How Life Imitates the World Series

From BR Bullpen

How Life Imitates the World Series is the first book of baseball essays published by Thomas Boswell, coming out in 1982. It consists of a collection of baseball articles published previously elsewhere, arranged around a notional season's calendar. It was followed two years later by Why Time Begins on Opening Day.

The following articles are contained in the book:
Invitation

  • "This Ain't a Football Game. We Do This Every Day", about the pacing of baseball
  • "The Greatest Game Ever Played", about the 1978 one-game playoff between the Yankees and Red Sox

March

April

  • "How Baseball Helps the Harvest or What the Bay of Pigs Did to the Bigs", about baseball in Cuba
  • "All of Us Bear the Marks of the Lash", about the 1971 Washington Senators
  • "Where Did You Go? Out. What Did You Do? Baseball.", about playing baseball as a youth
  • "Rookies in God's Country", about the Appalachian League

May

  • "Growing Up with the Game", about Little League Baseball
  • "Glove's Labor Lost", about baseball gloves
  • "Welcome to the World of Total Average Where a Walk Is as Good as a Hit", about Total Average
  • "That First Slash of Grass", about ballparks
  • "The Best Manager There Is", about Earl Weaver
  • "The Game By Us", about sandlot baseball

June

  • "Magic Wands and Louisville", about bats
  • "Those Who Watch Batting Practice and Those Who Don't", about batting practice
  • "The Zen of Rod Carew", about Rod Carew
  • "Georgie Ballgame", about George Brett
  • "Sometimes I Think He's Too Good for the Game", about Frank Howard

July

August

September

  • "How Life Imitates the World Series", about pennant races
  • "How Can You Tell the Dancer From the Dance", about retirement

October

Further Reading[edit]