The Million Dollar Shot

“‘Your mom lets you shave your head?’

‘I don’t have a mom,’ she replied, as if she was saying she didn’t have gum.

‘I don’t have a dad,’ I said. ‘Your dad lets you shave your head?’

‘Why not?’ she said, dribbling. ‘He shaves his.’

Couldn’t argue with that.”

This exchange between Eddie and Annie comes from their first interaction and establishes how much the two characters have in common. The event foreshadows the strength of their friendship and hints at the fact that their families will come together at the end of the book. The matter-of-fact way in which Eddie and Annie discuss their missing parents shows that both children are doing their best to cope with grief and overcome the feeling that something is missing in their lives. This scene also exemplifies Annie’s understanding of The Power of Confidence. She is not embarrassed by her appearance and defends her choice to shave her head. This scene also shows how much she looks up to her dad, as she wishes to emulate him by mimicking his appearance, and later, she also replicates his shooting stance on the basketball court.

“Annie explained that by closing her eyes, she’s able to block out all distractions. She can focus in on what she’s trying to do.

‘But you can’t see the rim!’ I protested.

‘I know where the rim is,’ she explained. ‘The rim doesn’t move.’”

This exchange between Eddie and Annie is a pivotal moment in the story and foreshadows Eddie’s struggle to block out distractions. This scene also indicates that Annie has mastered skills and lessons that Eddie has yet to learn. Her confidence is initially an annoyance for Eddie because he is not as confident and feels threatened by her. As Eddie gains more skill, however, Annie’s matter-of-fact understanding of basketball becomes an asset for Eddie because he learns to think like she does.

“‘Whatcha readin’?’ I asked.

‘Dylan Thomas.’

‘Didn’t he play for the Sixers?’

‘That’s Isaiah Thomas.’ She laughed. ‘And he played for the Pistons. Dylan Thomas was a Welsh poet. They’re not related.’”

Here, Eddie has just sat next to Annie on the bus. Up until this point, Eddie has mostly spent time with Annie on the basketball court in their trailer park. While the two have talked about many things other than basketball, this moment drives home the diverging points in their interests. Eddie’s lack of interest in poetry is clear when he confuses a famous poet with a basketball player. This moment also foreshadows the fact that Annie will write the winning poem for the Finkle Foods contest and the slogan for Eddie’s healthy snack company. In addition, the scene shows that Annie is intelligent, well-rounded, and educated.

“Finkles aren’t bad, actually. I was in a Finkle-eating contest at the Finkle picnic last year and I ate ten of them.

I threw up afterward, but I did eat ten and I won first prize—five boxes of Finkles to take home with me. Just what I needed, right?”

This passage comes while the school bus passes the Finkle factory, and these paragraphs are part of the larger introduction of Finkle Foods to the story. Eddie has just described Finkles as snacks made from unhealthy ingredients. In his next breath, however, he asserts that Finkles really aren’t that bad, and the ambiguity of the passage illustrates the community’s mixed feelings about both the snack food and company that prevails in the town. The Finkle contest from a year ago and the grand prize that Eddie won foreshadow the upcoming Finkle basketball contest.

“Mom was right, of course. If she gave me a penny on January first and kept doubling it, on January twenty-sixth she would give me $335,544. The next day she would give me $671,088. Those two days together make more than a million bucks.”

Prior to these lines, Eddie read about the Finkle Foods contest and the million-dollar prize. The sheer amount of money amazes Eddie because he believes that there is no way he could ever have access to that amount of money in his lifetime. However, his mother’s correction introduces Eddie to the concept of compound interest—a financial strategy in which money is gained by earning income on both a principal amount and any interest earned on that amount. Using this system, Eddie determines that he could see $1 million under the right circumstances, and this realization changes his outlook. While the amount no longer feels so unreachable, he realizes that the contest is a quick way to the money and therefore represents a golden opportunity to improve his life.

“For months, Mom had been telling me about rumors that Finkle workers would be laid off. But when it finally happened, it took her by surprise. Me, too. Mom had been working at Finkle Foods for fifteen years. George Finkle gave her fifteen minutes to clean out her locker and leave the factory.”

These lines encapsulate the life-altering moment in which Eddie’s mom loses her job. This event becomes the catalyst for Eddie’s decision to enter the Finkle Foods contest in order to win the money and to get revenge on Mr. Finkle. In addition, this paragraph brings the story into the “real” world. Up until now, Eddie has concerned himself with school and his friends as he’s tried to move on from his dad’s death and his family’s financial troubles. Here, those things are brought back into prominence, and Eddie starts thinking more like an adult. When Eddie’s mom has only 15 minutes to clear out her belongings and leave the Finkle factory after working there for 15 years, the author uses this scene to criticize workplace culture in America, for it was during the 1990s that company loyalty first began to decline. Rather than being released as a valued employee who contributed greatly much to Finkle Foods, Eddie’s mom is dismissed without a second thought and is denied any compensation to help her transition to a new job.

