Greetings to my loyal readers and welcome back. Remember that all disclaimers still apply. The request to give to Nifty still applies as well. Be safe, always.
This chapter takes the Mustang players through the end of their regular league season, with a bit of fun on the side. Enjoy the baseball and the fun.
You can reach me, Douglas, at thehakannen@hotmail.com.
CHAPTER 55 PLAYING THE GAME
The Mayfield Mustangs felt as ready to play the game of baseball the right way as Coach Sanders was to watch them play it the right way. Playing the game the right way meant hustling out every ground ball, not giving away at bats, cheering for their teammates, putting their heart and soul and leather into every defensive play. The Mustangs knew that to succeed they couldn't work as hard as the champions of the previous year had worked. They were going to have to outwork that great team in every aspect of the game.
The games were going to come often over the last part of the season, which would cover just three game weeks. They could not afford to become tired or complacent. They had come to a tacit agreement that their only goal was to win the game at hand, that any other goal would just have to wait. They were no longer dreaming about what might happen in May, they were working at what they wanted to have happen now, in April, on game day. The word Safeco was no longer to be uttered, even when talking about the Mariners.
Playing the game was all that counted.
<Tuesday, April 9>
The Mustangs were matched against Clark Pass at home. The Eagles were 0-6 in league. Even Winston had defeated them. Nobody knew why the Eagles were so bad year after year. Some thought it was because the school was so isolated up in the mountains. They were barely an A size school. Some of the town's citizens secretly wished a few residents would move out and take their kids with them. Then, the school could be reclassified as a B school, where they might end up being more competitive.
Chandler started his first varsity game at pitcher. He pitched three of the five innings the game lasted. Kraig and Hunter finished up with an inning apiece. Korey started his first varsity game at catcher and Toby started his first varsity game as well, playing third base.
An incident happened in the fourth inning that, while it was embarrassing for the player involved as well as the team, showed how we were starting to back each other up, even if it was in an off- beat way.
The bottom of the fourth had been a wild one, with the Mustangs scoring five runs. Noah singled with one out and a runner on third, scoring the runner. Because Coach Miller had to work, Coach Sanders was using players as first base coaches. Carl was filling the role in the fourth. "Nice hit, Noah," was all he said.
Chandler was the next batter, and he lofted a high fly ball to center field, a routine "can of corn". Noah took off on contact, thinking there were two outs. The center fielder caught the easy pop up. He heard his teammates yelling, "First base! First base!" It was then he saw Noah rounding second. Hearing the yelling, Noah realized what had happened, and tried retreating to first. But, he had no chance as the first baseman caught the throw from center, doubling Noah up for an easy double play.
As an embarrassed Noah darted past him, Carl said, "That's why we have a scoreboard." Noah did not tell Carl that the first base coach was supposed to remind the runner about how many outs there were. It was not Noah's style to shift responsibility for his mistakes to somebody else. He knew he was going to receive some ribbing when he entered the dugout, and he was not disappointed.
"Can you believe it?" Kraig said. "The kid is a straight A student, but can't count to three." And that was just the beginning. Noah, knowing he would have gotten his digs in had it happened to somebody else, took his medicine. Still, he did not like making a totally stupid mistake and was thankful it had happened in a one-sided game. The Mustangs enjoyed a 16-4 win over the Eagles.
The big news was Kentburg picking up a 6-4 win over Lakeshore. That game left the Mustangs only one game out of first place in what was looking to be a well-balanced league.
That night, Noah slept at Eric's house. Eric worked to convince Noah that forgetting the number of outs in a baseball game was not the end of the world.
"Even big league ballplayers forget the outs," he told Noah as he tried to placate his lover."
"I'm not a big league ballplayer."
"Whatever." Eric wasn't quite sure what Noah's point was. He just knew that Noah had no reason to be so upset about his mistake.
"I'm going to get a raft of shit tomorrow in school," Noah said.
"Live with it, at least for tomorrow."
"I'm not used to being on the receiving end."
"It's good for you," Eric said. "It will put hair on your chest. At least, that's what my dad likes to tell me." Noah smiled and giggled for the first time that evening. "Besides, I have a way for you to get in the last word."
He told Noah what he had in mind. Noah thought about it for a few seconds, then flashed a huge grin. "I like it. I think it will work."
From the way Noah surrendered his ass, Eric could tell things were better with Noah—much better.
<Wednesday, April 10>
Noah got the expected kidding the next day. He took his medicine with grace. Eric had told him that getting his chain yanked for his screw-up meant his teammates loved and respected him. "Treating you with silence," Eric had said, "now that would not be good. Giving teammates shit is part of baseball, and you know that as well as anybody."
Noah agreed. As a result, he was not surprised to receive a coloring book from Kevin, who was accompanied by a couple of teammates, before classes that morning. It was titled, "The Learning My Numbers Coloring Book." Noah knew it was a first rate ragging, something he might have come up with in a similar situation. He also knew he was going to have the last word before the incident blew over.
"Where are the crayons?" Noah asked. "How can I color without crayons?"
"The smallest crayon pack had twelve crayons in it. We were afraid you'd have trouble counting that high and lose some," Kevin said.
"Yeah," Hunter told him. "We were just thinking of you, after all."
"Of course, and knowing that makes me feel happy and wanted," Noah said.
<Thursday, April 11>
Eric was the starter against the Meadow Park Bears, who were 3-4. This game marked the end of the first half of the league season. As usual, on the night before he was scheduled to start Eric spent the night in his bed cuddled up to Noah, who always started at second on the days Eric pitched. They meditated before going to bed, and didn't have sex. What they did have was a sharing of love and friendship and respect.
The game was at Meadow Park, a short bus ride away. Eric sat by himself on the bus, his headphones covering his ears, his IPod playing. Noah knew that Eric listened to the tones of Mozart and Beethoven as his pregame music. The music had a way of both relaxing him and focusing his mind.
Noah was able to get in his last word in the top of the fourth. He led off the inning with a walk. Coach Miller was coaching first and told him that there was one out. Noah heard a voice from the dugout yelling, "Did you give him a number he could figure out, coach?"
