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Chapter 8: Play Ball!
 By Jim Caple |
Previously at 24 College Avenue: State College junior Josh Williams and his girl friend from Prague, Magdalena, have taken summer jobs with “America in an SUV,’’ leading tour groups to some of the country’s most important historic and cultural sites. While in Las Vegas, Magdalena gambled away the tour’s money stash. She and Josh have one hope to recover the money – if Josh wins the bets he placed on what game The Asterisk will break the home run record. Now in Los Angeles for the big game, Josh has just met Wal-Mart, the world famous celebrity couple who bought out most of the outfield bleachers so that the many orphans they have adopted from around the globe will be able to catch a home run ball. The couple has just told Josh that The Asterisk is out of the lineup because his knee is still injured from an accident while fleeing photographer Steve Hamilton and the other paparazzi. Steve is also at the game as an intern with the New York Journal-American and assigned to follow The Asterisk to Los Angeles. He has just spotted Lacey V. Murrow-Bridge, the State College cheerleader whose mysterious disappearance has captivated the nation’s media, in the stands. And Jenn Robbins is at the game, too. The State College Red Devil mascot, has a summer gig as Woody the Checkered Owl for the minor league Lumberview Timber Barons. She has learned that general manager Gray Sharbor is obsessed with The Asterisk and fears he might be out to kill the controversial slugger. She has just seen that Sharbor is at the game as well. . . . Meanwhile, State College linebacker Kenan Hill has been receiving advice about securing his financial future. Katie Maynard is recovering from a near-fatal insurgent attack on her unit in the war that cost the ex-housemate her left leg and right arm. Cheryl Bellamy, another former housemate, is finishing up her second year of medical school. And that about covers it. Whew. . . .
When Josh realized that The Asterisk was not in the lineup for the game, he and Magdalena did the only thing that made sense to them. They began drinking.
The students in the tour group facilitated this endeavor, which was crucial because both Josh and Magdalena were just about broke. The way Josh calculated it, they had just enough money left to refuel the “SUV” (actually, a converted troop carrier) and drive through the night to their next stop. After that, Josh had no idea what would happen. There still were several days left in the tour and the fund set aside for expenses was all gone.
“They will arrest us,’’ Magdalena cried. “They will deport me.’’
“No, they won’t,’’ Josh said. “The worst that will happen is they’ll fire us.’’ Actually, he wasn’t sure about that. Maybe they would be charged with a crime, embezzlement, or something. What was the punishment for that? And even though it was Magdalena who had gambled away the money, was Josh an accomplice? As he contemplated these issues, he decided that the best action was to have someone in the tour group buy him another beer before the stadium cut off sales at the end of the inning.
“Excuse me, Mr. Josh, but does the team pay The Asterisk or is his salary the responsibility of the aliens who abducted him and turned him into a cyborg?’’
Naturally, it was Kobe, the insane Japanese student. In addition to his constant conspiracy theories – “J.K. Rowling is a pseudonym for a CIA agent who wrote the Harry Potter series to raise money to fund a weather machine that can create hurricanes anywhere in the world’’ -- Kobe was the one who had informed Josh about Magdalena gambling away their money in Vegas. Josh later convinced him that he had won it back at the roulette wheel.
Josh was pretty buzzed at the moment but when he looked at Kobe he thought he saw something strange.
“Kobe,’’ he said, “why is there aluminum foil sticking out from underneath the team cap you bought at the souvenir stand?’’
“It protects me from the mind rays all sport teams use on fans to make us subservient and willing to pay $4 for bottled water.’’
“Uh, right. Actually, that’s good. Since you’re safe from the mind rays, how about getting me and Magdalena a couple beers?’’
“Yes, Mr. Josh. Would you like the lite beer that causes brain damage or the imported beer that funnels its profits into the blood diamond business?’’
“Use your best judgment on that Kobe. We trust you.’’
Josh and Magdalena watched Kobe rush off to the concession stand, then laughed and kissed. It was odd. Josh had grown somewhat tired of Magdalena until the gambling incident. Now it felt as if they were in another desperate adventure, like at last year’s World Cup, and the excitement somehow brought them closer together again. Plus, she always looked adorable when she wore a baseball cap.
He gestured to Wal-Mart, who sat with their children several rows below. Despite buying up almost all the tickets in the bleachers, the couple had yet to have a single home run come their way.
“It must be nice, yes, not to worry about money?’’ Magdalena asked. “To be so rich you never have to worry about price?’’
Josh nodded and hugged his girl friend. “It’s OK,’’ he said. “We’re going to get out of this.’’ And he had drunk enough beer by then that he actually believed it.
