#15

I have finished my reading of Baseball and Philosophy. This book has given me so many new insights to my life by relating it to one of my favorite games. It speaks alot to the world that two things so seemingly unrelated can really help you understand them both better in themselves. This inspirational book is a must read for anyone wanting to change their life for the "bat"ter. (Like better but with a bat like baseball, get it?)

#14

The end of the chapter about sacrifice discusses all the history of this often looked down upon practice. Sacrifice can be seen in anhy light, whether it's a play in baseball tryin gto win a game, or an offering to a God trying to gain salvation. The most famous sacrifices in history, of course, come from the Bible. Whether it is Jesus Christ dying for the sins of his people, or Abraham willing to kill his son Isaac, sacrifices make you look at what you have and think, is this worth so much that I cannot give it up for something greater? We must look at things this way in life, or else we can not make righteous decisions that will better the lives of ourselves, and those around us.

#13

I finally got through the Cubs chapter! I don't think I would be able to stand anymore of that Cubs talk! On to the last chapter, called "Taking One for the Team: Baseball and Sacrifice". Two baseball stories, one in which the sacrifice bunt succeeds, and one in which it fails, tell what an important part of the game a sacrifice can be. A small hit or easy fly ball can become as crucial as a long home run. I, for one, know what it can feel like to successfully lay down a sacrifice bunt, one that scored the winning run in a game for our freshman baseball team last year. My coaches, teammates, and all the fans were so happy that it got me thinking of how bad I would have felt if I had not succeeded. Sort of like the debate of having faith, in this situation, I was forced to think about the chances of failure and of success, which is a very important value to have in life if you want to be a well-rounded person.

#12

The end of the Cubs chapter broadens into a wider debate about belief and faith. Why believe in something if you know it will most likely lead to pain and suffering? Why go up to the plate if you know will most likely fail (80% chance)? Why follow Jesus Christ if you must "face persecution" and "pick up your cross" to do so? I can relate to this in two ways. For one, when I go up to bat in baseball, the rewards of getting a hit or getting on base are so rewarding that it is worth the 8 times I will get out for the two times I will get on base or get a hit. The rewards outweigh the risk in the situation. Pertaining to religion, most Christians like me would agree that the rewards of getting to heaven and having eternal life with Jesus and God outweigh the risks of being hurt and made fun of here on earth. Having faith in something is natural for any human being, the author says, and I find this to affect me more than most other people.

#11

I raced through the chapter about the Cubs, my most hated MLB team and biggest rival, as fast as I could. Although I wasn't reading the book, this action brought up another philosophical point to me. I realized something about myself, that the most hated thing in my life was a baseball team. That's right, a baseball team. Sports seem like they would be a much better way to get anger and hatred out than on other people, etc. I feel a lot better about myself that I can find refuge for my hate in something like a baseball team.

#10

The next section of the "Cubs fan" chapter talks about sticking with your team through the thick and then. I have always been a strong believer in being a fan of a team for life, meaning whether they win or lose, you must stick with them. This shows strong morals not just in sports, but inlife. I have always been a fan of all my favorite teams, through the good times and the bad. For example, I have been an Arizona Cardinals fan forever, because my uncle worked for them and my family had always been Cardinals fans since they left Chicago in the 1940s. Unfortunately, the Cardinals have been one of the worst teams in the NFL until recently, making the playoffs once in 50 years; that is until two years ago, when the Cardinals made an improbable run to the Super Bowl, allowing me to brag to all my friends here in Chicago that I was a Cardinals fan, and had not jumped on the bandwagon. The fact that I had been with the team through the losses until they got good gave me a satisfaction that could not be matched by anything else.

#9

The next chapter or "inning" as the book calls it is about a most relevant subject around here: whether Cubs fans should have so much faith in their team. Just like the season outside it is right now, spring, the philosophy of this chapter focuses on newfound optimism through baseball. During baseball season for me, whether it's my own team or my favorite MLB team the White Sox, I find myself more stimulated and happy in the spring, not just because of the weather after such a bleak winter, but because the first outdoor sport is starting, and a new season means new promise, no matter what team you root for. It is this kind of philosophy that makes people latch on to their favorite baseball teams this time of year, no matter who they root for.

#8

After explaining the court case and decision, the most interesting question of this book so far was asked: Does a team have an obligation to play baseball? This is especially interesting to me because I have always felt deep inside that sports teams mean a lot more than a bunch of guys playing a sport for money. The legal and financial part of baseball or any professional sport is nothing compared to what the team means to a town and it's fans and people mentally and emotionally. In a sport like baseball, where the roots of the sport and team are deeply engraved in the city's history, the way the baseball team goes, often so does the city. The mental and emotional needs of the city caused by a sports team are so much greater than just the value on paper, and that's what I love about sports.