Before Chandler, the next batter got into the batter's box, Noah reached into his back pocket and pulled out a calculator. He pointedly punched a couple of keys, grinning at the dugout. He could hear cheering and laughter and knew that the razzing for his mistake was going to end. Eric had given him the last word. Forgetting the number of outs might have initially been embarrassing for Noah, but the incident made it apparent to all that the Mustangs were a loose and confident ballclub. They had shown that they were capable of laughing at themselves. The flub of their genius player had brought them even closer together.
Eric was sharp, not giving up a hit until the fourth inning. He went the distance, holding the Bears to three hits as he walked one and struck out six. Kevin homered in the third, a shot that barely cleared the left field fence. With their 4-0 defeat of the Bears, the Mustangs finished the first half of league with a 5-3 record. They had won their last six games and their last five league games. They were a hot team playing excellent baseball.
The end of the first half found Kentburg, Harborview, and Lakeshore tied for first with 6-2 records. Mayfield and Chinook were a game back at 5-3. The second half of the season was going to be very interesting and very competitive.
<Saturday, April 13>
[BLAINE]
Since we don't play again until Tuesday, Coach gave us Friday off from practice. I think he did it because it was fucking cold. But to make up for it, we had batting practice at noon today. It was supposed to be warmer than yesterday, but tell that to the fucking wind that blew all during practice. At least we got finished just before the wind blew the rain in. I think all baseball players should be able to go to school in California where we wouldn't have to put up with this shit.
Last night I had a date with Jenna, who is a sophomore. I mean it was what passed for a date in this one horse town. But, I've gotten used to the place. The school has lots of cool kids, even the gay dudes, and the girls are fine. Most of the teachers aren't assholes, and the baseball program is first rate. It's pretty damned hard to knock playing on the defending state champions.
The varsity is mostly seniors. Ten players are seniors, three of us are juniors, and we have two sophomores who might have the most talent of anybody. There are so many gay guys on this team it's hard to talk about girls with anybody. Justin and Toby, the other two juniors are boyfriends, Chandler and Korey, the two sophomores, are boyfriends. Then we have our team captain, Eric: boyfriend—Noah. We have the best catcher in the league, Kevin: boyfriend—Lars, the best relief pitcher in the league. We have Kraig: boy friend—Hunter.
So that leaves me, Carl, Danny, Scott, Gavin, as the straight guys. That used to piss me off and I hated all the gay guys. But Eric's stupid bonding idea last summer had me getting my dick sucked by Eric. I found out that not only was he a hellacious cocksucker, he was actually a really cool guy and not the stuck-up asshole I thought he was.
His idea ended up not being so stupid. Just like my idea that we hang out with guys on the team we usually don't hang out wasn't stupid. All of a sudden instead of us being into ourselves and being selfish bastards, we were all about the team like we should have been from the start. Funny how you know what you're supposed to do and how you're supposed to act and you end up acting like a dumb shit and doing something totally different. Well, bonding part two changed that. I was super happy that Eric and then the rest of the team liked my idea.
Hell, I even sucked Eric's cock, just to see if I could do it. Don't go calling me a cocksucker, because I'm not. I've got the lost cherry to prove it, but that doesn't mean it wasn't fun to do.
So, anyway, me and Jenna had pizza at The Bear, then were able to make out at her house for awhile. It would be nice if this dump of a town at least had a fucking movie theater, even some hole with only one screen. But, no, you gotta go all the way to Centralia to see a damned movie. I am making progress with Jenna since I did get to second base on her couch, with both of us being shirtless. That was pretty good. I'd love to take Jenna's cherry; she is one fine babe.
After practice, Carl and Danny invited me to have lunch at Carl's house. Scott was invited too, so I was going to spend an afternoon with three seniors. The seniors on this team are special. They're the guys who put together the Go to State Team thingy and who had the dream of us being great. Without them, I don't think we'd have cool coaches like Coach Miller and Coach Sanders. Yeah, I know they're gay, but who gives a shit? Plus, the things they've done had us going away to some cool tournaments.
Me, Justin, Toby, the two sophs, plus Mikey and Drew from the JV team, are working hard to have things just as cool this summer. Eric is the chairman of the group, but he pretty much just runs the meetings and helps Justin, who does most of the planning and work. Eric could be on some kind of power trip, but he's not into that kind of butthead. He wants us all to succeed. We have a summer tournament trip planned to a place near Los Angeles. We're gonna not only have baseball, but take in some of the parks like Magic Mountain and Disneyland. How cool is that?
This is why I don't hate being here like I used to. I was a first class asshole, but everybody not only called me on my shit, they went out of their way to make me feel important and part of the team after telling me what an asshole I was being. What other team does that by having a couple of guys suck your cock? It might be weird here sometimes, but I am loving it in Mayfield. They could still use a movie theater, though.
"So, here we are, almost all of the straight seniors," I said to Scott, Carl, and Danny, as we munched on hot dogs and chips.
"All except Gavin," Danny said. "We invited him, but him and his family are going someplace."
"It's gotta be weird having a new brother like he's got," Carl said. "I can't imagine having a baby in the house as a senior."
"Unless it was your baby," Scott said.
"Hey, I use protection," Carl protested.
Gavin has three brothers. Spencer is fourteen and a frosh and has a rep for getting a lot of girls into bed with him. He likes the younger girls and is taking out a seventh grader right now who is only twelve. The word is they did the deed in a boy's bathroom at school last year when Spencer was an eighth grader and she was only in sixth. Tanner is twelve and finishing sixth grade. I know he's been hanging out with Jeffrey and Nicky. Gavin says he's probably gay. And now he has a brother who is only three months old, whose been costing Gavin a lot of sleep.
"I can tell you this," Gavin told me a few days ago. "The lesson I'm learning from having Hayden in the house is I ain't never having kids. Fuck, nobody gets any sleep."
"But you do know how to change a diaper," I told him.
"Now there's a life skill worth having if you ain't having kids."
I told Scott, Danny, and Carl the story, and we all got a big laugh out of it. We sat around and talked baseball for awhile after eating. The four of us were pretty happy about how we'd turned things around.
