Baseball expresses basic Christian themes: a primary state of innocence, the batter setting himself at the plate; a temptation, the offering of the ball by the pitcher; a fall, the self-condemnation by hitting the ball to the diminished role of a base runner; sin, the passive touching of a base; faith, running the bases or taking a lead off base; grace, a sudden unmerited aid that leads to advancement on the bases or scoring a run; and the final redemption...