Section 5: Final Thoughts

Hey guys, thanks for tuning back in. This past week I read the last pages of Shadow Ball, and lets just say that it was everything but boring. When we last ended off, Kid had just started a job with Comiskey. Well, during this section, her job with him fully develops to the point where she is living in his home. She is basically his secretary, 24/7. She never gives up music, and plays it whenever she can. However, now it is only a hobby for her. She is able to fully support herself on the pay that Comiskey gives her, and becomes a very independent woman. She has a stable job, a place to live, and always has food on the table. 

The most surprising part of this section to me was Comiskey's decision to sign John Henry Lloyd to the White Sox. As you all know by now, Lloyd is the African American shortstop. He's the best shortstop in any league of his time, so Comiskey feels that he would be his remedy for success. He buys Lloyd's contract from Rube Foster, and it seems that John Henry Lloyd will be the first black to play for a major league team. 

The day of Lloyd's first game is described in great detail. The experience of Sam Weiss, Rube Foster, Charles Comiskey is told in their own point of view. I think this made the story interested, because it allowed me to see how each person prepared for the climax of the story. The one that I found most interesting was Lloyd's point of view. 

When John Henry Lloyd arrives at the stadium, he is escorted to the player's locker room. All the players in there are not very tolerant of him. They do not say anything to his face, but all make snide comments behind his back. None of them feel as though he belongs there, and make sure that they make the other players aware of this. Henry feels the hatred in the air, and becomes very uncomfortable. They all go out onto the field to practice, but Comiskey instructs Lloyd to stay in the locker room for now. He thinks it would be smart to put him on the field at the last second possible to avoid stir in the crowds. 

Kid notices that the place between second and third base is completely empty. This confuses her, so she asks Sam what's going on. He is also confused, and explains to her that this is where Lloyd should be. While in the locker room, John realized that the world simply was not ready for a black major league baseball player. He tears his jersey off, and leaves it in the room. When Comiskey returns this is all that is left, and he is left thoroughly confused.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel, especially the last forty pages or so. Rutkoff developed all  the characters extremely well throughout the entirety of the book, and I felt a connection to almost every single one of them. I would have to say that Kid Douglas, the singer from Mississippi, was my favorite character in the story.  The ending was very interesting, and kept me on my toes the entire time. I would recommend this book to anyone, and have a full expectation that they would enjoy it. Thank you guys for following my posts, and I hope you enjoyed reading them as much as I did writing them.