Too Hot to Handle (6 page)

“Hold it, Dave!” yelled Bonesy. “Hold it!”

Angry with himself, David shook his head and tossed the ball to Brad. He ran back to his position, then realized that a bunt
might be tried. He trotted forward until he stood on the grass.

The pitch. The batter turned to bunt, and David charged in. It was a slow grounder just inside the third-base line. David
ran as hard as
he could. He fielded the ball with both hands, pivoted on his right foot and whipped the ball underhand to first.

A good throw! It was close!

“Safe!” cried the umpire.

David spun, saw that Bonesy was covering third, then took his time walking back. He played on the grass again. It was still
a bunt situation.

Again the Canaries bunted! This time the ball was hit too hard. David fielded it. He pegged to second. Out by a step!

Jimmy didn’t try the play to first.

“Nice play, David!” shouted Bonesy.

One out. Men on first and third.

A pop fly over Rex’s head. He caught it for the second out.

The fans of both teams were shouting wildly now. The Flickers’ infielders were chattering like monkeys. It was a way to keep
from thinking in these tense, anxious moments.

Crack!
A hard grounder to David’s right side! He turned, then lunged after it for a backhanded catch. The ball brushed the tip of
his glove and bounded to the outfield. A run scored. The hitter went to second.

Now there were runners on second and third.

Coach Beach called time. He left the dugout and talked a bit with Brad. David thought he would put in another pitcher, but
he didn’t. The next batter popped up to first, and the sides retired.

Score: Canaries 5; Flickers 3.

“Hold them, Canaries!” shouted the Canaries’ fans. “Strike them out, Rocky!”

Rex led off. He waited Rocky out and won a free ticket to first. Perhaps Rocky was afraid to pitch him anything good.

Marty waited till Rocky put a strike over the plate, then belted a single over Rocky’s head. Bonesy socked a grounder to short.
The shortstop fielded the ball nicely, fired it to second
and got Marty out. The second baseman whipped the ball to first. Bonesy, running as fast as his legs could go, made it by
half a step.

The Canaries booed the umpire, and for a moment the first baseman said a thing or two to him. The umpire said a thing or two
back, and the first baseman shied away.

Coach Beach chuckled. “Never underestimate the power of an umpire,” he said.

David pressed the helmet down comfortably on his head and waited for Rocky to pitch. He had made up his mind to swing at the
first good one that came in.

Rocky toed the rubber, looked at the runners on base, then delivered. It was high.

Rocky came in with the next pitch, and David swung. His bat met the ball solidly, and he knew instantly that this time the
ball was going.

He saw the first-base coach smiling and swinging his arm like a windmill, urging David on to second. David kept going. He
saw that the ball
had just struck the fence in left center field, that it had bounced back and both left and center fielders were chasing after
it.

He rounded second and went on to third. He reached the base standing up for the longest triple he had ever hit, scoring Rex
and Bonesy.

Steve Pierce belted his second single of the game, scoring David. The coach had Jerry Hines pinch-hit for Brad. Jerry flied
out, then Ken struck out to end the big inning.

“Beautiful hit, David,” said the coach. “Too bad it wasn’t just a wee bit higher.”

David grinned. “Thanks,” he said. He turned and went out to the field.

The Flickers were ahead now, 6 to 5. David felt good. Now, if only the Flickers could protect that lead.

The Canaries didn’t get a man past first base that bottom half of the fifth. In the top of the sixth Herm Simmons pinch-hit
for Chugger. He singled to start things off for the Flickers. Jimmy
laid down a sacrifice bunt, putting Herm on second. Rex lifted a long fly to center that was caught.

Marty drilled a liner at the third baseman. The third sacker fumbled it and was puzzled for a moment trying to find it. He
finally picked it up just a few feet behind him. The second-base coach had Herm play it safe.

It turned out to be a good idea, for Bonesy blasted out a double and Herm scored. David fouled two pitches, then struck out.

The Canaries were solemn birds as they came to bat for the last time. Even their fans had become saddened and quiet.

Jerry, pitching now in place of Brad, walked the first batter. There followed two outs in succession. Then the Canaries began
belting the ball. They scored a run and had two men on bases when David fielded a ground ball and touched third for the last
out.

The Flickers jumped and yelled with joy at the victory. They had played the best team in
the league and had won. They had clipped the Canaries’ wings.

Ann Marie smiled proudly at David as they left the ballpark and headed for home. “That was a beautiful hit, David,” she said.
“You played wonderfully today.”

“Sure did,” said Dad. “I wish Don could have been here to see you.”

David smiled. He had bobbled a couple today, but that triple with two men on bases had sure made things a lot brighter.

D
AD took David with him to the hospital later that evening to bring Don home. Don was glad to leave — but not especially so.
As a nurse pushed Don out of his room and down the long white corridor, other nurses looked on regretfully.

David grinned. Don’s magnetic personality had even conquered the nurses.

Dad helped Don onto the backseat of the car, then placed the two crutches in beside him. Don thanked the nurse, said good-bye
to her and leaned back comfortably against the seat.

“Home, Dad,” he said.

