Down By The Shul Yard

Someone taught Danny Saunders to hit a ball, run the bases, and come home. Chaim Potok‘s adolescent character in The Chosen emerges from a culture steeped in tradition, education, learning and study. While his family’s primary focus may have been the Torah and the Talmud, someone took responsibility for extending Danny’s learning to the ball […]

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Major Themes & Big Pictures

About 40 years ago, I went to see a film in a cinema with my future husband, Todd. We were all of 22. Remarkably, he could predict the next lines in the script for many of the characters. Sitting in the dark, he’d lean over and whisper them to me, before the words passed the […]

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Father, Son & Holy Smoke

In The Jungle Book, Kipling introduces ‘jungle boy’ Mowgli and immediately presents his young readers with distinctions of humankind versus the remainder of the animal kingdom: a keen, specialized eyesight and the opposable thumb are two. Further, and discussed beautifully in Power, by Robert Greene, is man’s ability to use social power in concert with his […]

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Being A Mets Fan Is _____________

From Ur-Nammu to Homer to Robert Fulghum to J.K. Rowling, authors have done best when they understand their audiences. How are you doing today? Is your 2017 Mets season glass half full, or half empty? Take a Pray4Mets survey of emotional well-being by clicking HERE. This week, I’m intoning for management wisdom. Send your thoughts, […]

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Give Me That Baseball Religion

Who knew that the MIT professor responsible for econometric studies of modern politics and health care reform would show up in Pray4Mets, justifying the coming together of baseball fans? Being a Mets fan is akin to being part of a spiritual community. There are shared values, traditions, rites. There are hymns. There’s a shrine, and a place of […]

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Moms & Prayer

Long ago and far away (from where I sit), women traditionally took on the role of raising children. Key components in nurturing were education and religion. The accomplishment and dignity of a mother’s job well done has been the foundation of sustainable family, community, nation…and personal self-esteem. Jan Met, better known as Mrs. Met, has raised three […]

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Mets as Metaphor

Military tales and war movies tell the same, timeless story: the member of the combat team who is centered on self, rather than team, ultimately becomes the one who is lost. The team can survive the battle. John Donne gives us this message, as does the New Testament narrative of Judas Iscariot. It’s another classic theme on […]

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Smoke That, Jay

Jay Bruce’s first-of-the-2017-Mets-season home run (which was followed on by another, last night, in Game 6) will be an easy one to remember. Whether you say ‘he’s smokin,’ or ‘what was he smokin’?,’ Bruce’s smooth, early-season performance extends the past two years of Mets’ rolling out unexpected delights for the fans. The existence of entheogens, which, according […]

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Spring Training for the Soul

SPRING TRAINING FOR THE SOUL: Join Our Mailing List As Pitchers & Catchers report to Spring Training this week, Pray4Mets gets back in gear to keep fans’ spirits buoyant and help guide the Amazins to their best possible 2017 performance. Pray4Mets is a global community of people who are willing to put their hands together […]

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