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A Year of Playing Catch: What a Simple Daily Experiment Taught Me about Life
Journey with prolific author and avid baseball fan Ethan Bryan on an exciting quest to play catch every day for a year, and discover the lessons he learned about the sacredness of play, finding connections, and being fully present to the human experience.
Ethan Bryan played and wrote about baseball for years. Then his daughters challenged him to set out on a yearlong experiment: to play catch with someone every day. This experience led him across 10 states and 12,000 miles on a quest both quixotic and inspiring.
Taking you from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to the home of the Daytona Tortugas in Florida, Bryan played ball and swapped stories with public school teachers, veterans, journalists, nurses, musicians, entertainers, entrepreneurs, athletes from every level--amateur to pro--and members of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Plus, he visited famous destinations such as the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Miracle League fields, and the original "Field of Dreams" in Iowa.
But throughout the book, Bryan reveals it's about much more than who he played catch with: it's what he learned from their vastly different stories. Lessons include:
How play can reignite a fire within you and transform your life
How to find joy in the simple things
How one life can impact a whole community
. . . and more.
For baseball fans and everyone who loves a good story, A Year of Playing Catch is an inspiring journey about finding joy in the simple things, and the power of play to transform our lives.
Ethan Bryan played and wrote about baseball for years. Then his daughters challenged him to set out on a yearlong experiment: to play catch with someone every day. This experience led him across 10 states and 12,000 miles on a quest both quixotic and inspiring.
Taking you from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to the home of the Daytona Tortugas in Florida, Bryan played ball and swapped stories with public school teachers, veterans, journalists, nurses, musicians, entertainers, entrepreneurs, athletes from every level--amateur to pro--and members of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Plus, he visited famous destinations such as the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Miracle League fields, and the original "Field of Dreams" in Iowa.
But throughout the book, Bryan reveals it's about much more than who he played catch with: it's what he learned from their vastly different stories. Lessons include:
How play can reignite a fire within you and transform your life
How to find joy in the simple things
How one life can impact a whole community
. . . and more.
For baseball fans and everyone who loves a good story, A Year of Playing Catch is an inspiring journey about finding joy in the simple things, and the power of play to transform our lives.
- GenresBaseballNonfictionMemoir
Audio CD
Published September 8, 2020
21 people are currently reading
1296 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
October 11, 2020
Short answer: If you want to feel good about people, baseball, and life, this is a good book for you.
Longer review: I enjoyed Ethan's sincerity, earnestness and level of detail. He is an excellent storyteller and comprehensive in pointing out both the little things and the bigger picture. And the list of every game of catch at the end allows you to fill in some of the blanks in the story.
Strongly recommend this book.
Full disclosure: I received a reviewer copy of the book and Ethan appeared on a podcast I host.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
Longer review: I enjoyed Ethan's sincerity, earnestness and level of detail. He is an excellent storyteller and comprehensive in pointing out both the little things and the bigger picture. And the list of every game of catch at the end allows you to fill in some of the blanks in the story.
Strongly recommend this book.
Full disclosure: I received a reviewer copy of the book and Ethan appeared on a podcast I host.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
April 30, 2024
A must read for baseball fans! This book takes the simple joy of playing catch and brings out many baseball and life stories.
October 25, 2020
A Goodreads Giveaway. If you like baseball, good stories and a feel good approach to life, this book is for you. As a 75 year old baseball fan, this book brings back a lot of memories. Playing catch with my kids and grandchildren, playing games and remembering teammates and good times. After reading the book, I got out my 60 year old Rawlings Warren Spahn glove and threw a couple of throws.
August 28, 2021
This book highlights a man's true story about playing a game of catch every day, for one year. He plays catch with young and old, new and life-long, famous and everyday people. The book is arranged in sections that feature events, locations or circumstances surrounding them playing catch.
I laughed out loud, cried in silence and shared some of my favorite parts of the book with my family and friends. Books are my "catch" thing. I love to read and talk about books.
One catch day was at THE Field of Dreams with the author's father. Coincidentally, we watched the White Sox and Yankees play at this same field just a few weeks ago on TV. There's a lot of significant references to that one day of playing catch that really touched my heart. .
Baseball is the basis of the book, but it's bigger than baseball. It's about building relationships and being in full-connection with people every day of the year. It was exciting to read how one person lived so well in one year.
"Throw. Laugh. Catch. Laugh. Repeat."
I laughed out loud, cried in silence and shared some of my favorite parts of the book with my family and friends. Books are my "catch" thing. I love to read and talk about books.
