Baseball and the Mythic Moment: How We Remember the National
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Hardy, James D., Jr., PUBLISHER: McFarland & Company, A small handful of events are able to transcend place and time to become cultural touchstones. Baseball, with its longevity, reverence for character and perseverance, and symbolism of American values, has produced a number of these myths?people, games and events that transcend society's love for the ephemeral to attain collective cultural significance. This book examines how certain baseball moments became mythic, and why some moments are culturally persistent while others are not. After a discussion of baseball in myth and memory, and the effect of the media on both, chapters draw a distinction between the merely famous (or infamous) and the mythic act, whether it's physical (Bobby Thomson) or symbolic (Jackie Robinson); matchups, whether individual (Alexander vs. Lazzeri) or team (Red Sox-Yankees playoff); clubs, both those that achieved ( Yankees) and that choked ( Phillies); and franchises, including the winners (Yankees) and the losers (Cubs).