Good of the Order Question What do you think about Mike McQueary being awarded $7.3M in Penn State defamation and whistleblower case? Schultz and Curley were acquitted on perjury charges because of poor advice from legal counsel Schultz, Curley, and Spanier still face charges of failing to report suspected child abuse and endangering the welfare of children

Sports|ethics|literature 10.28.2016 The Universal Baseball Association, J. Henry Waugh, Prop. * Robert Coover * Sports|ethics|literature 10.28.2016

Your Predictions, Revisited What is one Q you have for us to discuss? What is one prediction you have? Will Henry ever stop playing, since it’s clearly affecting his life? If Henry has to choose, which will he choose? How will it affect the other “half” of his life? Why did Henry allow Damon to be killed when he’s in control of the game? Why does Henry ‘teleport’ into the narrative from multiple characters’ perspectives? Why doesn’t Henry watch real baseball? How does Henry’s career as an accountant lead to this obsession with UBA? What the hell is up with the political parties? Henry’s game with Lou will not go well: Lou won’t be serious enough, or Lou will think he’s insane. Henry is schizophrenic. Henry might have dissociative identity disorder. Henry will have to choose between his “real life” and the UBA. Henry might not be able to choose: breakdown more likely than triumph. His “real life” will become a new game; or, he takes the rules of the UBA into his “real life.” He might make major life decisions based on the roll of the dice: 1-1-1 = not so good.

Finishing UBA How does Henry’s game with Lou go? What kind of a God is Henry? Ch. 6 opening passage (183) 186-187: Hettie leaving Pizza, pt. 1 200: “That cold Zifferblatt-like expression of incredulity and distrust…” 211: “You clumsy, goddamn idiot!” 212-214: “Six. Six. Six.” 167: pawn’s-eye view Bancroft writes The UBA in the Balance 239: “I got the idea that maybe this whole goddamn Association has got some kind of screw loose…” 245: Costen Migod: Homo Ludens and “God exists and he is a nut.”

Political Parties/Final Chapter: whoa! 158-163: Fenn McCaffree and the Legalist party 228-229: evolution of political parties summarized 232-233: Damonites and Caseyites 232: “The Parable of the Duel” 234: Damonites believe in “Plain simple-minded faith in the ultimate power of justice and truth.” Is Henry supposed to be Barry Bancroft, who was assassinated? 252: Rise of the Caseyites and then Damonites At the most basic level: Is Henry still alive at the end of the novel?

Allen Guttmann, From Ritual to Record (1978) Guttmann, a sports historian who taught at Amherst College for more than 50 years, argued that there are seven characteristics of “modern sports” that differentiate it from “pre-modern” sports Pre-modern sports are predominantly about community rituals, Greek Olympiads and South American and European festivals that emphasized tribalism and communal togetherness against ritualized Others and outsiders

The 7 Characteristics of Modern Sport Secularism – sport divorced from religious festivals Equality of Opportunity – sport as a way for lower and middle classes (and women, and non-whites) to attain social status Specialization of Roles – no more town versus town soccer matches full of huddled masses Rationalization – the formalization of rules structures, fields of play, etc. Bureaucratic Organization – with formal rules comes governance, leadership, owners, etc. Quantification – if you can’t chart it, it doesn’t count Quest for Records – contemporary immortality

Final Question, leading to UBA prompts When the novel ends, is the Universal Baseball Association a modern or pre-modern form of sports?