"We're doing the things we were supposed to be doing and forgot about," Scott said. "We went back to being a team."
"Well, doing what Coach Sanders and Eric both talked about helps, too," Danny said. "Playing it a game at a time has really helped us."
"We got Chinook on Tuesday," Carl said. "We have a loss to avenge."
"Avenge. Nice word," Scott said. "Very Noah-like."
"It pays having a genius on your baseball team," I said. "And then we have Harborview on Friday. They shut us out and are in first."
"Another loss to...avenge," Danny said. "Coach said it's Scott starting against Chinook and Eric gets Harborview. I hope you don't get too rusty, Blaine, because I know we're going to need you somewhere."
"I've been getting some throwing in and pitching some batting practice. I'll be fine."
"Coach should give you a JV start or something to keep you in shape," Carl said.
"Carl, we have three games the week after next, and three the week after that," Danny said. "I think we just might need Blaine's arm."
I decided I'd hung out with the seniors long enough; I didn't want to overstay my welcome and have them get tired of me. "I better get my ass moving," I said. "Thanks for having lunch with a junior."
"Why? Where do you need to be this afternoon?" Scott asked.
"Nowhere. I just...,"
"Wouldn't you just want to stay a little longer?" Carl asked. "How about coming up to my room and having a circle jerk with the seniors?"
"Huh? You guys are straight."
"Come on, Blaine, everybody on the team knows me and Carl mess around," Danny said. "Scott likes to join us and get off sometimes, especially now that him and Tama broke up."
I knew about Danny and Carl. They were one of the reasons I ended up sucking Eric off. I mean if those two straight dudes can do what they do, I could try cock sucking once without me thinking I was gay. Well, the way I saw it, I'd taken the plunge last summer with the pairings, and then this spring with Eric, so what the hell, I might as well go all in.
"Yeah, sure, if you don't mind a junior joining you."
"You can be a real dumb shit sometimes," Scott said. "If we didn't want you, we wouldn't have asked."
The next thing I knew I was pulling off my t-shirt, sweats, and boxers in Carl's room. This wasn't middle school shit, where we had to play games to get our clothes off. We all stripped and were naked in less than a minute. I'd seen all three naked before, but never with boners.
Scott and Danny were hard. Scott was fucking huge. He said he was around seven and a quarter inches. Danny was close to seven. Carl was jerking his dick to get hard, so I did the same. My six inches was going to be puny compared to those two. I knew that Carl shaved his pubes, but it still looked weird seeing him with no hair like a little kid.
We were all hard pretty quick. Danny and Scott surprised the shit out of me by standing there hugging their naked bodies together and French kissing.
"Want to kiss me?" Carl asked.
"It's not my thing,"
"That's cool. Save it for Jenna, although practice makes perfect."
"I thought you guys were straight," I said.
"We are," Danny said as he and Scott broke their kiss. "Except when we get together and are horny or have blue balls. Today, we seem to be extra horny."
We quit the talk and got to work. Scott and Danny sat on Carl's bed, their backs against the wall and their feet dangling just over the edge. I sat on Carl's desk chair while Carl sat on the floor.
"Come on the bed and join us, Blaine," Danny said.
"Fuck no, don't cum on my bed. Then I have to clean it. Cum on yourself or do it on one of those assholes," Carl said.
I got off the chair and sat on the bed next to Scott. Carl took my place on the chair and the four of us started beating our meats. Other than the kiss it really wasn't gay at all. We were just four horny high school dudes taking care of business, or so I thought.
"I got lube if you need it," Carl offered.
I was so turned on by now I didn't need lube. All I needed was to blow my wad. Well, I didn't exactly blow it on the bed, on me, or on somebody else. Danny asked me if I minded him sucking me off. I said I was cool with it, and my dick found its way right into his mouth. Carl and Scott jerked off even harder watching him do me.
I've been around sex long enough to usually not have a hair trigger, but for some reason, being around all these horny senior jocks got me way turned on. Danny was on me for maybe five minutes at most when I started cussing big time and shot my cum into the straight boy's mouth.
"Oh, fuck yeah, that was hot," Scott said as he pounded his meat.
"Want a taste?" Danny asked. The two of them kissed again, and I knew Scott was tasting my cum in Danny's mouth. Then Danny kneeled between my spread out legs, jerked his big cock a few times, and spewed all over my chest and on down.
"Shit, I can't hold off any longer," Scott said. As I was recovering from Danny shooting his wad over me, Scott blew his own wad all over himself. Danny got off the bed, got on his knees in front of Carl, and sucked him to a quick cum. This time Danny and Carl kissed after the cum.
"Are you guys sure you're straight?" I asked.
"No doubt at all," Danny said. "No way I'm spending my life with the big guy here, even if he is a better fuck than Mary Alice. But, M.A. has way better boobs than he does, just for starters."
When I left, I was feeling stupid for sitting naked on a bed having a circle jerk. But as I walked home, I realized the whole thing wasn't as fucked as I thought. We were guys having fun. And they were three seniors who made me feel part of the team in the best way possible. Then I felt bad thinking about all the fun I could have had when I moved here as a freshman. Sex with guys was way different than I thought, even it wasn't the way I planned on spending my life. I know I told Eric I wasn't going to have sex with a guy again after I sucked him off, but hey, it beats jerking off, so why not?
<Week of April 14-20>
Tuesday-
The Mustangs were not the same team that the Chinook Totems had seen back in early March. That team had been a talented team that was lost and confused. This team was a talented team playing to its potential.
The first inning set the tone for the game as the Mustangs scored four runs, capped by Danny's two run homer. Scott then struck out the side in the bottom of the inning as the Mayfield nine took it to the Totems by a final score of 7-1. Scott struck out twelve in his six innings of pitching.
The big news of the day was Meadow Park beating Kentburg 6-5 as the Royals saved Ben for their Friday game against Chinook. Kentburg's biggest weakness was that, except for Ben, their pitching was a bit thin. The loss by the Royals meant that Harborview and Lakeshore were now in a two-way tie for first. Harborview was the next game for the Mustangs, and it would be on the Tugs home field. The other news was that Clark Pass managed to last the entire seven innings against first place Lakeshore as they lost 11-4.
