Weekly Post #12: Drugs & Alcohol in 1986 (due April 23)

Not necessarily the same class of PED as talked about in Game of Shadows, but amphetamines and alcohol we abused regularly in the mid-80s, especially on the championship Mets. An interesting piece from an insider about the culture of the team. Should these players be banned from Hall of Fame consideration? Their records torn down? What are your thoughts?

GOS: Chpts 4-7

Group check-ins: Working in your theme/character group, discuss any major insights or developments. What did you see? Create 2-3 discussion questions related to your theme/character.

Share out of questions from groups.

Discussion
1. What do we learn about steroids? All of the facts as presented. What moral dilemma do they present? Do we have any empathy for the athletes who use them?
2. How do we see a myriad of versions of the American Dream thus far?

Reading
1. Outside magazine piece --> how does this complement Game of Shadows? What new perspective, if any, does it offer?

Viewing (as time permits)
Tenth Inning

Game of Shadows: Prologue & Chpts. 1-3

Write & Share: Initial reactions to the text?

Group work: groups work alone for 5-7 minutes to discuss and refine discussion questions and then share out on board. Each group puts up best two. Class assesses all questions (look for diversity) and then choose favorites to discuss. Group that wrote question facilitates discussion.

Some discussion questions: (25)

1. Let student questions drive discussion … questions below are for follow-up or deeper thinking

• What are the consequences of striving for the American Dream?
• What are some of the versions of the American Dream set up in the opening chapters of GoS?
• How is Bonds characterized at the start of the story? What does this foreshadow? Is this an open and fair characterization?
• How do we see people working in conflict with Am Dream? Striving for it? Sacrificing for it?

To watch: Tenth Inning → 40 mins

Weekly Post #11: Spanish speaking reporter? (April 9)

You would think this story wouldn't really be a story, but it is. Why is this a story? Why aren't more reporters covering baseball able to speak Spanish or willing to engage in the players' first language? And peruse the comment section. People say the wackiest stuff. What are your thoughts on this non-story being a story and the topic in general? Should MLB do more to help players express themselves?

Weekly Post #10: Sean Doolittle (due March 19)

Not going to lie, I was thrilled to see this piece in the NYTimes about Sean Doolittle, a pitcher from the A's, last year. He's the kind of player who can safely go to the grocery store, live his life in relative obscurity, and otherwise enjoy some moderate fame but nothing too wild. So here he is in the pages of the Sunday Times, and I think it's a good read. What are your thoughts? You know you want to connect this to the American Dream and masculinity and hero worship ... or you can just read and respond. Like I said, I'm just pumped to see Doolittle in a national paper.

Day 20: One Shot (the end)

Free writing
The focus of the second to last reading was the game against Lane Tech. Notice how much longer the description was and how much more detail there was about the game. Why was that game more important? Why did Ballard move quickly over the final game? What does this tell us about the point of this story?

OR

Steve Shartzer ... 217-220. What are we to take from Steve's experiences in life and with sport? Related to larger themes of Am Dream and the course.

OR

What did you think of the closing?
------------------------------

Brainstorm of major themes. With each idea give me one quote to support the idea. Craft an essay question related to theme.

Think about literary devices used in the story. Give an example of each. Craft an essay question related to a literary device.

Other questions ...

Choosing your question and beginning to write ...

Weekly Post #8: Mo'ne Davis (due Mar 12)

A great read about Mo'ne Davis, and another one about why she matters to girls in sport. While this story is a bit old, I think it's a great example of a change maker, a trendsetter. Do you think Mo'ne's performance is a sign of more girls and women playing baseball? Do you think this is just an anomaly? Share your thoughts.

I want to say that I recognize this might be a touchy subject. My intention is not to pit people against each other or set someone up to say "women don't belong." I do think accessibility at early ages is hugely important for girls, and I think this is a complicated issue.

Day 19: One Shot (up to 203)

Plot questions? Comments? Insights? How's the reading going?

Question generation for essays: Some practice
1. Questions on meaning (plot?)
2. Questions on purpose & audience (why?)
3. Questions on method and structure (how?)
4. Questions on language (tone, literary devices, style, characterization)

• Write one question for each category.
• Share w partner. Revise as needed.
• Gallery walk ... star three in each category you like.
• Put top questions on board & discuss.

