# Skull Scoville — Short Fiction character guide

> Skull Scoville in Short Fiction by Ring Lardner.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** VII, Skull, Scoville, VI Skull, VII Skull, old Skull

**First appearance:** 0010-horseshoes

## Snapshot

An old hand on the ball club, weathered by seasons of road trips and razzing, whose veteran's knowingness cuts through younger men's illusions.

## Who they are

Skull Scoville is the kind of player every roster keeps around: not the star, but the memory, the man who has seen a hundred hot prospects cool off. He has outlasted his speed and probably his patience, and he carries the club's institutional cynicism the way a catcher carries a mitt. In the early going he functions as a measuring stick, showing what the game does to a man who stays in it too long and likes it too much.

## Relationships

### [Carey](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_62_se/characters/carey)

_rivalry_

Carey and Skull Scoville are antagonists, possibly competing in a high-stakes or violent context.

### [Carey](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_62_se/characters/carey)

_rivalry_

Carey and Skull Scoville are antagonists, possibly competing in a high-stakes or violent context.

### [Carey](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_62_se/characters/carey)

_rivalry_

Carey and Skull Scoville are antagonists, possibly competing in a high-stakes or violent context.

## In the story

### [My Roomy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_62_se/chapters/my-roomy)

The rookie pitcher who struggles with control and is the central figure of the chapter.

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_62_se/chapters/i)

Mentioned as the subject of a story that illustrates the narrator's point about intelligence being a handicap.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_62_se/chapters/ii)

A young pitcher from the Carolina League who impresses in a serious game, despite being the butt of Carey's jokes.

### [Chapter III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_62_se/chapters/iii)

Falls for Carey's trick, goes to bed early, and is later teased about a nonexistent fried chicken vendor.

### [Chapter IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_62_se/chapters/iv)

Falls for the prank, goes to Brooklyn early, practices with the opposing team, pitches and wins the game, and is tricked into paying the taxi fare.

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_62_se/chapters/v)

Gets lost in New York, naively believes McGraw's sarcastic comments about the Giants' hitting, and is set to pitch the third game.

### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_62_se/chapters/vi)

Loses his pitching control, becomes the butt of Carey's jokes about the James Boys and his wildness.

### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_62_se/chapters/vii)

Loses his pitching control, gets released, and leaves to marry a woman he believes is wealthy.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_62_se/characters/skull_scoville
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_62_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_62_se/characters