When Eric and Noah went to bed Thursday night, Eric commented that going through their meditation and the other pregame rituals was going to be a waste of time.
"And why is that?" Noah asked.
"You can hear the rain beating down on the roof just as easily as I can," Eric said.
"Looking within yourself is never a waste of time."
"Thank you, oh wise guru."
"Nothing wise about it; I am merely stating things as they are."
"The way things are, I am horny and would love having sex with my boyfriend."
"The way things are, it could stop raining in the next hour and we could end up playing tomorrow."
Eric sighed. "You did see tomorrow's forecast, right?"
"I did. And as with all other forecasts I've seen, I don't believe it. Although, I do have to admit, they do get it right on occasion."
The two boys slept naked and cuddled as they always did on the night before Eric would be the starting pitcher. Eric's mind had gotten so out of synch, he almost wished the rain would continue. He did not feel mentally ready to pitch the next day.
The boys carried their baseball equipment bags to school with their uniforms packed in them. They wore Dockers, collared shirts, and dress shoes. Collared shirts and dress shoes were required, and jeans were against the rules on game days. The rain had come down all night and it was still raining when they woke up. Until somebody told them otherwise, they knew they had to prepare for the day like any game day.
The game was officially rained out by lunch time. "I guess I was kind of wishing for the rain to continue," Eric confessed to Noah. "I just couldn't get my mind into the proper space."
"Well, be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it," Noah said.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Eric, please don't tell me that I have underestimated your intelligence. Since I doubt that I have, your mind must truly be in a strange place."
"And your point is?"
"We have three games scheduled in each of the next two weeks, which are the last two weeks of the regular season. The rainout has to be made up somewhere in those two weeks. Do the math."
"Damn. I really am a dork. Can I take my wish back?"
"I dunno. Word is that if you give someone a perfect BJ, that a wish can be retracted. Unfortunately, it is too late...the rainout has occurred."
"It might be too late to take my wish back," Eric said. "But it certainly is not too late to strive for perfection."
"My place, after the movie tonight," Noah said. "I will do my best to help you in your quest." When the game was cancelled, a group of Mustangs decided to take in a movie in Centralia.
Eric, Noah, Kevin, Kraig, Hunter, and Lars went to the movie together. Since Lars was eighteen, he could drive them all. After the movie, Eric and Noah were dropped off at Noah's house.
"Don't do anything we wouldn't do," Kevin told them. "Are you sure you don't want to spend the night with us?"
"Next time," Eric said. "I apparently have a request to fulfill."
"Whatever floats your boat. Korey won't be there, so it's only us big boys. He's over at Chandler's with Mikey."
"Nicky is at Jeff's with Tanner," Noah said
"Tanner?" Lars asked.
"Gavin's brother. Twelve and in sixth grade."
"Spare us from horny middle school boys," Kevin said.
"Oh shut up. You know you love them," Kraig said.
"I do, but it's getting much harder to get into their pants. They seem to think I am some kind of old perv now."
"I can assure you that with virtually no work at all you can get into my brother's pants," Noah said. "In fact, you probably can just go ahead and pull them off and go for the gold."
"I'll have to give it a try sometime."
The seniors bid each other goodbye. That night, Eric worked to give the perfect BJ. Noah claimed he succeeded. "I mean, they're all perfect if they lead to a howling climax in the mouth of the sucker of cocks." Eric couldn't disagree.
Needless to say, the cum flowed at Kevin's house, at Chandler's house, and at Marty's apartment. Jeffrey used his key to the apartment so he, Nicky, and Tanner would have privacy for their own brand of fun. It was fun that included twelve year old sixth grader, Tanner, losing his cherry, getting topped by twelve year old seventh grader Jeffrey. Meanwhile, thirteen year old eighth grader Nicky looked on as he furiously jerked his four inch cock. And that was just the beginning of their fun for the night.
Since sex isn't a competition, there will be no comment on which group had the best night.
As the rain continued to come down on Saturday, their practice was cancelled, but they were told that, weather permitting, their makeup game would be next Thursday. That would make next week the toughest week of the season.
<Week of April 21-27>
The Mustangs had four games scheduled for the week: Monte on Monday, Winston on Wednesday, at Harborview on Thursday, and at Kentburg on Saturday. Coach Sanders had given them the starting pitchers for the week as well as the starting lineup for Monday at the non-practice meeting on Saturday. Blaine would face Monte and Chandler would tackle Winston. Then, they would be playing the two tough teams, with Eric getting the call versus Harborview and Scott opposing Kentburg.
Eric was a little disappointed that he wouldn't be facing Kentburg. He liked pitching against them, especially when Ben was his opponent.
The Monte Vikings were 4-4 and had clobbered the Mustangs 7-1 at Monte. That game had been the low point of the season for the Mayfield team.
This time, before a good afternoon crowd at the Mustangs' own ballpark, Blaine pitched five strong innings before tiring. Kevin told Coach Sanders after the fifth that Blaine was toast. Blaine left with what looked like a safe 9-2 lead. Hunter relieved Blaine and fell victim to two errors behind him, one by Danny at third on a tough play where he should have eaten the ball after he made a diving stop to keep it in the infield. Instead, he got up and hurried a throw to first that ended up in the stands. The other error was a dropped fly ball in right field by Kraig. It was an unforced error on a play the sure- handed senior normally made routinely. The result was a three run inning and a 9-5 score after six.
Coach Sanders wanted to leave Lars fresh for the last two games of the week, so he left Hunter in the game. Hunter got the first two batters out in the top of the seventh, gave up a walk and a run scoring double, then struck out the next batter as the Mustangs hung on for a 9-6 win over the pesky Vikings.
Carl hit his third home run of the season, a three-run shot in the fifth. The Mustang victory gave Blaine his third pitching win of the season, which made him the surprise team leader in wins.
Kentburg beat Harborview 4-1, which gave Lakeshore sole possession of first place. Ben went all the way for the Royals, which meant he would be restricted to no more than three innings if he pitched against the Mustangs on Saturday, which was the first day he'd be eligible to pitch. The Mustangs, Royals, and Harborview Tugs were now locked in a three way tie for second.
