Student Question
What explanation does Jerry give for the disappearance of nicknames in Shoeless Joe?
Quick answer:
In reply to Ray's comment about nicknames being a thing of the past, Jerry says that modern-day baseball players want to be called "Sir." They've become so dazzled by fame and riches that they think of themselves as superstars. Because of that, they don't want to be called by their first names, let alone nicknames.
Ray and Jerry's conversation provides us with evidence as to just how much the game of baseball has changed over the years. Back in the day, baseball players had roots in their local communities; fans felt that they were ordinary folks, just like them. As such, baseball fans could identify with their heroes. They gave nicknames as a mark of their familiarity with the players.
But those days are well and truly over. Nowadays, in the era where so many baseball players are multi-millionaires, that previously intimate connection between the fans and the players has been severed. As Jerry tells Ray baseball has become a business for the players as much as for the owners. Guys who make millions of dollars a year let fame and fortune go to their heads. They no longer want to be called by their first names, let alone by nicknames; they'd much rather be...
Unlock This Answer Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
called "Sir."
Jerry is contemptuous of this development. He claims that he wouldn't be surprised if some free agent with a .280 batting average gets a clause in his contract stipulating that he has to be announced as "Mr. Bigstar" every time he comes out to bat.
Back in the day, it was fine for a kid earning $5,000 playing baseball and working as an apprentice in the off-season to be called 'Snuffy', 'Pee-wee', or 'Slats'. But if you spend most of your time dealing with all your many business interests, as so many modern players do, then you don't really want to be known as "No-Neck" to your boss, or the companies who might want you to feature in advertisements. In saying this, Jerry is implying that nicknames are somehow beneath the millionaire superstars of modern-day baseball.
In Shoeless Joe, how does Jerry explain the decline of nicknames?
Back in the day, baseball players used to have a much closer connection to the community. The fans felt that they knew them and could identify with them. And it was a sign of the close relationship between the players and the fans that the fans regularly bestowed affectionate nicknames on their sporting heroes.
But as Jerry reflects in his conversation with Ray, all that's changed. Nowadays, baseball players are millionaire superstars who live the kind of lives that most fans can only dream about. They live in such a rarefied, privileged world that they don't even want to be called by their first names, let alone by a nickname.
Once upon a time, it was possible for a kid who played baseball for $5,000 in the regular season and worked as an apprentice plumber in the off-season to be called "Snuffy", "Pee-wee", or "Slats". But the modern-day player's different. As most of them have widespread business interests, it's not possible to imagine them being called "No-Neck" by their comptroller.
For the rich superstars of the modern game, any kind of familiarity is somehow beneath them. According to Jerry, they'd much rather be announced as "Mr. Bigstar" every time they come out to bat.