He sat with his bad leg on the seat. David, sitting beside Dad, saw that the cast was covered with autographs. Probably every
visitor from school had signed his or her name on it.

After they drove awhile Don asked David about how the Flickers were doing. And how he was doing at third.

“We beat the Canaries today,” replied David. “I had two errors,” he added solemnly.

“But he hit a triple and knocked in two runs,” said Dad. “He helped win the ball game.”

Don’s face brightened. “Fine,” he said. “Wait’ll tomorrow. We’ll go down to the field and give you a workout. Third base is
a lot tougher than a lot of people think.”

“You’re telling me,” said David. It took a player like Don to realize a thing like that.

There was much rejoicing when Don got home. Mom and Ann Marie kissed him, and Ann Marie immediately began telling him about
a dozen things that had happened in and around town, hardly giving Mom a chance to squeeze
in a word. Dad laughed. David shook his head in puzzlement. Where had he ever got such a talkative sister? Don just sat there,
smiling happily about the whole thing. You could see that he was certainly pleased to be home.

The following morning David telephoned Bonesy to tell him that he and Don were going to the ballpark. Would Bonesy like to
come along? Bonesy would.

On their way to the park — Ann Marie went, too — they met Rex Drake and Marty Cass. The boys were glad to see Don and were
willing to practice with them. They looked at Ann Marie and the glove on her hand with suspicion, though, then rushed home
after their gloves.

Under Don’s direction, Bonesy hit grounders to David at third. Ann Marie backed up her brother. She picked up and threw in
the grounders that David missed. She had played pitch and catch with David for several years and could throw well.

After they had worked out awhile a car drove into the parking lot and stopped. Two people walked in through the gate. David
recognized them immediately. Mr. and Mrs. Finch! What were they doing here?

They walked up to Don, smiled and shook his hand. David heard them ask Don about his leg. Then he heard Mrs. Finch say, “You
just won’t give up, will you?”

Don laughed. “I guess not, Mrs. Finch,” he said.

“And you want your brother to be a baseball player like yourself?”

“No,” said Don. “I want him to be better than I am.”

Mrs. Finch shook her head. “I can’t understand it,” she said. “You boys spending your precious time out here hitting a little
white ball all over the place and then chasing it just so it can be hit all over again. Really now, Don, is that practical?
Does it make sense?”

Don shrugged. “There are millions of Americans
who think so, Mrs. Finch. And, I bet, so does Mr. Finch.”

Mr. Finch, a big man with graying hair, grunted. “I never played baseball, Don. Football was my sport. But I’m a fan, I’ll
tell you that.”

“Never mind asking Mr. Finch,” said Mrs. Finch. “Sometimes I think he’s still a boy.”

Mr. Finch grunted again, and Don laughed.

“Why don’t you come to a game, Mrs. Finch?” invited Don. “These boys play tomorrow. Why don’t you come with Mr. Finch? You
will understand better maybe watching it why kids just never grow up when it comes to playing baseball.”

Mrs. Finch looked hard at Don. “I doubt that, Don,” she said. “But to show you that I’m not bullheaded, I will have Mr. Finch
bring me.”

The Finches left, and the boys broke out in laughter.

“Bet she won’t be there,” said Rex.

“Oh, yes, she will,” said David. “You don’t know Mrs. Finch!”

That evening the
Penwood Times
carried a short article in the sports section about the Flickers-Canaries game.

Big guns for the Flickers were Marty Cass and Bonesy Lane with four and three hits respectively. David Kroft, the Flickers’
third baseman, smashed out a triple against the left center field fence that brought in two runs. Then he scored on a single
by Steve Pierce.

It was a great victory for the Flickers. This was the first game the Canaries had lost out of eight.

The box score:

a — Flied out for Mulligan in 4th; b — Singled for Hill in 4th; c — Flied out for Lodge in 5th; d — Singled for Hines in 6th.

T
HE weather was chilly Friday morning, the day the Flickers were to play the Bluebirds. By noon it was warmer. But the sky
remained gray and overcast. David hoped it would not rain.

It didn’t.

Again the game started with him on the bench and Legs on third base. David wondered what Don would think. Don was sitting
in the stands with Ann Marie, Mom and Dad.

Jerry was on the mound for the Flickers. He had trouble getting the ball over the plate that first inning. His southpaw deliveries
were
mostly outside. He walked two men before he found the plate. Then the Bluebirds began to hit the ball, and two runs scored
before the Flickers could get them out.

The Flickers evened the score, though, with a walk by Ken, a single by Jimmy and a double off the bat of Rex Drake.

Legs, leading off in the second inning, struck out. But then another hitting spree started, and the Flickers chalked up three
more runs.

The Bluebirds scored once at their turn at bat, then held the Flickers from getting a runner past first. The first two outs
were on a double play by the shortstop. He snared Bonesy’s line drive and threw out Marty Cass at first before Marty could
tag up on the play. Then Legs grounded out to second.

The Bluebirds kept hitting and scoring, but so did the Flickers. It was a ball game with lots of noise from the people in
the grandstand.

Suddenly David heard a voice that was kind
of familiar, although he was sure he had never heard it at the ball park before.