A recurring motif, symbolizing purity and an “All American” type of simplicity, is baseball. At the beginning of the book, when “the boys” are young, it’s one of the things that binds Keith and Hugh together. The boys play in the same league and are both above-average players, making their parents proud. Baseball has been called “America’s National Pastime” and has generally been associated, especially in the past, with American ideals of wholesomeness and purity. The fact that two sons from immigrant families embrace the sport speaks to their efforts to integrate into their new homeland (something that’s evident even in the way their family names are adapted, from “Malokovic” to “Malco” and “Rudic” to “Rudy”).

Later, as the boys grow up, they leave their love of baseball behind. Keith seems to drop the sport as he focuses on his academic endeavors. Hugh gives up baseball and picks up boxing, which is far more violent, reflecting his increasing participation in the violence of the criminal underworld. The boys’ dropping baseball parallels their transition to adulthood: Their lives become less wholesome and more complex, and they deal with issues like family identity, paternal loyalty, and murder and vengeance.