Free The Catcher's Mask by Matt Christopher, Bert Dodson Page B

covered with stuff: chairs, tables, boxes of books and magazines, lamps, pictures, even a toaster and a telephone.
     People were inspecting items, and Rudy saw a few of them carry their choices to a table set up to one side. Behind the table
     sat Mrs. Turnball. The people handed her money, then walked away with their purchases.
    Rudy had seen yard sales before, but he’d never stopped at one. He was curious. Maybe if he saw something he liked, he could
     bike home and get some money to buy it.
    He leaned his bike against a tree and joined the other people milling around the lawn. He poked into a few of the book boxes
     but didn’t see anything he wanted to read. He picked upa funny-looking lamp, but the cord at the end was frayed and he wasn’t sure his mom or dad would know how to fix it. He wasn’t
     interested in ashtrays or old plates and glasses. In fact, he didn’t see anything he really liked. He turned to leave.
    Just then, he spotted something sticking out of a box that was jammed under a table. He tugged the box free and pulled the
     thing out.
    It was a catcher’s mask — and though it looked like an older model, it was in good condition. Rudy could tell at a glance
     that it was smaller than the one he used during the Mudders’ games. He slipped it over his head. Even without the protective
     helmet he’d have to wear underneath it, he knew it fit perfectly.
    “Hello, Rudy. Find something you like?” Rudy looked up to see Mr. Turnball standing beside him. Rudy pulled off the mask.
    “Sure did. How much does it cost?” Rudy replied.

    Mr. Turnball took the mask from him. “Well, now, let’s see.” He frowned. “Hmm, I don’t remember this. Wonder where it came
     from.”
    He examined it a little longer, then handed it back to Rudy. “Looks like someone marked his initials on it.
Y.B.
Can’t say as I know anyone with those initials. Tell you what: you can have it for two dollars.”
    He reached into a box beside him, rummaged around for a moment, then came out with a book.
Play Ball!
the cover read. He glanced around and lowered his voice. “I’ll throw this old book in, too. Mrs. Turnball says anything that
     doesn’t get sold today gets hauled to the dump. I’d just as soon know that my old books are being read rather than sitting
     at the bottom of a trash heap.”
    Rudy grinned and thanked Mr. Turnball. He hurried home, emptied out his piggy bank,and pulled out a five-dollar bill. He returned to the Turnballs’ as fast as he could. Mr. Turnball gave him three dollars
     in change, and Rudy left, the proud owner of a new catcher’s mask and a book.

4

    That night after dinner, Rudy lay on the living room floor and looked through his new book. It was filled with pictures of
     famous baseball players and lots of advice about how to play different positions. Rudy turned to the section on catching.
    The catcher is one of the most important players in the game,
the book said.
He is the only member of the team who faces the field. Therefore, he’s the only one who can see what’s going on at every position.
     A smart catcher can help his team a lot by keeping them informed of what he sees.
    Rudy glanced at the catcher’s mask beside him.
Well, I’ll be able to see a lot more out there now that I have a mask that fits!
he said to himself.
    He turned the page. There was a big black-and-white photo of a catcher diving for a pop-up. In the corner was the player’s
     signature. Rudy recognized the name right away.
    Lawrence “Yogi” Berra gives everything he’s got to make the play,
the words beneath the photo read.
    Lawrence Peter Berra was born on April 12, 1925. He got his nickname, “Yogi,” when a friend who had seen a movie of a Hindu
     practicing yoga told him that’s what he looked like.
    Yogi
—
now that’s a name a guy isn’t likely to forget,
Rudy thought with a smile.
And he was a catcher, just like me.
    He continued reading about the famous catcher. He learned that Yogi