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Meet The Pitcher From Springsteen’s 'Glory Days'

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Bruce Springsteen, shown here in 1985, released "Glory Days" on his album "Born in the USA." The song's opening verse is about a former high school baseball star, who until recently remained anonymous. (AP)
Bruce Springsteen, shown here in 1985, released "Glory Days" on his album "Born in the USA." The song's opening verse is about a former high school baseball star, who until recently remained anonymous. (AP)

Editor's note: This story originally aired on July 23, 2011.

By Kirk Carapezza

It turns out Bruce Springsteen really did have a friend who was a big baseball player back in high school and could throw that speedball by you and make you look like a fool. The Boss immortalized his buddy in the hit song, "Glory Days."

Now, 26 years after the song hit Number 5 on the Billboard charts, the former pitcher's identity has been revealed. Vermont Public Radio's Kirk Carapezza caught up with Joe DePugh and has the story of how he landed in a rock n' roll classic.

To hear some of DePugh's memories of Springsteen's short baseball career, watch this photo slide show. And scroll down to see the original video for "Glory Days."

This segment aired on August 25, 2012.

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