Ralph Branca and the Meaning of Life - by Bob Mitchell (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Much ink has been spilled on Ralph Branca, Bobby Thomson, and the famous "Miracle at Coogan's Bluff" pennant playoff game in October of 1951. The present work is a novel approach to the history and context of this venerated game, never before attempted in such terms. This book considers that Dodgers pitcher and that uniquely dramatic game as actual metaphors for the human condition. In this thought-provoking odyssey, the author unpeels the metaphorical layers of this baseball onion by discussing the profound psychological effects of winning and losing in America; the concepts of shame, hope, injustice, failure, and luck; and Branca as a conflicted and complex, flawed yet sympathetic Everyman. And, finally, by comparing Ralph's situation--surprisingly and revealingly--to similar "crimes and punishments" in world literature, from Biblical icons Adam and Job to the protagonists of Sophocles, Hawthorne, Dostoevsky, Kafka, and Camus. This work of baseball history and analysis stands as the only endeavor of its kind, demonstrating the universality of America's game to the human condition.

Review Quotes

"Baseball, the old saying goes, is a game of failures leavened by intermittent successes. In this thought-provoking book, Bob Mitchell shows that Ralph Branca was far from a failure."-George Will, syndicated columnist

"Bob Mitchell is a brilliant writer. I love baseball, I love baseball history. Bob's deeply personal and thought-provoking look at this iconic 1951 game and the effect it had on pitcher Ralph Branca is fascinating and moving."-Tim Kurkjian, ESPN Senior Baseball Writer/Analyst

"Ralph Branca was a complex man, and his handling of the long shadow of the historic 1951 playoff game both defined him and elevated him for the rest of his life. Bob Mitchell's feat in breaking this down is a fine contribution to the game's literature."-Marty Appel, baseball historian, former Yankees PR director, and author of 25 books

"When it comes to examining Ralph Branca in depth as a person and even a metaphor for the human condition, there is only one book you need to read: Bob Mitchell's ambitious and extraordinary Ralph Branca and the Meaning of Life. But wait! He does more. He compares Branca to Adam, Job, Oedipus, Hester Prynne, Raskolnikov, Josef K., and Sisyphus! You owe it to Mitchell, if not to Ralph Branca, to race to buy this book so you can relive the magic moment of the baseball GOAT and the goat of all time."-Peter Golenbock, author of Whispers of the Gods and Baseball Heaven

About the Author

Bob Mitchell, PhD in French and Comparative Literature from Harvard, has had careers as a French professor (Harvard, Purdue, Ohio State), an award-winning advertising creative director, and a teaching tennis pro. He is the author of 13 books, including a memoir, a collection of poems, two essay collections, and three novels about sports and life. He lives in Carlsbad, California.