“How could the Pilgrims e’er be contented,

When Savory Finkles had not been invented?

‘That’s it?’ I asked.

‘That’s it.’

‘Poems don’t have just two lines.’

‘They can have just two words if the poet wants them to.’”

The first two lines of this excerpt are the poem that Annie writes for the Finkle Foods contest. Eddie’s reaction shows both his admiration and his annoyance that Annie has created a better poem than he has. He likes the poem but is reluctant to admit it because he still feels threatened by Annie’s confidence. Instead, he argues with her about the length, which turns into an argument about word choice and ends with the two storming away from each other. This excerpt shows that Eddie still has many practical lessons to learn, for he struggles to admit when he is not the best at something.

“You know, I could keep you in suspense for a long time. I could tell you about the three million entries Finkle Foods received from kids all over the country. I could tell you about all the articles on the contest that appeared in newspapers and magazines. I could make you read a bunch of pages in this book before I reveal what happened in the contest.

I could do that, but I won’t. That would be cruel. Besides, I’m busting inside. I have to tell you right away.”

This excerpt from Eddie’s thoughts breaks the wall between the story and the reader. Here, Eddie talks directly to the reader as the story’s narrator, and this approach allows Gutman to comment on the nature of storytelling. Specifically, this passage is a metafictional discussion on the importance of pacing in a story. If Gutman were telling the story of Eddie waiting for news about the contest, the book would have a very different structure. However, because Gutman is telling the story of the Finkle Foods contest shot, he uses Eddie’s perspective to skip forward in time to the next major event in that story: Eddie’s discovery that he has won the poetry contest and will have a chance to make the shot.

“‘Now we gotta work on your head, Eddie. What are you thinkin’ about as you stand at the foul line?’

‘I think about making the shot,’ I said.

‘Wrong!’ he yelled. ‘You don’t want to think about nothin’! When you think, half the time you’re thinkin’ negative thoughts. And negative thoughts make you miss.’”

This exchange between Eddie and Annie’s dad comes while Annie’s dad is coaching Eddie on his form and mindset for the Finkle Foods contest shot. The conversation exemplifies The Link Between Mindset and Outcome. The advice that Annie’s dad gives Eddie shows that a person’s thoughts can affect their physical performance. Thinking about making the shot naturally leads to thoughts about potentially missing the shot. Thus, he advises Eddie to think of nothing at all during the crucial moment.

“‘Sometimes you get one chance in life, Eddie,’ he said as he walked me back to my trailer. ‘One shot. No do-overs. This is your shot. Your opportunity to get out of this dump. Don’t blow it like I did.’”

Prior to this statement, Annie’s dad has just told Eddie about his lost chance to get drafted by the NBA; his prospects were good, but because he was too confident to practice, he missed his chance to perform well. From the dialogue, it is clear that Annie’s dad regrets not taking his one chance more seriously. This moment also foreshadows the relationship between Eddie’s mom and Annie’s dad by showing Annie’s dad fulfilling a father’s role for Eddie.

“Mr. Stokely had instructed me to take five hundred foul shots a day to improve my ‘muscle memory,’ as he called it. After a few days of that, I started shooting free throws in my head. Lying in bed at night, I didn’t count sheep. I counted basketballs swishing through nets.”

This excerpt comes during the trial-and-error phase of the novel, the time in which Eddie prepares for the Finkle Foods shot. As he practices and the fateful day approaches, he finds himself becoming increasingly focused. This focus starts as a conscious decision to learn what Annie’s dad has taught him, but soon, Eddie’s focus also moves into his subconscious, which shows that he is internalizing these lessons. When he counts basketball shots instead of sheep as he drifts off to sleep, the narrative demonstrates that he is fully focusing on the shot during every moment of his life. Eddie is committed to doing whatever it takes to make the shot, and he has let go of his old overconfidence and has adopted better habits and thoughts.

“As I lay in bed that night, I thought it over. If I missed the shot on purpose, I wouldn’t have a million dollars, but my mom would get her job back and we’d be back to normal.

Then I thought it over some more. If I missed the shot on purpose, for the rest of my life I would be thinking that I gave up the chance to make an easy million dollars.

