Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin on Her Love of Baseball Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again. × Search search POPULAR SEARCHES SUGGESTED LINKS Join AARP for just $9 per year when you sign up for a 5-year term. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Leaving AARP.org Website You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply. Close
Baseball Is Forever for Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin
The stadium may look empty but it s full of memories
Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, 77, wrote about her baseball-loving childhood in “Wait Till Next Year.” Sasha Israel Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. When the Dodgers abandoned us and moved to Los Angeles, in 1958, I gave up baseball for a while. Then, in the 1960s, while I was at Harvard, my boyfriend took me to Fenway Park to see the Red Sox. The warmth of Fenway reminded me of Ebbets Field, and there was an eerie similarity between the two teams. They would be close to winning, yet always seemed to lose at the last minute. Goodwin at Fenway Park with granddaughters Lena, left, and Willa, center. Courtesy Doris Kearns Goodwin Later, my husband, Richard, and our kids became totally involved with the Red Sox. We have had season tickets for more than 40 years. Sharing a love of baseball has been a huge part of our lives — and a bond with other fans throughout our community. When you're young you care a lot about wins and losses. The older you get, the more you appreciate the moments — moments in the game and moments with your family at the ballpark, moments when everything seems good. Those are the times you have to truly absorb and be grateful for, because things change. There will always be ups and downs, and life will take its toll. With the spread of the , our community has been upended. The start of the baseball season has been postponed, and life has been disrupted. But if we tell the stories of how we got through prior crises, we can find solace and perspective. I will always be grateful for these curious loves of history and baseball. My kids never had a chance to meet their grandfather. My husband died just two years ago. But now when my children and grandchildren are together at a game, the family members we have loved and lost live on through the memories we share and the stories we will continue to tell. — As told to Tara McClellan McAndrew MORE FROM AARP AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Flights & Vacation Packages offers > See more Finances offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS