The Batboy

The Omnipresent Influence of Baseball is further emphasized when the Tigers’ busy game schedule grows to dominate Brian’s nights as well as his days; this aspect of his life is fully emphasized with the sleepover in Chapter 10. Whether he is playing his Little League games, helping with the Tigers’ Sunday-night baseball game, or sleeping over at Comerica Park in preparation for the Tigers’ Monday afternoon game, baseball engulfs Brian. However, Lupica also makes it clear that the game does not function as a cure-all for Brian’s problems at home. Baseball cannot bring his father back, and because it falls short, it also exacerbates his melancholy. Brian’s persistent sadness over the absence of his father indicates Cole’s importance in his early life, and the protagonist’s need for a father figure also explains his eagerness to bond with his favorite baseball hero, Hank Bishop. Significantly, just as Brian’s father is neglecting him, Hank also fails to perceive the deeper need for a mentor and friend that drives the young batboy’s attempts to strike up a conversation.

Seeing the gross imbalance in her son’s life, Liz continues to try to curb baseball’s all-consuming presence, and she must also contend with her own aversion to the sport, which is a result of her unsuccessful marriage. Initially, when Liz drops off Brian, she stays in her car, and Lupica explicitly states that “this [i]s as close to Comerica—to this world—as she want[s] to get” (49). By refusing to physically enter the park, Liz also sets a firm yet intangible boundary between herself and the world of baseball. Even as she allows Brian to follow his dreams and fully supports his efforts, she institutes limits for herself. When she acknowledges baseball at all, it is on her terms, as when she chooses to watch Baseball Tonight with Brian. Even when she does, her perspective tends more toward details that have nothing to do with the game, as when she observes that Hank has a “killer smile.” This comment also foreshadows the possibility of a romantic attraction between Hank and Liz.

In the midst of Brian’s all-consuming devotion to baseball, the struggle of Overcoming Miscommunication and Forging New Connections also manifests in his interactions with Hank. However, despite his eagerness to have a relationship with his favorite baseball player, he must contend with his hero’s surly bitterness at life in general, as rather than reaching out to the boy in friendliness, Hank doesn’t want to speak with Brian and tells him bluntly, “[D]on’t talk to me” (57). Hank’s rejection upsets Brian deeply, tarnishing his view of his hero somewhat, but he remains undeterred in his efforts to bond even when his friends advise him otherwise. The early series of unpleasant interactions between Hank and Brian suggest that strong relationships sometimes have problematic beginnings, and because the narrative itself is focused on the values of maintaining perseverance and striving for excellence, Lupica suggests that Hank’s initial unfriendliness will not last.

Faced with Hank’s initial rejection, Brian must cope with the necessities of Accepting Disappointments and Major Life Changes. Upon contemplating his troubles, Brian considers Hank’s negative attitude and thinks of the words of Roy Campanella, who said, “You have to have a lot of little boy in you to play this game” (71). Because Hank has become cantankerous due to his past setbacks, he has lost the “little boy” inside of him and no longer finds joy in the game. However, Hank’s negative outlook on his own challenges acts as a sharp contrast to Brian’s approach to life, as although the boy has essentially lost the companionship and guidance of his father, he nonetheless remains true to his passion for baseball and finds creative ways to express this love for the game. In this way, Brian himself stands as a prime example of someone who finds healthy ways to cope with life’s inevitable changes and challenges. Yet even Brian still has some lessons to learn in this regard; although he has many friends and activities to pursue, he still regards his father’s old seat in the stadium with wistful sadness, lamenting the loss of those close moments they once shared together. Because Cole himself is not physically present in Brian’s life, the boy’s preoccupation with the section 135 seating keeps him from fully coming to terms with his father’s continuing absence.