Science meets sport in this vibrant collection of baseball essays by the late evolutionary biologist.Among Stephen Jay Gould's many gifts was his ability to write eloquently about baseball, his great passion. Through the years, the renowned paleontologist published numerous essays on the sport; these have now been collected in a volume alive with the candor and insight that characterized all of Gould's writing. Here are his thoughts on the complexities of childhood streetball and the joys of opening day; tributes to Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, and lesser-knowns such as deaf-mute centerfielder "Dummy" Hoy; and a frank admission of the contradictions inherent in being a lifelong Yankees fan with Red Sox season tickets. Gould also deftly applies the tools of evolutionary theory to the demise of the .400 hitter, the Abner Doubleday creation myth, and the improbability of Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak.
This book is a delight, an essential addition to Gould's remarkable legacy, and a fitting tribute to his love for the game.
Author(s): Stephen Jay Gould
Publisher: W. W. Norton
Year: 2003, 2010
Language: English
Commentary: Complete and accurate metadata [UL]
Pages: 368
Foreword by David Halberstam
Editor’s Note
Seventh Inning Stretch: Baseball, Father, and Me
REFLECTIONS AND EXPERIENCE
Streetball from a New York City Boyhood
The Babe’s Final Strike
The Best of Times, Almost
Innings
More Power to Him
Rough Injustice
Tripping the Light Fantastic
Fenway Crowns the Millennium
Times to Try a Fan’s Soul
Freud at the Ballpark
A Time to Laugh
HEROES LARGE, SMALL, AND FALLEN
Mickey Mantle: The Man versus the Myth
Dusty’s Moment
This Was a Man
The Greatest Athlete of the Century
The Amazing Dummy
The Glory of His Time, and Ours
Eight More Out
NATURE, HISTORY, AND STATISTICS AS MEANING
Left Holding the Bat
Why No One Hits .400 Anymore
The Streak of Streaks
Letter to Joe DiMaggio, January 3, 1985
The Creation Myths of Cooperstown
The Brain of Brawn
Baseball’s Reliquary: The Oddly Possible Hybrid of Shrine and University
Jim Bowie’s Letter and Bill Buckner’s Legs
CRITICISM
Diamonds Are a Fan’s Best Friend
Angell Hits a Grand Slam with Collected Baseball Essays
The Black Men Who Integrated Big League Ball
Baseball and the Two Faces of Janus
The H and Q of Baseball
Sultan of Sentimentality
Baseball: Joys and Lamentations
Good Sports & Bad
