car pull into the driveway and a car door shut. Jake bounced off the bed and ran downstairs. His father came through the front door and dropped his car keys on the hall table.
“Did you talk to Adam’s mom?” Jake asked as he jumped down the last few stairs.
“Only for a minute or two,” his father said. “I really just dropped him off.”
“Well, did she get the job?” Jake asked. “Does Adam have to move?”
Mr. Daley shrugged. “I’m not sure. She didn’t say. My guess is that she wants to talk to Adam and Chad first.”
Jake walked over to the living room window and gazed out. His father sat down in the living room and looked at Jake. “I guess if Adam moves,” he said, “you’ll probably play shortstop all the time in the fall.”
“I know,” Jake said, still looking out the window. “But we won’t be as good without Adam.”
Mr. Daley nodded silently. Jake turned and looked back at his dad. “You know, I wouldn’t mind being Lou Gehrig,” he said.
“Or Bernie Williams.” His father smiled.
“Or Scottie Pippen,” Jake said.
“We’ll see,” Mr. Daley said.
Jake grabbed his glove and a tennis balland went into the backyard. He threw the ball hard against the back of the house and fielded grounder after grounder.
“Nice play,” a familiar voice called. “For a second baseman.”
Jake turned and saw Adam standing at the corner of the yard as he had so many times before. “Did your mom get the job?” The words almost jumped out of Jake’s mouth.
“Yep,” Adam said.
Jake felt as if someone had punched him in the stomach. So it was true. Adam was leaving. “When do you move?” he asked.
“We’re not gonna move,” Adam said. He held his hands open and motioned for the ball.
“Not gonna move?” Jake repeated as he tossed the ball to his friend. “I thought you said that your mom got the job.”
“She did.” Adam tossed the ball back and forth between his hands. “But when she told her boss at her job here, they decided to give her a big raise …” Adam paused and tossed the ball into the air.
“Yeah, so what happened?” Jake asked.
Adam smiled. “So my mom decided to stay. She said it was important for me and Chad to be close to our dad. Besides, I’m already on a team and everything.”
The boys started to throw the ball back and forth as they talked. “That’s great,” Jake said. “We’ll be on the Red Sox together again next season.”
“Yeah,” Adam said. “We’ll turn a million double plays.” He caught the ball and turned toward the back of the house. “And we can keep playing for the Outs championship.” He held up the ball and said, “I’m up first.”
Jake scrambled back to his fielding position.
Thwack!
The tennis ball hit the house and cruised high in the summer sky. Jake raced back to the fence and leaped higher than he had ever leaped. But this time the ball sailed over his outstretched glove and over the fence. “I almost had it!” Jake shouted.
“Better watch out,” Adam said. “I’mgonna be the Babe Ruth of Outs from now on.”
Jake thought back on the Red Sox season, what his father had said about the importance of teammates, and all he and Adam had been through together. “Okay,” he said. “I’ll be Lou Gehrig.”
“Who’s that?” Adam asked.
Jake laughed. “I’ll tell you later. Come on,” he said. “Let’s keep playing.”
The Real Story
J ake’s father was right. In team sports there is no such thing as a one-man or one-woman team. Even the greatest players need help. They need good teammates.
In baseball, many people say that Babe Ruth was the greatest player ever. Ruth won six World Series championships during his career with the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. But even the Great Bambino, as Ruth was called, didn’t win those championships by himself.
Lou Gehrig was the Yanks’ first baseman and cleanup hitter for three of the four championship Yankee teams Ruth playedon. Gehrig
“Did you talk to Adam’s mom?” Jake asked as he jumped down the last few stairs.
“Only for a minute or two,” his father said. “I really just dropped him off.”
“Well, did she get the job?” Jake asked. “Does Adam have to move?”
Mr. Daley shrugged. “I’m not sure. She didn’t say. My guess is that she wants to talk to Adam and Chad first.”
Jake walked over to the living room window and gazed out. His father sat down in the living room and looked at Jake. “I guess if Adam moves,” he said, “you’ll probably play shortstop all the time in the fall.”
“I know,” Jake said, still looking out the window. “But we won’t be as good without Adam.”
Mr. Daley nodded silently. Jake turned and looked back at his dad. “You know, I wouldn’t mind being Lou Gehrig,” he said.
“Or Bernie Williams.” His father smiled.
“Or Scottie Pippen,” Jake said.
“We’ll see,” Mr. Daley said.
Jake grabbed his glove and a tennis balland went into the backyard. He threw the ball hard against the back of the house and fielded grounder after grounder.
“Nice play,” a familiar voice called. “For a second baseman.”
Jake turned and saw Adam standing at the corner of the yard as he had so many times before. “Did your mom get the job?” The words almost jumped out of Jake’s mouth.
“Yep,” Adam said.
Jake felt as if someone had punched him in the stomach. So it was true. Adam was leaving. “When do you move?” he asked.
“We’re not gonna move,” Adam said. He held his hands open and motioned for the ball.
“Not gonna move?” Jake repeated as he tossed the ball to his friend. “I thought you said that your mom got the job.”
“She did.” Adam tossed the ball back and forth between his hands. “But when she told her boss at her job here, they decided to give her a big raise …” Adam paused and tossed the ball into the air.
“Yeah, so what happened?” Jake asked.
Adam smiled. “So my mom decided to stay. She said it was important for me and Chad to be close to our dad. Besides, I’m already on a team and everything.”
The boys started to throw the ball back and forth as they talked. “That’s great,” Jake said. “We’ll be on the Red Sox together again next season.”
“Yeah,” Adam said. “We’ll turn a million double plays.” He caught the ball and turned toward the back of the house. “And we can keep playing for the Outs championship.” He held up the ball and said, “I’m up first.”
Jake scrambled back to his fielding position.
Thwack!
The tennis ball hit the house and cruised high in the summer sky. Jake raced back to the fence and leaped higher than he had ever leaped. But this time the ball sailed over his outstretched glove and over the fence. “I almost had it!” Jake shouted.
“Better watch out,” Adam said. “I’mgonna be the Babe Ruth of Outs from now on.”
Jake thought back on the Red Sox season, what his father had said about the importance of teammates, and all he and Adam had been through together. “Okay,” he said. “I’ll be Lou Gehrig.”
“Who’s that?” Adam asked.
Jake laughed. “I’ll tell you later. Come on,” he said. “Let’s keep playing.”
The Real Story
J ake’s father was right. In team sports there is no such thing as a one-man or one-woman team. Even the greatest players need help. They need good teammates.
In baseball, many people say that Babe Ruth was the greatest player ever. Ruth won six World Series championships during his career with the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. But even the Great Bambino, as Ruth was called, didn’t win those championships by himself.
Lou Gehrig was the Yanks’ first baseman and cleanup hitter for three of the four championship Yankee teams Ruth playedon. Gehrig
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