Assignment #2 (21-40 break): How does the invention of and the playing of Blitzball impact/influence the relationship between Finny and Gene? Be sure to provide two specific examples.

The invention of Blitzball influences Gene and Finny's friendship in a positive way. When Finny first starts making the game, he is extremely vague in his initial description. All he says is to run towards the river and tosses the medicine ball to Gene to start running. "No, not that way! Toward the river! Run!" (Knowles 37). Gene starts running to the river, unclear of the purpose of the game, though the further Gene starts running the more rules of the game Finny slowly introduces. Once, when Gene gets knocked down hard by Chet Douglass, Finny makes a rule that you can not hit a person down by using your arms, you have to keep your arms crossed if not handling the ball. When Gene tries to make a pass to an ally and the ball drops on the ground, Finny announces that it is okay for the ball to drop when passing. As Gene passes the ball to Leper, and Leper refuses to take the ball, thus meaning that another person will retrieve the ball, Finny makes a rule that if someone betrays you like this it will from here on be known as the Lepellier Refusal insulting Leper for doing this, and gives the ball back to Gene. 
                In this scene we see Finny taking care of Gene and making sure that he does not get hurt, saying that it was legal to drop the ball on the bad pass that Gene had made, and insults Leper for not taking the ball when Gene tossed it to him. Finny acts as an older brother to Gene, making sure that he does not get roughed up, and no one is mean to him in anyway. Even though Gene does not always want the ball, Finny makes sure that he has is all the times during the first introduction of the game, because it is an enjoyable game for him, and wants Gene to have fun playing the game. "Still mine? Nobody else has had the ball but me, for God sakes!"(Knowles 39).