John Sexton (2) (–1942)

Baseball As a Road to God addresses some aspects of the ineffability of faith by drawing comparisons between religion and baseball's colorful history and inscrutable rules. Explored are aspects of faith as variegated as sacred spaces, blessings and curses, and saints vs. sinners.

The book is larded with anecdotes. This Mets fan loved to see the story of the infamous scuffed ball of the '69 World Series told in the chapter, "Third Inning: Doubt." Orioles fans will know what I mean.

It's a little too compact in the theology it serves. The authors don't examine the seedier aspects of faith or fandom. There's little exploration of the fervor that strikes at the heart of both religion and baseball. An examination of the thin line between belief and zealotry might have made this book feel less pat.… (mehr)

I was excited to read this book when I heard the title, but disappointed by what it delivers. The stories were rather shallow at some distance from the idea of religiosity.

I love baseball, and am (like the author) a Catholic, so I expected to find many specific examples of how baseball presented opportunities for transcendence, or illustrations of the inexplicable violence of chance. Instead, I found a very poorly-argued collection of anecdotes and assertions along the lines of "sometimes there is just no easy answer" or "you just gotta believe."

I think this topic is worth exploring, and is still waiting for its book to be written.… (mehr)