Take Time for Paradise: Americans and Their Games by A. Bartlett Giamatti

The true voice of Giamatti is that of a philosopher and professor, and it made the book difficult to read without first eliminating all other distractions (including pet cats). And it's definitely not a beach read unless you read Plato or Socrates for breakfast.

The topic itself was quite entertaining, once a state of reading nirvana is attained. Giamatti pours his philosopher's soul into the musings of societal influences and reflections on play, games and, eventually, that of the sport of professional baseball.

As several other reviewers have stated, this is not solely about baseball, nor is it for the faint of heart.  It is for those who ruminate on the decline of society's joie de vivre and its resulting escapism in organized sports.

The last words of his epilogue, the simplest and truest, are the heart of the whole of this book:

"If we have known freedom, then we love it; if we love freedom, then we fear, at some level (individually or collectively), its loss. And then we cherish sport. As our forebears did, we remind ourselves through sport of what, here on earth, is our noblest hope." 

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9439232-take-time-for-paradise

In compliance with FTC guidelines, I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.