One catch day was at THE Field of Dreams with the author's father. Coincidentally, we watched the White Sox and Yankees play at this same field just a few weeks ago on TV. There's a lot of significant references to that one day of playing catch that really touched my heart. .
Baseball is the basis of the book, but it's bigger than baseball. It's about building relationships and being in full-connection with people every day of the year. It was exciting to read how one person lived so well in one year.
"Throw. Laugh. Catch. Laugh. Repeat."
March 16, 2022
What started on New Years Day 2018, while playing catch with his daughters, turned into A Year of Playing Catch with people from all over the world. Ethan D. Bryan used his book to talk about so much more than baseball. It’s about finding common ground and truly connecting with others.
I have included quotes from Bryan and some of his catch partners below.
“Maybe if we expected to see miracles every day, we would see glimpses small and large of unexpected grace and wonder. We would see people who share life with us day in & day out” – EB
“Life is never going to stop throwing things at you. How you choose to react determines whether you grow or give up. God took me, the person least likely to be a speaker, and turned me into a storyteller. For anyone who hears my story, I want to encourage them to find ways to give to those around them. You gain so much more when you learn to give. I hope that’s what people take away from my story” – Jim “The Rookie” Morris
“I’m convinced that baseball is the best sport for life lessons. It teaches perseverance and humility. Ultimately, you are not in control, and you have to learn to surrender the outcome, surrender the judgement….You just gotta outlast the other guy. Gotta have grit and simply outlast them” – Coach Allen Gum (Crowder College)
“Throughout the year, I felt as if I was discovering the real me, the me that God whispered into creation, with each and every game of catch. Play is the sacred space where we can best join in with the divine laughter and delight in who we were made to be. No wonder we lose track of time playing: we are dancing with one foot in eternity.” – EB
“Risk your life and get more than you ever dreamed of. Play it safe and end up holding the bag
Without risk, there is no reward, only regret.
Without risk, there is no love and no friends.
Without risk, there is no story to tell.
Without risk, dreams never come true.
Without risk, dads don’t raise dreamers.” – EB
For more about Ethan go to ethanbryan.com or follow him on Twitter @Ethan_Bryan
*I received this book free from Goodreads & Zondervan. I am not obligated to provide a positive review.
#AYearofPlayingCatch #Goodreads #Giveaway #Zondervan #EthanDBryan #Catch365
I have included quotes from Bryan and some of his catch partners below.
“Maybe if we expected to see miracles every day, we would see glimpses small and large of unexpected grace and wonder. We would see people who share life with us day in & day out” – EB
“Life is never going to stop throwing things at you. How you choose to react determines whether you grow or give up. God took me, the person least likely to be a speaker, and turned me into a storyteller. For anyone who hears my story, I want to encourage them to find ways to give to those around them. You gain so much more when you learn to give. I hope that’s what people take away from my story” – Jim “The Rookie” Morris
“I’m convinced that baseball is the best sport for life lessons. It teaches perseverance and humility. Ultimately, you are not in control, and you have to learn to surrender the outcome, surrender the judgement….You just gotta outlast the other guy. Gotta have grit and simply outlast them” – Coach Allen Gum (Crowder College)
“Throughout the year, I felt as if I was discovering the real me, the me that God whispered into creation, with each and every game of catch. Play is the sacred space where we can best join in with the divine laughter and delight in who we were made to be. No wonder we lose track of time playing: we are dancing with one foot in eternity.” – EB
“Risk your life and get more than you ever dreamed of. Play it safe and end up holding the bag
Without risk, there is no reward, only regret.
Without risk, there is no love and no friends.
Without risk, there is no story to tell.
Without risk, dreams never come true.
Without risk, dads don’t raise dreamers.” – EB
For more about Ethan go to ethanbryan.com or follow him on Twitter @Ethan_Bryan
*I received this book free from Goodreads & Zondervan. I am not obligated to provide a positive review.
#AYearofPlayingCatch #Goodreads #Giveaway #Zondervan #EthanDBryan #Catch365
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 28, 2021
Ethan Bryan sets out on a goal of having a baseball catch every day for an entire year. This book is a very enjoyable read. He expresses his love of family, baseball, friends, and the Kansas City Royals. I recommend this book for anyone looking for something fun, positive, and who understands the simple joy of having a game of catch. Many great stories from the people he met throughout the book.
December 20, 2020
A story full of hope, inspiration, and joy. A story about celebrating our shared humanity through simple things like play and conversation. Just what the doctor ordered for 2020.
December 27, 2020
Baseball.... Need I say more? A wonderful exploration of how sports, and baseball in particular, can motivate us and teach us life lessons.
