Insights from the Outfield (Peanuts at Work & Play)

Rating:
Summary: Think of this as a prospectus for a great "Peanuts" book
Review: "Insights from the Outfield" is a pretty good idea for a "Peanuts" collection from Charles Schulz. After all, for decades America's loveable loser Charlie Brown trudged out to the mound to pitch his team to the longest losing streak in the history of western civilization. If you are a true aficionado of "Peanuts" then you should be able to remember where everybody played: Schroeder was the catcher, Snoopy and Linus the keystone combination, and Lucy offered the titular insights from the vantage point of the outfield. More importantly you should be able to recall some of the classic baseball strips (should Charlie Brown try to steal home? Can Linus really play while holding his blanket?). There is a veritable gold mind of "Peanuts" baseball strips out there, all of which are imbued with the gentle wit and wisdom of one of the great cartoonists.

The only problem is that in "Insights From The Outfield" there is a grand total of only ten "Peanuts" cartoon strips in this slim volume. To be fair four of them are longer ones pulled from the Sunday funnies, but that is a mere pittance for all the gold that is in them thar hills. Besides, as the book itself observes halfway through, most of what happens takes place on the pitching mound and not in the outfield (but it is the contrast of INsights with the OUTfield that is supposed to hook you). Consequently, what we have here amounts to simply warming up before the start of the game. There is a wonderful book to be written about the humor and spirit of America's favorite pastime from the pen of Charles Schultz, but this is not that book.

That book should be published and it should be written by someone who does more than put a few comic strips together by simple categories and blows up some panels larger than others to help drive home a point. This idealized volume does not need to be as academic as "The Gospel According to Peanuts," but in addition to collecting our favorite strips on the subject it should also provide commentary. After all, the approaches of Charlie Brown, Snoop and Lucy to the game are as diverse as those of Marvelous Marv Throneberry, Mark "The Bird" Fydrich, and Tyrus Raymond Cobb (How can you have a "Peanuts" book on baseball that does not mention Joe Slobatnik?) They deserve to be explored in something closer to extra innings than simply this little warm up on the sidelines.