March 10, 2006
THE TITLE DOESN'T REFER TO FRANCE:
International pastime (STEVEN KRASNER, , August 24, 2003, Providence Journal)
The right fielder was from Japan. So was the center fielder. The first baseman was a native of Puerto Rico, the second baseman of the Dominican Republic. A pitcher from Mexico was throwing to a catcher from Puerto Rico.Baseball is called America's Pastime, the All-American game. Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America, a French philosopher once said, had better know baseball.
But baseball, which long ago burst past the borders of the United States into virtually every corner of the planet, is a world game as never before. The starting lineup for the American League in last month's All-Star Game in Chicago -- the lineup above -- is proof positive.
Calling the great Jacques Barzun a French philosopher is like calling Arnold an Austrian actor.