Weekly Post #10: The fan's relationship to the game

In Mark Yost's recent piece on baseball ticket pricing, he touches on a subject near and dear to a central theme of Kinsella's Shoeless Joe: the relationship between fan and players, field and experience. In Shoeless Joe, Ray finds his own way to connect with the game and it's magic. Clearly Yost doesn't have that option. What are you thoughts on Americans' expectation of access to the game? Do fans have a right to certain parts of the game? Is this what makes a sport a pastime and not just a sporting event? Do you think ballparks and football stadiums and soccer fields should strive for more equality?

This piece touches on a subject Jamie and I talk about a lot. For me, my experience with the game as a youngster was more about being in the park regularly rather than seat location. That said, I was only able to go to so many games because the tickets were cheap and my parents were able to afford going. With pricing the way it is today, my family would never have gotten season tickets or attended so many games. It's simply too expensive. How is a team supposed to balance my needs as a fan (I need to see the game live and I need to be able to afford a ticket) with its own needs (a team is a business and they need/want to make as much money as possible). Interesting fact .... the A's made more money than any other team in MLB last year. This stat comes from looking at expenses versus revenue. Ticket prices are among the lowest in the league.

Unrelated by maybe fun ... here are some of the best baseball apps:

1. mlb.com At-Bat (great for the live-game addict) $20 premium access — worth it!
2. Baseball Trade Rumors (for the news junkie) $3
3. FanGraphs Baseball (stat fanatics) $1 — super cool
4. Fan Misery (team loyalist) $1-$3

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Week #9: The Natural's influence

As we close our our study of The Natural, it seems (once again) that the stars are aligned with our course of study .... unplanned, of course.

What do think of this story?

This will be our final post before spring break. We'll pick up posting once we return. Thanks for your good work and insights. I especially enjoyed the posts from last week!

**Kudos to Josh C for sending me another version of this story. Good eye!

The Natural: 135-194

Unrelated to The Natural, but a must see ...

Some small group work: One of the most important chapters comes when Roy is presented with happiness and success with Iris. He's now has a way to restore the wasteland. What does the reader learn about Roy during his interactions with Iris? What are the other most important moments in Roy's character development as a hero/tragic hero?

Pete Rose 

1. Video
2. Article

Baseball's Gambling Scandals

Black Sox Scandal

Derek Jeter and the Curse of Age

Discussion
1. How does the letter from Iris contrast with the scene with Judge and Memo? What are we to take from this sharp contrast?
2. In what way does the American definition of a hero conflict with that of what a hero really should be?
3. Compare and contrast Iris & Roy.
4. How does blind ambition conflict with having measured values?
5. How are Roy's and Memo's dreams similar? How are they different?
6. Dream on 189. Significance?

The Natural: 103-117

From our last class ...

2. "He was conscious that he was filling Bump's shoes, not only because he batted in the clean-up slot and fielded in the sun field ... but also because the crowds made no attempt to separate his identity from Bump's," (79). In what way is Malamud commenting on a hero's place in society?

3. Can the judge see Roy clearly or is his insight conjecture? In what way do the Bible scriptures influence the reader's understanding of the Judge?

4. How do Memo, Gus, and Max help develop the character of Roy? In other words, if context helps shape our identity, what do these three characters bring out in Roy?

On to last night's reading ...

1. (110): It was a confusing proposition to want a girl you'd already had ....whether he would be in the least intereste in her today." How does this sentence model Roy's uncertainty?

2. (112): In what way does this passage change the idea of Bump as a failed hero?

3. How has the relationship between Roy and Pop evolved? How is Roy fulfilling Pop's needs? How is Pops fulfilling Roy's needs?

4. As mentioned earlier in class, Memo is to Roy as the Sirens were to Odysseus and other men. Considering this comparison, what does this reveal about Roy's true character? What does this tell us about Memo's place in the hero's cycle?

 

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Week #8: The DR influence

This is an older article from my collection of favorites, but I still enjoy it for the insight it offers. The influence of Dominican players is not to be glossed over, and as the MLB continues to struggle for professional sports supremacy (is baseball still the national pastime?), players from the DR and other parts of the Spanish speaking world will become more and more important to the success and preservation of the game. Of course, MLB must also compensate and care for all of its players equally.

What are your thoughts on the issues raised in this piece? What about those stats? DR players account for 10% of active roster players and 24% of the farm system. Not bad for such a little country.

The Natural: 76-102

Benching a Legend by Roger Kahn

1. Fair Memo: looking specifically at the first two paragraphs of last night's reading, how does Malamud characterize Memo? What does his language tell us about her role in the novel? Her role in the hero's cycle? Her role in the the Parcival legend?

2. "He was conscious that he was filling Bump's shoes, not only because he batted in the clean-up slot and fielded in the sun field ... but also because the crowds made no attempt to separate his identity from Bump's," (79). In what way is Malamud commenting on a hero's place in society?

3. What does Roy's endless pursuit of Memo reveal about his character?

4. Can the judge see Roy clearly or is his insight conjecture? In what way do the Bible scriptures influence the reader's understanding of the Judge?

5. How do Memo, Gus, and Max help develop the character of Roy? In other words, if context helps shape our identity, what do these three characters bring out in Roy?