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The Journey Within The history of baseball is littered with tales of the deep bond between players and their fans. The midsummer classic, baseball's All-Star game, offered the best of that unique marriage, as well as a chance to see the greatest stars in the sport. Over time however, the gulf between athlete and admirer began to widen. Gone are the days with Willie Mays playing stickball with neighborhood children, replaced by Randall Simon hitting a fan dressed as an Italian Sausage in Miller Park. While players and fans may never again have the same rapport they once enjoyed, there are still windows to the soul of the baseball player. Former
Yankee Paul O'Neill, and the longest tenured member of the
Bronx Bombers, Bernie Williams have ventured away from the
baseball field to express new dimensions of their character.
Through artistic expression, William's music and O'Neill's
writing shine the spotlight on the people behind the player.
Two men who played for the name on the front of the uniform
rather than the back, put on display the quality of
character that explains why they are so beloved.
Roger Kahn's Boys of Summer delved into the world of the Brooklyn Dodgers as no one had before or since. Paul O'Neill's autobiography Me and My Dad, does the same for the life of the former Yankee's right fielder. More than just a baseball book, it is a story of the bond between a father and son, fostered by baseball. Everyone who learned the game of baseball on the knee of their father, instantly relates to the anecdotes of O'Neill as he expresses the love of the game that is passed down from father to son, "Dad's eternal faith in a golden future was as deeply ingrained in him as was his love for baseball-a game he loved as much as I've ever seen any man love a game. Then again, baseball was less a game to him than a way of life, a set of rules and philosophies, challenges and opportunities that provided order to the universe." It is this obvious passion for the game that O'Neill inherited from his father, and made Paulie worthy of sharing the "warrior" mantle shared with Tommy Henrich. These two very personal pieces of work by O'Neill and Williams, prove that art in baseball is not limited to pitchers. There is hope for the next generation of baseball players and baseball fans yet.
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