Free Beanball by Gene Fehler Page B

turning in assignments on time.
    I had to call his parents in for a conference,
    because he was in danger of failing for the quarter.
    I told them I’d never failed a student
    I liked as much as I like Luke.
    But if he gave me no choice, fail he would.
    â€œClassroom obligations must be met,” I told them.
    Fortunately for us all, he heeded the warning.
Daryl Hucklebee, Oak Grove coach
    I’m one lucky fellow, to be able to coach at Oak Grove.
    Not only do they have a great baseball tradition,
    but I’ve got a great bunch of kids to work with.
    There’s not one I wouldn’t be proud to call my son.
    Â 
    Bunker Toomer was baseball coach here for nineteen years
    before I took the job.
    I’d coached against him and had tons of respect for him.
    When he retired, he phoned me—
    said I should interview here.
    It’s the best phone call I ever got.
    I didn’t know how people would react to me,
    the new guy taking over for someone so loved and trusted.
    But it’s my third year here,
    and I can’t say enough about the way I’ve been accepted.
    Â 
    Maybe it’s because Bunker and I
    are so much alike in our coaching philosophy:
    we try to make the game fun.
    And if you truly
like
the kids on your team,
    teach them sound, fundamental baseball,
    get them to play hard,
    and let them have fun,
    it’s a lot more likely
    your team will win.
Red Bradington, Compton coach
    It’s too early in the season to call it a must-win game,
    but, by God, it is.
    It’s one we have to win, just to prove to ourselves we can.
    Â 
    The last two years it’s been Oak Grove in first place
    and us in second,
    and it looks like it’ll be the two of us battling it out
    for the conference title again this year.
    Â 
    By God, I’m tired of losing to Hucklebee.
    He gets all the breaks, the lucky bastard.
    Every call goes his way.
    His players make lucky catches, get lucky hits.
    Mine can hit the snot out of the ball
    and it’ll be right at somebody.
    We’re snakebit.
    Â 
    I’m going to throw Dawkins at them.
    He’s the best pitcher I’ve got.
    We have to whip their butts,
    beat that damn Hucklebee.
    We just have to.
    It’s time for things to go our way.
Roland Zachary, baseball scout
    I phoned Red Bradington, the Compton coach.
    I asked him when I could see Kyle Dawkins pitch.
    Dawkins is number one on my list
    of high school prospects
    in this part of the state.
    The kid’s got a big league fastball right now.
    I saw him pitch twice last year,
    and I had a long talk with him.
    He’s got the arm.
    Not only that, he’s got the kind of attitude
    you want in a player in your organization.
Kyle Dawkins, Compton pitcher
    Pro scouts came to some of my games last year.
    I started getting letters from colleges, too,
    wanting me to play for them.
    Â 
    Coach thinks I might get drafted this year
    by a big league team.
    I won’t turn pro, though.
    Not until after college.
    I want that degree.
    Besides, I’m not ready for pro ball.
    I know that.
    Â 
    They tell me I’ve already got a big league fastball.
    But that’s not enough.
    I need to work on my off-speed pitches
    and my control.
    Playing college ball will give me a chance to do that.
    I gave free passes to way too many batters last year.
    Heck, I walked guys who couldn’t have hit my heater
    if they’d swung all day.
    I’m probably the main reason that what’s left
    of Coach Bradington’s hair is turning white.
Luke “Wizard” Wallace, Oak Grove center fielder
    I picked the worst time to get sick.
    I don’t know if it’s the flu or something I ate,
    but I was up half the night puking my guts out.
    Â 
    I tried hard to keep Mom and Dad
    from hearing me in the bathroom.
    Have you ever tried to puke
    without making any noise?
    Â 
    It’s not easy, let me tell you.
    Â 
    If they’d known I was sick,
    they might have made me stay home.
    And if