Be the Pine, Be the Ball
Be the Pine, Be the Ball

Author: Paul J. Zingg

Publisher: Xlibris Corporation

Published: 2018-04-27

Total Pages: 284

ISBN-13: 1984516884

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Focusing on the landscapes and memory of golf and examining the games nature and appeal, this collection of seventy-two haiku poems and essays aims to lead readers to a fuller appreciation of the culture and history of golf and a deeper awareness of a players place in the game. Be the Pine, Be the Ball also reveals the compelling beauty and power of haiku, the most popular poetic form in the world. Through the brevity of its style, precise language, and ability to reveal how ordinary moments and elements of our lives are pathways to a better understanding of ourselves and the world around us, haiku can have both a meditative and consequential effect on the reader. A key to the connection between haiku and golf is that both foster powers of concentration and detailed observation with a related reduction of distractions. Both seek to cultivate a more tranquil and disciplined mind and to translate that condition into how a life is lived and a game is played.

Astros and Asterisks
Astros and Asterisks

Author: Jonathan Silverman

Publisher: University of Texas Press

Published: 2023-07-18

Total Pages: 236

ISBN-13: 1477327452

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An in-depth and multiperspectival look at the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal and its roots in the culture of baseball fandom. In 2017 the Houston Astros won their first World Series title, a particularly uplifting victory for the city following Hurricane Harvey. But two years later, the feel-good energy was gone after The Athletic revealed that the Astros had stolen signs from opposing catchers during their championship season, perhaps even during the playoffs and World Series. Their methods were at once high-tech and crude: staff took video of opponents’ pitching signals and transmitted the footage in real time to the Astros’ dugout, where players banged on trash cans to signal to their teammates at bat which pitches were coming their way. Wry observers labeled them the Asterisks, pointing to the title that no longer seemed so earned. Astros and Asterisks examines the scandal from historical, journalistic, legal, ethical, and cultural perspectives. Authors delve into the Astros’ winning-above-all attitude, cultivated by a former McKinsey consultant; the significance of hiring a pitcher recently suspended for domestic abuse; the career-ending effects of the Astros’ transgression on opposing players; and the ethically fraught choices necessary to participate in sign-stealing. Ultimately, it links the Astros’ choices to the sporting world’s obsession with analytics. What emerges is a sobering tale about the impact of new technology on a game whose romanticized image feels increasingly incongruous with its reality in the era of big data and video.

The Complete Language of Trees - Pocket Edition
The Complete Language of Trees - Pocket Edition

Author: S. THERESA. DIETZ

Publisher:

Published: 2024-09-10

Total Pages: 259

ISBN-13: 1577154762

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The Complete Language of Trees is a comprehensive encyclopedia providing the meanings, powers, facts, and folklore for over 400 types of trees--now in a pocket-size edition for easy, on-the-go reference. Along with a stunning visual depiction, each entry provides the tree's scientific and common name, characteristics, and historic and hidden properties from mythology, legends, and folklore. Discover the lore of trees, including: Hackberry Tree - encourages someone to continuously do their best Manchineel Tree - it is so toxic that the smoke from a burning tree can cause blindness, and it is not even advised to inhale the air around the tree Bark from the Bird Cherry Tree was placed on doors during medieval times to ward off plague Washi paper is created from the inner bark of the Paper Mulberry Tree. Pando is a Quaking Aspen colony that is 108 acres wide (about the size of 83 football fields!). It is technically one tree. Imagine developing a spiritual connection with a tree in a way that exceeds visual perception; where learning its meaning and value simultaneously improves your own mental and physical wellness. Throughout history, floriographies--flower dictionaries--have gained notoriety for regulating human emotions and giving depth, symbolism, and meaning to extremely delicate aspects of nature. Following the success of The Complete Language of Herbs and its predecessor The Complete Language of Flowers, author S. Theresa Dietz continues this custom with The Complete Language of Trees. Coupled with two indexes, one for searching by common tree name and the other organized by meaning, Dietz cleverly connects quality time in nature with the overall improvement of mental health by developing a stunningly depicted dictionary for gardeners, environmentalists, and nature lovers alike.