The Winston Raptors were new to the Seamount League, having just moved up from B classification. They had started the season as a cocky team with big mouths. They were now 1-8, with their only win against Clark Pass. The mouths of the players had been stilled some, not only because of their record, but because three players and the coach had each been ejected during the season. An ejection by the umpire meant the player or coach had to sit out a one game suspension. A second ejection during the season meant the player or coach would be finished for the season. The Mustangs had defeated the Raptors 7-3 on the Winston home field for their first win. This time the Mustangs would be at home.
Chandler was the starting pitcher. The talented sophomore put together five shutout innings, giving up five hits while striking out five and walking three.
Kraig pitched the sixth inning and Justin pitched the seventh as the Mustangs forged a 10-2 win. Hunter homered, the sixth straight game in which Mayfield had hit a home run. The sickly offense of the beginning of the season was now clicking, along with the defense and pitching. The Mayfield Mustangs were a balanced team and it showed as they won their eighth straight league game.
The Harborview Tugs knocked off first place Lakeshore 8-7 to create a four way tie for first between Harborview, Lakeshore, Kentburg, and Mayfield. But the biggest news might have come from Clark Pass, where the Eagles stunned the Chinook Totems 7-5 for their first win of the year.
"What's up with fucking Clark Pass?" Blaine asked in the Mayfield locker room when the players heard the news. "They go the whole seven innings against Lakeshore and Meadow Park and now they knock off Chinook, who beat us this year. Did they get a player transplant or what?"
"I heard that five of their seniors got benched for getting caught at a kegger," Noah said. Noah had his ways of finding things out and nobody doubted his word. "They have a junior, three sophomores, and a freshman starting in their place and suddenly they've got some life. I guess the freshman is a hell of a pitcher. Nicky says he threw two no-hitters in the middle school league last year."
"That's all we need with this schedule is to have to worry about Clark Pass," Hunter moaned.
Most of the Mustang varsity were having lunch in what was referred to as the "baseball corner". Eric was one of the players who wasn't in the corner. He was sitting alone having lunch in Coach Sanders's room, as he did on the days he was scheduled to pitch. Some days he was alone and some days Noah joined him.
Those who were in the corner were talkative and excited. Today was their makeup game against the Harborview Tugs. The winner would maintain a share of first while the loser would be dropped back a game. With a tight, four-way race for the Seamount League championship, every game had an air of importance. However, a game with two of the contenders going head to head became even more important.
Harborview was almost an hour and a half away by bus. It was their longest road trip of the season. The bus was as quiet as the lunchroom had been loud. Eric was given his space as he sat alone in a seat near the back, his IPod sending classical music to his headphones, which relayed the message to his ears, which did their job of informing his brain of the incoming sounds. The girls' softball players in the front of the bus knew of the importance of the game and kept their chatter to a minimum.
Eric had gone through his routine with Noah the night before. Unlike the night before the rainout, everything went according to the script. Eric felt confident and at ease as the strains of the fourth movement of Mozart's "Jupiter" Symphony played on his IPod.
Just as Eric had been right about his poor mental state the week before, he was right about his readiness to focus and concentrate on this game day. The Tugs had defeated the Mustangs 4-0 in their first meeting. This time the Mustangs returned the favor as Eric shut down the Harborview offense, allowing only three hits while walking none. Two of those hits were back-to-back doubles in the fourth inning, which took care of his throwing a shutout. But nobody was going to complain about a 5-1 win.
The home run streak ended, but Carl's three doubles and four RBI more than made up for the lack of home runs. Eric, Carl, and the magic glove of Justin at shortstop led the Mustangs as they knocked the Tugs out of a first place tie. Eric was now 3-0 for the season.
Lakeshore defeated Meadow Park 8-4 while Kentburg knocked off Chinook 8-5, to keep both teams tied for first with Mayfield.
When the schedule was published, Mayfield and Kentburg were slated to play each other on Friday. However, the Kentburg administration thought having the game on Saturday afternoon would allow more parents and fans to see the two rivals play than a Friday afternoon game would. Which is why the two teams were waiting in their dugouts on a Saturday as the umpires conducted the home plate conference. Once again the Mustangs were in a first place tie with the team they were playing.
If everybody was expecting a close match, then this game was a letdown. The Royals simply couldn't conjure up enough pitching to stop the revived offense of the Mustangs. They'd already used Ben that week and the only thing that could allow them to get full use of him against the Mustangs would be the game being rescheduled due to rain. But the weather was mostly sunny with no rain in sight and a temperature in the upper sixties.
This time it was Scott's turn to be focused as he threw six solid innings, leaving with a 7-2 lead. As usual, he'd thrown a lot of pitches and Coach Sanders had Lars finish up the game. He put the Royals down in order and the 7-2 score stood up. The Mustangs had defeated the Royals both times they played. Carl hit his fourth home run of the season, a solo shot in the second.
Lakeshore defeated Winston 17-6 to stay tied with the Mustangs for first place. Harborview ran out of pitching and ended up losing to Meadow Park 12-11.
<Saturday, April 27, University of Washington, Gray Field>
[GEORGE BEDNARZYK]
As much as I would have loved to watch the big game between Mayfield and Kentburg, this double header at the University of Washington involved family, which trumped my loyalties to the Mayfield baseball program. It was just plain bad luck that the Mustangs had a Saturday afternoon game the same weekend the Cougars played the Huskies in Seattle.
Marty said he was certain he would be starting the second game of the double header. While the incumbent third baseman was a junior, a friend who was well acquainted with the Washington State baseball program thought that Marty was the better player, with only inexperience holding him back. His feeling was that the junior third baseman might want to think about moving to first or learning the outfield before his senior season started.
I brought my sons Jeffrey and Sammy with me. This would be Jeffery's first chance to see his hero and "big brother" play college ball. It also helped that he was a big baseball nut. He was proud to be playing on the middle school varsity as a seventh grader just like Marty had. However, because of his slight frame, he played second instead of third. He'd started two of the Titans three games. Sammy came along because he wanted to be part of the experience.
