The flesh of “yellow” grapefruit is white, not yellow, and a large grapefruit is about the size of a softball, larger than a baseball. I grew up in citrus groves in Florida. We had fruit in our yard and tossed fallen grapefruit to the neighbor’s dog. The pink or red variety is grown mostly in Texas. I believe it was developed for eating as opposed to juice.
A lot of later tellings imply the grapefruit was pink or red, because that's a better way to get to the joke that Robinson thought he was covered in his own insides. I wanted to refocus on the yellow/white grapefruit because from the scant evidence that seems like what it was, and plus it leads to my preferred punchline. I'm glad to know this aligns with the kind of grapefruit commonly growing in Florida, too. We're building a strong case.
Paul - Brilliant work, as usual. "The force of impact threw him backward into what was described as “a neat little somersault” as he tumbled to the ground, thinking, quite reasonably, that he had been maimed. The acid of the juice stung his eyes and he was covered in soft, fleshy chunks. He ended up seated on the diamond, feeling for the hole the “ball” must have bored into his chest.
Thanks Matt! It never occurred to me that a great way to give a writer a compliment is to quote a line they wrote back to them. I'm going to steal your tactic.
The flesh of “yellow” grapefruit is white, not yellow, and a large grapefruit is about the size of a softball, larger than a baseball. I grew up in citrus groves in Florida. We had fruit in our yard and tossed fallen grapefruit to the neighbor’s dog. The pink or red variety is grown mostly in Texas. I believe it was developed for eating as opposed to juice.
A lot of later tellings imply the grapefruit was pink or red, because that's a better way to get to the joke that Robinson thought he was covered in his own insides. I wanted to refocus on the yellow/white grapefruit because from the scant evidence that seems like what it was, and plus it leads to my preferred punchline. I'm glad to know this aligns with the kind of grapefruit commonly growing in Florida, too. We're building a strong case.
Paul - Brilliant work, as usual. "The force of impact threw him backward into what was described as “a neat little somersault” as he tumbled to the ground, thinking, quite reasonably, that he had been maimed. The acid of the juice stung his eyes and he was covered in soft, fleshy chunks. He ended up seated on the diamond, feeling for the hole the “ball” must have bored into his chest.
Thanks Matt! It never occurred to me that a great way to give a writer a compliment is to quote a line they wrote back to them. I'm going to steal your tactic.