A Year of Playing Catch by Ethan D. Bryan Published by Zondervan on September 8, 2020
Genres: Religion / Christian Living / Inspirational, Religion / Inspirational, Self-Help / Personal Growth / Happiness, Sports & Recreation / Baseball / Essays & Writings
Pages: 240
Format: Paperback
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Journey with prolific author and avid baseball fan Ethan Bryan on an exciting quest to play catch every day for a year, and discover the lessons he learned about the sacredness of play, finding connections, and being fully present to the human experience. A Casey Award finalist!
Ethan Bryan played and wrote about baseball for years. Then his daughters challenged him to set out on a yearlong experiment: to play catch with someone every day. This experience led him across 10 states and 12,000 miles on a quest both quixotic and inspiring.
Taking you from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to the home of the Daytona Tortugas in Florida, Bryan played ball and swapped stories with public school teachers, veterans, journalists, nurses, musicians, entertainers, entrepreneurs, athletes from every level--amateur to pro--and members of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Plus, he visited famous destinations such as the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Miracle League fields, and the original "Field of Dreams" in Iowa.
But throughout the book, Bryan reveals it's about much more than who he played catch with: it's what he learned from their vastly different stories. Lessons include:
- How play can reignite a fire within you and transform your life
- How to find joy in the simple things
- How one life can impact a whole community
- . . . and more.
For baseball fans and everyone who loves a good story, A Year of Playing Catch is an inspiring journey about finding joy in the simple things, and the power of play to transform our lives.
It’s Baseball Season. For the uninitiated, St. Louis Cardinals baseball is the second religion in my household. Followed closely by Springfield Cardinals, and then any other game that might exist. I’ve been subjected to listening and or watching summer bush leagues, to college baseball, to any game that is on. If someone had told me two years ago that I would know when the games were, which radio station carried which teams, when a game would be on TV, and ready to spout that information when I walked in the door each night, I’d have laughed at them. While I’m cool and enjoy going to see a game in person, I’m not a sportsball person. I don’t get the rules, know the players, and, to the horror of my Dad, don’t care to learn. Doesn’t matter the sport, I’ll go to the game, but beyond that not on my radar of hobbies.
Earlier this year, a friend handed me this book, knowing I enjoy Memoirs, and this was also a local author (shout-out, Springfield, MO). Like, legit, there are so many shout-outs to things and places and people in Springfield throughout this book. And Southwest Missouri (The Ozarks is a strong part of my identity), but also Missouri as a whole. It was great to read about a place I know being highlighted and not just the big touristy areas that are overdone (at least in fiction). And while he travels out of state, being home just resonated with me. But it’s more than just a book about baseball and playing catch. It’s a book about people and connections.
Playing catch is a game you play with children. Yes, it’s a game. Yes, children enjoy it, and hello motor skills and hand-eye coordination. But in another context, in another way, playing catch is fun, but it’s also connection. You are connected to the person on the other end of that ball. You are focused on the right now and not the what-ifs or why nots. Looking at reviews (like I sometimes do), some mentioned things that I didn’t agree with. Yes, this is not a linear diary of the 365 days (you can get that on the blog or even the appendix of the book). This is a collection of stories, of people, of experiences, and even personal growth that came from consciously choosing to play catch with others. A new person, a new connection, a new story. Every. Single. Day. Most of the names and places meant little to me. Some did like Negro League, All American Girls Professional Baseball League, and I’m sure more. But that didn’t matter to me at all. I found myself just relaxing while I read, caught up in the stories, the connections. The good that came from this experiment. And honestly, sportsball fan or not, it’s just a great read about finding people that have a story to tell while tossing a ball back and forth for a bit.
Go forth and read A Year of Playing Catch (which, rumor has it, is being made into a documentary). Then go watch or rewatch, as the case may be, Field of Dreams, The Rookie, and A League of Their Own.
About Ethan D. Bryan
Ethan D. Bryan is a storyteller whose narratives explore what it means to live a good story.
At the age of six, he lost all of his hair due to an immune-system disorder called alopecia. Ethan knows about overcoming personal obstacles and being bullied. He also understands the power of hope, persevering through hundreds upon hundreds of manuscript rejections.
The author of ten books, his writings earned him an opportunity to speak at the National Baseball Hall of Fame, an invitation to the White House for the Royals World Series championship, and endorsements from several former MLB players including Jim “The Rookie” Morris.
Ethan has appeared ever so briefly in an ESPN 30-for-30 (#BringBackSungWoo) and as a background ballplayer in an Emmy-award winning documentary (First Boys of Spring). He still dreams of playing baseball (throwing out a first pitch) for his beloved KC Royals.
A major fan of both Dr Pepper and donuts, Ethan was one of the best benchwarmers on his high school junior varsity baseball team.
Ethan played catch every single day of 2018, an effort that came to be known as Catch 365. He documented the whole journey through a daily blog. Day #1 can be found here.
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