The Red Sox and Philosophy: Green Monster Meditations (Popular Culture and Philosophy)


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This volume in the Popular Culture and Philosophy series delves into the tragic and redemptive history of the Boston Red Sox baseball franchise. Drawing on. Editorial Reviews. About the Author. Michael Macomber is a graduate student at the New The Red Sox and Philosophy: Green Monster Meditations (Popular Culture and Philosophy Book 48) - Kindle edition by Michael Macomber. Download.

Then in 07, I knew I was going to get a new car, so I saved the 07 sticker for the new one--but asked my mechanic if there was any way of getting the 04 one off and putting it on the new one,too. He looked at me like I was nuts, and he's a baseball fan, too. So it is both inspiring and it frustrates the hell out of you?

I really liked your review. The way you include your own biases is a masterstroke; they become points of sympathy between reader and reviewer and allow you free rein in your comments without your reader nervously looking for a hidden agenda. Nothing hidden, no tricks! Here I stand, says Allan! I'm working up an essay for my Advanced Nonfiction course, an essay that displays expertise--I'm having my problems even finding a topic, but what a grand example this is of a writer in full control of a huge amount of expertise wearing his learning lightly.

I get the same feeling reading Bill James or Joe Posnanski--the feeling of being in good hands--honest, intelligent, sincere, curious, striving-for-truth, deeply knowledgeable hands. And, oh yeah, hands that know how to interest, amuse, entertain too.

The Red Sox and Philosophy: Green Monster Meditations

I've been a fan since Walt Dropo moved in down the street and I went to summer camp with Mel Parnell's sons, but I never had a Sox cap until the spring of when my daughter gave me a top-of-the-line one. So, there I was In May in my brand new cap, hiking across the North Yorkshire Moors when a couple I later found were from Wisconsin came up from behind.

The guy said, "Hey, Red Sox fan! Half a world away from Fenway, I was still chagrined Nice review of the review.

Rory, I apologize if I misunderstood your use of the phrase. The editor was glad to see a critical review of the book and I emailed him and said it still felt superficial. I really wanted to get it done before I went to VT for the week and so I pushed myself at work on Sunday. It still seems like I went through and devoted a paragrph to each essay. Which is the easy way out. I wish I knew something about the philosphers being discussed. Also, I worried that if I did not trust the writer's take on something Soxish, then maybe the philosophic reading was skewed, as well.

I still want to get into my attitude as a fan, which will likely use some stuff from a few of these essays. There was good stuff in there about choosing a team when you do not live near them. I do not think VT qualifes, since Boston and Montreal were semi-close. I have an 04 cap, which I love wearing.

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Plus I have another mint one for years from now! It is odd, though. I thought about getting a replica cap from the 30s which had the socks logo instead of a B. But I went with the regular cap, though I think it is actually a batting practice cap; it is ventilated more than the usual one.

Anyway, I hope the overall feel of the review matches the balance of how I feel about it. I may post more about some of the essays later on. Keep chatting and I will be back on Thursday night. I wanted to go back to threads for the WS, but I will be in VT at my friend's Ray's house for G1, sans laptop but I remembered to bring scoresheets and pens!

Hey, just dropping in to say congratulations to Tim Wakefield my favorite Red Sock on his Clemente award. I've come to this conclusion after reading your excellent review of this book. If didn't happen, our lives would be full of so much more angst, so much more sorrow, so much more frustration, so much more pain I mean this as a simple fact and not as anything negative about you: Only a young person without the back history with the Red Sox would say that. I and millions of other fans said for so many years, "All I want is one. There remains plenty of excitement and drama with the team now.

I like not having boiling anger and frustration over losses shaving any more months and years off my life. I hear you, and I totally agree. Not actually living through the shit really changes my perspective on the whole thing. Sure, I was around from but really, its only a minute fraction of the frustration. I'm just lucky that it happened one year after I didn't choose when I was born! I would love to have been, solely for the sake of enjoying 04 as much as everyone else, but still, 04 was great. Clearly not as great as it was for everyone else, but still.

Coming back against the Yankees -- humiliating them as no team has ever humiliated another team before -- after what happened in , and then winning it all, makes pretty sweet no matter when you got on board. Pages home glossary bio best of. October 25, Book Review: The Red Sox And Philosophy. The Red Sox and Philosophy: Green Monster Meditations edited by Michael Macomber is one of the latest books in Open Court's "Popular Culture and Philosophy" series, which "present[s] essays by academic philosophers exploring the meanings, concepts, and puzzles within television shows, movies, music and other icons of popular culture".

I liked this book and would recommend it with some caveats , but I have also had a very difficult time writing about it. Macomber was kind enough to send me a copy back in the spring and I've been procrastinating ever since. At some point, I convinced myself that I should combine my thoughts about this book with how my attitude as a Red Sox fan changed after And as writers will sometimes do, I could imagine only the finished product when I thought about working on it, and felt like I had to knock out the final product as a first draft.

There are few better ways to prevent yourself from writing. As a Red Sox fan of 35 years, I'm not a curious or casual observer of the team and its fans; I have strong opinions. As I read, I wondered if my opinions were clouding my assessment of the contributors.

the joy of sox: Book Review: The Red Sox And Philosophy

I was taking issue with an author's point of view and then being miffed enough to consider dismissing the entire chapter. I was taking offense at things that probably should not have been provoking offense. Am I a smarter or "better" fan because I don't make snide remarks about J. Should I look down on someone because her hat is a different colour than mine or he uses what I believe are irrelevant, out-dated stats? If someone expresses what seems like a dumb idea, should I "penalize" him for it in a review?

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And if I answer Yes to any of these questions, what exactly does that say about me? I'm not sure how fair this is. It probably is not fair at all. What makes me nod my head in agreement might cause you to roll your eyes. Several of the 26 essays are exceptional, but I wished that everyone had dug deeper into their subject matter, though I understand that might not have as much appeal to a general reader.

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These online bookshops told us they have this item: Jerry Davis marked it as to-read Jan 04, A light-hearted and educational read for baseball fans, but Red Sox aficionados in particular. The guy said, "Hey, Red Sox fan! Dan Six marked it as to-read Apr 12, Some of them made me laugh, some of them made me cry, some of them inspired me, and a couple even made me angry. I've been a fan since Walt Dropo moved in down the street and I went to summer camp with Mel Parnell's sons, but I never had a Sox cap until the spring of when my daughter gave me a top-of-the-line one.

His father was a diehard Red Sox fan and his son understood early on that This was a duty To be a true fan It takes faith -- faith that one day it will pay off. And if for some reason it doesn't, then the journey -- the process -- is the pay off.

My wife sometimes asks me why I allow myself to feel bad when the Sox lose. She accepts that it might be fun to feel good when they win, but why torture myself when they lose? But that's the problem, isn't it? We are helpless, at the mercy of these players and the fickle luck of the game. McHugh cites the stoicism of Epictetus, who believed we should focus only upon the things we can control -- our actions and reactions.

In "Why Red Sox Fans Are Moral Heroes", one of the book's best essays, Karolina Lewestam and Orla Richardson write about the fan's unyielding commitment, her sense of loyalty despite the unpredictability of future events. In a world dominated by hip irony, that vulnerable state of being is "disturbing and obsolete".

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