Seven members of the University community are among the 30 essayists whose work fills the pages of "The Love of Baseball," a passionate testament to the life-lessons of the nation’s pastime. 
Writer Chris Arvidson ('97M) co-edited the collection of stories that are at the same time personal and portray experiences common to many an American.
"It's really not at all surprising that people in academia love baseball—we instinctively appreciate a great narrative and each game is really a story," Arvidson said.
Among the contributing writers is the following group from the University:
Arvidson ('97M) and Henry Doss ('76 and '17M), each of whom is an instructor in English; Ellyn Ritterskamp, instructor in philosophy; Sam Watson, professor emeritus of English; Rebecca Laxton ('18M); Nancy Gutierrez, dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences; and Stephen Ward, executive director of University Communications.
The book is already among the year’s best sellers of publisher McFarland. It is available at Amazon.com and in many stores.
Pictured above (left to right): Gutierrez, Arvidson, Doss, Laxton and Ward,