Matthew > Recent Status Updates

"Seeing their comrade, who has been fighting with them for three years, get a serious injury yesterday was probably a huge blow to them. And at such a critical moment when the team needs to be spirited too..." (Terajima 35).

I chose this quote because it really shows the senior's importance on the team. The seniors on the team are like the anchors since they have been training everyday since the first year.

"We don't want to have any regrets. Even if we can't play in a match, we still want to fight these guys" (Terajima 79).

I really liked this quote because it really connects to the main idea in this manga which is team spirit. This quote was said by a junior varsity player who can't make it into the starting lineup. Even though he's not a starter, he's trying his best to help the team and leave no regrets.

"Right now I haven't been approved by anyone yet, but I'll be the guy that wears the ace number."

I chose this quote because it really lets me see the main character's uniqueness. He really doesn't care for other's approvals. He just wants to be the best version of himself.

"I came here to be the ace! I'm not going to lose to anyone in that!" (Terajima 133).

I really liked this line from the character because it really shows his fighting spirit and determination. Even though the coach has shown no interest in him, he is still determined to improve and become the best. It makes me like him as a character much more.

"Sorry, I wanted to take all of you guys with me against the whole country."

I really liked this quote from the main character because it really tells me a lot about his personality. Even though he only began playing baseball, and his team was really bad, he has big dreams. He really has a competitive fighting spirit and a genuine love for baseball.

“If the cops said the robbery looked like the work of amateurs, we’d go into a funk for a week.”

I chose this quote because it gives a glimpse into the mind of robbers. It says that they don't just view robbing as stealing. They view it as an art that gets them recognized.

"My girlfriends do cartwheels for boys who dress nice or dance well or come from good families."

I chose this quote because it represents the kind of society the character lives in. In the slums, there aren't many good men. Women who want a chance to get out of poverty wants to find rich men. They don't care about their personality since they don't have much choice.

"What makes it major, what makes it the talk of Irish Town, is that Billy has given up the names of his confederates. The cops beat the names out of Billy, but that's no excuse. Not in Irish Town."

I chose this quote because it really lets us learn more about society in Irish Town. In the slums, loyalty is valued greatly. Snitches are viewed as the lowest class of people, despite their status.

"Everyone praises Armstrong and Aldrin, Sutton says. But the real hero on that moon shot was their guy, Mike Collins, the Irishman in the backseat."

I chose this quote because it really gives a unique perspective on how we view success. Often times, we give credit to the wrong people. Sometimes, the person that deserves credit is the one who works behind the scenes, just like Mike Collins.

"He's actually driven countless times with men riding shotgun, holding shotguns. There was nothing blithe about it" ((Moehringer 28).

I like this quote because it really shows how violent the time period of this book was. People can easily buy firearms and there was a lot of crime. It also really shows how bad society is where the character lives.

"It's never good when the guards look around your cell. They can always find something if they have a mind to."

This quote shows that many police are corrupted. Many of them are mean and brutal. If they feel like it, they can accuse you of wrongdoing for no reason at all. I like this quote because it displays life in prison and the struggles a prisoner has to go through.