Read Online Baseball Great by Tim Green - Free Book Online Page A

light and pointed out that with Kerry Eschelman’s arm, the team should be a contender anyway.
    The Mount Olympus Titans continued their grueling practice sessions, but the excruciating soreness Josh felt in the mornings began to ease up. He stopped taking the little yellow pills and learned to pack his throwing arm in ice every night before bed.
    Josh, Jaden, and Benji teamed up for a science posterproject that brought them all together at Josh’s house on a Thursday evening. Josh’s mom made a stir-fry of chicken and vegetables that everyone loved before the three partners spread out their materials on the living-room floor.
    â€œBenji,” Jaden asked, “what are you doing?”
    Benji sat with his back against the wall, and he looked up from his notebook only after writing something down. His face turned red and he said, “Just a little math.”
    â€œWe’re doing science,” Jaden said. “Our team project?”
    â€œI just figured, while you guys were working out the details, I could get this done,” Benji said. “I’m not a good detail guy. I’m more of the big-picture type.”
    Jaden looked at Josh, appealing for help.
    â€œCome on, man,” Josh said. “We gotta work together.”
    â€œWell, I’m a science genius, but this math stuff is killing me,” Benji said, rumpling up his face. “I got a sixty-four right now and if I fail, I’m off the baseball team. I know that doesn’t mean much to a big travel team star like you, but us little people got to eat, too.”
    Jaden scooted over next to him and examined his notebook.
    â€œWhere’s your work on this problem?” she asked.
    Benji shrugged. “What do you mean?”
    â€œYour work,” she said. “The calculations for the problem. You’ve got the formula right, but the answer’swrong. Where did you do the work?”
    Benji crunched his eyebrows and said, “I sit right next to you in math. I see the way you do it, and you’ve got, what? A hundred and two average?”
    Jaden looked at him, and her face relaxed. She shook her head and softly said, “I think if you just do the work out on paper, you’ll be fine. There’s a lot of calculations you have to make with this. If you write it down, it’s ten times easier to keep track of. Here, let me show you.”
    Benji watched her, nodding his head.
    â€œYeah, I get that, dude,” he said. “Just what I was doing, but in my head.”
    â€œSo,” Jaden said patiently, “if you just write it down like this, I think you’ll be golden. The formula is the hardest part, and you got that.”
    â€œYeah,” Benji said, “that I got. That’s the hard part. But I still don’t get why I shouldn’t do it the same way as you.”
    â€œShe’s smarter than you, meathead,” Josh said. “Don’t get mad. She’s smarter than me, too.”
    â€œBut she can’t swing a bat like me,” Benji said, grinning.
    â€œThat’s why you’re her hero,” Josh said. “Now that you’ve solved the meaning of life, can we get back to this poster? I got to get to bed.”
    Benji wrinkled his brow and said, “Anyone else tell you this Titans baseball team has turned you into a real bore?”
    â€œTomorrow, I’m either in or out,” Josh said, “so you might not have to worry about it.”
    â€œWhat’s tomorrow?” Jaden asked.
    â€œWe got a tournament down on Long Island this weekend,” Josh said. “Rocky says the team has to be down to eighteen, so somebody’s got to go.”
    â€œNot you!” Jaden asked.
    â€œI’m the only twelve-year-old.”
    â€œSo what,” Jaden said. “I can’t believe you’re not as good as any fourteen-year-old. You’re as big as most of them, right?”
    â€œKind of.”
    â€œSo?” Jaden