This piece from the NY Times has all of the trappings of baseball literature: religious overtones, myth, legend, dedication, magic, and loss. Focus on one of these themes and discuss what role it plays in not only this article but also in baseball as we've learned about thus far.
Keep up the good work on your posts. Loving the insights and thoughtful writing.
Joseph Kakkis-
ReplyDeleteAs a former baseball card collector, I can attest to the myth of the players. I, too, owned a Griffey rookie card. If I remember correctly, I think it was that exact one. Moving on, it is the myth of the player that heightens the value of the card and the memory of his play. In this article, the author talks about the massive home runs and the Stroke. These ideas pertain to all the Immortals of Baseball. Ruth's Called Shot is perhaps the most famous myth of all. It is the lore of baseball that keeps fans on their seats and into the game. Who besides Ruth knew that he would point? Did he even point? The debate continues nearly 90 years later. Mythology's role in baseball is that it adds to the game's memory. It creates its own HOF. Shoeless Joe is there, and so are many others who did something that solidified their position in baseball's memory that the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown did not deem worthy enough to immortalized. Mythology is the people's HOF, not the Baseball Writers of America's. To this author, that card of The Kid meant everything. To other fans of the game, there is always something that we wished we could have taken from the game for ourselves. However, baseball is meant to be shared among all of us.
Joseph Burgess’s intense dedication to his baseball cards embodies the larger commitment that many baseball enthusiasts have to the sport. From a young age, Joseph devoted most of his time to collect and sort his cards. Although he didn’t see many games in person, the cards grew to become a token of the sport he loved so dearly. This same loyalty and sentimental value of baseball still remains a core aspect of growing up watching the game. Because we absorb so much of our likes and dislikes as we develop, these passions can linger throughout our later lives as well. In Shoeless Joe Jackson Ray’s love of baseball stems from a childhood filled with baseball. This passion develops as he grows older and represents his true dedication to the sport. A loving commitment to baseball has become a thread throughout this article and Shoeless Joe and reveals the subtle aspect of sentimentality and its role in following baseball.
ReplyDeleteAlly
Joseph Burgess is the epitome of a young boy who is passionate about baseball; he spends his time buying, trading, and selling baseballs cards in hope to create the best collection that withholds a special resonance. Although, the first game he attended was not until 1995, he seemed to live vicariously and prosper his love for baseball through his cards. However, Joseph quickly find himself trapped when he is forced to return the The Card, something he obtained through manipulation. He faces his first loss, forcing him to reconsider the situation and return the card. Despite this loss, Joseph remained connected and interested in his other cards and baseball in general. Very similar, to the hero's journey, Joseph reached his low point when forced to give up the card, however, reached a resurrection be recognizing his flaw in obtaining the card. Maintaining his interest in baseball acted as his restitution.
ReplyDeleteSamantha.
This story is a a testament to human's need to be dedicated to something larger than themselves. Joseph Burgess may seem like a typical baseball-obsessed kid who is determined to have the biggest and best baseball card collection, yet his passion reveals something deeper. As Burgess expresses that, "one must have faith to continue the journey," it is exposed that Burgess's dedication to his craft is unbreakable. Burgess is willing to accept any thing that the "card gods" decide for him, for he believes there is a reason for everything. Having a dedication, or at least a belief in something enables the ability to love and care unconditionally for something. Although Burgess may grow out of being a baseball card collector, the values that he gained serve him for life. Finding a passion and commitment is important for every kid because it gives individuals an incentive to work for something other than themselves.
ReplyDelete-Chloë C
Joseph's dedication to baseball and to the sport itself is a true testament to the power of sports. His dedication to the cards was much like that of an aspiring athlete. He loved them all and spent all his time studying and organizing them just like an athlete is always practicing. The entire article is about his dedication to complete the set, to get the last card. And he got to taste what it felt like to have his dedication pay off. He got the card and had it in its case. But after one phone call he was set back and was never able to hold the complete deck ever again. This reminds me of the story of Shoeless Joe. He worked hard and was dedicated to the game and he made it; he got to play with the best baseball players of his day. But then it was suddenly all gone and he was doomed to spend the rest of his life looking for that same feeling. But "it is better to have lived and loved than to have never loved at all" applies to more than just romance. Just as Shoeless Joe's few seasons as a professional were probably his proudest, the few days Joseph had the complete collection were likely some of the best days of his life.
ReplyDelete-Brian
The idea of magic seems prevalent in all of baseball, especially since baseball is sometimes seen as a religion with a higher power acting upon it, or baseball is seen as the higher power. In terms of this article the writer was betting on magic to get all of his cards: not wanting to take the easy way out and buy a factory set but waiting for “the baseball card gods” to reward him. He set all of his hopes on the idea that what he wanted would magically appear to him slowly but steadily, and his belief in the end seemed to pay off in one case. For baseball in general the theme of magic comes up in several different ways. Firstly for the children watching and wishing to grow up to be like the players on the field, magic is watching their favorite player get on base, magic is watching their favorite player score, magic is being at the game and hearing the crack of the bat, magic is seeing a bat break, magic is being handed a foul ball by the manager of one of the teams. For these kids (usually kids but there are definitely a lot of adult spectators that that believe in the magic of the game) magic is everywhere in the game. For the players magic is getting to step onto the field for every game, magic is seeing the millions of spectators, feeling the bright lights shine down in night games, seeing the dirt stains on their pants from sliding into the plate. Magic is everywhere in baseball because magic is everywhere if you look hard enough and because baseball gives the perfect opportunity to put a large amount of faith into something larger than yourself.