Day 18: One Shot (up to 170)

Writing

"He thought about how when he hung up his uniform it would be time to go and get a job, and how some of his older friends were already talking about draft numbers for the war. And, as he had before the season, he thought of how it was, as he says, "my last time to be a kid."

Heneberry thinks this is his last hurrah. And some of you are in your last hurrah here at MA. It's your last time to be an MA student. Reflect and write on three things in your MA bucket list.

Chpt. 14 Question
1. Why does Ballard craft Shartzer and Sweet's stories in parallel? What impact does this have on the narrative? on the characterization of the men?

Larger questions on gender

Looking at the readings thus far, how does the text deal with the themes of ...
1. Father/Son dynamics
2. Masculinity
3. Adolescent males

How do these themes manifest themselves in the text and what conclusions are we to draw from the text about each theme? Use text evidence to support your ideas.

Question generation for essays
Questions on meaning (plot?)
Questions on purpose & audience (why?)
Questions on method and structure (how?)
Questions on language (tone, literary devices, style, characterization)

Day 17: One Shot (up to 128)

Some writing practice

1. What's one important symbol in the text so far and what does it represent?
2. How does Ballard create both realistic and mythical characters?
3. What role does masculinity and heroism play in achieving the American Dream in One Shot At Forever?
4. How does Ballard's style and structure create tension not only in the games but also within characters?

Step 1: write for 40 mins and craft a crisp, concise, and thesis driven paragraph that answers one of the questions.
Step 2: Find a partner and swap work.
Step 3: Make revisions to thesis statement
Step 3: Put thesis statement on the board

Day 16: One Shot (up to 95)

Writing:
Looking only at pages 82-83, what is the author's attitude on the value and role of relationships between two males? (looking closely at diction & tone will help you answer this question)

Writing Questions --> write one question for each category // share and discuss
1. Meaning (plot)
2. Purpose & Audience (why and to whom)
3. Method & Structure (how)
4. Language (lit devices, form)

Discussion

• Review of major characters --> Where do we find conflict?
• Self v self (psychological)
• Self v other (interpersonal)
• Self v society
• p.68-72: What literary techniques does Ballard use create suspense? Look at language and style.
• How does Ballard engender sympathy in the reader? (use text as evidence)
• How does Ballard use stereotypes to his advantage? break from it?

**What themes are present in the book so far?
**What has Ballard set-up for the second half of the book?
**Passages that stand out?

**Am Dream connections?

Weekly Post #7: Athletes & Politics (due Mar 6)

This one is from the most recent edition of the NYT Magazine: Should Athletes Stick to Sports?

While it isn't focused on baseball, I thought it was interesting. Got me thinking about Jackie Robinson and his activism. What are your thoughts on the intersection of sports and politics?

Day 15: One Shot (up to 65)

Writing: 
1. "Maconites may not have agreed with his political or religious beliefs, or liked his teaching curriculum, but baseball was a common language." I want you to think about family or friends or others in your life with whom you share a common language. What is that common language and what does it transcend?

2. Lynn Sweet is a bit of an unconventional coach. Optional practices? Practicing with the players? Look back at your own life and write about an unconventional "coach" you've had. Why was that unconventional coach effective (or not)? What impact did that coach have on your experience?

Characterization (in groups w/text evidence)
1. The town
2. Lynn Sweet
3. Britton
4. Steve Shartzer
5. Bill McClard

Style
1. How would you describe Ballard's style?
2. What techniques does Ballard use to characterize people and places?
3. How does Ballard set up the conflict early on in the book? Is it effective?
4. How does Ballard use stereotype to his advantage? break from it?

Discussion
1. Looking at Ballard's early characterization of the team, what conflicts does this set up? What surprises? (p.35-41)
2. How does Ballard weave together evidence of promise and failure, and what is the effect of those pieces of description?
3. Ballard includes a number of side stories about Sweet. Look at one of them and discuss the added value of the details and story.
4. How does Ballard contrast Shartzer and Sweet? Be specific. Use the text.
5. p. 52: Heneberry characterization

**What themes are present in the book so far?
**What has Ballard set-up for the second half of the book?
**Passages that standout?
**Am Dream connections?

