July 17, 2008
IT HAS THE POWER TO MAKE EVEN THE SILLY TALK SENSE:
The Best of All Games (John Rawls, March/April 2008, Boston Review)
In the letter that follows, written in 1981, Rawls puts philosophy to the service of baseball and gives an account of the sport and its special appeal to the American people. The letter recounts a breakfast conversation some twenty years earlier with Harry Kalven (1914 - 1974) who had been a friend and colleague of mine at the University of Chicago. Kalven was a legal scholar of great distinction who specialized in torts, the jury, and free speech.On his death, Kalven left a manuscript, to which Rawls alludes and which was eventually published in 1988 as A Worthy Tradition, on freedom of speech. Like Rawls, Kalven loved baseball. He was proud that his torts casebook contained more baseball cases than any of its competitors, and each year made a point of taking students to a Cubs game.
First: the rules of the game are in equilibrium: that is, from the start, the diamond was made just the right size, the pitcher’s mound just the right distance from home plate, etc., and this makes possible the marvelous plays, such as the double play. The physical layout of the game is perfectly adjusted to the human skills it is meant to display and to call into graceful exercise. Whereas, basketball, e.g., is constantly (or was then) adjusting its rules to get them in balance.
Second: the game does not give unusual preference or advantage to special physical types, e.g., to tall men as in basketball. All sorts of abilities can find a place somewhere, the tall and the short etc. can enjoy the game together in different positions.
Of course, his political philosophy required that when Josh Hamilton hits a homerun it be credited to Nick Punto....
I somehow recall the mound being lowered after Bob Gibson's crushing 1968 season.
Of course, if the only physical dimensions you choose to consider are the obvious like height and weight, then yes baseball is an everyman's sport. However, how many of us have the hand-eye coordination to differentiate and react to a major league fastball or breaking ball? Tony Gwynn's in the HOF, and it ain't for his sculpted physique.
Posted by: Dreadnought at July 17, 2008 12:06 PMI am second to none in my love for T-Gwynn, but lordy that man is fat. Dmitri Young was like jeez T, take it easy on the burritos brother!
And, honestly, the only thing between Baseball and world dominance are the egg-head fans who write nonsense like the above article.
It's like Will and Costas and Crystal won't rest until baseball is as effete as they are...
Posted by: Benny at July 17, 2008 12:32 PMNot a big poetry fan either are ya Benny?
Sure the article is written by a philosopher. But that's his gig. He can't help injecting his own occupational slant to this observation. Doctors, Teachers, IT guys would all do the same.
Baseball is our game. It has so many stories (both personal and social) that thousands of books, poems, etc. have been written to describe its beauty. I personally have my own baseball stories, and I daresay, you do too. Let them have their fun.
I do agree that George Will and Billy Crystal are a little over the top but they do love the game as much as you and me.
Posted by: Bartman at July 18, 2008 9:45 AM
and each year made a point of taking students to a [Chicago's Northside team] game.
That's just cruel.
Posted by: Raoul Ortega at July 17, 2008 12:05 PM