Kobe returned with two beers and handed them to Josh and Magdalena. “I bought the beer brewed by the giant American corporation that is secretly building a 16-lane tunnel from Mexico to Illinois to bring in low-priced workers and keep down wages.’’
“Excellent choice, Kobe,’’ Josh said. He toasted Kobe and started drinking. By the time he finished the cup, he was so drunk that he almost didn’t hear the p.a. announcer introduce The Asterisk as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning.
# # #
As he watched The Asterisk walk past him on his way to the plate, Kenan decided that he could grow to like this lifestyle.
Blaine Reardan had flown Kenan out to Los Angeles that morning as part of the agent’s recruiting effort. He saw Kenan as a potential first-round draft pick the following spring and wanted to get the player in his stable of clients ahead of time.
“But isn’t it against the rules for a player to have an agent?’’ Kenan had asked.
“Who is going to know?’’ Reardan had replied. “I’m sure not gong to tell anyone. Are you going to tell anybody?’’
Kenan shook his head.
“So what’s the problem? I would just be providing you with some occasional financial advice between now and the draft. And in exchange for letting me add you to my list of clients now, I’m willing to front you a small percentage of your likely signing bonus so that you don’t have to worry about money your final season. Who does that hurt?’’
Taking another bite of garlic fries while The Asterisk stepped into the box, Kenan found it difficult to think of someone who would be hurt.
# # #
“Josh!’’ Magdalena yelled, shaking him. “The Asterisk! He is batting! But you say he not play, yes?’’
“Great,’’ Josh replied. “He’s pinch-hitting. Which doesn’t help us one bit because even if he hits a home run, that still leaves him two away from breaking the record tonight like we need him to do. So we’re still screwed.’’
He raised his beer cup and then remembered it was empty. Plus, the concession stands had cut off beer sales. This left only one option. Josh was just about to ask the three Germans on the tour if he could have a sip of the schnapps they had sneaked in when The Asterisk hit a backdoor slider over the left field fence for a three-run, game-tying home run.
# # #
Having photographed Lacey several times at Red Devils games (actually, he had a memory card labeled “Lacey XXXX’’ and filled with provocative shots of her), Steve had no doubt the missing cheerleader was sitting in a box seat down the third base line. The question was what the hell she was doing there.
The cheerleader had disappeared one night during State College’s annual band camp at Devil Lake. She left no note behind and took nothing with her. She just wasn’t in her bunk one morning. At first people thought it was a joke she and fellow cheerleader Mandy Stevenson were playing to get back at the band geeks who tried to scare Mandy the previous night with fake blood on the bunkhouse floor and a hook on the door. But as the hours passed and Lacey didn’t appear, people began to worry. And when an entire day and night passed, they really began to worry. Although there were persistent rumors that a serial killer roamed the lake, police investigators insisted this was just an urban legend. They also were vague about whether they suspected foul play as the days went by. At times they did, at times they didn’t. After a couple weeks, many suspected that Lacey had been killed and buried somewhere.
But clearly Lacey now was alive and unhurt in her box seat so there had to be a different explanation for her disappearance. And after watching her for the entire game, Steve thought he had part of the answer.
Lacey had spent most of the game trying to get The Asterisk’s attention. She tried calling to him, waving at him and passing him notes. And when he hit the pinch-hit home run that tied the game in the ninth inning, she about burst into flame with excitement. She obviously was infatuated with the player but he only acknowledged her early in the game with a nod of the head.
“What the hell is she up to?’’ Steve wondered as he turned his camera away from Lacey and focused on the slugger walked up to the plate with his team down by a run in the 11th inning.
# # #
The Commish sat fidgeting in his box seat along the first base line. He couldn’t help being nervous as The Asterisk stepped into the batters box. He was an enormous baseball fan and whether it was this game or another one, he was about to see a great player break the greatest record in sports.
Unlike many in baseball, the Commish had no conflicting thoughts about The Asterisk breaking the record. As far as he was concerned, records were made to be broken (why else keep track of the numbers?) and The Asterisk was as deserving as any player. Sure, he was usually selfish, often surly and disliked children and dogs but so what? The Hall of Fame was filled with unpleasant characters. As for the many rumors that The Asterisk took steroids and HGH to enhance his performance, well, rumors weren’t fact.
Of course, the Commish wasn’t naïve. Oh, he gave the impression he was just a well-meaning but hopelessly inept leader but that was just a ruse to deflect criticism. In truth, he was a very shrewd, calculating and brilliant businessman who usually was several steps ahead of everyone else. So he was certain The Asterisk shot so many chemicals into his body that it was a wonder he didn’t glow in the dark. It was just that he didn’t think it was that big a scandal. He would prefer there were no steroids in the game but he was realistic enough to realize that performance enhancers were a permanent part of sports and there was nothing anyone could do about it anymore. The rewards were just too enticing to young athletes who assumed they would never grow old or feel their knees ache just getting out of bed in the morning.
