I'll just blame school again and move on. I'm thinking of a new plan for this blog thanks to some conversations with a really good friend about the point of blogging. There are so many self-absorbed and pointless blogs out there (I won't name any), but thank goodness there are even more that have either a great message (Women Can Talk Sports, for example) or at least a fun mission (I'm looking at you, Mid Century Menu). So here's the new plan.
1. This will still be about baseball. The simple rationale for this is simply "because baseball," but let me elaborate anyway. I'm about halfway through my doctoral program, and no matter how mad I get at a paper, an assignment, a reading, or myself, I know that it's all for the greater good: baseball. That's been the motivation for this entire graduate school trip, and while my plans have changed a little, the world in which those plans live is still the game I love. It's what I understand best, and it's what connects me to the world. I'm pretty one-dimensional in that sense. Realistically, baseball is the driving force for a lot of my decisions, and I know that I'm not alone in that. I'm hoping to use this blog to convey not just to baseball fans but to acolytes of all things that there is something to be gained by committing to the thing that makes you happiest. For me, it's both a professional and a personal connection, and the overarching lesson to all of you is to never let anyone belittle what drives you. Baseball is a silly sport to some, but it's become a lifestyle for me and for many others. If any of us had listened to the voices around us and in our heads telling us to find something "more important," "better," "different," or even "less stupid," we'd all be unhappily pursuing something to get by rather than something to wake up to. It's the difference between living to work and working to live, really. How many times have you been frustrated by having to work a job you barely like instead of attending something you love? Well, the game of baseball has become both my job and my hobby, and while some may caution that this is a bad combination, I disagree wholeheartedly. I'm a huge advocate of turning whatever you love into a logical way to make a living. Yes, I get that this isn't an option for everyone, and in those cases, it becomes about incorporating that thing (whether it's baseball, basketball, or basket weaving; film, television, or music; or your family, friends, and home) into as much of your life and its accompanying decisions as possible. The key is never to let go. You can sacrifice when you have to, but never, ever let go of what gives you true joy.
2. There will be something here for you. I've fallen in love with autoethnography in the last year or so because I find it both cathartic for me and for readers. Well, at least that's how it should be. I've read some self-indulgent autoethnography (I've written some, too...I'm not immune), but I still like to believe the writers had a transformative end in mind despite what turned out to be poor execution. Anyway, the previously mentioned friend with whom I've talked about the merit of blogs and I are huge proponents of the notion that a blog should provide more to its readers than to its author. In the absence of use value, a blog is nothing more than a little girl's diary. Even a personal blog can provide something to its readers while the author works through her own issues. Take the case of a friend of mine whose blog is a site for self-exploration not just for her but for her readers as well. My plan, then, is to try and offer some insight into whatever topics arise from here on out. Whether it's a list of tips, a life lesson, or just the best seat in an obscure ballpark, I want readers to have at least one takeaway. Ellis (2004) defined the autoethnography as "research, writing, story, and method that connect the autobiographical and personal to the cultural, social, and political" (p. xix). I like her definition, and I plan to use it as a guide for what I post here. There will be some primary and secondary research, a lot of writing, and hopefully some good stories that will connect my experiences to the broader culture of baseball (and sport...and maybe life), the social structure of the game, and the politics that underlie its vast green diamonds.
3. Finally, I want to hear your experiences. I am but one baseball devotee. You are many. My experiences are only one reality, and there's no value to privileging it over others. There will always be an invitation to share your own take on what I write or what I post from others. I only ask that you respect everyone involved in the conversation because I do reserve the right to remove anything that's abusive. Stupid stuff, I will leave. Abusive stuff is gone.
With that, happy early Opening Day or as Jen Rainwater so poetically dubbed it, "The Wait." Let's enjoy this baseball season together! Can't wait to hear your stories!
Ellis, C. (2004). The Ethnographic I: A methodological novel about autoethnography. Walnut Creek: AltaMira Press.
Phillips, A. (2014). Simply Stated. Retrieved from: http://ampersandalso.com/
Rainwater, J. (2014) 2014: Life of a MLB season ticket holder: Why MLB Opening Day should be a national holiday. Bullpen, Baseball and Sock Talk. Retrieved from: http://oakassocksgrl.blogspot.com/2014/03/2014-life-of-mlb-season-ticket-holder_24.html
(n.d) Women Can Talk Sports. Retrieved from: http://www.womencantalksports.com/blog/
Retroruth (2014) The Mid-century menu. Retrieved from: http://www.midcenturymenu.com/about/
1. This will still be about baseball. The simple rationale for this is simply "because baseball," but let me elaborate anyway. I'm about halfway through my doctoral program, and no matter how mad I get at a paper, an assignment, a reading, or myself, I know that it's all for the greater good: baseball. That's been the motivation for this entire graduate school trip, and while my plans have changed a little, the world in which those plans live is still the game I love. It's what I understand best, and it's what connects me to the world. I'm pretty one-dimensional in that sense. Realistically, baseball is the driving force for a lot of my decisions, and I know that I'm not alone in that. I'm hoping to use this blog to convey not just to baseball fans but to acolytes of all things that there is something to be gained by committing to the thing that makes you happiest. For me, it's both a professional and a personal connection, and the overarching lesson to all of you is to never let anyone belittle what drives you. Baseball is a silly sport to some, but it's become a lifestyle for me and for many others. If any of us had listened to the voices around us and in our heads telling us to find something "more important," "better," "different," or even "less stupid," we'd all be unhappily pursuing something to get by rather than something to wake up to. It's the difference between living to work and working to live, really. How many times have you been frustrated by having to work a job you barely like instead of attending something you love? Well, the game of baseball has become both my job and my hobby, and while some may caution that this is a bad combination, I disagree wholeheartedly. I'm a huge advocate of turning whatever you love into a logical way to make a living. Yes, I get that this isn't an option for everyone, and in those cases, it becomes about incorporating that thing (whether it's baseball, basketball, or basket weaving; film, television, or music; or your family, friends, and home) into as much of your life and its accompanying decisions as possible. The key is never to let go. You can sacrifice when you have to, but never, ever let go of what gives you true joy.
2. There will be something here for you. I've fallen in love with autoethnography in the last year or so because I find it both cathartic for me and for readers. Well, at least that's how it should be. I've read some self-indulgent autoethnography (I've written some, too...I'm not immune), but I still like to believe the writers had a transformative end in mind despite what turned out to be poor execution. Anyway, the previously mentioned friend with whom I've talked about the merit of blogs and I are huge proponents of the notion that a blog should provide more to its readers than to its author. In the absence of use value, a blog is nothing more than a little girl's diary. Even a personal blog can provide something to its readers while the author works through her own issues. Take the case of a friend of mine whose blog is a site for self-exploration not just for her but for her readers as well. My plan, then, is to try and offer some insight into whatever topics arise from here on out. Whether it's a list of tips, a life lesson, or just the best seat in an obscure ballpark, I want readers to have at least one takeaway. Ellis (2004) defined the autoethnography as "research, writing, story, and method that connect the autobiographical and personal to the cultural, social, and political" (p. xix). I like her definition, and I plan to use it as a guide for what I post here. There will be some primary and secondary research, a lot of writing, and hopefully some good stories that will connect my experiences to the broader culture of baseball (and sport...and maybe life), the social structure of the game, and the politics that underlie its vast green diamonds.
3. Finally, I want to hear your experiences. I am but one baseball devotee. You are many. My experiences are only one reality, and there's no value to privileging it over others. There will always be an invitation to share your own take on what I write or what I post from others. I only ask that you respect everyone involved in the conversation because I do reserve the right to remove anything that's abusive. Stupid stuff, I will leave. Abusive stuff is gone.
With that, happy early Opening Day or as Jen Rainwater so poetically dubbed it, "The Wait." Let's enjoy this baseball season together! Can't wait to hear your stories!
References
Ellis, C. (2004). The Ethnographic I: A methodological novel about autoethnography. Walnut Creek: AltaMira Press.
Phillips, A. (2014). Simply Stated. Retrieved from: http://ampersandalso.com/
Rainwater, J. (2014) 2014: Life of a MLB season ticket holder: Why MLB Opening Day should be a national holiday. Bullpen, Baseball and Sock Talk. Retrieved from: http://oakassocksgrl.blogspot.com/2014/03/2014-life-of-mlb-season-ticket-holder_24.html
(n.d) Women Can Talk Sports. Retrieved from: http://www.womencantalksports.com/blog/
Retroruth (2014) The Mid-century menu. Retrieved from: http://www.midcenturymenu.com/about/
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