Customer Reviews:
 Ancient philosophy applied to national pastime April 11, 2003
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
There's no simple way to describe the Tao (pronounced like Dow) but it can be expressed as "the way of all things." This is further described in the great duality of Yang and Yin, or Light and Dark, Birth and Death, Sun and Moon, and so on.
The author, Go, applies the concept of Tao and Yang/Yin to the sport of baseball.
The book is insightful, philosophical, humorous, logical and well-paced. It's an interesting application on everything from the bat and ball, the field, the offense and defense, lineups and strategies of the game. The book is also full of easy to understand symbols and charts.
Understanding is easy, but mastery is difficult, just as baseball is an easy game to learn but difficult one to master.I especially liked the breakdown of the offensive batting order and the defensive alignment with the names and descriptions. For example, the pitcher is the creator, the father and extreme yang of defense. The catcher is the receiver, the mother and most yin of defense. Remember, it's all about balance. On offense the lineup is broken down into its archetypes, such as the number three hitter, Chen the arouser, the first son, Thunder. The third hitter is the second-best hitter on the team and perhaps best overall hitter.
These descriptions are helpful to newer fans and veterans alike.
I also enjoyed the coaching and playing strategies. These are such simple rules, like "place the team first," "learn from your mistakes" and "be moderate from beginning to end." Yet, time and again they are forgotten by managers and teams during play.
There's a lot here for players and coaches of all ages and levels, plus umpires, fans and even for outside baseball in everyday life. "Do not be afraid of hard work," "avoid superstition," and "accept defeat and victory equally."
What I didn't like:
Toward the end the book got preachy, with narrator intrusion and opinions on the designated hitter, domes, turf and politics. Even if he was right, it strayed from the philosophical to the soap box.
In the end, however, we return to the Tao. I recommend this book for both the Yang and the Yin of the ball and the bat.
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