Baseball Heroes

The crowd roars as the Mighty Champ steps up to the plate. Wild Joe, the southpaw flamethrower, stares in to his catcher for what seems like minutes. He nods slowly and steps into his windup. He throws a heater right under the Champ’s chin. The big man falls to the ground to avoid getting hit. He sits there a second, glaring at Wild Joe, then slowly rises to his feet. The tension is as thick as peanut butter as he steps back into the box. Wild Joe’s next two pitches, breaking balls, shave the corners of the plate, bringing the count to I and 2. The Champ steps out of the box and peers at the coach down at the hot corner, who touches his cap, his number, his elbow, then the tip of his nose. But the signal does not fool anyone. Everybody knows the Champ will swing for the cheap seats. Wild Joe winds up and burns a fireball across the heart of the plate. The Champ steps into it, head down, and brings his 38-ounce bat around as though it were a child’s toy. Crack! The bat launches a rocket to the deepest part of the yard. Centerfielder Yazoo Sherman races toward the fence and leaps at the warning track, but he never stood a chance. You can kiss that one goodbye!