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Josh, you could have written the opening paragraphs from my own memories. Little League at 9,10—coaches by Dad—not a patient man. The crack of the wooden bat rattling up my forearms into my soul. Of course I was 10 in 1968—so metal was thankfully not an option. I’m glad you stayed the purist as a youth.

I still use the phrase when I hit my funny bone—“tingles like a single on a cold Saturday morning.” ☺️

The rest of the story informs much of who you are today and I’m grateful I read it. Thanks for sharing. 🙏

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I switched to metal in college, but wood was better! Thanks for reading, buddy.

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Do you remember Renae Carlson? That was one of her favorite books and I've been meaning to read it forever!

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I do remember Renae! Good taste. I think. I still need to reread it, but it really resonated when I was a teenager.

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This recalled Mary Karr's own troubled lifelines to her parents, across her memoirs. To her mother, it was literature (poems). To her father, it was lie-laced stories for an audience. (For what it's worth, my own to my father is Michigan football and our Christian faith.)

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Yes -- Karr and Tobias Wolff both influenced the way I wrote this essay. I suppose we all try to keep the channels of commonality open with family, especially when other differences push us apart.

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Lovely essay! I bet you'd love The Fireballer by Mark Stevens. Such a beautiful baseball book!

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Ah, thanks for the suggestion! It's going on my summer list :). Another excellent one is David James Duncan's The Brothers K. I loved it as a teen -- now I need to see if it holds up thirty years later.

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March 31, 2023
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Kansas -- I didn't know that you had Midwestern roots! I don't know any sport that stresses perfectionism while perpetually frustrating it more than baseball. Golf, perhaps, maybe basketball, too. But football was such a different experience, much more of a team effort, where I could sacrifice myself on behalf of a teammate. No one can shoot the ball for you in basketball, but they can set a pick or whip a perfect pass your way. Baseball is a much looser kind of collaboration -- for much of it, you are truly on your own.

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