My one complaint so far, Underworld makes waiting the next month and a half for baseball season that much more agonizing.
One moment that particularly struck me was the moment where Cotter he realizes his rival is indeed Bill Waterson. From my perspective it seems certainly possible that the two of them represent the Soviet and American powers and their onetime alliance and subsequent hostility. Just after Cotter finally wrests the ball away, "The man catches his eye, This is not what Cotter wants, this is damage to the cause. He made a mistake looking back" (49). The moment serves as a loss of innocence, the end of an impersonal struggle. Once the friends, united by a previous common cause, have something to fight over, it tears them apart in such a primal way. What makes this moment so stunning, however, is the the distinct sameness of the two sides, two men looking "at each other over the crowd and through the crowd." For all that separates them, they stand out to each other essentially oblivious to the swarms of people around them. For all their conviction that they each have the superior claim to that ball, they both ultimately want the same thing, the ball -- and will do whatever it takes to keep it.
P.S. This book is much easier to read than GR ... until you start reading about baseball on wikipedia when you're supposed to be readin the book
I, too, found the moment when Cotter realizes who his rival is very striking. You make a great point about the Soviet/US powers. Right after your quote, at the end of this scene, comes the phrase "good neighbor Bill flashing a cutthroat smile," which I think further illustrates your point about "onetime alliances and subsequent hostilities." I wonder if this is going to be a recurring theme throughout the novel.
Yeah, the idea of Bill going after Cotter's valuable ball seemed normal enough initially, but the descriptions hinted at a deeper metaphor. The narrator explains that Bill "has a look that belongs to someone else entirely, a man out of another experience, desperate and propelled" (56). Bill's intensity is an almost out-of-body experience, and clearly representative of something larger (perhaps US/Soviet relations, as you suggest).
I didn't see that initial comparison between Bill and Cotter and the US and the Soviet Union but it seems very clear to me. Reading this connection however made me look to another section which I feel continues the kind of Cold War mentality. On page 56, "'You can talk all you want,' Cotter says. 'The ball's not yours, it's mine. I'm not selling it or trading it.'" To me this really embraces a "no compromise" mentality that existed during the Cold War. Negotiations to ease tensions were not really at the top of either sides priority lists. To Cotter/Bill and the US/Soviet Union it was really a winner takes all situation.
I think this quote is interesting, especially if you think about it in terms of the Cold War and the Soviet-American tension. "He is trying to get a firmer grip. He is trying to isolate his rival's hand so he can prise the ball away finger by finger...They are working for advantage, trying to gain position." (47) I think the word "isolate" here is very appropriate. Although the Cold War was certainly not restricted to only the Soviet Union and the United States (allies of both sides got involved), it was definitely a war with an aim TO isolate and gain an upper hand in many different aspects (military, scientific research, technological advancements, nuclear arms, etc.). Furthermore, the United States wanted to contain the Soviet Union and prevent its communist influence.