Free Curveball by Rich Wallace Page B

the smack as Spencer connected, the Oooh from the spectators, and the roar from the Hudson City dugout as the ball shot deep into right field. Eddie ran hard, but he turned slightly to watch as the ball sailed over the fence and into the parking lot.
    That’s gone! said the announcer in his mind.
    Eddie threw his arms straight over his head and laughed as he stepped on second base. He watched Jared leap onto home plate, then rounded third and raced home to do the same. And with all of his teammates, he waited for Spencer and his enormous, triumphant grin.
    They mobbed him. Three straight wins. The Hornets were definitely back in business.

2
Deep in Thought
    E ddie was taking his books out of his locker the next morning when Calvin Tait walked up and grabbed his arm.
    â€œWhat’s up, Tait?” Eddie asked.
    â€œI need a favor, Ventura. I need an article on yesterday’s baseball game by this afternoon, and I don’t have time to write it. I still have to write up Monday’s softball game, and I’ve got a track meet of my own right after school.”
    â€œSo?”
    â€œSo Mr. Lobianco says you’re an awesome writer. Plus you’re on the team. Can you give me three hundred words by one o’clock?”
    â€œI never wrote a sports article before,” Eddie mumbled.
    â€œNo time like now to start. You guys won yesterday, right? It’ll be easy.”
    Calvin was the newly appointed sports editor of the school paper, The Hornet Highlights . In fact, he was the entire staff of the sports department. Every week he wrote short articles about each team’s results. The paper was usually just four pages, with one page devoted to sports. It was printed right from a computer at the school and was distributed on Wednesday mornings.
    Eddie thought it over for a moment. He loved reading Sports Illustrated and the coverage of the Yankees and Knicks and Giants in the New York Post . This might be fun. And he could probably get some free time to write at the end of English class, especially since Mr. Lobianco was the adviser to the newspaper. He could finish the article at lunch.
    â€œAll right, I’ll do it,” Eddie said.
    â€œYou’re the man,” Calvin said. “I’ll make sure you get a byline.”
    â€œNo. I don’t want one,” Eddie said.
    A byline would identify him as the writer of the article: “By Eddie Ventura.” Spencer and the others would get on him about that for sure.
    â€œI’d rather nobody knew who wrote it,” Eddie said. “Keep it a secret. Or even better, just let them think you wrote it. You write everything else in that section.”
    â€œWhatever you want,” Calvin said. “I’ll owe you one.”
    Eddie made some notes about the game during math class, jotting down the name of the winning pitcher, the team’s record, a few things Coach Wimmer had said after the game. When he reached the classroom for English, Mr. Lobianco was waiting for him at the doorway.
    â€œCalvin told me you’re going to help us out,” the teacher said. “Tell you what: how about if I write you a pass to the computer lab and you can work on the article now?”
    â€œSounds great.”
    So Eddie walked to the computer lab and took a seat at one of the terminals.
    He’d read hundreds of sports articles in the past few years, but that didn’t seem to make it any easier to get started on one.
    What was the most important thing about that game? he wondered. That should be my lead.
    Eddie started typing:
    The Hudson City seventh-grade baseball team took a big step forward Tuesday, rallying in the bottom of the final inning to beat Hoboken, 6–5.
    The victory moved the Hornets’ record to three wins and four losses and placed them back in contention for the league title. It was the team’s third straight win after a rocky beginning to the season.
    Okay, Eddie thought. So much for the