PDF Summary:Wait Till Next Year, by Doris Kearns Goodwin

What began as a childhood passion for the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team gradually evolved into a life-defining pursuit for author Doris Kearns Goodwin. In her memoir Wait Till Next Year, Goodwin narrates how the Dodgers played an integral role in shaping her formative years, her perspectives on community, and even her spiritual convictions. Through her vibrant recollections, she paints a picture of a tight-knit Long Island neighborhood where the triumphs and setbacks of the beloved ball club were felt deeply, cementing the team's significance in her identity.

As television brought new dimensions to her baseball experience, Goodwin found herself confronting profound questions surrounding the fragility of tradition when the Dodgers left Brooklyn for Los Angeles. Ultimately, her steadfast passion for the sport led her to embrace the underdog spirit of the Boston Red Sox as her team—a resilience mirroring her own as she navigated life's shifting tides.

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Other Perspectives

• While the author's passion for the Dodgers is intertwined with community spirit and family dynamics, it's possible that other factors also played a significant role in shaping her enthusiasm for the team that are not as prominently discussed.
• The influence of family and community bonds on Goodwin's devotion to the Dodgers might overshadow individual agency in developing personal interests and passions.
• The unity among Southard Avenue residents might not have been solely due to a shared passion for the local baseball team; other community interests and activities could have also contributed to the camaraderie.
• The portrayal of neighbors on Southard Avenue as an extended family could be idealized, potentially overlooking the complexities and conflicts that can exist within any community.
• The friendly rivalries stemming from different baseball team loyalties might not always have been positive, as sports rivalries can sometimes lead to tension or conflict.
• The reflection of wider societal circumstances in the community's baseball loyalties could be an oversimplification, as individuals' reasons for supporting a team can be varied and complex.
• The role of communal spaces and local stores as hubs for social gatherings and baseball celebrations might not have been as central for some individuals, who may have found community and celebration in different venues or through other interests.
• The deep connection of the author's family life to their support for the Dodgers might not be a universal experience; other families might bond over different interests or have less interest in sports.
• The nurturing of a bond through a shared love for the Dodgers suggests a positive family dynamic, but it's important to recognize that not all family bonding activities are centered around sports or shared hobbies.
• The profound effect of the victories and challenges of the Brooklyn baseball team on the author and her family might not resonate with everyone, as people engage with sports to varying degrees and with different emotional investments.

The writer's passion for baseball was deeply intertwined with her spiritual convictions, each influencing the other.

This segment of the story delves into how, during her formative years, her steadfast loyalty to the Brooklyn baseball team intertwined with her spiritual convictions. Doris Kearns Goodwin reflects on how these structures instilled in her early existence a feeling of belonging, structure, and importance. She also acknowledges that her unwavering commitment sometimes conflicted with her religious beliefs, leading her to confront intricate moral quandaries and enhance her understanding of ethical values.

The author's formative years were deeply shaped by her steadfast devotion to the Brooklyn Dodgers and the values instilled by her Catholic upbringing.

Goodwin underscores the significant impact that both baseball and her Catholic faith had on her formative years. The systems instilled a feeling of structure, tradition, and communal belonging. The Dodgers' yearly journey, beginning with spring training, advancing through the regular season, and culminating in the playoffs, was reminiscent of the Catholic calendar's holy days, celebratory events, and revered customs.

Doris Kearns Goodwin found comfort and stability in both systems. The team from Brooklyn, known for its stable roster of players each with their own distinctive habits, offered a comforting sense of constancy and recognition, akin to her neighborhood church with its lasting ceremonies, soothing customs, and esteemed personalities.

The author's routine of detailing Dodgers games each evening was akin to her thorough Catholic prayers and devotions.

Doris Kearns Goodwin creates a touching comparison between the detailed summaries of baseball games she discussed with her father each evening and the careful prayers from her days in Catholic school. Both were performed with meticulous care and a sense of solemn obligation. She meticulously recorded every play of the game in her crimson scorebook, a practice she paired with her precise recitation of a certain number of Hail Marys and Our Fathers, in her quest for perfection and divine favor.

She describes her thoroughness as stemming from an intrinsic desire to impose structure and manageability within an environment that frequently seemed erratic and disorderly. The consistent practices of baseball, coupled with the tenets of Catholicism, provided comfort, a sense of mastery over her surroundings, and a bond with the larger community, instilling in her a feeling of being part of something larger than her own existence.

The author likened the revered traditions and solemn majesty of her faith to the cherished rituals found within baseball.

Doris Kearns Goodwin found herself profoundly drawn to the solemn grandeur and symbolic importance of both baseball and Catholicism. The Dodgers' home games at Ebbets Field captivated her with their distinctive features, fervent fan base, and lively traditions, just as the grand design, the detailed stained-glass, and the hallowed rituals of her neighborhood place of worship, St. Agnes, enchanted her.

The author reminisces on how such shared experiences fostered a sense of wonder and inventiveness, offering a respite from the mundane elements of everyday life. She found solace and inspiration in the disciplined rituals of her religious beliefs and the sport of baseball, which provided a sense of community, consistency, and a connection to a broader reality that surpassed her personal encounters.

The author's religious beliefs and moral framework at times came into tension with her fervent Dodgers partisanship

This section of the narrative explores the moral dilemmas that arise as the author grapples with her intense allegiance to the Dodgers. She openly admits that her competitive nature sometimes led to behaviors and reflections that were at odds with her religious teachings, which in turn caused her to experience feelings of guilt and confusion.

The author grappled with the moral conflict of wishing ill on competing teams, a battle that juxtaposed her spiritual convictions with her devotion to the sports team she cherished deeply.

Goodwin openly grapples with the ethical dilemmas of harboring ill will towards rival players. As a devout Catholic, she learned from an early age that harboring ill will towards others was not acceptable. Her unwavering enthusiasm for the Dodgers frequently found her hoping earnestly for their triumph, even if it meant that rival teams had to compete without their essential players due to injuries.

She vividly recalls the moment of her first confession when, amidst sobs, she admitted to the priest her wish for calamities, including broken bones, to befall the Philadelphia Phillies' pitcher, Robin Roberts. The clergyman, who was also a fan of the Dodgers, offered her solace by emphasizing that her competitive nature was understandable and encouraged her to revel in her team's successes rather than holding grudges against rival teams.

The author's Catholic education and teachers helped her develop a more nuanced political and social awareness beyond just sports

Goodwin credits her Catholic education and instructors with broadening her political and social consciousness beyond just the realm of baseball. They encouraged her to think critically about current events, to challenge injustice, and to engage in civic action. She specifically mentions her educator in social studies, Mr. Jenkins, who utilized the school integration events in Arkansas to spark classroom discussions on desegregation, federal authority, and the moral imperative to maintain racial equality.

Other Perspectives

• While the author's devotion to the Brooklyn Dodgers and her Catholic upbringing were significant, it's possible that other factors also played a crucial role in her formative years that are not as emphasized.
• The comparison between detailing Dodgers games and Catholic prayers might overlook the unique aspects of each practice and how they individually contribute to personal development.
• The idea that the traditions of baseball can hold the same solemn majesty as those of a faith might not resonate with everyone, as some may see sports as less spiritually significant than religious rituals.
• The tension between the author's religious beliefs and her partisanship for the Dodgers could be seen as a personal struggle rather than a universal experience shared by all who hold religious beliefs and are also sports fans.
• The moral conflict of wishing ill on competing teams is presented as a juxtaposition of spiritual convictions and sports devotion, but others might argue that such feelings are a natural part of being a fan and don't necessarily reflect a deeper moral or ethical struggle.
• The influence of the author's Catholic education on her political and social awareness is highlighted, but it's possible that her awareness and critical thinking skills could have also been influenced by other educational experiences or personal encounters outside of her religious education.

The author's passion for the Dodgers developed during a period marked by substantial changes in society and advancements in media and technology.

Goodwin explores the profound shifts in society and technology, particularly the rise of television, which transformed the perception of baseball and influenced her own connection with the game as a fan. She recounts the way the advent of television introduced a visual dimension that augmented her appreciation for baseball, fostering a sense of community as neighbors congregated in each other's living spaces to watch the games together. However, she also acknowledges the disconcerting impact that the relocation of the Dodgers to Los Angeles had, forcing her to confront the fragility of cherished traditions and the undeniable reality of change.

Television's arrival changed how the author experienced and took pleasure in the Dodgers' matches.

Goodwin provides a vivid depiction of the transformative impact television had on her family's engagement with Dodgers games. Previously, she had harnessed her imaginative talents to picture the scenarios as they were narrated through live radio transmissions. She had become adept at watching the players closely, noting their individual quirks, expressions, and signature ways of playing the game.

She recounts how incorporating this visual aspect deepened her connection with the athletes and the sports they played. She had grown sensitive to the subtleties of their abilities, admiring their graceful behavior, and the depth of their feelings. However, she acknowledges that while television occasionally created a sense of disconnection, it transformed the communal closeness experienced during radio broadcasts into a more detached act of watching.

The author discovered that her enjoyment of the games significantly increased when she transitioned from listening to them on the radio to watching them on the television screen.

Goodwin recounts how her fandom for baseball was significantly shaped by the shift from listening to games on the radio to watching them unfold on television. Doris cherished the nightly ritual of exchanging tales of baseball with her father, which was enriched by the advent of television, providing her with the ability to enhance her stories with images rather than relying solely on spoken narratives and imaginative depiction. She could now witness the game as it happened, directly in front of her.

As television sets grew in popularity within her neighborhood, residents began to gather in the living rooms of their fellow neighbors to collectively watch the games of the local baseball team. The excitement of the game intensified the connection and passion among fans, who together reveled in the joy of victory and shared a sense of camaraderie in loss.

Television also allowed the author to connect with her entire community through new channels as they collectively appreciated the beloved baseball team hailing from the borough known for its iconic bridge.

Goodwin illustrates the transformation of baseball into a visually captivating spectacle that, with the rise of television, moved from the realm of radio-induced imagination to being directly transmitted into the comfort of viewers' homes. Families could now congregate in front of the dimly lit monochrome television, watching together as their heroes executed daring slides to score, propelled spheres into the audience, and showcased their agility and skill in securing balls hit high into the air.

The author's Dodgers fandom was deeply shaken by the team's move from Brooklyn to Los Angeles

Goodwin narrates the profound impact on Brooklyn's inhabitants caused by the Dodgers' move to Los Angeles in 1957. The alteration in the baseball scene signified the end of an important era, cutting off the team's deep-rooted connections with its iconic stadium and leading to a surge of disenchanted fans. Goodwin grappled with a sense of betrayal, sorrow, and disillusionment as the baseball team, which had been a foundational part of her childhood, moved abruptly to a distant and unfamiliar location.

The author lamented the loss of connection with the cherished past and the loyal fans that the Dodgers once treasured.

Goodwin poignantly conveys the collective sorrow experienced by Dodgers fans when the team left Brooklyn. She characterizes the emptiness as a deep-seated feeling of bereavement, comparable to losing someone close, which resulted in an unfilled gap that was difficult to remedy. The team from Brooklyn represented not only a group dedicated to athletics but also captured the very soul of the borough, reflecting its working-class roots and the enduring collective ethos of the people who lived there.

The team's move to Los Angeles severed a deep connection, leaving behind lasting feelings of betrayal and resentment among the disheartened fans toward the individual they blamed. Goodwin struggled to reconcile her love for the team with her feelings of betrayal stemming from their relocation.

The author initially found it challenging to maintain her passion for the team after they moved, but she eventually adopted the Boston Red Sox as her new favorite in the sport.

Goodwin candidly admits that her ability to remain a Dodgers fan was undermined by deep-seated feelings of pain and disloyalty after the team moved to Los Angeles. She consciously avoided any involvement with baseball for a considerable time, deliberately ignoring the newspapers' box scores and abstaining from conversations about the team that was once very close to her heart. Doris Kearns Goodwin's unmistakable passion for baseball captivated and commanded attention.

During graduate school at Harvard, she was persuaded to attend a Red Sox game at Fenway Park, where the familiar sights and sounds of the old ballpark rekindled her passion for baseball. Her unwavering enthusiasm for the sport of baseball found new life through a team that, much like the one she previously favored, epitomized the eternal underdog and was characterized by a legacy of frequent letdowns.

Other Perspectives

• While television enhanced the author's experience, it could be argued that it also commercialized the sport, potentially detracting from the purity of the game as a pastime and leading to a more passive form of fandom.
• The increased enjoyment from watching games on television might overlook the unique charm and communal storytelling aspect of radio broadcasts, which could foster a more active use of imagination and personal connection to the game.
• The idea that television allowed the author to connect with the entire community might be countered by the suggestion that it also began the trend of individualized entertainment, which could lead to less physical communal interaction over time.
• The deep emotional response to the Dodgers' move might overshadow the economic and strategic reasons for the team's relocation, which could be viewed as a necessary evolution in the business of sports.
• The lamentation of the loss of connection with the Dodgers could be seen as a resistance to change, which is an inherent part of sports and community evolution.
• The difficulty in maintaining passion for the Dodgers post-move could be contrasted with the perspective that true fandom endures despite geographical changes, and that loyalty to a team isn't necessarily contingent on their location.
• The adoption of the Boston Red Sox as a new favorite might be critiqued as a form of bandwagoning, which some might argue isn't in keeping with the spirit of dedicated sports fandom that persists through thick and thin.