athletes were required to adhere to standards of etiquette, for example. They were also expected to have their hair and makeup done a certain way. The players wore skirts and the teams often had cutesy names. Still, players maintained a genuine big-league lifestyle, playing 120 games in a four-month period. HYPERLINK "javascript:void(0);" \o "reading connections" "We played every night of the week—doubleheaders on Sundays and holidays," Paire Davis later explained. HYPERLINK "javascript:void(0);" \o "reading connections" Paire Davis joined the league in 1944 and played for 10 seasons. She was a catcher and a shortstop, and she helped her teams win five championships. Her teams included the Racine Belles, the Grand Rapids Chicks, and the Fort Wayne Daisies, but she never actually played for the team featured in the film, the Rockford Peaches. HYPERLINK "javascript:void(0);" \o "reading connections" "That's Hollywood," she said, adding, "They had to take 10 teams and 12 years and make it into two hours." HYPERLINK "javascript:void(0);" \o "reading connections" Paire Davis chronicled her baseball adventures in the 2009 book Dirt in the Skirt. HYPERLINK "javascript:void(0);" \o "reading connections" "I know what it's like for your dream to come true. Mine did," she said. "Baseball was the thing I had the most fun doing. It was like breathing." HYPERLINK "javascript:void(0);" \o "reading connections" Paire Davis' last season was in 1953, and the league was "temporarily suspended" in 1954. Play was never resumed.William Davis, Paire Davis' son, said that his mother spent much of the rest of her life as a sports fan—she rooted for the Dodgers, Angels, and Lakers—and was an advocate for her favorite game. HYPERLINK "javascript:void(0);" \o "reading connections" "She taught me how to switch hit when I was 3 years old," said Davis, one of Paire Davis' three children. "She touched a lot of people around the world with her baseball exploits. She was a great ambassador for the game." HYPERLINK "javascript:void(0);" \o "reading connections" Later in her life, Paire Davis said she couldn't "honestly tell you I knew the history we were making back then." But, she said, "I can tell you we knew we were doing something special."SUMMARIZE THE ARTICLE IN 5-6 SENTENCESQUESTIONSThe best alternate headline for this article would be __________.Lavone Paire Davis May Be Inspiration for New MovieWomen's Baseball League Followed Rules of EtiquetteFemale Professional Baseball Pioneer Dies at Age 88Chicago Cubs Owner Creates Women's Baseball LeagueWhich of these is a statement of opinion? Lavone Paire Davis was one of the most exciting female baseball players of the 1940s and 1950s.Lavone Paire Davis was the model for a character in the movie A League of Their Own.Lavone Paire Davis played in a professional baseball league in the 1940s and 1950s.Lavone Paire Davis wrote about her baseball adventures in the 2009 book Dirt in the Skirt.Which is the closest antonym for the word adept, as it is used in this article?ExhaustingIntelligentUntalented GracefulThis article would be most useful as a source for a student research project on __________.The first women's college baseball teams How World War II affected American baseballThe history of the Dodgers baseball teamWhy the AAGPBL enforced etiquette standardsWhich statement from the article would be most important to include in a summary?"We played every night of the week—doubleheaders on Sundays and holidays," Paire Davis later explained. [Paire Davis'] teams included the Racine Belles, the Grand Rapids Chicks, and the Fort Wayne Daisies, but she never actually played for the team featured in the film, the Rockford Peaches. Paire Davis, a star of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League in the 1940s and 1950s, was an inspiration for the central character in the movie A League of Their Own. graduating from high school, [Paire Davis] enrolled at UCLA as an English major and worked as a welder's assistant at the shipyards in Long Beach, California.The article states:Paire Davis got a chance to pursue her passion in the 1940s. At the time, major league baseball was restricted to men, as it is today. But when the U.S. entered World War II in 1941, the nation began drafting young men into the armed forces. Baseball officials feared for the future of their sport, America's pastime.Which would be the closest synonym for the word restricted, as it is used above?Tightened CrowdedLimitedUnavailableThe news article says all of the following except __________.At the end of her career, Lavone Paire Davis said that she was resentful about having to follow rules of etiquette when she was a professional baseball player. Lavone Paire Davis, who joined the league in 1944 and played for 10 seasons, was a catcher and a shortstop who helped her teams win five championships. Lavone Paire Davis was the model for the character played by Geena Davis in the 1992 hit movie, which also starred Rosie O'Donnell and Madonna. Like her character in a 1992 film, Lavone Paire Davis was a natural baseball talent who was a particularly adept catcher.The author's purpose for writing this article was probably to __________.Compare and contrast women's softball with men's baseballDescribe the popularity of the Chicago Cubs in the 1940sCall attention to a trailblazer in the field of women's baseballSuggest that women should not play professional baseball ................
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