The Game: One Man, Nine Innings, A Love Affair with Baseball

by Robert Benson

In the spirit of Field of Dreams, a remarkable book about baseball and the meaning of life. A game between the Iowa Cubs and the Nashville Sounds at an AAA park in Nashville provides the lens through which Robert Benson explores the game of baseball and the meaning of life in The Game . It is an ordinary week night game in the early part of the season between two teams that will finish far out of first place in the Pacific League. But Benson shows us how in this average game of baseball, just as in our everyday lives, the routine plays-the seemingly minor yet vital moves, empty of bravado-eventually win the game.

In beautifully measured prose, Benson links events in his life to the innings in this baseball game. Married to a woman who can quote baseball stats with the best of them, and with two children who share his love for the game (his teenage daughter made the decision early on that she would be the first woman to play for the Yankees), Benson explores the ways in which baseball has always somehow shaped and defined his life. The Game is an extraordinary testament to the everlasting wonder and magic of the great American pastime.

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Nonfiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published May 7, 2001

About the author

Robert Benson has written more than a dozen books about discovering the Holy in the midst of our everyday lives. He is a lifelong churchman, a graduate of the Academy for Spiritual Formation, a member of the Friends of Silence and of the Poor, and has been named a Living Spiritual Teacher by Spirituality and Practice. Benson lives and writes, pays attention and offers prayers at his home in Nashville, Tennessee.

Reviews

[Darcy Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gave this book to my dad years ago. I never read it myself - but I know my dad loved it. This year - to celebrate his birthday - I read it. I am sad I did not read this while my father was still living so I could have talked about it with him. I also really enjoyed this book - thank-you Mr. Benson.

[Susanna Natti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fans of Robert Benson's writing (I was unfamiliar with him, but he is known for his work on spirituality and faith) and of baseball may find more in this book than I did. It is gently written and I gained some insights into the joys of baseball, and insights the game offers into a life well lived. Benson writes in a patient, sometimes folksy, way. I was grateful that it never became "Chicken Soup for the Baseball Lover". But I was somehow never grabbed by the book. It may be the right cup of tea for someone else though.

[Michael Sclafani · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lovely, simple book. I worried at first it would be a little Tuesday's with Morrie, but it lacked the pretension. Some chapters resonated more than others, and I think ideally it would be read as a series of stories. I also think the metaphor of tying it to a single game was a little stretched at times, but I still enjoyed the book.

[Joseph Provost · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect - read it!

[Megan Davis]

it’s always nice to read something that is written so clearly with love

[Jennifer Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

11/12: Good read. Loved all the references to the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field. Appreciated this man's love for all the nuances and details of baseball and the reverence he held for his baseball memories. His memories of going to a certain ballpark for the first time were like my memories. I loved the detailed way he wrote about baseball memories and the games and his life. This book reminded me of all the reasons I love the experience of watching baseball games live, on the TV, and through the radio broadcasts. Interesting note: the publishing date was before the rampant steroid use came out and you could tell because he spoke about the 1998 homerun race with reverence, not something you'd do now, although it was fun to watch that summer and you can't deny that.

10/21: I KNOW I am going to LOVE this book! Look at these passages ... Pg.4: My favorite place of all is Wrigley Field in Chicago. Pg 9 (in reference to riding the L to the game): When you get close enough to Wrigley Field to see the flags high above the brick walls, you know you are close to heaven.

10/20: It's the top of the 5th inning of the ALCS and I'm starting this book, which interesting to me, has a little bit of a Chicago Cubs flavor to it: the backdrop is a minor league baseball game between the Iowa Cubs and the Nashville Sounds.

Received today! From a fellow reader in CT. I think I will love this book! It is set to the backdrop of a minor league baseball game between the Iowa Cubs and the Nashville Sounds. Perhaps a perfect read during the baseball postseason.

On the way to me from PaperbackSwap.com Fun!

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who thinks that baseball is the purest form of sport (at least when it's played properly and PEDs aren't involved...but I digress) I very much enjoyed Mr. Benson's simple tribute to the game. Like Mr. Benson, I like going to a minor league park nearly as much as I enjoy going to a major league one. There is something that's just so small town America about going to a minor league game, whether it be the carnival-like games played between innings by children or the fact that it doesn't cost an arm-and-a-leg to go. Whenever I have had to explain why I love baseball so much, I have always said that I enjoy the rhythms of the game and that for six months out of the year it's played every single day, and this book seems to be a quiet meditation on these truths and others about why baseball is always called America's national past time.

I think if Mr. Benson had stuck to more of the spiritual aspects of the game (which in his introduction he states he is setting out to do) this might have been a better book. Unfortunately, he gets bogged down in details that I don't necessarily think are important nor do they relate too much to the game on a universal level. But, to paraphrase a dear friend of mine, Mr. Benson is quite clearly a baseball fan, and that makes him better than many other people. I would, however, have enjoyed it more if he had gone more in depth into baseball's peculiar eccentricities or more of the history of the game and how it has become ingrained in our national consciousness. I firmly believe any baseball fan will enjoy this though if they allow themselves to become a little swept up in the sentimentality of Mr. Benson.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit sentimental, as the title might suggest. Benson is a simple man, with simple pleasures, and he simply wants to tell you about them. I enjoyed his old-fashioned approach to the game; he appreciates the tradition and the symbolism of baseball, without moaning over the more modern and moneyed aspects of it. But he's also careful not to wander off into tangents on what baseball stands for; he just likes the game for what it is.

He isn't the best writer; he's a generically good writer. His prose didn't move me and it won't stick with me, but it gets the job done quietly and efficiently. I enjoyed his connection to Nashville very much, as well as his affection for the Cubs. The asides about his family ramble a bit, but they fit the emotional tenor of the book all right. Just a simple, quick read.

[Kevin Thang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robert Benson brings things back to why fans fell in love with baseball in the first place. Describing the scenery and actions surrounding a regular evening's minor league game, the author makes comparisons and metaphors from the game of baseball, relating them to his personal life and life in general. While this book may not teach you, the reader, anything you did not already know, it is a great reminder as to why baseball is such a beloved sport around the world.

[Shannon Hyde · Rating 3 out of 5]

I fell in love baseball as I've watched my 13 year old son play this game over the last five years. It's a sport I never cared much for before, but now I can't seem to get enough . . . summertime, sunflower seeds, a smooth catch and throw or the solid crack of the bat: Benson does a fabulous job of highlighting the sounds and sights of this precious pastime and most interestingly of all, it's unique way of teaching us valuable life lessons.

[Gary Allred · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful! Anyone whose ever been to a baseball game, and especially with children, will love this book. And, if you've ever played the game, you will be taken back to the crack of the bat, no matter how long ago, or in what setting, it occurred.

[Kbg503 · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many wonderful moments to follow; baseball's traditions, the current box score, memories of attending a MLB game, following a minor league team, passing down skills to your children, and quotes from Bart Giamatti.

[Joe Swearingen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is excellent baseball book that reinforces how great the game is. It is an easy & quick read but loaded with real baseball history from someone who shares my love and passion for the game. If you are a fan or do not understand why people are you should read this one. I loved it.

[Myles Kahn · Rating 2 out of 5]

An easy read but some editorial errors which I find annoying.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book. I can't wait to make some more baseball memories with my guys!

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I connected with this story on so many levels. A fun story with a baseball game inserted between chapters. A book to read at the beginning of each baseball season.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this a while ago. Great book!

[Timothy Hoiland · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short, enjoyable book about baseball and life by a great writer and a true fan.