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paulcosmith's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting mix up of baseball and religious anecdotes, but it ultimately fails in its attempt to show baseball leads to God. Mostly a collection of similarities and coincidences rather than an actual path.
amymo73's review against another edition
3.0
I think my friend Missy recommended this book to me, although I'd not take that information to the bank. I do know that it sat on my shelf for at least a year, started once then never finished because life and other interests got in the way.
The book by former NYU president John Sexton is a reader based on a class he taught by the same name as the book, "Baseball as a Road to God." He goes through great pains to emphasis the article "a" road to God not "the" road to God. The book has signs of that great academic semantic breakdown which can make normal, moderately intelligent people scream "We get it already!" (Although thanks to cable political news coverage this type of semantic breakdown, argument and explanation is no longer the province solely of the ivory tower.)
But I digress. As does the book at times. Overall. I really enjoyed the read and examining baseball through a different lens, a religious lens if you will, of sacred space, faith, doubt, miracles, blessings, community, etc. One of my takeaways from the book was that the division between "sacred"and "secular" is largely our own invention. Whatever brings you meaning, bring you meaning. For instance sacred space "deeply personal to each individual, may seem quite ordinary to others."
My one distraction with the book was that at times it felt like merely an excuse to write about favorite baseball moments of the author. Yes, we get how much you grew up a Brooklyn Dodgers fan and how you converted to the Yankees. And arguably the Dodgers and Yankees provide much depth for examples. But even when other teams are used, it felt like reading baseball history instead of drawing out the connection between baseball and community.
It is clear that Sexton loves the game and the allure of the game can lie beyond the numbers/science (analytic lovers beware: this is not a book for you) to what it can bring your daily life.
"Baseball calls us to live slow and notice," Sexton writes. Later he adds that "unrestrained by time, baseball encourages, almost requires in its most meaningful moments, an appreciation of living slowly and in the moment; the kind of differentiated experience that separates the sacred life from the profane."
Amen.
The book by former NYU president John Sexton is a reader based on a class he taught by the same name as the book, "Baseball as a Road to God." He goes through great pains to emphasis the article "a" road to God not "the" road to God. The book has signs of that great academic semantic breakdown which can make normal, moderately intelligent people scream "We get it already!" (Although thanks to cable political news coverage this type of semantic breakdown, argument and explanation is no longer the province solely of the ivory tower.)
But I digress. As does the book at times. Overall. I really enjoyed the read and examining baseball through a different lens, a religious lens if you will, of sacred space, faith, doubt, miracles, blessings, community, etc. One of my takeaways from the book was that the division between "sacred"and "secular" is largely our own invention. Whatever brings you meaning, bring you meaning. For instance sacred space "deeply personal to each individual, may seem quite ordinary to others."
My one distraction with the book was that at times it felt like merely an excuse to write about favorite baseball moments of the author. Yes, we get how much you grew up a Brooklyn Dodgers fan and how you converted to the Yankees. And arguably the Dodgers and Yankees provide much depth for examples. But even when other teams are used, it felt like reading baseball history instead of drawing out the connection between baseball and community.
It is clear that Sexton loves the game and the allure of the game can lie beyond the numbers/science (analytic lovers beware: this is not a book for you) to what it can bring your daily life.
"Baseball calls us to live slow and notice," Sexton writes. Later he adds that "unrestrained by time, baseball encourages, almost requires in its most meaningful moments, an appreciation of living slowly and in the moment; the kind of differentiated experience that separates the sacred life from the profane."
Amen.
kecb12's review against another edition
5.0
What an incredible book this is. There are so many great avenues of thought that can be followed as a result of reading it. I love the new ways to think about old religious topics that I've known my whole life; I am always glad to hear more baseball stories and anecdotes; and I was reminded over and over why I love baseball so very much.
samnopal's review against another edition
4.0
The only bad thing about this charming book is the East Coast bias. Yes J. Sex you grew up in Brooklyn and were traumatized by the Dodgers move but how do you not include a single story about the very deeply traditional St. Louis Cardinals? (Or my plucky Houston Astros?)
daybreak1012's review against another edition
4.0
This was a very interesting read. Some of the topics worked better than others, but I came away with a lot to think about.
socopebbles's review against another edition
3.0
Perhaps a borderline 4 star book, but I guess it just fell a little short.
The title, although accurate from a certain frame of reference, could easily misconstrued. This is a book that "means to provoke, not preach," in the author's own words. He interweaves a multi-culti description of faith and religious experience and compares it to baseball anecdotes and history. I think there's a lot here, even for ultimately a slim volume, for a baseball fan to like. But I also think that it'll be enjoyed more by those that find comparative religion interesting.
The truth that Sexton is attempting to get at is how humans use time/place ritualized behaviors to find meaning in life. Whether that's a recognized, organized religion, or baseball, it probably doesn't matter. And studying baseball with a critical eye might just reveal some things about life and experience you hadn't considered before.
The title, although accurate from a certain frame of reference, could easily misconstrued. This is a book that "means to provoke, not preach," in the author's own words. He interweaves a multi-culti description of faith and religious experience and compares it to baseball anecdotes and history. I think there's a lot here, even for ultimately a slim volume, for a baseball fan to like. But I also think that it'll be enjoyed more by those that find comparative religion interesting.
The truth that Sexton is attempting to get at is how humans use time/place ritualized behaviors to find meaning in life. Whether that's a recognized, organized religion, or baseball, it probably doesn't matter. And studying baseball with a critical eye might just reveal some things about life and experience you hadn't considered before.
cherryghost15's review against another edition
4.0
I do think of our ballpark as a type of cathedral. And leaving games before the last out is a type of blasphemy. My dad and I spent a lot of time together from 2005-2010 watching our amazing team; and I have to admit I feel a strong connection to him there. (He died 4/5/11, the day after our tickets for the season had arrived.). And one of my earliest memories is watching them win the World Series on TV with Dad and jumping up and down before giving him a big hug. I was the only girl I knew who collected cards. So we'll see where this book fits in.
I'm surprised I haven't read this book yet; I guess I am kind of saving it for when I really need a fix. The year is nearly over, and I'm not going to Spring Training as I had hoped for this year, so it might be time. I could use some spiritual direction as well. 12/29/13
So comforting reading this. Reminds me of the good parts of Catholic school. And the author is quite smart, as people are aware. Also decided a while back, before the ASB to just have faith. Believe because in baseball, anything can happen!!
joemurphy's review
3.0
In high school, my best friend taught me the principle that anything worth talking about can be compared to baseball. For years, we've tested that theory and never to my recollection been stumped. In some ways, this book is an exercise at that game - baseball is social; religion is social. The circular, sacred time of the baseball season works the same way the religious festivals in the liturgical year do. Baseball fans bring their past to life in their stories, as do religious people. In Ebbetts Field or your place of worship (or both), as the song says, "you gotta have heart."
Let me start, then, with the positive. The stories are well spun. It's another book for the pile of "smart people reminisce about baseball," and it fits with the others. When Sexton describes praying for the Dodgers in '55, when he relates Mays' catch or Mazeroski's homer, you are there. When he talks about his family, his faith, his academic study of religion, too, you follow along easily. It's a book that's easy to enjoy, and I know many people who will.
So where does my dissatisfaction with this book come from? In part, because to me much of it is obvious. It's worth noting that this book comes out of an introductory-level course, and many of the ideas from Eliade and Tillich are presented at that basic level. Sadly for me, I spent a semester in college with a course called "the introduction to the study of religion", so I already knew of these ideas and saw them little expanded in this book. (I must say that the week spent with this book was infinitely preferable to that dreadfully boring semester.)
Like a textbook, this volume is rather thinly argued. The first and last chapters hold the actual thesis - that baseball calls us to an attentive, slowed-down worldview, a contemplative, focused state which we would do well to spill into the rest of our lives, in the way religion does. You'll get no argument from me. In between, there are plenty of examples which draw out the comparison, but they ramble like hot stove discussions (and coffeshop theology) ramble, without really bolstering the point.
Perhaps my problem is that I was seeking too hard in this book, looking too critically for a sublime experience connecting baseball and faith. I think people who are more able to meet the book on its own terms will have a better reading experience.
Let me start, then, with the positive. The stories are well spun. It's another book for the pile of "smart people reminisce about baseball," and it fits with the others. When Sexton describes praying for the Dodgers in '55, when he relates Mays' catch or Mazeroski's homer, you are there. When he talks about his family, his faith, his academic study of religion, too, you follow along easily. It's a book that's easy to enjoy, and I know many people who will.
So where does my dissatisfaction with this book come from? In part, because to me much of it is obvious. It's worth noting that this book comes out of an introductory-level course, and many of the ideas from Eliade and Tillich are presented at that basic level. Sadly for me, I spent a semester in college with a course called "the introduction to the study of religion", so I already knew of these ideas and saw them little expanded in this book. (I must say that the week spent with this book was infinitely preferable to that dreadfully boring semester.)
Like a textbook, this volume is rather thinly argued. The first and last chapters hold the actual thesis - that baseball calls us to an attentive, slowed-down worldview, a contemplative, focused state which we would do well to spill into the rest of our lives, in the way religion does. You'll get no argument from me. In between, there are plenty of examples which draw out the comparison, but they ramble like hot stove discussions (and coffeshop theology) ramble, without really bolstering the point.
Perhaps my problem is that I was seeking too hard in this book, looking too critically for a sublime experience connecting baseball and faith. I think people who are more able to meet the book on its own terms will have a better reading experience.
clambook's review
3.0
An engaging book in many ways, but for me, one that is more intellectual shtick than substance. As the title implies, there are two threads -- baseball and spirituality. Sexton's thesis is that a contemplation of baseball's many elements -- its joy and sorrows, its uncertainties, its "miracles" -- can lead one to an appreciation of the "ineffable" or unknowable world of faith. It's argument by analogy (which is another word for parable), which is okay as far as it goes. I would argue that any complex subject -- cooking, jazz, quantum physics -- could be substituted for "baseball" in the title with much the same effect. So if you enjoy retelling of classic baseball stories and personal fan's reminiscences about the sport, there's plenty of both, all well told in the same vein as one of Sexton's childhood idols, Jean Shepherd. Whether that appreciation gets you to a serious consideration of the elements of faith (AKA religion) is quite another matter. I found the book well-written, erudite (perhaps to a fault) and ultimately rather glib.
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