Jason called after him. âYou two could probably edge out some of our weaker sprinters!â
Ronde shook his head as he kept walking. He wasnât about to show up and take some kidâs place whoâd worked hard all year at improving. How would that kid feel,getting shoved aside midseason for a pair of newbies? Besides, even if he and Tiki were faster than the kids they replaced, neither of them would have felt right about it.
Ronde suddenly realized that, just by thinking so hard about it, he was actually considering Jasonâs suggestion. Well, thatâs okay , he figured. It was okay to imagine every possibility that came along in life, so long as he stood by his basic principles in the end.
No, he would stay on the baseball team and make it work. He thought back to what Coach Raines had told him the other day. Heâd told Ronde that heâd been helping the team in the field and on the bases but hurting them at the plate.
Coach had told him to be more selective about which pitches he swung at, especially with fewer than two strikes. âGo for pitches down in the zone,â heâd said, âso you can hit the ball on the ground. Even if an infielder gets to it, half the time youâre going to beat it out for a hit. If you hit it in the air, even if you hit it as far as you can, itâs not leaving the park, understand? Your odds of getting on base go way down.â
Coach had also told him to stop trying to pull everything. âEspecially outside pitches, because if you try to pull them, youâll just roll over the ball and hit a dribbler. Better to swing less hard, go to the opposite field. Youâre much more likely to make solid contact that way.â Last but not least, Coach had told him to learn how to bunt.
â¢Â â¢Â â¢
At practice Ronde noticed that Coach Raines gave both him and Tiki extra swings in the batting cage. He saw that Tiki was practicing the same sorts of things the coach had prescribed for Ronde. Bunting, going the other way, hitting the ball on the ground, laying off bad pitches.
Ronde wondered where the home runs would come from. If Tiki wasnât hitting homers for them, who would?
But heâd been on enough teams to know that because coaches saw everything that was going on, they usually knew best.
Taking his turn in the cage, it felt strange to see the ball coming toward him and not trying to hit it as hard as he could. He found himself swinging late, or waving at pitches. The longer he hit, the more confused he got. Even bunting, he found himself stabbing at the ball instead of âcatching itâ with the bat.
As the twins rode home afterward, Ronde was even quieter than usual. All he could think about was Jason Rossini and what heâd said.
Maybe he was right , Ronde thought. Maybe I should quit this game and go out for track. . . .
Even though it was midseason, even though heâd be costing some other kid a spot, what was the use of staying on the baseball team and failing miserably game after game after game?
â¢Â â¢Â â¢
The East Side Mountaineers were 3â0 so far and were the Eaglesâ stiffest challenge yet. They had a pitcher who was six feet tall and threw the ball faster than anyone else in the league. Kids who had been on the team the year before said he was wild, too. You had to be ready to duck at any time.
Great, thought Ronde. Just what I need.
He watched as Tiki stepped up to the plate to start the game. Tiki watched one pitch go by for a strike.
Ronde hadnât even been able to see the ball! He wondered how Tiki, or any of them, were ever going to get on base against this pitcher.
But then Tiki found the answer. On the second pitch he squared to bunt, and laid a beauty down the third base line. He made it to first without even a throw! Ronde glanced over at Coach Raines, who was clapping hard and giving Tiki the thumbs-up sign.
With Lenny Klein at the plate,
Ronde shook his head as he kept walking. He wasnât about to show up and take some kidâs place whoâd worked hard all year at improving. How would that kid feel,getting shoved aside midseason for a pair of newbies? Besides, even if he and Tiki were faster than the kids they replaced, neither of them would have felt right about it.
Ronde suddenly realized that, just by thinking so hard about it, he was actually considering Jasonâs suggestion. Well, thatâs okay , he figured. It was okay to imagine every possibility that came along in life, so long as he stood by his basic principles in the end.
No, he would stay on the baseball team and make it work. He thought back to what Coach Raines had told him the other day. Heâd told Ronde that heâd been helping the team in the field and on the bases but hurting them at the plate.
Coach had told him to be more selective about which pitches he swung at, especially with fewer than two strikes. âGo for pitches down in the zone,â heâd said, âso you can hit the ball on the ground. Even if an infielder gets to it, half the time youâre going to beat it out for a hit. If you hit it in the air, even if you hit it as far as you can, itâs not leaving the park, understand? Your odds of getting on base go way down.â
Coach had also told him to stop trying to pull everything. âEspecially outside pitches, because if you try to pull them, youâll just roll over the ball and hit a dribbler. Better to swing less hard, go to the opposite field. Youâre much more likely to make solid contact that way.â Last but not least, Coach had told him to learn how to bunt.
â¢Â â¢Â â¢
At practice Ronde noticed that Coach Raines gave both him and Tiki extra swings in the batting cage. He saw that Tiki was practicing the same sorts of things the coach had prescribed for Ronde. Bunting, going the other way, hitting the ball on the ground, laying off bad pitches.
Ronde wondered where the home runs would come from. If Tiki wasnât hitting homers for them, who would?
But heâd been on enough teams to know that because coaches saw everything that was going on, they usually knew best.
Taking his turn in the cage, it felt strange to see the ball coming toward him and not trying to hit it as hard as he could. He found himself swinging late, or waving at pitches. The longer he hit, the more confused he got. Even bunting, he found himself stabbing at the ball instead of âcatching itâ with the bat.
As the twins rode home afterward, Ronde was even quieter than usual. All he could think about was Jason Rossini and what heâd said.
Maybe he was right , Ronde thought. Maybe I should quit this game and go out for track. . . .
Even though it was midseason, even though heâd be costing some other kid a spot, what was the use of staying on the baseball team and failing miserably game after game after game?
â¢Â â¢Â â¢
The East Side Mountaineers were 3â0 so far and were the Eaglesâ stiffest challenge yet. They had a pitcher who was six feet tall and threw the ball faster than anyone else in the league. Kids who had been on the team the year before said he was wild, too. You had to be ready to duck at any time.
Great, thought Ronde. Just what I need.
He watched as Tiki stepped up to the plate to start the game. Tiki watched one pitch go by for a strike.
Ronde hadnât even been able to see the ball! He wondered how Tiki, or any of them, were ever going to get on base against this pitcher.
But then Tiki found the answer. On the second pitch he squared to bunt, and laid a beauty down the third base line. He made it to first without even a throw! Ronde glanced over at Coach Raines, who was clapping hard and giving Tiki the thumbs-up sign.
With Lenny Klein at the plate,
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