Since I graduated from the University of Washington, getting both my bachelor's and law degree there, I found it difficult to root for the Cougars. It was the equivalent of a Mayfield resident rooting for the Kentburg Royals. I kept quiet during the first game, except when Marty came to bat as a pinch hitter in the seventh. I looked around to see if I saw anybody I knew, then started rooting loudly for Marty. He ended up hitting the ball hard to right center, but the speedy center fielder ran it down.
While I was looking for any possible UW grads who would know me, I did see a familiar face. I made a note of where the person was. I planned to pay him a visit between games.
The Cougars lost the first game 8-4. It was announced that there would be a thirty minute intermission between games. I gave Jeffrey some money and sent him off to the concession stand with Sammy. I told him I was going to talk to somebody and would be back when the second game started.
While there was a decent crowd at the game, there were also plenty of empty seats. I saw there was one next to the man I'd seen earlier and sat next to him.
"Hello, Lewis," I said to Lewis Carlson, Marty's father.
"I thought you'd probably be here," he said.
"I brought my two boys. They love your son."
"As do you."
"Yes, I do, but you love him as well. No offense meant to you, but I love him as I would a son."
"None taken. I hate to think where he would be if you hadn't been there for him. God knows, I wasn't there for him."
I said nothing, not wanting to pass any kind of judgment. I knew what kind of hell he'd been through, having been there myself. I was certain that six months into sobriety he was searching for answers that were not yet there.
"What kind of man kicks his fifteen year old son out of his house?" he asked.
"A man afflicted with a terrible disease. A man caught up in ego and self-will."
"I need to see him to make amends, but I have no idea how to approach him."
"You'll know when the time comes."
"I missed almost all of his growing up. I want to tell him how proud I am of the man he's become." He gave me a wry smile and went on. "Funny I should say that when I spent so much time telling him he didn't have what it took to become a man. It looks like he proved his old man wrong. He's a bigger man than I am or ever will be.'
"You're not drinking today. I think that levels the playing field."
"But will he think that?"
"Maybe some day. All I can say to him is that he needs to love you. He needs to remember that it is better to love than to be loved. When he is ready to overcome his bundle of resentments, you will both know what to say."
"I take you two have talked about those resentments."
"We have. Obviously I haven't been totally successful helping him rid himself of those resentments. But the time will come. He can't let his resentments against you rule him, as they sometimes do. He needs that space in his head you keep occupying to become devoted to his sobriety. Dumping those resentments is a good starting place—when he's ready."
"I love him you know. I never realized how much until I sobered up. I never realized what I'd done to hurt him until then. I never fucking realized what a great son I'd had." I could tell that Lewis was fighting back tears.
"You both have a lot to do. I hope the start of your healing comes sooner rather than later."
"Should I talk to him after the game?"
"The only advice I dispense is legal advice to paying clients. I work to teach my sponsees how to lead a sober life using the twelve steps. I try not to advise them on how they should or shouldn't live their lives. The same philosophy applies to you. You need to do what you think is right."
He gave me a sad smile. "This time and place ain't right. Will you tell him I was here to watch him play? He won't answer my calls or return them."
"He can be a stubborn young man. He's been sober for over five years now, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have a lot to learn. In this case he still needs to learn about humility."
We sat quietly for a few more minutes. The Cougars were reentering their dugout. "I'd better rejoin my boys," I said.
"Will you tell him I was here?" he repeated.
"I will."
I returned to my seat, thinking how I would keep Lewis Carlson and his son Marty in my prayers. Marty had made huge strides in his sobriety. Forgiving his father may be the hardest thing he would have to do to this point, but it was something he would have to accomplish in order to truly be happy, joyous, and free.
Marty started the second game at third. He went one-for-four, his lone hit an RBI double. He had three plays at third, two of them routine, and one a snag of a hard shot up the line that he turned into a 5-4-3 (third-second-first) double play. It was an outstanding play. His offense and defense both helped contribute to a 4-3 win for the Cougars. I felt no guilt in cheering for the UW's biggest rivals.
Marty and I talked on the field after the game. First, we let Jeffrey babble on about his own baseball playing, about how excited he was to see Marty play a real college baseball game, and about anything else that happened to pop into his active mind. I finally sent him and Sammy off with a baseball, telling them Marty and I needed to talk privately for a few minutes.
I complimented Marty on his game as he thanked me for coming and for bringing Jeffrey with me. He knew the Mustangs were playing Kentburg that afternoon, and it made him feel special that I chose to come to Seattle to watch him play.
"I would have been derelict not to. And if I decided to be derelict, I would have had to face the Hurricane, which is not always a pleasant prospect. I've already had to turn down a couple of requests to go to Pullman to watch you play because of conflicts. There was no way we were missing these games; they had been on my calendar for weeks."
"I miss him so much," Marty said. "And I miss you, and Sammy, and Mrs. B...and well everybody.'
"Life moves on," I said, knowing that I didn't sound quite as profound as I wanted it to. "Your dad was here."
"You're shitting me."
"I talked to him. He was a few rows behind the dugout."
"So the bastard comes all the way here to watch me but can't take the time to say anything to me? What, is he afraid I'll rip him a new asshole or something?"
"In a word, yes."
"Oh." He stood and looked at me. At 6'3 he stood three inches taller than I did.
"He wants to talk to you, but he felt this wasn't the time or place."
"I would have told him there never will be a time or place.'
"The man practicing true humility knows it is better to..."
"...to love than to be loved," Marty finished. "I guess I have more to learn about humility."
"He said he was proud of the man you were becoming."
"No way he said that. He always told me I'd never be a man."
"He did say it. I think it will be you who shows him what a sober, serene, and humble man can do. How he can think more of others without thinking less of himself. You have some tough decisions to make regarding your father. In terms of sobriety you are five years older than him. When you are ready to show him what you have learned in that time and are ready to teach him, the healing between you two will begin."
Once again he was quiet. I knew him well enough to recognize that he was thinking over what I had said. The quiet was broken by the high pitched voice of a skinny little twelve year old.
