How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Though he did not show it, the pitch had bothered the Whammer no end. (1.198)
Up until this point in the novel, the Whammer's had the upper hand. He's already a professional baseball player with a contract, he's rich, he's pals with an important sportswriter, and he's got the attention of Ms. Harriet Bird. But this one small mistake, taking a strike from Roy, drives him nuts. You'd think that being the American League MVP would let him take a loss with some perspective. He's not that kind of guy; he has to win every time.
Quote #2
"I have a green thumb," he said huskily, "and I shoulda farmed instead of playing wet nurse to a last place, dead-to-the-neck ball team." (2.1)
Pop is playing the shoulda-woulda-coulda game, and he's not winning. He points out that there are other things that he's good at, like farming; he's sorry he chose baseball as a career. We probably would feel the same way if we were coaching a last-place team that takes every opportunity to miss an opportunity. Pop calls himself a "wet nurse," implying that his team is made up of helpless infants or "dead-to-the-neck" players.
Quote #3
"And to top it off I have to go catch athlete's foot on my hands. [. . .] No wonder I am always asking myself is life worth the living of it." (2.14)
It's hard not to laugh at poor Pop's plight. We've heard of tennis elbow, but athlete's hand? That's just wrong. As long as the team's losing, Pop's condition won't go away. When they start winning, he starts healing. Malamud's using physical illness to mirror emotional pain.