ReplyDeleteFor baseball fans, being dedicated to a player or team elevates that team/player to another level. Ken Griffey Jr. was certainly an amazing player and athlete, but given that he is the author’s favorite player, he is held in an even higher regard. The feeling of owning a great number of baseball cards of a particular player is accompanied by a validation of sorts, as if it affirms you were that player’s most dedicated fan. People go to great lengths to show their dedication in sports, from attending every single game to putting tattoos on their body to of course, collecting as much memorabilia as possible. The author describes his acquisition of the card as almost too good to be true: he cannot believe that someone else did not see the card in the same light that he did, and buy it before him. The elevation of athletes is what makes them seem so inaccessible to the rest of us- how could someone so talented be on the same level as the rest of us? This idea connects back to the conception of the hero. Whether it is baseball cards or anything else, the value of something is based largely on the memories and legacy of the player, the things that make them a hero. The author feels as if he deserved to lose the card- he writes in undertones of guilt as he describes his belief that he ‘cheated’ the person he bought it from. As such a dedicated fan, he felt that paying anything less than what it was worth to himself was no less than fraud. It was almost as if he feared that Ken Griffey Jr. himself would be disappointed had he discovered that his rookie card was sold for only $2. People lose sight of reality in the face of their devotion, which is exactly what elevates athletes and teams to a superior level.
ReplyDeleteGriff
Baseball is clearly a religion to Burgess, costuming time, space, and effort in every corner of his life. He makes his sense of connection to a higher power very visible here, even referring to the "baseball card gods." The saying “everything happens for a reason” is perhaps a simple way to encompass everything that he follows; if something good happens, it is because he is good and honest, and if something bad happens, it is because of manipulation and dishonesty. The parallels to religion carry through in these ideas, with his karma putting forth ideas similar the 10 commandments. By coveting the elusive Card and being secretive to acquire it, Burgess went against some unspoken rules of his religion, and as a result, he was punished by the baseball card gods. As we have seen, this is just another example of baseball’s ability to guide people the same way an established religion would. The game can provides a faith that is all-consuming, obsessive, and ultimately fulfilling.
ReplyDeleteLike many others his age, Joseph Burgess was enthralled by baseball. The pursuit of being the owner of the best baseball card set in the world drove Joseph to a new level of dedication. He would buy countless decks in search of the one card that would essential complete his deck. He sifted through each purchased deck to find that one perfect card. 25,000 cards. Buying that many just to own one rare card completely embodies the definition of dedication. The time required to scouring through his ownings in search took countless hours, and maybe even days. Days searching that could have been spent acquiring it a different way would have an ended in a more positive way for Joseph, but if it is considered cheating to him, then it is never an option. And for his never faltering dedication, Joseph was rewarded, even though just for a brief moment, with the relic he continuously searched for. Baseball is no different than Joseph's pursuit of The Card. People can be born with all the talent in the world, but it is never enough. To make it to a prestigious level, such as the MLB, then that would require years and years of practice just to be even considered as a potential player. If by some miracle said person is chosen, then they must dedicate themselves even more. Day after day they must work just to continue playing. Dedication is key, and is embodied by all players, regardless pf sport, and their fans alike.
ReplyDelete-Connor R.
Burgesses story perfectly exemplifies the importance that baseball cards can have on somebody’s life. Joseph Burgess lived for his cards, constantly searching for specific ones to add to his collection, and this obsession that Burgess has, is caused by the myth’s of the players that he is collecting. The myth is what drives avid collectors to find that one card, so they can possess the ball players past in physical form. Without the myth behind each baseball card, the cards would be nothing but a picture. The myth provides a sort of mystery and magic to the card that it would not otherwise possess as well as the history that is so important in American baseball. The myth’s behind each card is what heightens and maintains the cards value. All ball players play some sort of role in the history of baseball whether it's the one play that they had in the big leagues like Moonlight Graham or breaking the all time home run record like Barry Bonds. Each player has a different myth or myths concerning them and this is often what prompts people to collect their baseball cards.
ReplyDeleteBurgess further emphasized the importance of dedication. Dedication is something that holds tremendous value in the game of baseball. Dedication is what helps you get that perfect swing or those precision throws. Dedication both in Burgesses view and in baseball itself is related to hard work. He talked of never wanting to "cheat" by buying the factory set because the baseball gods wouldn't want it that way is a perfect example of the spirit both baseball players and their fans should have in common. Burgess shows tremendous disappointment when he is asked to give the card back yet he comes to the realization that he didn't work hard to get it and cheating his way into getting it. This expresses the idea of being dedicated to yourself on not to cheap and win with hard work. Sadly today, professional sports has lost the idea of solely relying on their hard work in order to succeed and has resorted to performance enhancing drugs. Baseball is a sport that has steroids being the main issue with people trying to improve and Burgesses story shows the truth behind the feelings of it. Hard work it what makes you feel good after a hard fought game because you know that you put your best self out there. Burgesses and baseball harness that mentality, showing the younger generation that if one works hard they are bound to succeed. The idea of dedication is one of the underlying factors of success for both baseball and making the right decisions.
ReplyDelete- Cooper
Similar to Ray in Shoeless Joe, Burgess views baseball as far more than just a sport, but instead something similar to religion. Burgess goes beyond being a just a spectator; he is a believer. This is exemplified through his intentional capitalization, which represents the Godliness of all things baseball to him. There is also a religious theme in the way he talks about acquiring and losing The Card. Burgess believes that he didn’t get to keep the card because of something he had done wrong in the past. His explanation for not getting the card can be paralleled to how in religion it is often believed that people are punished for their sins. Burgess was punished by the baseball Gods for not being pure in the way he was trading.
ReplyDeleteI think religious parallels are so often present in Baseball because of the way the players become heroes for dedicated fans. When a fan idolizes a team, and a player on that team hits a walk off homer in the ninth inning of game five in the NLCS to advance that team to the world series (cough, cough, Travis Ishikawa anyone?), fans will often hold a higher power responsible for the good fortune. When players do what seems like the impossible, fans want to believe that it was fate and that there were higher powers at play.
Baseball is a sport or dedication. Even the ack of collecting the cards of your favorite players takes a lot of time and energy. Burgess refers to one of the cards that he has sought for his whole life as the Card, because to him, a diehard fan, there is no greater achievement than completing his set with the rarest card he can get his hands on. When it comes to fandom of a sport there is no greater dedication than this. More importantly he feels a sort of moral sense of right and wrong when it comes to receiving this card. He believes that it would be cheep and wrong just to pay to get one of the factory packs that will have that card in it. He believes in taking the risk and trying to get the cards from a regular pack. This sense of dedication is similar to the sense of dedication that we have referenced with steroids. The players in those cases are essentially paying money to make them better rather than getting better through the amount of time and effort that they put in to the game.
ReplyDeleteThis article perfectly exemplifies the dedication that many fans, like Burgess, have to baseball. Burgess shows his dedication to baseball through his 25,000 card collection and his long standing dedication to Ken Griffey Jr. by having 125 of his cards and knowing the value of each card. Additionally, Burgess talks about how much of his early childhood and socialization revolved around buying and trading baseball cards and how organized he was about the entire process. He made lists of packs and organized his cards in binders, once again exemplifying his investment and interest in the sport. The endless pursuit of one baseball card, and figuring out ways to get that card especially show his commitment to the sport and the players. On a side-note, Burgess mentions how because he didn’t obtain the card fairly, he got it taken away, which attests to the need for honestly that we talked about with PEDs and players like A-Rod versus Chipper Jones. This story is the perfect example of how the honestly of the game should translate down to the fans too.
ReplyDeleteThe literature of baseball focuses extensively on the idea of an individual that has transcended the confines of the simple game to become something more for the fans. For Ray, that person is Shoeless Joe. For Burgess, that person is Ken Griffey Jr. Griffey emphasizes all that baseball is for Burgess; hitting, catching, success, and an overall talent that seems inhuman. Ken Griffey Jr. takes on the role of a legend for Burgess. And the legend of Griffey and all the awe that comes with it manifests itself through The Card. It is THE Card, and there is no other card that can amount to the importance of The Card. Burgess has never come into contact with The Card, which he has dedicated a significant amount of effort towards finding. One day, it appears magically, and then is taken from him shortly thereafter. Burgess's obsession with the legendary Ken Griffey Jr., and subsequently The Card, is something that is universal for many dedicated fans. Everybody has that player that they admire more than anyone else as a child, and that seemingly unreal figure is a constant theme throughout baseball literature.
ReplyDeleteSam R.
This article definitely exemplifies the mythical quality of baseball. First, Burgess says that he, along with many other collectors, desired the Rookie Griffey card “for reasons beyond comprehension”. This quote has almost a mythical or religious aspect as Burgess and other collectors aspire to attain this card without question or logical reasoning, but have faith in some already decided ideal that instructs them to pursue this card. Additionally, another similar religious aspect is the plain quote “[baseball cards] were life”. Often, religion has a strict set of morals which permeates every aspect of one’s life. In this way, people almost “live” their religion, similar to how Burgess “lives” Baseball cards. Burgess also states that “one must have faith to continue the journey”, a phrase which sounds reminiscent of something you would find in a bible. There are numerous other religious references in this article such as “dutiful obligations”, “baseball card gods” and the relentless worshipping of Griffey himself.
ReplyDelete-Duncan