Our updated roster:
Tim Foresee – Catcher
Lou Davis – Catcher
Wolf Tam – 1st Base
Jim Ball – 1st Base / Right Field
Mike Herndon – 2nd Base / Pitcher / Catcher
David Dawson – Shortstop / Pitcher / Closer
Jake Holcombe – 3rd Base
Trevor Millsap – Infield
Bert Nelson – Right Field
Eve Holliday – Center Field
Jeff Rigger – Left Field
Bill Callaway – Outfield
Bert Nelson – Pitcher / Outfield
Justin Tune – Pitcher / Infield
We also got Coach Herndon for the day. He was working with the pitchers on holding runners. Justin had the most experience, so he was also helping. Something they were stressing was not to balk. That’s when you act like you’re going to pitch, but instead make a move towards the runner. This results in a dead ball and the runner gets to take the next base. The key was to take your foot off the rubber. There are several ways to balk. Coach told us as long as we stepped off the rubber, we were okay.
Picking off a runner at first base wasn’t as easy as it looked for a right-handed pitcher. First of all, the runner was behind you. Then you had to turn your body to throw. Coach Herndon told me how to do it.
“First you get into the stretch position. While you’re getting the signs from Tim, look over and see where the runner is. Do this by putting your chin on your shoulder. When you bring your hands up, bring your left leg towards first base slightly. Move the ball to the tip of your glove. Then step off the rubber and throw at the same time.”
Sounds easy, doesn’t it? I struggled to figure it out. Justin saw what was going on and took me aside.
“You’re overthinking this. Let’s make it simple: I want you to think of your dance class. Are there moves that you do that mimic your turn towards first?” he asked me.
It was like a light bulb turned on! I thought of it as a dance step. That seemed to relax me. Jake had been embarrassing us all while being the base runner. He had gotten pretty good at stealing second. It really wasn’t stealing if we gave him huge leads and didn’t hold him at first.
After working with Justin, I got set in the stretch position. Tim signaled for a high fastball so he had a chance to throw him out. I put my chin on my shoulder and saw that Jake had taken a big lead. I moved the ball to the tip of my glove, and in one fluid motion, I took my foot off the rubber and threw to first.
Jake didn’t even try to get back. He just laughed.
“What the hell, Dawson? Where did that come from?” Jake yelled over to me. “Bet you can’t do it twice.”
His taunts were music to my ears. I got set again and went through the routine. Bang, I nailed him again. This time he had a face full of dirt from diving back. Coach Herndon came running out to stand next to the mound to watch what I did. We did it again. This time Jake made it back only because he was no longer taking a very big lead.
“Where did you learn to do that?” Coach Herndon asked me.
“Dance class,” I answered.
I expected him to laugh at me, but instead, he got a serious look.
“Can you teach that move?”
“Maybe, but the girls in my dance class taught it to me. I would ask them to teach us.”
“Do you think they’d help?” he asked.
“Sure! They need me for their dance recitals since I’m the only guy. I’m sure they’d help me out with baseball if I asked them.”
He looked nervous.
“Hang on, I’ll be right back.”
I watched him jog over to the other field. He came back with Magic and Moose. When Coach Hope saw Moose head out our way, he signaled for Coach Haskins to come over to see what I was up to. Moose was all business.
“Magic, step in for Jake, and I want you to steal second.”
“It’ll be a pleasure, Coach,” Magic said, and he nodded at me to tell me the game was on.
He was cautious because he must have overheard Coach Herndon talk to Moose. I went ahead and threw to home. Magic hadn’t moved. I think he was trying to see what kind of move I had. On the second pitch he snuck out to a nice lead. I made my move and Wolf tagged Magic out.
Over the next five pitches, I picked him off once and made him eat dirt four times. Magic shook his head because he was surprised at my move.
Moose came up and took the ball from me.
“Can you get your dance class to teach our other pitchers to do that?”
“They can make them better. Heck, I’m sure they can make me better, once they understand what we want. A couple of them are really into kinesiology,” I said. I saw the confused look on his face and added, “I know. They stumped me with that one, too. It’s the scientific study of human movement. They plan on eventually going to college for it.”
“I’m not sure about the scientific stuff. Ask ’em if they’ll help,” Moose said, and he headed back to the varsity practice.
When I was done working on holding a runner, Coach Herndon had me pitch to Tim. He wanted us to build up our pitching stamina so we could get deeper into a game. I was feeling much better about my pitching and was much more consistent at hitting my spots. My four-seam fastball showed more movement the more I threw it. Coach Herndon had been working with me on my changeup. It wouldn’t be long and I would feel completely comfortable on the mound.
AFTER PRACTICE, I WENT to dinner with Eve. She chose the little diner in my neighborhood.
“Hey, I guess we had our first fight. Are you talking to me yet?” I asked.
“Yeah, I think we both got kind of mad. Can we hit the reset button and forget this morning ever happened?”
“We could, but I think we need to talk about the root of the problem, and that’s Tami,” I said.
Eve took a deep breath and said, “Yeah, we should. She seems to be a flashpoint for both of us. I know that you two are close. Heck, I like her a lot. When you said you talked to her about us, I got uneasy. She has a lot of influence on you, more than a girlfriend would normally want another girl to have over her guy.
“You said it: you’d choose her over me. I know that to be true, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. In fact, it made me a little crazy earlier today. I knew I was pushing your buttons and I thought I knew the reaction I would get. I was surprised when you manned up and stood your ground. For that, I want to apologize.”
“Apology accepted. I also want to apologize for getting so mad. You’ve seen me: I blow up, then think about it and then I’m fine. I think our biggest issue isn’t Tami. I think we need to decide what we want out of this.”
“I agree. I did talk to Tami. She explained a lot to me, especially about you. The one thing that surprised me was how deeply you felt about me. I assumed we were going to be more casual. I know she told you what my plan is. The last thing I want is you getting hurt. It would kill me if you felt deceived.”
“I did, a little bit, but I understand what you’re doing. In my own way I’m doing the same: I’m trying to gain life experience so I know how to handle it when it happens again. It’s why I’m doing the friends-with-benefits bit instead of getting into serious relationships. You just caught me off guard with that song.”
“I know, I should have warned you. But I felt your love and suddenly that was all that mattered. Just so you know, Friday was something I’ll remember forever. Thank you for making it special. I’m glad you were my first.”
“I got a little carried away. I’m sorry if you weren’t ready for some of what we did.”
“No, I was fine. You did surprise me at first, but once it was happening, I was happy we did it. After all, I’m trying to experience everything right now. I hope we try some different stuff,” she said, and then I could feel the vibe change. “I don’t know how long we’ll be together. My career will need to come first, so I can’t promise you forever. I just want to have fun while I’m here, and I’d hope you were the one I have fun with.”