Something Beautiful About Us (originally published October 2018; updated Jan. 16, 2020) In his 1955 book God's Country and Mine: A Declaration of Love Spiced with a Few Harsh Words, cultural historian Jacques Barzun wrote: “Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball, the rules, and reality of the game.” Those words long served as a touchstone for my own academic interest in baseball and baseball fiction. They offered hope that in our Nation