It was true, I had no idea what they planned to do with us. If it was like Elite 11, they might try to kill us. I certainly didn’t want to run before that.
When it was time, we all drove to the welcome party. It gave me a chance to meet all the other players. I took Bob with me and introduced him as my host-family brother. He was beaming with pride.
Unlike Elite 11, the players seemed to be wary of not just me, but also each other. I guess everyone had figured out that there would be actual cuts. They all seemed nice enough, but you could tell they’d put on a mask to cover their worries.
The actor in me found it fascinating.
◊◊◊
There were a few girls at the party. One of the players, Dave Gordon, had the best-looking girl there with him. The funny part was that he seemed to think she liked him, but I got the impression that she just tolerated the boy. There was another girl who watched them like a hawk. She was a wallflower who disappeared into the scenery. She would move in the background every time they did, as if she was stalking them.
I eased over and stood behind her.
“Do you think they’re really a couple?” I asked.
The poor girl dropped her drink and jumped back, nearly knocking me down.
“Shit!” she cried.
Suddenly, everyone had turned to stare at us. With the glare of light on her, she scurried off like a cockroach you find in your bathroom sink at 2 a.m. I waited a few minutes and then went to find her. It took a while, but I spotted her sitting on a bench outside.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Why are you here?”
I sat down next to her and took a moment to get a closer look. She was one of those girls boys joked about that if you put a sack over their head, you’d do them. The poor girl must have hit every ugly branch when she fell out of the tree. She had a hot body, though. Yes, men are pigs.
“You okay?” I asked again.
Her dramatic sigh had me impressed.
“My brother is such a dick,” Miss Wallflower began.
I had a bad feeling I might have just made a mistake. It was becoming clear she needed to talk, and, for whatever reason, girls seemed to want to tell me their life story.
“He hit the genetic lottery. Meanwhile, I’m this,” she said, waving her hands around theatrically. “Do you remember that movie? The one with Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger?”
It took me a moment.
“Twins?” I asked.
“Exactly. A guy at school had the nerve to tell me that my brother and I reminded him of them.”
I barked out a laugh.
“It’s not funny. My brother got the good looks and athletic build. He thinks everyone loves him. In reality, he’s a self-righteous prick.
“Do you know what he did to me?” she asked.
I shook my head ‘no.’
“My best friend!” she declared and then gave me the stink eye. “Yes, I actually had a friend. Notice I said ‘had.’ My brother invited her to accompany him tonight. I’m sure the only reason she did it was that everyone puts up with my brother because he’s a good baseball player. Her social status will sharply increase after this.
“What a bitch! I can’t believe she’d do that to me,” Miss Wallflower said.
“Which one is your brother?” I asked.
“Dave Gordon.”
Now it made sense.
“I’m David,” I said, offering her my hand.
“Mr. Ed.”
“Come again?” I asked.
“Everyone calls me ‘Horse Face’ or ‘Mr. Ed.’ I decided to just own it. Screw ’em.”
“How about I just call you ‘M.E.,’” I suggested.
“Whatever,” she said, and then launched off on another tangent. “Did you know that man is the only species who has sex face-to-face? Well, there’s one kind of monkey that does it that way, too.”
“I … uh … guess that’s good to know.”
“Do you think anyone will ever want to have sex with me face-to-face?”
“No, probably not.”
She started to laugh.
“Thanks. I needed that.”
“Are you about ready to go back in there and spy on your brother?” I asked.
She took my hand, and we walked back together. I’d just made my first friend at baseball camp.
◊◊◊
Chapter 13 – Redneck Crazy Monday June 20
We were all told to meet at the Embassy Suites in shorts and t-shirts. I’d put my game uniform and gear into a duffle bag. Most of the guys had done the same, but a few still had their uniforms in the clear plastic bag they’d been given them in yesterday. We were ushered into a large ballroom where we were met by all the coaches and staff. We were then assigned teams. I was put on the team called Pride, along with twelve other boys.
Once the teams were announced, our coach pulled us all together.
“Gentlemen, welcome to Pride.
“Before we get started, I want to introduce myself. I’m Clark Kingwood. I’ve been the head coach at Mainland Community College for the past eighteen years. We’ve averaged 37 wins a season since I’ve been there. I’ve participated in USA Baseball for the past six years, but this is my first year coaching at the Under-18 level.
“Last week, my fellow coaches and I had a draft to select our teams. I think we may have the best team here. Over the next several days, you’ll participate in the Tournament of Stars, and we’ll be in the Gold Medal Game.
“I picked each one of you because I felt you would mesh as a squad. Right now, you don’t know each other, but I want you to get acquainted quickly. I also want you to have fun this week. I can’t think of much I would rather be doing than playing baseball. Over the next week, you’ll get the opportunity to test your skills against the best players in the country.
“Everyone here is good. I want you all to realize that right now. The quicker you figure out that your attitude and effort are the biggest factors that will set you apart, the better off you’ll be. When you walk onto the field, attitude and effort don’t take talent. In fact, it’s the reverse: they are the elements that will let your talent show itself,” he said, and then took a deep breath.
“I’m not going to lie to you. While I want to win the tournament, this is all about finding the right guys to move on to the next level. Scouts and coaches are going to be watching everything you do, and that includes me. 108 men will need to be whittled down to 40 by the end of the week. While you’re bonding together and working to win games, you’re in competition with each other for those roster spots.
“I want to make clear that we’re looking for good teammates and for how you’ll fit into a team. The best way to do that is to just win, baby,” he said with a big smile that had us agreeing.
If we were going to do this, I wanted to win, because that was just the way I was.
“Okay, settle down,” he said with a smile. “Now I want the coaches to introduce themselves.”
The first up was someone who wasn’t much older than we were.
“I’m Dick Mallei, your pitching coach. I’ve been where you are, and I made the team five years ago. Unfortunately, I tore a couple of ligaments in my elbow in the minors. I love the game, so I had to find another way to participate. If you have any questions about how all this works, feel free to ask me.”
Next to stand was a small man in his early thirties.
“Duncan Nautilus,” he introduced himself, with a deep voice that didn’t fit his body. “I’ll be your infield coach this week. I hold the same position with the single-A club for the Phillies.”
A large, older man stood.
“I’m Lewis Short. I’ll be rotating between the teams, working on your batting.”
Finally, another young man, who was about my height, stepped forward.
“Art Way, I’ll be working with the outfielders,” he said and sat back down.
“Now I want you to introduce yourselves,” Coach Kingwood said as he pointed at M.E.’s brother.