"When are you coming home, Marty?"
"The end of May," he said.
"Cool. Sometimes my friends and I keep your bed warm for you. I hope that's okay." I tried to keep from blushing. I had no doubt as to what my son and his friends did to keep Marty's bed warm.
"It is. I wouldn't want to come home to a cold, unused bed."
Jeffrey wrapped his arms around the big athletic young man. "I love you Marty. I miss you so much."
"I miss you, too J.J. My life is too quiet without a Hurricane blowing through it."
Jeffrey let go his tight hug and looked up at the big brother he worshipped. "See you at the end of May. And thanks for answering all of my texts."
"I haven't answered all of them, only the ones I understood."
"If you add them all up, then you've answered them all."
"Whatever you say, Stormy. I better get into the clubhouse. I don't want to miss the team bus."
There were some other players talking to parents and friends as well, so I knew Marty still had some time left to talk. But, I think he'd said all he had to say for now and knew it was time to walk away. He gave me a big hug before going, however. "I love you Sparky. I wouldn't be standing here lying about catching the bus if it wasn't for you."
"I love you too, son. Think about the things we talked about.'
"I always do, Sparky. I always do."
<Week of April 28-May 4>
Monday was bye day for the Mustangs, at least as far as games went. They did have a light practice to keep timing and focus in shape. The rest of the league was playing while they practiced. Lakeshore beat Monte and Kentburg and Harborview also won.
The regular season was in its last week and the standings remained tight. Lakeshore was 11-3, Mayfield 10-3, Kentburg 10-4, and Harborview 9-5. The teams would each play a total of 16 league games.
This was THE game of the week, as least up to now: Lakeshore at Mayfield. For the third straight game the Mustangs would be playing a first place team. The game time was changed in order for more people to attend the game. It was originally scheduled for four, but would now start at 6:30 under the lights.
With Clark Pass and Meadow Park the last two games on the schedule, Coach Sanders elected to go with his diminutive ace over his power pitcher in the big matchup.
Since the game wasn't right after school, Eric had to alter his game day routine a little. He went home and warmed up some leftover spaghetti his mother had left him. Lots of carbs for lots of energy was the plan.
He went up to his room, undressed, and lay on his bed, looking up at the ceiling. He grabbed a baseball and flipped it up in the air, catching it with his left, non-pitching hand, as it came down. He repeated the process as he thought about the upcoming game.
While the game was a big one, losing it wouldn't be the end of the world. After all, the top five teams went to the league tournament. On the other hand, the first place team only had to win one game in the league tournament to go to districts, while the second team to move on would have to win at least two games. And as far as Eric was concerned, the first championship to win in order to fulfill the now six year old dream was the league championship.
He put the ball down on his dresser, set the alarm on his cell phone and took a nap. The alarm went off at five. He went to the bathroom, took a pee, and splashed cold water on his face. Coach Sanders wanted the players to be in the school locker room by five-thirty and on the field by a quarter to six.
Eric planned to drive to the school instead of walk. As he started the car he felt a surge of confidence move through him. He was positive he was ready to face the tough Sentinel lineup.
The Mustangs had defeated Lakeshore 9-6 the first time around, with Scott starting. Lakeshore's pitching wasn't very strong; they relied on their hitting to get their wins. However, their pitching wasn't incompetent either, and any of their starters was good enough to have a good game and stop the opposing team.
That was the case in this game as Wade Hall, a big 6'4 senior put the brakes on the Mustang offense. Eric was on his game, too, and the two seniors matched zeros through the first four innings. The stands were packed with parents, faculty, and fans from both sides. While the crowd wanted to be noisy, neither team's offense gave them much to cheer about. So they rooted for the pitchers and the defense as each team managed only two hits apiece through the first four innings.
Eric got in trouble first, giving up a leadoff walk and then a double with one out in the top of the fifth. The Sentinels had runners on second and third with one out and their cleanup hitter up. He hit Eric's second pitch to deep left field which Hunter ran down, scoring the runner and giving Lakeshore a 1-0 lead. Eric got the next batter to strike out. He walked off the field, angry with himself for giving up the leadoff walk that came around to score.
The Mustangs went down in order in the bottom of the fifth and Eric came out in the top of the sixth knowing he had to keep the Sentinels from scoring again. In spite of a two-out single, he was successful.
It was Kevin's turn to be the hitting hero of the game. Carl singled to open up the sixth. Toby entered the game to pinch run for him. With Danny at the plate, he stole second on a 1-1 pitch. Danny then dropped a beautiful bunt, advancing Toby to third. The stolen base and sacrifice bunt turned out to be unnecessary, however, as Kevin took Ward Hall's first pitch and deposited it into the left field bullpen where Korey was warming up Lars. The Mustangs now had a 2-1 lead.
Kevin took the team's congratulations as he headed for the dugout to put on his catcher's gear. Lars took Eric's place on the mound and Eric moved to second base, replacing Noah. Chandler took Noah's place in the lineup and he went out to center field where Lars normally played.
The previous summer, when the Falcons summer team had gotten off to a poor start of their own, Lars had been shaky as a starting pitcher. He was good for two or three innings then would suddenly run out of steam. But he fit perfectly into the closer's role. The only problem Coach Sanders had with using Lars as the closer was the drop in defense in center field.
But as the season progressed, Chandler had grown into the position. The sophomore was unquestionably the most natural athlete on the team. His talent, plus his work ethic had made him into a top notch outfielder. He didn't display the ability of Lars, but Coach Sanders felt that overall the defense no longer took a big hit when Lars went in to pitch. He felt that by next spring Chandler would be at the skill level of Lars and maybe even be as good as Jerome by his senior year. Of course, the fact that Chandler was an ace pitcher in the making meant that another center fielder would be needed.
Lars, who even at eighteen still had a thin, lanky frame, always looked like he wasn't working hard when he pitched. His looks were deceiving, however, as the ball seemed to leap out of his hand and zip to home plate faster than the batter expected. He loved his role as a relief pitcher, and relished the rare opportunities he got to close a game. He especially loved pitching to Kevin, his boyfriend. Kevin's two favorite pitchers to catch were Eric and Lars, because of their intelligence and their command of the baseball. He liked them because they rarely shook off his signals—they let him run the game. But most of all, he liked catching them because he loved them deeply.
