"Christian Sheppard's The Ancient Wisdom of Baseball is a love letter to baseball that explains its connections to our inner lives and to classical lore in a way that makes one pine for Opening Day." -- THEO EPSTEIN

I carry LEAVES OF GRASS on my “loafing expeditions.”

Last minute FATHER'S DAY gift? “For those who love baseball, the game holds deep personal meaning and echoes to the past that are undeniable but often hard to articulate. Christian Sheppard’s THE ANCIENT WISDOM OF BASEBALL is a love letter to baseball that explains its connections to our inner lives and to classical lore in a way that makes one pine for Opening Day.” —Theo Epstein, three-time World Series Champion baseball executive who broke the curses of the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs

MOBY-DICK is our ILIAD HUCKLEBERRY FINN, our ODYSSEY Walt Whitman is our Pindar Emily Dickinson's poems, our (better) version of pastoral Emerson, our Plato Thoreau, or Epictetus

Ezra Pound reads from Canto I of The Cantos, a retelling of the underworld episode from Homer’s Odyssey, in which Odysseus descends into the realm of the dead, offers blood to the shades, and hears Tiresias prophesy the trials awaiting him on his long journey home.

We are deeply saddened by the loss of David Hockney, a visionary and friend to Apple. David showed that creativity has no limits, turning iPad into a canvas for some of the most vibrant art of our time. His legacy will inspire us all to see the world a little more beautifully.

Remembering David Hockney, he was kind and always had a sparkle in his eye. He never stopped experimenting and is one of the finest painters of our generation.

"We live in an age where the artist is forgotten. He is a researcher. I see myself that way" - David Hockney What a brilliant soul- A monumental artist, endlessly curious until the end. RIP 💔

Breaking News: David Hockney, the English artist whose colorful paintings restored the human form to art, defying the abstract schools of the mid-20th century, died at 88. nyti.ms/3S4k0Fx

THEY FOLLOW will be the sequel to IT FOLLOWS. Check the review: christiansheppard.blog/2015/…

I never met Gordon Wood, but I have a story about him. In one of my grad school seminars, we read Wood’s Creation of the American Republic. The sheer erudition and evidentiary depth of the book bowled me over. Back then, before kids and before life accelerated to warp speed, I used to call my mother every Sunday to catch up. Lots of times, we ended up talking about what I was reading that week in my grad seminars or for leisure. Mom had an omnivorous mind, and she was always looking for something else to read. She was a true intellectual—curious about almost everything, always eager to integrate new arguments or ideas into her existing schemas of how the world worked or to have those schemas challenged and changed. When we talked that particular Sunday, I think I tried to describe to her part of Wood’s argument about the relationship between the state constitutions during the Articles of Confederation era and the federal Constitution. Maybe I was tired, maybe I didn’t completely understand her questions, but the end result of the conversation was that Mom had questions about Wood’s argument that I didn’t answer satisfactorily. I told her that she should probably just read the book, and we said goodbye. She did eventually read the book, but the next Sunday, Mom started our conversation by saying, “Well, I had a lovely conversation with Gordon Wood this week.” For a split second, I thought she was joking, but then I remembered who I was dealing with. I started to sweat. “How?” I asked. A whole variety of unlikely scenarios in which the foremost historian of the American Revolution and my mother, who lived in Wichita, Kansas, might have met ran through my mind. “Oh, I just looked up his office phone number on Brown’s website and called, and he picked up!” Mom said. I decided I would have to find another profession. As it ended up, Gordon Wood spent about an hour on the phone with my mother answering her questions about the Constitution. Ever since, I’ve had a soft spot for the man when I imagine him picking up the phone in Providence and finding Becky Elder from Wichita on the other end of the line. His generosity in that moment spoke very well of him. Rest in peace, professor.

RETWEET IF YOU APPRECIATE JAVIER ASSAD!! #Cubs

Tragic news. So jarring and sad. Stacey was so full of life and enthusiasm, as authentic as they come and a cherished link between #Bulls past and present. Chicago’s loss. RIP, Stacey. Condolences to his family and the Bulls organization.

June 6, 1944

That Bear would love her as much as she loved him.

Q: What did Nikki wish for?

A Homer translator whom I’ve always admired is Stanley Lombardo. Although his versification is far terser than mine, he manages to get the essence of each Homeric line. It’s very biting, very bracing. I reviewed his Iliad in 1997 for @nytimesbooks archive.nytimes.com/www.nyti…

Sox in the home pinstripes, Cubs in their away grays, both in Memorial Day army green caps: MLB rivalry weekend, Chicago edition on a Sunday afternoon. Life is good.

Watching Pete in the back of this video is really cool. I’m sure he knows what making a play like that feels like. Really cool to watch one of the best players defensively supporting his guy who is also one of the best in the league.

The White Sox can’t be allowed to win wearing these uniforms.