Baseball is America

BASEBALL IS AMERICA explores America's Pastime through a trilogy of books: "A Child of Baseball" bats leadoff. Baseball, the bellybutton of society is a metaphor for America, acting both as its direction and reflection. Baseball is America, America is baseball. American history, embracing its religious past as a Christian nation, and baseball history, including its synthetic enhancement precedent, is traced through a tapestry of time in a life story format. Born into the Glory Days of New York baseball in 1955, baseball provides the author both identity and meaning. Narrative backdrops track both Reds and Yankee baseball, making historic stops over a 100+ year timeline. A 40+ year playing career is traced from 1962 Edison Little League through 2005 Roy Hobbs World Series in Edison's winter home (Fort Myers). Symbolism, baseball-speak, numerology, simile, nickname, euphemism and metaphor applications create a thought provoking and intriguing word sleuth effect exploring topics deep down in places we don't talk about at parties. Satire and cynical humor stragically integrated buffers acid discussion of controversial issues. Sixties youth ball is viewed and described through a Garden State lens. Seventies ball scenery drastically switches to the Sooner State while the 80's, 90's and new millenium take on a Lone Star State flavor with Space City the focal point. Pop culture, American history (including its Christian nation history) is tactically incorporated into the read. Baseball remains the only venue in America where religion can be pitched into public square casual conversation without being debased as a "nut-job" or being shown the door. The read displays no reservations of informally discussing topics from both Creator-based and man-based religious perspectives. The events surrounding the 1919 World Series, that the Reds accidentally won, are retold through the lens of a Cincinnati native who actually voted present, the author's grandpa.