Reflection

What did you enjoy about this project?

More than anything, I enjoyed hearing the stories from the interviews that I conducted. It really gave me an idea of the brotherhood that was established on this team, and also painted a picture of what baseball was like in the 1970s. It was extremely rewarding to learn about the game that I love and what it was like back in the day.

What surprised you about this project?

The most surprising thing that I encountered was the fact that many of these former players still keep in contact with eachother. That is hard to do after 40+ years of being out of college. I know that I have a group of friends that I would love to stay in contact with for the rest of my life and it really gave me hope that this can happen.

What was the most challenging aspect of the project, and how did you manage it?

The most challenging aspect of this project was finding quality sources, and getting my interviews lined up. With a little bit of persistence and help from the alumni center, I was able to manage it. At first, I was having a really hard time finding primary sources to compliment my secondary sources, but once I conducted the interviews, my project really started to come together.

If you could start over, what would you do differently?

I would make sure that I recorded the interviews instead of just taking notes on them while they were happening. Taking notes is certainly efficient, but if I could have found a way to record the phone interviews, maybe I could have even more authentic information and stories of the 1972 season.

What did you learn about history and/or the historical process through this project?

I learned that you can find authentic and interesting stories from decades ago if you dig deep enough into your primary sources. A lot of times people think that history is just in a book or on a website, but if you find the right archives databases or even the right people, a whole new world of information can be opened up.

What did you learn through this project that can be applied to life outside the classroom?

I learned to always be persistent, as the right questions, and most of all, appreciate the teammates that I will have throughout my baseball career just like the guys on the 1972 team did.