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Chapter 13: Winter Ball
 By Jim Caple |
Previously at 24 College Avenue: Former housemate Katie Maynard lost her right arm and left leg fighting in the war. She has received experimental carbon-fiber prosthetic limbs and has returned to State College to work on a Masters degree. . . .
Sometimes when a batter walked slowly back to the dugout after being hopelessly outmatched, Katie almost felt guilty. Almost. But then she would look down at her artificial right arm and remember all she had sacrificed. She didn’t feel entitled because of her war injuries but there was no reason for her to feel guilty about the small pleasures she enjoyed now, either.
Initially, Katie had been reluctant to join the Red Devils softball team when coach Bonnie Lake offered her a tryout under the little known codicil in the president’s “God Bless America’’ anti-terrorism act that allowed veterans to gain an extra year of college eligibility as red-white-and-blueshirts due to their military service. But after the past two months, she wondered why she had been so slow to accept.
Katie had always been an excellent softball player but her carbon-fiber arm turned her into one of the best players in the country, if not THE best. Katie dazzled batters with pitches that occasionally cracked 90 miles on the radar gun,. She had allowed only three runs (two of them unearned) in 42 innings while striking out 89 batters. She had won all six games during the current Red Devils winter trip to Arizona.
The State College student newspaper, The Daily, referred to Katie as the Queen and Her Court, comparing her to the old fastball pitcher who threw such legendary smoke that he traveled the country for decades playing opponents with only a four-man team. “Maynard should have to pitch blind-folded,’’ a columnist wrote. “She should have to pitch from second base or center field. And even that wouldn’t be enough of a handicap.’’
The story was a little embarrassing – Katie felt uncomfortable being singled out after having been on the team barely two months -- but it was certainly a far preferable story than the one the Tech student paper ran, the one that referred to Katie as “The Unnatural’’ in big bold headlines and suggested that the artificial limbs gave her an unfair competitive advantage. “Where does it end?’’ the column read. “If a sprinter replaced his feet with wheels and had a jet engine sutured to his back, would that be fair?’’
Katie couldn’t believe it when she saw the story and reacted angrily when reporters asked for a comment after a game. “I had my arm and leg blown off fighting for my country and some dope sitting in front of his computer claims I have an unfair advantage?’’ she said. “If it’s such an advantage, why doesn’t he have his arm and leg amputated so that he can go pitch in the major leagues and make millions of dollars? Unfair? What’s unfair is that someone without a lick of common sense can get attention criticizing a soldier like that. Unfair? I’ll tell you what’s unfair. Unfair is my sergeant, Kent Woodway, getting killed by an insurgent attack. He was a good friend, a good leader and a great man. And everything I do on that mound is dedicated to him. And anyone who thinks I’ve got some sort of ‘unfair’ advantage should consider all the advantages they get while 150,000 American soldiers sacrifi ce life and limb for them overseas.’’
That comment vaulted her into the national limelight and brought fans flocking to the Red Devils games on the team’s Arizona tour. They packed the stands for the game against Sun Valley College, waving American flags and chanting her name whenever she took the field. They stood every time she reached a two-strike count and erupted into applause each time she fired the third strike past the batter. After State College won the game 2-0 (one hit, 16 strikeouts), the fans crowded down the right field line, shouting encouragement to Katie as she walked by on her way to the team bus. They shoved programs and softballs towards her, asking for an autograph.
Although worried that she was keeping her teammates waiting, Katie patiently signed for each fan. “You’ll have to excuse me if I’m kind of slow,’’ Katie said. “I’m still learning to write with this new hand of mine.’’
“That’s all right, soldier,’’ said an older man wearing a baseball cap with a logo for a U.S. aircraft carrier. “Take all the time you need. I’m just so proud of what you’ve done. This country needs more young people like you.’’
Long after the rest of the team had already boarded the bus, Katie still hadn’t signed all the autographs but she was more worried about making her teammates wait any longer. Her success on the field was nice but the friendship and camaraderie of her teammates was even more important. For the first time since returning to State College, Katie felt as if she belonged somewhere again. That she was part of something again.
“I’m sorry but that I’ve got to go,’’ Katie said with an apologetic smile to the remaining fans. “I’m not being rude or anything but I’ve got to get on our bus. I don’t want to have to walk back to State College.’’
The fans nodded and thanked her for signing as many autographs as she had and wished her luck with the rest of the season. Katie reached down, tied her shoes and picked up her equipment bag. As she slung it over her shoulder, she noticed a woman in her late-40s still waiting eagerly at the railing. “Really,’’ Katie said, “I can’t sign any more autographs. The bus won’t wait and I sure don’t want to walk back to State College.’’
“I’m not here for an autograph, I’m here with an offer,’’ the woman said, extending her hand. “I’m Ariel Stevenson, coach of the U.S. national team. I’ve been reading all about your games and I was wondering. When you finish up the season with State College, how would you like to represent your country in the Olympics?’’
Next: Desert Boycott
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