No man ever prayed heartily without learning something - Ralph Waldo Emerson

In his just released book, "If They Only Knew" former major league catcher Darren Daulton does not give fans what they may have wanted. Though he admits in the book he originally wrote about "dirty laundry" from his spectacular 1993 season with the Phillies, he had a change of heart. While it's easy to pass judgment about the ideas he's sharing here, what shines through is a man searching for meaning in his life and attempting to connect with others on the same path. It's a universal theme and he goes to work expressing what meaning he's found and is still looking for.

While metaphysics is nothing new, who these ideas are coming from could be the biggest problem for the public.

Darren Daulton (a former Philadelphia Phillies and Florida Marlins catcher) was known as a man with a tough hide (or knees), a symbol of masculinity in his fourteen year professional career: popular with women, a relentless competitor, and a guy other guys could see themselves hanging out with. He wasn't expected to be the kind of guy who talked about the things he explores in his book. Perhaps reading the book with a different person as the author would go over better. There are after all many books covering this subject.

The feelings about life he shares are thought-provoking. He is adamant that there are no victims in life in the chapter "Reincarnation" and interestingly refers to life as "the game." "If there were [victims]," he says, "the game would be flawed." He then goes on to recall a bible passage and says with passion, "He [God] doesn't leave anyone!"

Sports Illustrated writer Franz Lidz mockingly wrote about Daulton in a piece titled "Beam Me Up Dutchie" in February 2006, reducing Daulton's (and so many others) beliefs in the metaphysical to a crude joke that garnered Lidz a tremendous amount of press. "Dutch" does talk about something called the 4 th dimension and astral travel, when one can leave the physical body.

In the chapter dedicated to astral travel Daulton talks again about being a player in the game of life. "You will be guided and are never alone, even though you will definitely feel alone." He also explains the meaning of Peter Gabriel song "Solsbury Hill," - kind of cool for a Peter Gabriel fan. I didn't have a clue where that hill was.

Daulton has clearly spent a lot of time studying metaphysical practices and ideology and quotes the community of thinkers who study and believe in it, including Ellie Crystal and Watchman Nee. Some of the ideas about traveling to other planes mentally might seem too far-fetched for readers, but he doesn't profess to understand it all. It's his faith.

At times the book has a casual tone, and an endearing and humorous quality. In the chapter "What we know and where we are going" Daulton talks about the power of intuition. "Remember walking into a room and having the feeling to leave immediately come over you? This is your soul telling you it's time to get the hell out of there."

No matter what you think or believe religiously, what stands out in this text is his sincerity.

The journey "Dutch" is on is no different than anyone else's. In the end, he's looking for answers the way we all are. In "If They Only Knew" he wears his heart on his sleeve and does a fine job of describing his own search for personal truth.