Denied No More the Game We Love
Denied No More the Game We Love
For the past couple months we here at Faith and Baseball have been encouraging everyone to,
well, have faith. Faith can go a long way and if you’re familiar with who we are you know we think
baseball is more than a game. It’s a bonding experience, a community whose history is nostalgic
and its customs baked into the American DNA. The spirit of the game is a love that is hard to go without.
We all got a taste of being denied the annual “eternal return” of baseball to our cities, our parks our
community of fandom.
well, have faith. Faith can go a long way and if you’re familiar with who we are you know we think
baseball is more than a game. It’s a bonding experience, a community whose history is nostalgic
and its customs baked into the American DNA. The spirit of the game is a love that is hard to go without.
We all got a taste of being denied the annual “eternal return” of baseball to our cities, our parks our
community of fandom.
For me it was a bit of a flashback, and honestly the ability to remain connected though social media
with the community of baseball was good medicine. It brought us together in positive, philosophical
and often humorous ways. We revisited old times, searched together for baseball movies to stream
and generally shared our misery with company. Let’s never forget that. It’s important. It’s our fabric.
John Sexton hypothesized in his book about baseball and spirituality that “Baseball's communities
exist in a web of expanding concentric circles, from the nuclear to the national."
Turns out he was right wasn’t he.
with the community of baseball was good medicine. It brought us together in positive, philosophical
and often humorous ways. We revisited old times, searched together for baseball movies to stream
and generally shared our misery with company. Let’s never forget that. It’s important. It’s our fabric.
John Sexton hypothesized in his book about baseball and spirituality that “Baseball's communities
exist in a web of expanding concentric circles, from the nuclear to the national."
Turns out he was right wasn’t he.
For me it wasn’t the first time I was away from the game we love. About ten years ago I worked overseas
full time in India. Unlike this time around it was harder to find companionship in my longing for a day at the park,
so I like every innovative American is prone to do, I turned my attention to professional cricket.
The year I arrived the India National Team would win the World Cup series for the first time, so I rode the wave
of hysterical excitement that came with that. I was right at home. It had a ball, a bat, fielder and bases.
It had rabid fans eager to discuss the test match from the night before. A couple cold Kingfishers and it was a
great place marker until I got home. Similar to American baseball, professional cricket was a connective tissue
that bound together an often fractured country that was going through significant social and economic growing
pains. It was a unifier that brought people together under a common passion of heroes and villains, of hope
and doubt. A shared experience, a roller coaster of emotions that led up to the finals and the underdog victory
of their young superstars.
full time in India. Unlike this time around it was harder to find companionship in my longing for a day at the park,
so I like every innovative American is prone to do, I turned my attention to professional cricket.
The year I arrived the India National Team would win the World Cup series for the first time, so I rode the wave
of hysterical excitement that came with that. I was right at home. It had a ball, a bat, fielder and bases.
It had rabid fans eager to discuss the test match from the night before. A couple cold Kingfishers and it was a
great place marker until I got home. Similar to American baseball, professional cricket was a connective tissue
that bound together an often fractured country that was going through significant social and economic growing
pains. It was a unifier that brought people together under a common passion of heroes and villains, of hope
and doubt. A shared experience, a roller coaster of emotions that led up to the finals and the underdog victory
of their young superstars.
I would go on and watch my favorite players as they joined the pro test league, I of course followed my adopted
hometown of Chennai...The Super Kings. The national team captain was Dhoni, and he was like a Joe DiMaggio
figure - impeccable play, upstanding guy off the pitch.
hometown of Chennai...The Super Kings. The national team captain was Dhoni, and he was like a Joe DiMaggio
figure - impeccable play, upstanding guy off the pitch.
If you ever want to follow the game of cricket my recommendation is to stop comparing it to baseball as soon
as possible. If you’re blessed with an avid fan or group of fans, there’s is honestly nothing like getting the
excited lessons of the game they love and the disagreements that erupt between them about why rules and
play are the way they are. Reverse the roles and you can imagine the excitement you would have of being
‘the one’ that introduced an alien life form to baseball.
as possible. If you’re blessed with an avid fan or group of fans, there’s is honestly nothing like getting the
excited lessons of the game they love and the disagreements that erupt between them about why rules and
play are the way they are. Reverse the roles and you can imagine the excitement you would have of being
‘the one’ that introduced an alien life form to baseball.
The binding quality of the game, like here in the US are in those unexpected moments - in the sacred spaces
of the game as Sexton calls them. For me in India, it was a remote Muslim village in Western Ghats of
Karnataka. I was auditing the ethical supply chain for an Icelanic fly fishing lure manufacturer. It was the coolest
set up I’d ever seen. The entire “factory” was set up in the living rooms and spare rooms of almost every home
in the town and organized by the local women’s group. I walked out of the front door of the home of the director
having had a great lunch and the kids were all out on the street playing cricket with a tennis ball (less broken
stuff per 6). 6 foot white guys were few and far between, and every one of them these kids had ever seen
were on international test matches on TV, so they surmised I was definitely a cricket player. They tossed me
the ball and began to cheer as the 11 yr old with the bat thumped the ground tauntingly with a wry smile.
There was no way I could pull off their stride, wind up and release. So I did what came naturally to me, did a
baseball windup and whizzed it right at his feet. An accidental yorker. The kids and their parents went wild
and I quickly made my exit on a high note before they asked me to do it again. The baseball gods were with
me in the land of cricket. The blessings of joy proved to be universal.
Let’s Play Ball America! #HaveFaithBeSafe
of the game as Sexton calls them. For me in India, it was a remote Muslim village in Western Ghats of
Karnataka. I was auditing the ethical supply chain for an Icelanic fly fishing lure manufacturer. It was the coolest
set up I’d ever seen. The entire “factory” was set up in the living rooms and spare rooms of almost every home
in the town and organized by the local women’s group. I walked out of the front door of the home of the director
having had a great lunch and the kids were all out on the street playing cricket with a tennis ball (less broken
stuff per 6). 6 foot white guys were few and far between, and every one of them these kids had ever seen
were on international test matches on TV, so they surmised I was definitely a cricket player. They tossed me
the ball and began to cheer as the 11 yr old with the bat thumped the ground tauntingly with a wry smile.
There was no way I could pull off their stride, wind up and release. So I did what came naturally to me, did a
baseball windup and whizzed it right at his feet. An accidental yorker. The kids and their parents went wild
and I quickly made my exit on a high note before they asked me to do it again. The baseball gods were with
me in the land of cricket. The blessings of joy proved to be universal.
Let’s Play Ball America! #HaveFaithBeSafe
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