Preview

Field Of Dreams And Shoeless Joe: Major League Baseball In The 1920's

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
881 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Field Of Dreams And Shoeless Joe: Major League Baseball In The 1920's
Composition I, 9:00 MWF
Compare and Contrast Essay
Professor Taylor Americas Pastime A true American game and past time that has been part of our lives from the beginning. It has stood the test of time simply because of it's purity and infinite list of players that have fostered the game into what it is today. Yet a single blemish remains that took place in 1919 when the World Series was thrown by eight players including Shoeless Joe Jackson. Shoeless Joe Jackson last played major league baseball in 1920 and was suspended for life, along with seven of his compatriots, by Commissioner Mountain Landis, for his part in throwing the 1919 World Series. Many of Shoeless Joe's greatest fans including Ray Kinsella were deeply saddened to hear the news that their hero would no longer be playing
…show more content…
Ray was sent on a journey by the voice to allow others to live out their dreams. Ray decided to accept the challenge to build a baseball field in order to allow eight suspended baseball players to fulfill their destiny. "I'd have played for free and worked for food," Shoeless Joe's remark proves how dedicated and aspired he was to the game. In Field of Dreams as well as Shoeless Joe; Ray's real reason for building the field was to bring his father back. "If you build it he will come," these words spoken by the voice were intended for Ray's father John to come. Each of the works, based on W.P. Kinsella's creative mind, contain strong magical content. Both the novel and the movie brought the audience into a world of illusion and imagination. Those who believed, were able to witness eight suspended baseball players from 1919 come back to life to live their dream. As well, this magic was shown through the time laps concerning "Moonlight" Graham to be a teenage baseball player. When Ray's father was brought back to life Ray was given a second chance to see him once again. This was his

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    For more than eight months, from the start of spring training to the start of Game 7 of the World Series on Wednesday night, David Ross felt as if his baseball life had become the stuff of big-screen fiction, if not straight-up fantasy.…

    • 263 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the movie, Ray Kinsella hears a voice saying, "if you build it he will come." This gives Ray the idea of cutting down his crops to build a baseball field so that shoeless Joe Jackson will come and play. After months of waiting, Joe shows…

    • 335 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Eight Men Out was a baseball scandal taken from the 1919 Chicago Black Soxs where the games demands would not be taken so seriously. The coaches wanted to win every game, but the players had other plans especially seen noticeably in the World Series between the Chicago Black Soxs and Cincinnati Reds. Some players took advantage of the opportunity to acquire money offer to throw the series, however, only some were paid and others were not. Could this happen today? No. The MLB now has its own regulations and rules where disciplinary action could be enforced if any cheating or unprofessionalism takes place. When playing the game of professional baseball now, most all the coaches and players want to showcase themselves and allow others to see the…

    • 217 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Born in South Carolina, Jackson’s baseball talent was easily seen at age sixteen, when he was asked to play on the Brandon Mill team, which was . He participated in his first professional baseball season at age nineteen. He played for Philadelphia and Cleveland before joining the White Sox. In the 1919 World Series, Joe Jackson played phenomenally. He made no errors and had a batting average of .375. He even set a record with his twelve hits. Although his performance was flawless, he did receive five thousand dollars in cash after the game, and after trying to return it to Comiskey, he was told by Comiskey’s secretary to keep the money for now (“Chicago”). Some believe “Shoeless” Joe Jackson’s excellent performance in the 1919 World series provides enough evidence of his innocence, while others believe he played a role in the…

    • 1355 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Michael Y. Sokolove, Hustle: The Myth, Life, and Lies of Pete Rose (New York, NY: Simon and Schuester), 304 pp.…

    • 1044 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    1919 Black Sox Scandal

    • 1176 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Jackson, July 1887- December 1951, batted a lifetime average of .357 (“Shoeless Joe Jackson). Jackson’s baseball career kicked off when he was asked to play for the local millworkers baseball team. He played for this team for a couple of years until he caught the eye of professional baseball coach/manager Connie Mack. He quit the team several times during the early years of his pro ball career due to a low self-esteem and lack of confidence. In 1915, Jackson was sold to the Chicago White-Sox organization for $8,000 (“Shoeless Joe Jackson”). Here Jackson played two years in the minor leagues before getting called up to the MLB, and while in the minors Jackson earned the name “Shoeless Joe” after playing two games in his stockings because his new cleats were rubbing blisters on his ankles and feet. Jackson also named his favorite bat “Black Betsy,” which was thirty-six inches long and weighed a solid forty-eight ounces. After being an outstanding outfielder and a true threat at the plate, Shoeless Joe was a shoe in for the Hall of Fame. All things were going good until October rolled around in the fall of 1919. Here, Shoeless Joe’s career and reputation would be changed forever and his shot at the Hall of Fame was thrown out the window. After accepting the bribe of $20,000 to throw the World Series, Shoeless Joe was found guilty, and although he suffered no legal…