And then I thought it over some more. If I made the shot, I’d get a million dollars and Finkle Foods would probably go out of business. Mom wouldn’t get her job back, of course. But if we had a million dollars she wouldn’t need her job back.

And who knows how many people I might save by driving Finkle out of business and getting Finkles off the market?”

This passage reveals Eddie’s thoughts immediately after Mr. Finkle tries to bribe Eddie into missing the shot on purpose. Mr. Finkle has forbidden Eddie from telling anyone about their discussion, and these running thoughts are the result of Eddie’s efforts to solve a problem that he doesn’t feel equipped to handle. The erratic nature of his thoughts also shows how complicated this choice is for him. Eddie doesn’t want to accede to Mr. Finkle’s bribes or give up his chance to make a difference for his family, but he also likes the certainty that his mom will have a job. The final line brings the debate into the broader world by showing Eddie’s concern for the people who eat Finkles.

“‘This is a bribe, isn’t it?’ I finally said. ‘You’re trying to bribe me to miss the shot so you won’t have to pay me a million dollars.’

‘Bribe is such an ugly word, Eddie. I’m simply offering you a college scholarship to show my appreciation. It’s the least I can do after firing your mother.’”

This exchange between Eddie and Mr. Finkle comes right before Eddie makes his final refusal to miss the shot on purpose. Eddie is forced again to adopt a more mature perspective and confront Mr. Finkle on an adult business level. Mr. Finkle’s twisting of Eddie’s words shows his unscrupulous nature and his willingness to employ questionable business practices. Mr. Finkle knows full well that he is trying to bribe Eddie, but he reframes the bribe to sound less underhanded and presents it as an opportunity for Eddie. This moment solidifies Mr. Finkle as the antagonist of the novel, for he places himself in opposition to Eddie and initiates a hostile tone that characterizes their relationship throughout the rest of the book.

“Dear MISSter Eddie Ball,

Make no MISStake. You’re going to MISS. I’m going to MISS you after you MISS. Will you MISS me?

Your MISStery friend”

This letter is an example of the mind games that Mr. Finkle plays in his efforts to intimidate Eddie into missing the Finkle Foods contest shot. After Eddie refuses to take the bribe that Mr. Finkle offers, Mr. Finkle puts his considerable resources toward making Eddie fearful. Throughout these challenges, however, Eddie remains largely unbothered due to the coaching from Annie’s dad, and his attitude is a testament to The Link Between Mindset and Outcome.

“‘Eddie’s gonna make it,’ his mother told USA Today. ‘You can take it to the bank.’

Eddie will have some help taking it to the bank. In his left back pocket, he carries a Susan B. Anthony silver dollar. He says it was given to him by his father, who passed away two years ago after contracting cancer.

Good luck charm or not, the word on the street is that this kid is shooting five hundred foul shots a day and making nine out of every ten. That would place him among the top free-throw shooters in the NBA this season.”

These paragraphs come from a USA Today article that Eddie reads before the Finkle Foods contest shot. The article is an example of the nationwide celebrity status that Eddie has attained as a result of the contest. The details of his life become a matter of public knowledge, and the article itself represents the increased presence of the media and publicity around sports—a trend that gained considerable traction in the 1990s.

“In the days leading up to the Finals, I noticed that kids at school were acting differently around me. I wasn’t used to so much attention. Everybody knew my name. One day I arrived at school and there was a big banner up over the front of the building—sink it, Eddie! Some kids asked me for autographs. I didn’t want to turn anybody down and act like a jerk. But I didn’t want to pretend to be a celebrity and act like a jerk, either.”

This passage comes shortly before the Finkle Foods contest shot and after Eddie’s story has been widely circulated through the media. In this moment, Eddie realizes how much his life has changed as a result of being chosen to take the shot. The banner at school and the way people treat him stand out because they are huge changes in his day-to-day life. Eddie also realizes that he doesn’t want to change and has not changed as much as all the media attention has implied. His conflicting feelings about being a celebrity show that he has no real interest in attention or fame. Instead, he wants to make the shot to improve his family’s situation.

“Memories of my dad were starting to slip away from me. It was getting harder to remember what he looked like. But I’ll always remember the first time he took me out to shoot hoops. I must have been five or six. The ball felt like a boulder to me then. I kept shooting it with all my might and barely getting it over my own head. Each time, Dad caught the ball in the air, flipped it up into the basket, and told me I had gotten it in by myself.”

