Connections

Another work that compares to As they see ‘em is a book called Bottom of the 33^rd. Bottom of the 33^rd is a book by Dan Barry, and it details the longest game in baseball history, which lasted 33 innings, while a regular baseball game lasts only 9. Both books, obviously, are about baseball, and both explore hidden baseball worlds that not many people get to experience. As they see ‘em explores the little-known world of umpires, while Bottom of the 33^rd explores the world of the longest game.

The styles of both authors are very similar in how they tell their stories. Both authors speak of the hidden worlds with a very mystical quality, as if they are preserving the customs of their respective worlds in their writing. While Dan Barry did not personally enter the world of the longest game, he captures its magic very well in his writing. Bruce Weber actually entered the Land of Umpires, and so was able to write about them easily, having had experiences from their world.

Figurative connections between these two works can also be found. Both books explore the hidden meanings behind aspects of the worlds they study. For example, when Dan Barry rhetorically asks those involved in the longest game, “Why did you stay?” (14), the players seem to answer, “Because we are bound by duty. Because we aspire to greater things. Because we are loyal. Because, in our own secular way, we are celebrating communion, and resurrection, and possibility” (14). In As they see ‘em, Bruce Weber describes what it is like learning to be an umpire: “You master the fundamentals, you cast them off when they don’t serve, and in the end you accommodate yourself to the game and its participants. It turns out you’re not alone out there. It only feels that way” (3). By giving the reader a look into their respective worlds, Dan Barry and Bruce Weber are able to give the reader a general idea of what being in that world would be like.

In the hidden aspects of each world, both authors show the reader the desires of the characters. In As they see ‘em, the second sentence of the book illustrates a desire for respect: “Umpires place great stock in their appearance, and if you’re caught trying to make a call or follow a play with your hat askew or caught in your mask straps or- the worst- spilled in the dirt, you look foolish, inept, exactly the image you don’t want the ballplayers, the managers and coaches, or the fans to have of you” (1). If the umpire does not demand respect from others on the field, he will not gain any from them. Likewise, in Bottom of the 33^rd, the players, whether they are on the home or away teams, all desire to leave the minor leagues and be called up to the majors: “These ballplayers… played briefly for Boston last season, and are hoping to return to that magical place where someone else carries your luggage” (35). For both books, the main theme of each is desire.