Baseball and philosophy : thinking outside the batter's box / edited by Eric Bronson.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Bronson, Eric, 1971-

Series:

Popular culture and philosophy ; 6.

Popular culture and philosophy ; 6

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Baseball--Social aspects--United States.

Baseball.

Baseball--Social aspects.

United States.

Sports--Philosophy.

Sports.

Physical Description:

xiii, 350 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Chicago, Ill. : Open Court, 2004.

Summary:

William Irwin has taken philosophy out of the academy and put it on the bestseller list. The series has been featured in The New York Times and People, and on NPR's All Things Considered. Now philosophy finds its real home - in the dugout. In Baseball and Philosophy, 18 professors - some from the new field devoted to the philosophy of sport, others unapologetic baseball fans - explore the sport's deeper aspects. How can Zen be applied to hitting? Do you play to win or play by the rules? Is it ethical to employ deception in sports? Can a game be defined by its written rules or are there also other constraints? What can the U.S. Supreme Court learn from umpiring? Why should baseball be the only industry exempt from antitrust laws? These are some of the questions addressed in this witty, provocative blend of two major American pastimes: watching baseball and thinking about it.

Contents:

Pre-Game Warm-up: Who's on First? 1

Inning 1 Hometown Heroes 3

Top of the First

1. "There's No Place Like Home!" / Joe Kraus 7

Bottom of the First

2. Minnesota's "Homer Hanky Jurisprudence": Contraction, Ethics, and the Twins / Paul Horan, Jason Solomon 20

Inning 2 You Gotta Believe! 33

Top of the Second

3. Should Cubs Fans Be Committed? What Bleacher Bums Have to Teach Us about the Nature of Faith / Thomas D. Senor 37

Bottom of the Second

4. Taking One for the Team: Baseball and Sacrifice / Willie Young 56

Inning 3 The Umpire's New Clothes 69

Top of the Third

5. There Are No Ties at First Base / Ted Cohen 73

Bottom of the Third

6. Taking Umpiring Seriously: How Philosophy Can Help Umpires Make the Right Calls / J.S. Russell 87

Inning 4 Fair or Foul? 105

Top of the Fourth

7. Baseball, Cheating, and Tradition: Would Kant Cork His Bat? / Randolph Feezell 109

Bottom of the Fourth

8. There's No Lying in Baseball (Wink, Wink) / Mark J. Hamilton 126

Inning 5 Baseball and America 139

Top of the Fifth

9. Democracy and Dissent: Why America Needs Reggie Jackson / Eric Bronson 143

Bottom of the Fifth

10. Baseball and the Search for an American Moral Identity / William J. Morgan 157

Inning 6 Where Have You Gone, Jackie Robinson? 169

Top of the Sixth

11. The Negro Leagues and the Contradictions of Social Darwinism / Alex Ruck, Rob Ruck 173

Bottom of the Sixth

12. We're American Too: The Negro Leagues and the Philosophy of Resistance / Pellom McDaniels III 187

Inning 7 The Japanese National Pastime? 201

Top of the Seventh

13. The Zen of Hitting / Gregory Bassham 205

Bottom of the Seventh

14. Japanese Baseball and Its Warrior Ways? / Michael Brannigan 217

Inning 8 Behind in the Count 229

Top of the Eighth

15. The Numbers Game: What Fans Should Know about the Stats They Love / Jay Bennett, Aryn Martin 233

Bottom of the Eighth

16. Women Playing Hardball / Leslie Heaphy 246

Inning 9 Under Pressure 257

Top of the Ninth

17. Walking Barry Bonds: The Ethics of the Intentional Walk / R. Scott Kretchmar 261

Bottom of the Ninth

18. Socrates at the Ballpark / Heather L. Reid 273

Post-Game Press Conference 285

19. Baseball and Ethics: Should Pete Rose Be in the Hall of Fame?

Yes / Aeon J. Skoble 289

No / Mark J. Hamilton 292

20. Baseball and Political Philosophy: Does A-Rod Deserve So Much Money?

Yes / Albert Duncan 297

No / Joel Shuman 300

21. Baseball and Metaphysics: Does Superstition Help Performance?

Yes / Steven Streeter 305

No / Neil Feit 308

22. Baseball and Legal Philosophy: Should Steroids Be Banned?

Yes / Michael J. McGrath 313

No / Simon Eassom 316

23. Baseball and Aesthetics: What's the Best Baseball Movie?

The Natural (1984) / Vincent L. Toscano 321

It Happens Every Spring (1949) / Larry Raful 324

24. Baseball and Education: Were Baseball Players Better Role Models Then or Now?

Then / Edward A. Sullivan 329

Now / Graham Harman 332

The Team 335.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0812695569

OCLC:

53315358