Day 14: One Shot (up to 31)

Pre-number --> For this book, your essay will be of your own design. You will craft a question and answer it in an essay of no more than five pages.

1. America in late 60s and early 70s
2. How is nonfiction storytelling similar and/or different fiction? (focus on basic elements of a story: character, setting, conflict plot, theme AND exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution)

Write: Chris Ballard said, "This book isn't really about baseball; it's about the memory of an event and how those memories changed lives." Think about memories, about major events in your life. How do memories turn into myths?

Characterization (method)
Macon
Sweet
Shark

Weekly Post #6: Baseball in Africa (Due Feb 20)

A good read from a while ago. Keeping up with the international baseball trend. This is a piece about the power of baseball in other countries. Specifically, this looks at the coach and he reminded me a bit of Lynn Sweet. Read, comment, reflect. What are your thoughts on George and his baseball project?

Weekly Post #5: The Lure of Baseball in the DR (due Feb 12)

Keeping our reading to the Caribbean, here's a complementary piece about baseball in the Dominican Republic. How are baseball and the dream of MLB alive and well in the DR?  What about the exploitation that's only briefly mentioned? Maybe we shouldn't be surprised as that's been a component of baseball for a long, long time. What are your thoughts?

Weekly Post #4: Baseball in Cuba (due Feb 5)

An interesting read on Baseball in Cuba. Is this the way things are headed here in the US? How might this impact a game that is drawing more and more players from Spanish speaking countries? Could this cause a shift in the ethnic/racial make-up of MLB? Or am I making a mountain out of a mole hill, and MLB will just find and cultivate talent elsewhere? What are your thoughts?

Day 7: We Are the Ship ... heads into port (the end)

Just down the road from Greenlee field.

To honor Gibson's life, a little league field was built in the same neighborhood as Greenlee Field was in. (Extra but non-baseball info: August Wilson was born just down the street from here!)

Gibson's grave. See the tiny sign to the left of the tree.

Yours truly and the sign. 

Up-close of Gibson's grave. Not very fancy.

For comparison purposes, here is Babe Ruth's grave. Small difference ... (photo not mine)

Photo of Jackie Robinson in the KC Royals Hall of Fame/Museum.

Satchel Page pitching for the Monarchs. KC Hall of Fame/Museum.



Photos from Roberto Clemente Museum. What do you see in this photo? Clemente made his MLB debut in 1955 and played out his career for the Pirates. He was the first Latin American inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1973 (and some say the last Pirate), a year after he died.


More of Roberto Clemente


Clemente's San Juan jersey from his team in Puerto Rico.

Another one of Clemente's jerseys.

Clemente and his family at Family Day.

Clemente's Golden Glove; he won 12! He was only in the MLB for 18 seasons. Not bad. 

Clemente's Silver Bat from 1961. He won this four times in his career.

A video
Sean Gibson & Kadir Nelson

Discussion ideas

1. What impact did the negro leagues on the idea of baseball? The role of baseball in American culture? The construction of American masculinity (if any)?

2.  What role did the players have in shaping the racial identity of black Americans? (use text to support your arguments)

Going bigger ...
Looking at the Branch Rickey articles and the additional pieces on Jackie Robinson, how do we see the grit and the glory, the contrast of hope and despair in the national pastime?

Film (as time permits)
Only the Ball Was White (30 mins)

Day 6: We Are The Ship Innings 1-4

A video

Pre-writing: Inning 4 ends with a quote from Satchel Paige: "We were worked. Worked like the mule that plows the field during the week and pulls the carriage to church on Sunday." What are your thoughts on this line? If the players were the mules, who were the farmers? If the players were tearing up the land(scape) of baseball, do you think they were doing it for future generations?

Questions

1. How did the illustrations enhance the story? Which one was your favorite and why?

2. What's the effect of repeating the phrase: "We played in a rough league"?
3. What is the most striking example of the player's struggle presented thus far?
4. What is the significance of the title?

Some KB effect (as time permits): Inning 5, Chpts. 3, 5, 6

Post #3: Mariano Rivera and #42 (Due Jan 29)

This is an old piece on Yankee closer Mariano Rivera and his wearing of #42, but I think thematically it links to a lot of what we'll been talking about this last week. What are your thoughts? What connections to do you find between Rivera and Robinson and some of the broader topics we've discussed?

