In February, New York University president John Sexton invited me to lecture his undergraduate class, “Baseball as a Road to God,” about the role the sport played in helping immigrants from the early 1900’s assimilate. The subject is one near and dear to my heart. My own Sicilian grandmother was an avid Brooklyn Dodgers fan. As I spoke to the students, I told them my grandmother’s tale as well as the story of how thousands of Pittsburgh immigrants became Pirates fans and eventually Americans.
As part of its Opening Day coverage, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette published my column about “Baseball as a Road to God” here.
For more details about the class including an interview with Mr. Sexton and its comprehensive reading list, go here.
I remember how life was during WW11 and right after. Baseball was the pulse of the country. I lived near the Quad Cities and had relatives in both Chicago and St. Louis. Since dad worked for the railroad, we could ride for free and catch a game and then ride the train home. In the 1950’s, the sports scene was baseball, boxing and horse racing, in that order. Now sports are so hyped upped and dumbed down with things that might not even be sports, MMA, NASCAR, ect…and the players out of touch with reality(LeBron James). I applaud guys like Joe Mauer for keeping the game alive for the fans. Where have you gone Joltin’ Joe?!?