{"id":2691,"date":"2015-11-20T17:25:28","date_gmt":"2015-11-20T17:25:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.wabash.edu\/fyi\/?p=2691"},"modified":"2015-11-20T17:25:28","modified_gmt":"2015-11-20T17:25:28","slug":"immersed-in-art-and-baseball","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.wabash.edu\/fyi\/2015\/11\/20\/immersed-in-art-and-baseball\/","title":{"rendered":"Immersed in Art and Baseball"},"content":{"rendered":"

Richard Paige<\/em> — We talk a great deal here about the impact of immersion trips. In the next few days alone, Wabash men will be traipsing across the globe, including destinations like Italy and South Africa.<\/p>\n

Rhetoric professor Todd McDorman immersed his Baseball and the American Identity freshman tutorial class in the charming hamlet known as Cooperstown, NY, and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in mid-October.<\/p>\n

I was curious how such a trip might influence a group of guys — baseball fans — a good number of them baseball players, too. It\u2019s not like the guys headed to Rome can actually define themselves as gladiators. Would it make an impact, or be brushed off like that of a bad-hop ground ball?<\/p>\n

\"Eilshemius\u2019<\/a>
Eilshemius\u2019 \u201cVan Courtland Park\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>Bryce Bridgewater \u201919 is one of 13 who made the trip. The class impacted him long before the group made it to Cooperstown.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a baseball player and I love the sport,\u201d he said. \u201cI didn\u2019t think I\u2019d ever be given an opportunity like that to learn and analyze different aspects of the game; how baseball and America have grown up together and shaped history. It wasn\u2019t what I expected. The game and America are best friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

Each had a research project on how a particular subject is presented and influenced by its presentation in Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n

Bridgewater threw himself a curve. For a guy who had been to one art museum previously, he chose art and baseball simply because it was different. He spent four hours in the exhibit.

\"Andy<\/a>
Andy Warhol’s “Tom Seaver” also was a favorite.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was hard at times not to be a fan,\u201d said the right-handed pitcher from Indianapolis. \u201cYou get caught up in it, but you have to remember that you are being a critic. It took some time to step back and make those connections.\u201d<\/p>\n

He noticed that each work of art had its own interpretation of the game. He started to see the game from a different perspective.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt gave me a chance to see what the game looked like in different eras and how it\u2019s changed,\u201d Bridgewater said. \u201cThe game my grandpa knew and the game my dad knew is different than the game I know.\u201d<\/p>\n

One piece resonated strongly with Bridgewater. Louis M. Eilshemius\u2019 \u201cVan Courtland Park\u201d shows the game in its infancy. It reminded him of what made him fall in love with the game. \u201cIt was like playing a pick-up game in the backyard with friends,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The experience opened his eyes to the impact that art has on any subject. <\/p>\n

\""Phil<\/a>
“Phil Niekro” by LaVern Brock was constructed completely of baseball cards.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\u201cI didn\u2019t think that a painting could have told me about the connections or the importance,\u201d he said. \u201cThe art, the artifacts, the exhibit, the town itself that all opened my eyes. Art is more than just a painting, there is a story behind it. If I went back to that art museum, I might feel differently now.\u201d<\/p>\n

The experience allowed him to draw parallels between pitching and painting. Whether it\u2019s attacking the hitters or the canvas, it\u2019s the approach that is unique.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery athlete\u2019s or artist\u2019s approach is different,\u201d Bridgewater concluded. \u201cThey might be inspired by something completely different. It\u2019s all interpretation. That\u2019s why I think art and baseball are fascinating. You might get similar results, but the process is so much different.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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