baseball

is based on the squares and lines that represent the rigid structure of white society and yet the game's circular elements (such as the ball itself, the bat's circumference, the outfield extending to the circular horizon, and the very act of running the bases) make it as close to the circle of perfection as white men are allowed to approach.

. . . reminds Drifting Away that the game is based on the squares and lines that represent the rigid structure of white society, the warrior encourages him to consider the game's circular elements such as the ball itself, the bat's circumference, the outfield extending to the circular horizon, and the very act of running the bases. Because so much of the game incorporates circular shapes and activity, it 'is as close to the circle of perfection as white men are allowed to approach' (167) . The game that Drifting Away uses as a contest with the tribal Grandfathers, baseball, is a paradox of the only good thing whites have done and the dominant culture that led to his wife's death and his own quest to be reunited with her.

is symbolically tied to mother nature, the feminine, pastoralism, the rebirth of spring.

The game, as a pastoral signifier, is associated with the rebirth of a new season, spring, paralleling the renewal of «Mother Nature,, herself. While the game, in everyday life as well as in baseball fiction, may be male dominated, it is shown to have very feminine traits and associations.

is the most colonizing of all American sports, resulting in the patriarchal structure that mirrors many national ideological institutions. As the foul lines, in theory, diverge forever, crisscrossing one another in space, the game has already conquered the entire planet. The fact that the game is not controlled by a clock, but by the players as long as the game remains tied, the domination can hypothetically continue forever.

Following Kinsella's assertion, it is clear that baseball is the most colonizing of all American sports, resulting in the patriarchal structure that mirrors many national ideological institutions. As the foul lines, in theory, diverge forever, crisscrossing one another in space, the game has already conquered the entire planet. The fact that the game is not controlled by a clock, but by the players as long as the game remains tied, the domination can hypothetically continue forever.

William Steele

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William Steele