September 18, 2022
Because of the deeply personal nature of "A Year of Playing Catch", it is a little difficult to give it a below-even rating. But I think this is an overall experience best either lived in-person or following along on the author's initial blog-post journey as opposed to one book-length effort.
For a very basic overview, this book is the story of how author Ethan D. Bryan played a game of catch every day--all 365--in the year 2018. While every catch session was blogged about at the time, here Bryan plucks out some of what he considers the most interesting/memorable experiences and features those. Themes such as reconnecting with youth, the power of simple fun, and the importance of personal conversation (among others) spring forth again and again.
There is no doubt that Bryan's quest is interesting and unique--I don't think the likes of it have been attempted before or since! The problem, though, is how to effectively condense 365 days of catch (including all the names/places that accompany them) into a 200 page book? The way it is laid out in "A Year of Playing Catch", it feels a bit scattershot (jumping all over in time) and while all the people and places are so dear to the author, it is difficult for the reader to develop an emotional connection in 5-15 page chapters.
Somewhat ironically, I found perhaps the most interesting section to be the appendix of all 365 catch sessions in chronological order. So, I think for me I wanted a more beginning-to-end approach to the narrative instead of jumping all over the place.
Overall, though, this isn't a "tough read" by any means. The author is clearly so emotionally invested in the proceedings that such passion does bleed through to the reader. But trying to condense his gargantuan journey into condensed mini-narratives makes for an oft-jarring, hard-to-form-connections reading experience.
For a very basic overview, this book is the story of how author Ethan D. Bryan played a game of catch every day--all 365--in the year 2018. While every catch session was blogged about at the time, here Bryan plucks out some of what he considers the most interesting/memorable experiences and features those. Themes such as reconnecting with youth, the power of simple fun, and the importance of personal conversation (among others) spring forth again and again.
There is no doubt that Bryan's quest is interesting and unique--I don't think the likes of it have been attempted before or since! The problem, though, is how to effectively condense 365 days of catch (including all the names/places that accompany them) into a 200 page book? The way it is laid out in "A Year of Playing Catch", it feels a bit scattershot (jumping all over in time) and while all the people and places are so dear to the author, it is difficult for the reader to develop an emotional connection in 5-15 page chapters.
Somewhat ironically, I found perhaps the most interesting section to be the appendix of all 365 catch sessions in chronological order. So, I think for me I wanted a more beginning-to-end approach to the narrative instead of jumping all over the place.
Overall, though, this isn't a "tough read" by any means. The author is clearly so emotionally invested in the proceedings that such passion does bleed through to the reader. But trying to condense his gargantuan journey into condensed mini-narratives makes for an oft-jarring, hard-to-form-connections reading experience.
January 19, 2023
This book is a special treat for those of us who were raised loving baseball. I am so proud our family could be a part of Ethan’s project. The book instantly transported me to some of life’s best moments; the pop of the ball in the glove, the smell of the grass, the film of dirt that covers you after a good game.
Baseball was designed around relationships. In the mid-19th century the game which we claim to be ours in America, was born of social clubs; connection permeates every facet of the game. Baseball is incredibly unique in that way. Both watching and playing it yields to a shared experience and conversation with people that is irreplaceable. It's paced and nuanced, which gives an opportunity for rich discussion surrounding the game and life. Ethan captured that sentiment flawlessly in his book.
This is a story of perseverance in every sense, from the feat of 365 days of catch itself to the individual stories of everyday people overcoming challenges. Ethan encourages his readers to utilize play and connection to tell our stories and to heal each other. There's no better way to do that than through a game of catch. Excellent read.
Baseball was designed around relationships. In the mid-19th century the game which we claim to be ours in America, was born of social clubs; connection permeates every facet of the game. Baseball is incredibly unique in that way. Both watching and playing it yields to a shared experience and conversation with people that is irreplaceable. It's paced and nuanced, which gives an opportunity for rich discussion surrounding the game and life. Ethan captured that sentiment flawlessly in his book.
This is a story of perseverance in every sense, from the feat of 365 days of catch itself to the individual stories of everyday people overcoming challenges. Ethan encourages his readers to utilize play and connection to tell our stories and to heal each other. There's no better way to do that than through a game of catch. Excellent read.
April 25, 2021
On a bit of a whim, Ethan Bryan decides to play catch every single day of 2018. Overcoming concerns about injury and not being able to find catch partners, Ethan survives and writes this book crystallizing his experiences and everything he learned.
If you like baseball, you will like this book. If you like human relationships, you will like this book. If you are a native of Springfield, Missouri (like me), you will like this book.
Take a page out of your childhood and drift back to simpler times.