This passage represents one of the few times that Eddie relates a memory of his dad. Eddie’s ruminations come at a time of great stress—right before the contest shot. As a result, Eddie falls back on good memories of less stressful times as a way to cope with his current challenges. This memory also shows that basketball has been a part of Eddie’s life since he was very small, and the author implies that much of Eddie’s confidence and talent at basketball comes from these early moments with his father.

“But then the sports guy came on and started talking about the NBA Finals and talking about me.

Too weird! Here I was a nobody from Louisiana eating room service in a fancy New York hotel while watching myself on TV It was like The Twilight Zone or something.”

In this scene, Eddie, his mom, Annie, and Annie’s dad have gone to New York for the NBA game. Upon arriving in the city, Eddie realizes how big the world is and how different it can be from the life he knows. As he revels in the unfamiliar luxuries of a world that is utterly foreign to him, he realizes again just how profoundly the million dollars could change his life. This is also another example of the media hype around sports and the Finkle Foods contest.

“‘This is it,’ Mr. Stokely said, burning his eyes into mine. ‘You ready?’

‘Yeah.’

‘You feel good?’

‘Yeah.’

‘You nervous?’

‘No.’

‘You lyin’?’

‘Yes.’

‘You gonna sink it anyway?’

‘Yeah.’”

This rapid-fire exchange between Eddie and Annie’s dad comes right before Eddie goes to take the contest shot. This moment is the culmination of everything that Annie’s dad has taught Eddie. In particular, the question of nerves is important because it shows that Eddie has internalized The Link Between Mindset and Outcome. Eddie knows that he has to be honest with himself, which is why he tells Annie’s dad he is lying about not being nervous. Lying to himself is too close to having negative thoughts, and as Eddie has learned, negative thoughts will hinder his confidence and accuracy. The final exchange shows how much Eddie has grown and how much confidence he has attained. Even though he is nervous, he still believes in his ability to make the shot, and his certainty reflects the new maturity of his outlook.

“‘My daddy told me we’re rich and you’re poor,’ the kid said. ‘But if you make the shot, we’ll be poor and you’ll be rich. So I hope you miss.’”

This line is spoken by Mr. Finkle’s son when Eddie joins the Finkle family in their private viewing box. The boy’s comment is yet another attempt on Mr. Finkle’s part to try to throw Eddie off balance. The dialogue also shows the consequences of the shot in the simplest terms for both Eddie and Mr. Finkle. If Eddie makes the shot, many lives will change, but if he misses, almost nothing will change. Mr. Finkle’s son clearly does not understand the nuances of the situation, but he has no other perspective than the one his father imposes upon him.

“Unconsciously or not, I gave the ball a little extra push. If I missed, I wanted to miss long. At least there was the chance the ball would bounce off the backboard and drop in. No way I was going to chuck an air ball.”

This passage is placed right after Eddie throws the ball for the contest shot. In the slow-motion chapter after the throw, Eddie has time to think about the shot and the outcome, and this moment shows that he has put considerable effort into doing his best to ensure that the ball goes into the hoop. It also shows that the advice from Annie’s dad has inspired Eddie to think for himself. Eddie realizes that his chances of getting the ball into the hoop are a bit better if he puts some extra push into the shot. This moment also alludes to the air ball that Eddie threw in Chapter 1, and it is clear that he refuses to repeat that poor performance, especially now that so many people are watching and the stakes are so much higher.

“There are a few ways this story could end:

1. I could have missed the shot. If that happened, you’d probably be real disappointed. Most people don’t like unhappy endings.

2. I could have made the shot. If that happened, you might also be disappointed. A lot of people would say that ending was predictable. They’d say they knew all along I would make the shot. And so many stories have these happy, sappy endings.”

In this passage, Gutman uses this Eddie’s narration to discuss the art of storytelling. This time, he asserts that endings, just like the story’s focus, depend entirely upon the story that the author wishes to tell. These lines also invoke the idea that an author cannot please everyone and therefore should not try. Gutman acknowledges this fact while giving his readers tacit permission to disagree with his chosen ending for the story.

“I wasn’t thinking about the million dollars. I wasn’t thinking about the shot. I was just thinking it was over. I did what I went there to do, and it felt great.” 

These lines come after the ball goes in the hoop and Eddie wins the Finkle Foods contest. In the aftermath, Eddie realizes how truly inconsequential all of his worrying has been. In the time leading up to the shot, the contest felt like Eddie’s whole world, but now that the contest is over, he realizes that it was only one moment in his life. Since he made the shot, that moment has become a positive one, but rather than thinking about all the pressure and expectations, he holds onto the idea that he did what he meant to do, thereby emphasizing The Link Between Mindset and Outcome.