#7

It turns out the MLB and Twins management lost the case; the Minnesota Supreme Court then later the Court of Appeals upheld the ruling that the Twins had an obligation to play the 2002 season in Minnesota. The judges obviously thought that the intangible connections the Twins and baseball had to the community outweighed the monetary damages that could have been repayed if the Twins left. The philosophical idea to ponder is whether the ruling was due to ethics or law. I personally believe that sometimes ethics can outweigh the law, especially in a time when there is not enough time to make a law. Even though it may not be written in the Constitution, baseball and a home team are two of the most important aspects of major cities across the United States, and that is something that cannot be replaced by money. Whether it's in baseball, or in your own community you feel that intangible damages will be worse than can be replaced by money, people can use ethics to bypass laws and do what they know is right.

#6

Baseball and Philosophy has taught me so much about different schools of thought and philosophical ideas. In order to explain the Twins fiasco, the author first starts with an explanation of Utilitarianism. In short, Utilitarianism is problem solving in which the solution will result in the happiness of the most people. This has to do with law and ethics in baseball because laws are often formed or made more serious depending on how happy or not it makes the people. An example I saw in life today was when a college student on my brother's campus stole a stop sign from an intersection. This would have been a minor offense except a car crash occurred at this intersection which caused the situation and discipline to be much worse. The fact that the happiness of the people was affected more made the offense worse. Since laws also reject Utilitarianism, the mental state of people should not weigh into a court decision. Just because thousands of fans adore the Twins does not make their case in a courtroom.

#5

The next chapter of Baseball and Philosophy is about a subject often relevant in philosophical discussions, but hard to imagine having anything to do with baseball. But, as the beginning story shows, ethics and law can have a lot to do with baseball. In 2001, the MLB, with their hand being forced by a tough economic climate, claimed that they would have to cut two teams from the league, the Montreal Expos, who had no case for staying in the league as they had very low attendance and revenue, and the Minnesota Twins. The Twins organization then had to go to trial with a most difficult case, to prove they had an obligation to play baseball. The book brings up the most interesting question, does baseball have a place in the law? Should material things and sports teams be allowed to try to prove cases in a Federal court. Who would be the plaintiff, and the defendant? How would one judge such a trial? The cases would most certainly be difficult to prove. These are just some of the many problems of what I have just begun to read into. I am intrigued to keep reading and will post again when I have found some answers.

#4

I finished up the chapter about "home" today. It sums up with a section about the true home in baseball, a team's stadium. This section really touched me because of the stories the author tells and how they relate to me. He says that anywhere you can throw food rappers on the ground and yell at umpires and players from 200 feet away without getting reprimanded definitely deserves to be called home. Every time I go to my favorite teams stadium, I feel at home, with all my family surrounding me all rooting for the same team, all connected in that same way. Also, when corporate sponsors "buy" the rights to the names of stadiums, the "family" who "lives" in that "home" is angry because, as the author says, it's like someone set-up a billboard in your living room. When the White Sox, my favorite team, changed the name of their stadium from Comiskey Park after the founder to U.S. Cellular Field after a sponsor, my family was devastated, and I as I read this, I felt now I understood why I feel such a strong connection to the "homes" of baseball.

#3

The next section of Baseball and Philosophy continues on the idea of home plate being both a fear and a place of comfort. The author delves in to why a hitter would feel at "home" at home plate when the best hitters get out 7 out of 10 ten times they go up to home plate. Mannerisms in different players suggest the comfort they feel at the plate, like when the adjust their uniforms, and puff out their chests, and chat with umpires and catchers. A Sigmund Freud idea is brought up, the uncanny, which in german, unheimlich, literally means not at home. Frued's idea of the uncanny is that a place can be both familiar and scary at the same time, and this really applies to why a batter can feel comfortable "at home" even though he knows he will probably get out.

#2

The book starts how every baseball game starts, at home. The first philosophical question posed is about why home means so much, and how that can be related to our "home" in life. Defining home is not easy; as French philosopher Bordeteaux said, it is not as easy to say what home is, as to what it isn't. Meaning your home is more easily described as something to protect you from outside dangers. In baseball, you have to leave home and test the dangers of the fielders trying to get you out before you can reach your goal of coming back and being safe at home permanently.

#1

After looking over the choices for the extended writing project, I decided making a blog would be the one most fitted to my writing talents and overall lack of creativity. Since baseball season is fast approaching, the life changing book I have chosen to read is called "Baseball and Philosophy". It's about how one can relate baseball and stuff that happens in and around the game to lief and meaning of mankind, should be interesting.