Hero Journey of Scotty Smalls The Sandlot Hero Journey of Scotty Smalls Hero Journey of Scotty Smalls

The Ordinary World Scottie Smalls ordinary world is with his mother at his house, building erector sets, and staying in the house all day. Scottie NEVER gets into trouble or gets dirty outside.

Call to Adventure Scotty Smalls followed boys to the Sandlot after school one day and decided this was his perfect chance to make new friends and go outside and play baseball.

Refusal to Call When Scotty goes down to the Sandlot and tries to throw in a baseball that boy hit in the outfield. Scottie realizes that he doesn’t know how to throw or catch. The Sandlot boys make fun of him. Scottie goes back home thinking that he doesn’t fit in and doesn’t belong playing baseball at the sandlot.

Supernatural Aid Benny is Scottie Smalls’ supernatural aid. When Scottie tried to fit in the boys at the sandlot, but failed, Benny came over to his house and asked him to play at the Sandlot with the team. Benny was willing to teach Scottie how to play baseball.

Crossing the Threshold When the Benny brings Scottie to the Sandlot to meet the team. Scottie gets harassed for not knowing who Babe Ruth was. The kids make fun of him but they give him a chance to show them if he can play baseball. Benny set Scottie up in left field and told him to stick out his glove and close his eyes. Scottie did just that and Benny hit the ball right into Scottie’s glove. All Smalls needed was some confidence.

In the Belly of the Whale Smalls learns about a huge dog that lives on the other side of the Homerun line. Scottie hits his first homerun with a signed baseball by Babe Ruth over the fence into the vicious dog’s yard. Now Scottie is going to be in huge trouble if he doesn’t get the ball back, but at the same time there is know way in any ones right mind that he can get the valuable ball back.

The Road of Trials To get the ball back Scottie and the rest of the Sandlot team has to go though a series of trials to get the valued Babe Ruth autographed baseball back. The first thing the boys try to do is primitive. They tried using a stick to roll the ball out of the Beast’s yard. This was totally ruined when the Beast bit the stick in half. The second time was also a failure. The boys tried to tie a pot around a metal post. This also was ripped in half. The boys realized the powerful jaws of the beast. The third time they tried getting the priceless piece of time back, the boys used vacuums and tried sucking the ball throw a tube and a catcher’s mask. Again, it was a failure due to the Beast pinching of the pipe blowing up three vacuums. The forth time came to an end when they sent Yea Yea, a sandlot boy, over the fence by a pulley system. This went totally wrong. The Beast got right in Yea Yea’s face and the mission a turned into failure. There were no more ideas. The day came to a close as a failure.

The Meeting with the Goddess One night when Benny, the All-Star player on the Sandlot team, had a dream about the signed ball and Babe Ruth. Babe Ruth came to him though his closet. The Babe told him that Benny has to go over the fence and “pickle” the Beast. He also told Benny that “Heroes get remembered, but legends never die.” Benny made up his mind that night, he would pickle the Beast the next day.

The Woman as Temptress The next day after Benny had his dream with the Babe, it was time for him to pickle the Beast. The beast is the temptress because he is stopping Benny and especially Smalls from getting what they are wanting.

Atonement with Father When Benny is ready to hop the fence and run down the Beast for the Babe’s John Hancock, he uses his PF Flyers to make him overcome the fear of the Beast. PF Flyers guaranteed to make a boy jump higher and run faster. Benny believed this and so did all the rest of the Sandlot Boys.

Apotheosis Once Benny hopped the fence into the Beast’s yard he stared down the Beast. At that moment he was facing off with the Beast, with no fear.

The Ultimate Boon When Benny is in the beast yard the Beast dares him with the ball. The beast drops the ball out of his mouth basically saying, “Come and get it kid. You’ll never beat me.” Benny doesn’t take taunts. Benny ran towards the ball, slid, got up, and took off the opposite way and hopped the fence and landed on the other side.

Refusal to Return When Benny hops the fence and lands on the other side of the fence the boys cheer as if it the ordeal was over. It wasn’t even close. The Beast hops the fence and goes after Benny.

Magic in Flight (The Chase) When the Beast jumped over the fence and went after Benny the Magic in Flight began. Benny had the ball and the Beast wanted it back. Benny ran although town tying to juke the Beast.

Crossing the Return Threshold Benny finally told the boys to meet him at the Sandlot, that is exactly what he did. He came back to the Sandlot and the Beast was nipping on his heals and eating his shirt. He finally gets back realizing that the Beast was staring at his face. All of a sudden the fence fell on the Beast. The Beast was finally defeated.

Master of Two Worlds When Benny comes back with the ball he is congratulated and Scottie Smalls is ecstatic, but they have to give the dog back to Mr. Mirdel, the mean old owner. Scottie goes to the door and give the Beast back to his owner. The owner turns out to be a really nice blind man that played baseball when he was younger. He played with the Babe and he told Scottie that he was in deep trouble because he knew who the ball was signed by. The old man traded a ball of all the 1913 Yankees to Scottie for the beat up, half eaten ball that the Beast had kept as a toy. Now the Boys know that they can go over and get a ball whenever they loose a ball and that the beast turned out to be a nice dog that just wanted to be played with.

Freedom to Live Scottie Smalls and Benny the Jet both get what they want when they get don’t with the whole ordeal of the Babe Ruth signed ball. Scottie didn’t get in a lot of trouble and became a sports announcer. Benny got what he wanted and became a professional baseball player. They both learned that some things in life are not what they seem. The also leaned that they should leave valuables alone…like a Babe Ruth autographed baseball worth more than your life.