A special note: this post is due on January 29, two days before Jackie Robinson's birthday. So sing him happy birthday while you're working.

Day 5: Bill James Almanac

A breakdown of what a ball is made of.

Evolution of gloves in MLB.

Now a housing development, the old field is only marked by this sign.

Good museum but the majority of the items are reproductions. You're also not allowed to take any photos inside. Not nice!

What team is this building associated with?

Filling in some gaps
1. Most famous players from 1900-1910 // 1910-1920 // 1920-1930 // 1930-1940
2. Commissioners?
3. Variety of films --> Black Sox scandal & Babe Ruth

Day 4: When the Grass Was Real

Thinking about all of our previous readings
1. What are some of the tensions present in the game? Be specific and use text as evidence.

Thinking about Cool Papa Bell
1. Finding the tension: As we transition from the early days of baseball into pre-integration days, there's a tension that exists in the game. There's the national pastime. There's the glory, the heroes, the sentimentality for the era. At the same time, there is the harsh reality of segregation. The struggle for non-white players to make a living and find success. Looking closely at Cool Papa Bell's oral narrative where can you find this tension? How do players respond to it? Deal with it? What are we to think of this tension?

Baseball: Inning 2, 3 & 4 (chpts ... )

Weekly Post #2: A-Rod (due Jan 22)

A Cruel Bargain for A-Rod and Boys With Baseball Dreams

While this is old, I think it's a great read about Alex Rodriguez. And no I'm not posting this because I grew up rooting for the Yankees; rather, I think this article (and the steroid issues) addresses one of the major themes we'll cover this semester: the fallen hero. This is where the ideas of the grit and glory have to held equally as we learn about baseball. But how do they work with/against each other.

What are your thoughts on the idea of A-Rod as a fallen hero? Was his trajectory unavoidable? Is the pressure to be better, faster, stronger partly to blame for his fall? How does he present the grit and the glory? (so many questions ... don't go crazy)

Day 3: POEMS!

Breaking up into smaller groups, discuss the structure, diction and tone of your assigned poem. SAS that poem!

Guiding Questions:
1. What aspect(s) of the game is the poet trying to capture?
2. In what way does your poet employ nostalgia or sentimentality?
3. What assumptions are made about the reader?

Film: Inning 1 for a bit.

Day 2: Ritter & Spaulding

Wahoo Sam's plaque in the Cincinnati Reds' Hall of Fame.

Where is Wahoo? About 1 hour west of Omaha.

Entrance to current Detroit ballpark: Comerica Park. This new park replaced Tiger Stadium in 2000. Tiger Stadium was then demolished, but a crew of fans and local residents maintain the field to this day. How cool! And remember this when we read Thrill of the Grass.

Dave, an usher at Comerica. One of my favorite shots from the game.

The outfield. Not where Crawford and Cobb played, but it's still a good looking field.

Honus Wagner's grave just outside of Pittsburgh, PA. (Commercial)

Discussion questions:

1. In what ways do these two pieces capture the patriotism and nostalgia often associated with baseball?
2. How does Spaulding perpetuate the gender roles of the traditional American male and what effect does this stereotype have on the game and our society today?
3. What major American themes does Spaulding find present in Base Ball?
4. What else did you learn? New facts, figures, insights?

Watch
Inning 1: Chpts 2-11

Weekly post #1: Pete Rose and the HOF

Please read this piece on Pete Rose. I know I mentioned the Hall Of Fame briefly last week (voting happens next week), but this piece gets to something we will touch on the entire semester (especially in your first paper): how do you reconcile a past that might not be as glorious as you like? How do you bring that past into the present?

In this article, I especially love the paragraph that talks about the roll of a history museum (what the HOF is). To paraphrase, "a history museum's role is to educate and inform not influence."

What are your thoughts on this piece? Pete Rose being kept out of the Hall of Fame? I don't expect you to do any research on Rose. Reading this piece should give you enough to comment on.

Day 1: Let's get going

1. Course intro ... who am I and what do I expect? what are we going to do?
2. Who are you?
3. Major themes of the course: Big Papi knows (2016) and so does Casey at Bat (June 3, 1888 // published in SF Examiner)
4. Inning 1, Chpt 2 & 3 (25 mins)