Eric had stopped the hard hitting Sentinels, and Lars was not about to let them think they could hit. He relied on throwing his fastball low in the strike zone, making the batters hit his pitch. His style was much different than Eric's and the Sentinels didn't adjust well. Lars got a strikeout, an easy fly to Chandler in center, and a two hop grounder to Justin at short. The Mustangs had a 2-1 victory and had won 11 straight league games. They were in sole position of first place after starting the league season 0-3.
Kentburg had their bye and were tied for second with Lakeshore. Eric now led the team in wins with a 4-0 record.
The Mustangs took their second longest bus trip of the season. This time it was up into the mountains to play Clark Pass. Blaine was slated to pitch against the freshman phenom. The Eagles were playing good ball, having won three of their last four. Coach Sanders was worried about a letdown after the big win over Lakeshore.
He could have saved the wear and tear on his nervous system. Blaine was not about to let the Eagles think they could win this game. And as good as their freshman pitcher was, he wasn't yet up to keeping an elite team the caliber of the Mustangs in check. He pitched well, but he made freshman mistakes, which the veteran Mustangs took advantage of.
Blaine pitched the first four innings and Chandler pitched the last three as the Mustangs defeated the Eagles 8-2. Carl hit his fifth home run, a two-run shot in the first. The Mustangs were now one win away from winning the Seamount League title. However, with Kentburg beating Lakeshore 4-2, it was the Royals who were in second place a game back, not the Sentinels.
That one win came the next day against Meadow Park at home. The Bears had a good team and were 9-6 in league and would be one of the five teams in the league tournament. Eric had shut them out in their first meeting, 4-0.
This time Scott was the starter. While Scott didn't get a shutout, he did go all seven innings, striking out 11 as he put together his most efficient outing of the season.
The Mustangs belted 12 hits, five for extra bases, as they took the Bears apart with surgical precision in a 7-1 win. Eric had four hits, scoring two runs and knocking in one. One of Eric's four hits ended up being a very special one.
[NOAH]
It was the fifth inning and we had a nice 4-1 lead. We were playing with efficiency and confidence. We knew to a man that we weren't going to blow this game. It made no difference to us what Kentburg did, because we were going to win first place right here and right now.
Yes, we took the league title for the second straight year, something that excited us all and something we wouldn't forget. It meant our games would mean even more, but we were determined to still be playing the game one game at a time.
But even with all of the other excitement, none of us would ever forget Eric's fifth inning at bat. He came up with two outs and nobody on. It helps to know that outside of a couple of inside the park home runs in Little League, Eric has never homered. He's never gone yard, never launched a fair ball over the fence.
He took a strike, then two balls. On the 2-1 pitch everything worked for him, the pitch in the right place, the perfect swing, the ball hitting the sweet spot, a bit of a breeze blowing to left, everything. We were all at the dugout screen watching Eric at work. He was one of our best hitters, a dangerous hitter in the two hole, and fun to watch hit. When the ball left the bat, we all knew it had a chance of going out. We starting waving, hoping to create the extra breeze needed to send it over the fence.
[ERIC]
I will never forget that 2-1 pitch. When I hit the ball, it felt different like I'd gotten every part of that ball I could possibly get. I could see it was going to go a long way. I've hit balls off the fence a few times, and I knew I'd hit the ball well. But this one seemed different, more of a high and deep fly than a line shot off the fence. I was rooting for it to go out.
[COACH SANDERS]
When Eric hit that ball only one thought hit my mind: "That sucker is gone."
[DENNIS SIMMONS]
That was not my son hitting that high fly ball. His high flies are pop ups, not deep flies like Carl or Marty would hit. When he got hold of a ball, it was a line drive. This was something altogether different.
[TIM HORST, MEADOW PARK LEFT FIELDER]
I ran back to the fence, knowing the ball was hit hard. I had to wonder how a little shit like the dude at the plate could hit a ball that hard and that far, but I also thought it might stay in the ballpark. The ball got to the fence before I did. All I could do was stand there and watch it go over. It was a nice hit and I had to tip my hat to the bastard.
++++++++++++
There was a celebration at home plate when Eric scored. The smile on his face almost split it in half. He had a legitimate, over the fence, home run, in his last regular game as a senior. Eric was loved and respected by his teammates, and all of them were ecstatic about his home run.
But, there was more excitement yet to come. Eric came up again in the bottom of the sixth. The Mustangs had stretched their lead to 9-1 against a couple of not so good relief pitchers. Coach Sanders told Noah to get a bat and hit for Eric.
"But coach, Eric has a double, a single, and a home run. All he needs is a triple to hit for the cycle. He has to hit," Noah said.
"Are you sure you don't want to hit?"
"Not if it means Eric not having a chance for the cycle."
Eric overheard the conversation and told Noah he didn't care about the cycle. Noah should be able to get into the game.
"If you don't go up and hit," Noah told him, "I'm cutting you off for a week."
That convinced Eric. While he ended up not getting his triple, he did rap a sharp single up the middle and ended up with a four-for-four day at the plate. Coach Sanders had Noah go to bat for Scott instead.
Eric found out later that Nicky was video recording the game since he didn't have a game or practice. The DVD of that game would become a prize possession.
The celebration when the game ended was subdued. Yes, they were the league champions for the second straight year, and yes, their goal was to play a game at a time. But deep in their hearts they knew what the real goal was, even if they no longer talked about it. They knew their work for the last six years was not to win back-to-back Seamount League championships. The dream Eric had, the dream he had sold them as a team, was to win back-to-back state titles.
The Mustangs knew better than to mention the world "Safeco". But there was no question in their mind what they were playing for. It didn't matter if it was going to happen at Safeco Field or on a dirt field in a cow pasture. The postseason was ready to start, and the minds of the Mayfield Mustang baseball team were focused on one thing and one thing only: becoming State Champions for the second straight year.
Next: The Mayfield Mustangs