It’s long been said that baseball is a metaphor for life — and in some cases, that life is a metaphor for baseball. Anyone who’s played the game, or been around the game, can see how the lessons learned on the diamond can be applied to situations off the field.

Phil Christopher, a preacher, and Glenn Dromgoole, a journalist and author – both from Abilene, Texas – compile a number of these lessons in Parables from the Diamond – Meditations for Men on Baseball & Life.

The format of each lesson is the same – a quote from a ballplayer, manager, or someone in the game, followed by commentary, observations and questions, which in turn is followed “the 3-2 pitch,” a direct question that challenges you to not just look at your life.

It only took me a few hours to get through the entire book, which in retrospect, was probably not the best way to read it. This is a book that really is best read over the course of several days or weeks. It is meant to be – and it is – a book that can challenge you on a daily basis. From being proud of the uniform you put on to dealing with disappointment, the authors provide 50 different topics and challenges and meditations.

While co-written by a preacher, the book does have a spiritual side to it without being overly religious. It does present the typical western and Christian idea of God – but it didn’t strike me as enough of an issue to make it an obstacle that any reasonable person should find interference from. As long as you identify yourself as a spiritual being, you should get a good amount out of this book.

The only thing I would critique about the book is that it’s directed towards men. There is nothing in the book that made me think it wouldn’t make sense for both men and women – dropping “for men” out of the subtitle would be just fine by me.

This is a remarkably simple book – which is a positive in my book. Life isn’t always simple, but the messages and principles of leading a good life generally are – and the authors do a very good job in distilling complicated issues down to simple parables and questions. Simple is difficult of course – there isn’t a lot of wiggle room when it comes to simple directions.

At just 96 pages, this is an easy read that would be fitting on your bedside table as something you could read right when you wake up, or right before bed. It’s an easy book to pick up and find something inside it to challenge you as you go throughout the day. With a list price of just $9.95, it’s an affordable purchase that you should provide you many good reads.