Baseball On The Border - 97 edition

Klein, Alan M. : Northeastern University

Alan M. Klein is Professor of Sociology and Anthropology at Northeastern University. He is the author of Sugarball: The American Game, The Dominican Dream, and Little Big Men: Bodybuilding Subculture and Gender Construction.

"This work is a superb lab experiment in the hands of a competent anthropologist like Klein as he tries to separate fantasy from reality in this dual cultural baseball experiment.... An excellent book."

--Bill Kirwin, Nine: A Journal of Baseball History and Social Policy Perspectives

"Klein does a fine job of reporting, and his prose is muscular, insightful, even witty."

-Jon Caroulis, Philadelphia Inquirer

"The book is very well written. . . . It contributes greatly to the literature on the cultural basis of sport, to our understanding of the manner in which cultural inventions reflect national identity and processes, and substantiates an important insight to the idea that sport may provide a window to ongoing social change."

--Carlos VelezIbanez, American Anthropologist

"Few studies of this nature exist. Klein's general argument about trinationalism and sports is interesting, and he has also provided enough historical context and indepth material on social relationships to make a solid addition to studies of the border and Southwestern race relations, as well."

--Douglas E. Foley, University of Texas at Austin

"This stimulating and insightful book enlarges our understanding of nationalism and identity in a borderlands context. Klein skillfully uses baseball and ethnography to get at the dynamics of international relations as well as the harmonious and conflictive interaction among Mexicans, Anglo Americans, and Mexican Americans. A must read for scholars and aficionados of the workings of border society."

--Joseph Arbena, Clemson University

"With Klein's Baseball on the Border we are treated to a glimpse of what an astute observer of social life, popular culture, and sport can teach us about larger cultural issues. With a sensitive eye for detail, a nuanced understanding of culture, and conceptual acumen, Klein provides a fascinating account of baseball as a transnational phenomenon. Not only do we learn about how baseball is played within the context of these diverging cultures, but we also learn about the structural dimensions of nationalism and how this gets borne out through sport."

--Patricia A. Adler, University of Colorado, and Peter Adler, University of Denver

"Read this book, enjoy the characterizations of the players, managers, and administrators ... listen to the crowd cheer for their home town heroes, and pause to think, as Klein paints the picture with a masters stroke, of what this [book] can tell us about transnational relations and the impact of sport."

--Patricia A. Adler and Peter Adler, authors of Backboards and Blackboards

From the Publisher's Web Site, June, 2002

Preface
Introduction

Pt. 1 Origins

1 A Brief History of the Two Laredos
2 Early Baseball on the Border
3 Nationalizing the Game

Pt. 2 Becoming Tecos

4 The Players and the Team
5 Culture and Masculinity on the Tecos

Pt. 3 The River Joins and the River Divides

6 1993: The Best of Times
7 1994: The Worst of Times

Acknowledgments
Appendix A
Bibliographic Essay: Border and Nationalisms
Appendix B
Methods and Perspective
Notes
Index