Full Description
There are uncanny connections between nine baseball greats and the great thinkers of the West. This book offers a very practical application of Western philosophy by examining these icons of American sport and culture.
The intensity and single-mindedness of Ted Williams breathes life into Camus' Sisyphus; Billy Martin's maniacal competitiveness recalls Niccolo Machiavelli's take on politics, which he characterized as a zero-sum game; the homespun philosophy of Satchel Paige echoes the wisdom of Marcus Aurelius; and the many facets of Joe DiMaggio's personality cry out for the resolution that Nietzsche's doctrine of perspectivism might have given.
Also covered are the connections between Joe Torre and Aristotle; Jackie Robinson and Antonio Gramsci; Mickey Mantle and St. Thomas Aquinas; John Franco and William James; and Jose Canseco and Immanuel Kant.
Contents
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Preface
FIRST INNING: Ted Williams and Albert Camus
SECOND INNING: Billy Martin and Niccolò Machiavelli
THIRD INNING: Satchel Paige and Marcus Aurelius
FOURTH INNING: Joe DiMaggio and Friedrich Nietzsche
FIFTH INNING: Joe Torre and Aristotle
SIXTH INNING: Jackie Robinson and Antonio Gramsci
SEVENTH INNING: Mickey Mantle and St. Thomas Aquinas
EIGHTH INNING: John Franco and William James
NINTH INNING: Jose Canseco and Immanuel Kant
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index