If you like baseball, you will like this book. If you like human relationships, you will like this book. If you are a native of Springfield, Missouri (like me), you will like this book.
Take a page out of your childhood and drift back to simpler times.
April 4, 2022
Episode 280: “A Year of Playing Catch BASEBALL BY THE BOOK podcast NOV 2, 2020 ⋅ 51:22 Every day for a year, Ethan Bryan played catch. Along the way, he met former big leaguers, inspirational children, international stars and everyday Joes. The author joins us to discuss what he learned from a journey that took him to an Iowa cornfield, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and countless places in-between.
February 7, 2023
A really great concept but so poorly executed. The author complains about money to the point of seeming ridiculous. He seems to pursue this fantasy of playing catch over providing for his family. He fails to use this idea to really connect and grow. He repeats his stories to the point of absolutely boring the reader. I had very high hopes for this book abd I was seriously disappointed in it. I would give it negative or no stars if I could.
November 8, 2020
* I received a free copy in a Goodreads giveaway.
Really thought I'd like this, but just didn't like the writing. I thought the attempt at suspense(?) over whether he would get injured was overly dramatic. He tried to link commonalities in partners for chapters, but it was just all over the place. About four or five chapters before the end it seemed like he was wrapping it up.
Really thought I'd like this, but just didn't like the writing. I thought the attempt at suspense(?) over whether he would get injured was overly dramatic. He tried to link commonalities in partners for chapters, but it was just all over the place. About four or five chapters before the end it seemed like he was wrapping it up.
April 2, 2022
Bought this one on a whim at a bookstore.
An intriguing concept (playing catch with a different person each day for a year), but the book largely fell flat. Needed a little star power (e.g. a couple big league players) to make it more compelling. Read more like a journal of him talking with regular baseball fans for a year. Interesting, but not with 200+ pages.
An intriguing concept (playing catch with a different person each day for a year), but the book largely fell flat. Needed a little star power (e.g. a couple big league players) to make it more compelling. Read more like a journal of him talking with regular baseball fans for a year. Interesting, but not with 200+ pages.
August 19, 2022
My favorite aspect of this book was Ethan's highlight of how so many people with different backgrounds, abilities, stages in life, etc can interact with the game of baseball and share their love of the game. My own memories of playing catch with my Dad, teammates, friends came flooding back as I read.
June 19, 2024
This true story follows the writer as he plays catch every day for a year. He seems like a nice, genuine guy who got a lot out of the experience. Baseball, and especially Royals fans will appreciate the stories. The writer acknowledges it is difficult to figure out how to arrange the stories. I don’t know what the right way is, but I’m not sure it is the way he did it.
July 9, 2022
This book was a hard read. I did not like the fact that this book jumped all over the place. In the beginning he said that he didn’t write this book in order of who he played catch with, I think I would have rather read that with the stories from each person
June 30, 2024
wonderful book. Can't imagine what it tool to accomplish playing catch every day for a year but the stories are great and it really reminds one of the beauty of the game and never giving up in life.
I really enjoyed it. I wanna play catch!
I really enjoyed it. I wanna play catch!
July 15, 2024
I was inspired, I loved the quest, I love the guy, but I had a hard time getting into the book. The author acknowledged early, that it was difficult to organize and needed re-worked. No regrets about reading it, but I found it very hard to stay engaged with.
August 31, 2024
This was such a heartwarming story through a fun experiment. It had me thinking of all aspects of my life and was just really enjoyable and heartwarming. More people need to be like Ethan was and just be kind and make things just simple. Truly amazing.
January 31, 2021
A must read. Ethan Bryan takes you through the joys of playing catch while reflecting on the need for more play in our lives.
May 20, 2022
A great little memoir about the power of play. It's an optimistic look at what we can be if we make time for a little fun with others. The book is encouraging, hopeful, and worth the read.
April 18, 2024
Interesting stories but I feel like I could have written this book.
March 29, 2023
Ethan Bryan is a master storyteller and never more evident than his 2020 book, A Year of Playing Catch: What a Simple Daily Experiment Taught Me about Life. Gathered quite literally from playing catch every single day over one year, this collection of interactions with others and the stories they bring mirrors all aspects of the human condition, relayed through the simple act of playing catch. Equally inspiring and heartbreaking, A Year of Playing Catch delivers to its readers instant nostalgia and the permission to slow down, appreciate life’s simple joys, and find more ways to connect with the rest of the world. It can be as easy as inviting friends and strangers to play catch.
March 5, 2022
i love baseball and love books about life so this one was really good for me ;)
I highly recommend this book
I highly recommend this book
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews