Doug Fryday

The Legends of the Mooseheads Doug Fryday

Who knew that a "philosophy of sports" would reveal itself so clearly through the experiences of a recreational softball team (The Mooseheads) in an over-40's men's City League. The Mooseheads were a 1-win/19-loss team racked with disunity and disharmony, but within two years these same well-seasoned players (with a few additions) became League Champions, including an undefeated regular season. This is what materializes when men truly play for the "love of the game" and not a paycheck. Fairness, camaraderie, and team "chemistry" became the focus, and these fundamental dynamics were each advanced within and because of an entirely democratic process. The transformation of their culture - and very sense of self - was restructured, reorganized, and changed forever; the results manifested both on and off of the playing field. Bottom line: It worked gloriously. The heart of the book centers on the dynamic of the four "Dons". In a tribute to the communications media of the day, Internet exchanges fostered an emerging team dynamic and, consequently, the rapid success of the team. The balance of the book illuminates the conscious and sometimes unexpected alchemy practiced by the brotherhood of the Mooseheads, known heretofore as the "Finest of Men," as they shaped their culture, world, and destinies. As a study of a new and emerging "sport of philosophy", this book examines the very meaning of culture and philosophy in everyday life. From Aristotle to Joseph Campbell, Marcus Aurelius thru Immanuel Kant to William James, Zen Buddhism to "Chaos Theory" and Quantum Mechanics (to name just a few), theories in philosophy and about humanity lent themselves perfectly to Mooseheads behavior and evolution. The author's perspective is that THE description of reality is the proper realm of philosophy-multifaceted and often contradictory, yet co-implicatory. And, if it cannot adequately describe and incorporate the reality of men playing softball, it is deficient. When the Mooseheads ch