    • 1176 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Oriard, M. (1982). Dreaming of heroes: American sports fiction, 1868-1980. Chicago: Nelson-Hall: University of California Press.…

    • 3404 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    In 1919, the Chicago White Sox lost the series to the Cincinnati Reds, and eight White Sox players were later accused of intentionally losing games in exchange for money from gamblers; it was the biggest scandal in major league history. Many of Shoeless Joe's greatest fans, including Ray Kinsella, were profoundly saddened to hear the news that their idol would no longer be playing baseball. The novel “Shoeless Joe” by W.P Kinsella and its adaptation movie “Field of Dreams” by Phil Alden Robinson are both like and unalike in terms of relationships, characters, plot, settings and theme.…

    • 455 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The first black man to play in the MLB, was Jackie Robinson. He played for the Brooklyn Dodgers and had many foundations. Jackie Robinson was an artist. He broke the color barrier and stood up for what he believed. He took the violence but gave none back.…

    • 238 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Field Of Dreams Themes

    • 838 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The seamless editing throughout Field of Dreams helps the viewer to identify faith and redemption as the theme in a subtle way. The opening scene of the film is a montage of the main character, Ray Kinsella, growing up and he narrates it; giving insight into his relationship with his father and the love of baseball they once shared. It also identifies “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, Ray’s admiration for him, and Jackson’s unfair barring from the league for the rest of his life. This adds to the theme because it is evident in this montage as well as later within the film that Ray wishes to reconcile and make amends with his father who has already passed.…

    • 838 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Shoeless Joe Jackson

    • 1512 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Many people still question whether or not, Joe Jackson was involved in "The Black Sox Scandal of 1919." "The scandal even left its own legacy that is still inciting arguments among fans today: the fate of "Shoeless" Joe Jackson" (Everstine 3). As the word was being spread to "bet on the Reds", (Everstine 3), an astronomical amount of money was needed to make the payoff to all involved, including the baseball players of the White Sox who were participating in the scandal. Before the beginning of the game on that ‘scandalous' day, Joe Jackson begged the owner of the White Sox; Charles Comiskey to listen to him in regards to the fix of the game that was about to happen. The evidence was proven that Jackson had even asked to be benched for the series to avoid any suspicion of his involvement in the fix. Unfortunately, Comiskey did not listen to Jackson. "Heavy betting was taking place" (Everstine 3). The game was played, after being fixed; the White Sox lost, even though there were seventeen other players on the team that attempted to do their best. Despite their best efforts, the "fix was successful" (Everstine 3). "As many fans sat in the stands and watched the game, they were not able to tell that the game had been fixed and thrown for the benefit…

    • 1512 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The first record of baseball in the United States began in Pittsfield, Massachusetts in 1791. Its popularity spread quickly through the town and the men were banned the playing the sport within 80 yards of the town meeting house. Another early mentioning of baseball was in New York. Referred to as “base ball”, it was regularly played on Saturday’s on the outskirts of New York in 1823; which is now known as Greenwich Village. At the same time, cricket was also a popular sport. Baseball and cricket jockeyed back and forth for popularity with baseball eventually winning over the crowd. A team called the New York Knickerbockers was founded in 1845. This was first baseball team to play under modern rules. These rules were likewise adopted and accepted by other teams. As baseball changed over time so did the rules. They eventually evolved into the rules that we now abide by in modern day baseball.…

    • 2334 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Baseball has been America’s pastime since the late 1800’s. White men were the only ones who played the sport. Major League Baseball denied the access of allowing black players to play on the same field as the white players. They believed it would increase the amount of black fans coming to the stadiums and push away the white fans from coming to watch baseball anymore. In 1945, a new commissioner of baseball was hired, Happy Chandler, and he was more supportive of integrating the major leagues.…

    • 946 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    People say everyone's a winner. I really didn’t believe that when I was little. So when I was still playing tee-ball (baseball that little kids play with a tee) and I was in the championship game, I was going for blood. It was late 2008 and I was playing for the GBSF (Green Baseball Softball Federation) team named “The Aeros.” We wore purple, black and had the Akron Aeros baseball team’s logo embroidered on our hats. So anyway, this particular season, we “Titans of Tee-Ball” went undefeated. I believe we went 14-0 or something like that. It was a very crazy season, especially the championship game; but we will get back to that later. I faintly remember one particular game…

    • 648 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In “Field of Dreams” and “The Thrill of the Grass” Ray Kinsella and the narrator endure great risks. Both characters believe their decisions are something they should attempt, and they take the chance. Ray Kinsella hears a voice saying, “If you build it, he will come.” When Ray figures out the meaning of this haunting message he decides that his destiny is to build a baseball field. So on his bitty Iowa farm Ray plows up his crop and builds a baseball field in his front yard. When the narrator breaks into the stadium with the businessman they go down onto the field and decide to take out a singular piece of the turf, and replace it with sod. Eventually friends and…

    • 571 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays