A Catholic Gentleman Behind the Plate

by George Weigel

Bill Freehan, who died last August, was a Catholic gentleman and a great ballplayer. Continue Reading »

6 Oct 2021

Books, Baseball, and Cool Papa Bell

by John Wilson

Some thoughts on a recent biography of baseball legend Cool Papa Bell.
Continue Reading »

5 Apr 2021

Odds and Ends for Wendy

by John Wilson

When my wife went to visit family, I would sometimes keep notes of things she might enjoy hearing about when she got back. Continue Reading »

8 Jan 2021

Baseball’s Beginnings

by John Wilson

In 2020, we are not that far removed from the early era of professional baseball in America, no matter how much the game has changed over the decades. Continue Reading »

16 Oct 2020

How Jane Austen Played Baseball

by John Wilson

An early form of baseball was well-established in England by the mid-eighteenth century. Continue Reading »

22 Mar 2019

Baseball and Synod 2018

by George Weigel

Those at the 2018 Synod on Youth should consider why John Paul II held such appeal for young people.  Continue Reading »

25 Apr 2018

Of Books and Baseball

by John Wilson

In his inaugural First Things web column, John Wilson shares his favorite books about baseball.  Continue Reading »

13 Apr 2018

The Importance of Jackie Robinson

by George Weigel

Jackie Robinson’s accomplishments should rank as high as anyone’s in the pantheon of civil rights heroes. Continue Reading »

19 Apr 2017

Choreography and Improv

by Peter J. Leithart

Despite appearances, jazz and baseball are historically intertwined. Baseball players and jazz musicians both strive for a perfect balance between disciplined practice and spontaneity. Continue Reading »

24 Feb 2017

Golden Memories of a Golden Anniversary

by George Weigel

In my mind’s eye, what I see on East 33rd Street is the old brick horseshoe where I learned baseball from my grandfather Weigel in the late 1950s—and where, a half-century ago, I had a foretaste of the joy of the Kingdom. Continue Reading »

5 Oct 2016