The Legends of the Mooseheads

About the Book

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 challenged some of the greatest philosophers of all time to a softball game in Chapter XXIV, the “sport of philosophy” is revealed fully. 

The “Legends of the Mooseheads” presents a timely and enjoyable template for transforming ‘team’ cultures. The lessons apply to sports, coaches at any level, all players -- even corporations needing ‘group-efforts’ for success. The formulas, standards, and dynamics revealed represent a clear philosophy of sports and life. For philosophers

and well-seasoned team players, this story reaffirms that "life is never 'just a game'."

About the Author

About the Author

            Doug saw much of the world before his 10^th birthday. Born in 1951 in a rural farming community in Nebraska, he then moved to upstate, rural New York. After he turned five he traveled with his parents to the Philippines where they served as Protestant missionaries for the next four years. After circling the rest of the globe, the family returned to the United States in 1961.  His parents separated and divorced. Thereafter, he traveled with his mother and brother to Southern California to be near his maternal grandfather, also a minister.  Additionally, his paternal grandfather was a minister. 

            The 1960’s impacted Doug’s life as it did most of his generation. After attending several Universities, he settled into the University of California at Davis by the mid 1970’s.  He left his studies in International Relations and Economics to work full time on a U.S. Senate race, which fell short. By the end of the 1970’s he had married and begun the titanic task of raising two sons. 

            Academic interests kept Doug’s attention, but were only sporadically advanced until the mid 1990’s. His interests over the decades had gravitated to philosophy, where he studied Bertrand Russell and Friedrich Nietzsche in his leisure time.  He returned to formal studies at Dominican College (now Dominican University) of San Rafael, CA. For the next number of years he studied the history of philosophy from Pre-Socratic times to present. An as yet unread but submitted thesis on Friedrich Nietzsche’s ‘Will to Power’ remains between him and his B.A.  

To date Doug carries two building contractor’s licenses and makes his living remodeling properties. Add into this a grand love for baseball and softball and the material practicality of life manifests itself for him. The diversity, if not duality, between the theoretical life of academia and philosophy versus the sweat and toil of construction and sports have profoundly influenced Doug’s perceptions about both ‘worlds’.

The Legends of the Mooseheads is a reconciliation of the two worlds Doug lives in. It is both a ‘philosophy of sports’ and an example of the ‘sport of philosophy’. It is Doug’s belief that philosophies, which cannot meet the tests of everyday life, should be left in the classroom.  Conversely, if everyday life cannot include the gamut of the greatest thoughts and understandings of humanity, then it is possibly lacking as well. 

Doug currently lives in Florida, has efficiently avoided all hurricanes thus far, yet still prefers San Francisco fog to Southern Fried humidity, and hasn’t played serious softball in months.