What frustrated the Commish, though, was the hypocrisy. Why did the media scream so loudly about steroids in baseball when football clearly had a far worse problem? The columnists and broadcasters ripped baseball then turned around and praised football players who were 6-4, 260 pounds, bench-pressed 450 pounds and ran 4.4 forties. As if a 28-inch waist on a 220-pound man was normal. The Commish didn’t mind baseball being held to a higher standard than the other sports but he did have a problem with it being held to a double standard.
And the fans weren’t any better than the media. They vilified The Asterisk for his use of steroids/HGH/plutonium but cheered their own local stars who were so bulked up they looked as if they should be throwing chairs around a wrestling ring instead of hitting a baseball. It was so hypocritical. Fans booed suspected steroid users mercilessly as long as they played for the other team. If they played for the home team, well then, steroid use was just fine as long as it helped them win.
The key to ending the controversy surrounding The Asterisk, the Commish decided, was to rally the media and the fans to his side. To have them view him as THEIR guy instead of an unpleasant opponent. And the Commish thought he had just the solution. It was risky but what was worthwhile in life that didn’t come without risk?
It was just a matter of perfect timing.
# # #
As soon as The Asterisk hit the ball, Steve knew the ball was out of the park. He didn’t even bother watching to see where the game- and record-tying home run landed. He kept his camera focused on the slugger, snapping shot after shot of him reacting to the milestone blow by raising his arms skyward, pumping his fists repeatedly and talking a long, slow trot around the bases. He moved around the bases as if taking a stroll in the park.
Geez, Steve thought. If he’s taking this long for the record-tying home run, how long will his trot be for the next one?
As The Asterisk made the turn around third base Steve stole a quick glance to the boxseats by the team’s dugout.
Lacey was gone from her seat.
# # #
Jenn kept an eye on her general manager when The Asterisk homered in the ninth inning but saw nothing suspicious. Sharbor applauded enthusiastically and slapped hands with the fans next to him. The same was true when The Asterisk hit the record-tying home run in the 11th inning. He cheered a little bit louder and hugged a couple fans but Jenn saw nothing that caused her to think he was preparing to do the slugger harm.
Perhaps she was wrong. Maybe the GM just was what he always said he was – a huge fan of The Asterisk ever since the days when the slugger started his career with the Timber Barons and Sharbor was the team’s batboy/mascot. Still, Jenn kept a close eye on Sharbor as the game continued deeper into extra innings. So when he abruptly got up when Los Angeles fell behind in the 14th, her concern rose. The Asterisk was due up second in the inning with a chance to become baseball’s all-time home run king. It seemed like a strange time to leave for the concession stand or bathroom, no matter how badly he badly he had to go.
“Steve,’’ Jenn said, signaling her housemate in the photographer’s well. “Sharbor, my general manager I told you about? He suddenly disappeared into the crowd. I’m not gonna lie to you, I’ve got a bad feeling about this.’’
“Me, too,’’ Steve replied. “But not about your guy. Lacey disappeared, too.’’
“Geez, do you think they’re up to something?’’
“I don’t know. But the pitcher just walked the leadoff batter and The Asterisk is coming to the plate. So now would be a really good time to find both of them.’’
# # #
“Is that game still going?’’ Cheryl asked as she peered into Katie’s room at the university hospital.
Katie nodded. “It’s just gone into the 14th inning. The Asterisk is up again soon with a chance to break the record.’’
“Break the record? I thought he needed three home runs.’’
“He did. But he homered in the ninth and the 11th. He’s in a groove.’’ Katie kept her eyes fixed on the TV.
Cheryl entered the room and sat in the chair beside Katie’s bed. “You’re really into this, aren’t you? I don’t remember you being such a fan when we were in the house.’’
“Yeah, I wasn’t that big a fan then,’’ Katie said with a smile. “Not like Josh and Danny anyway. But after I got hurt, watching sports was about the only thing that took my mind off what had happened and kept me sane. Games are almost as important as OxyContin in the veterans hospitals.’’
Cheryl took her friend’s hand and locked their fingers together. “So, how are you doing, honey? I hear they’ve got you in some sort of experimental treatment, something to do with a new wave of prosthetics. How is that going?’’
“Well, I guess we’ll see. They finished with my leg this week and my arm a couple weeks ago. They say Ill be able to start using them soon. And I have to admit I’m a little scared by it all.’’
“Don’t worry, honey. The things they’re saying about this procedure are pretty incredible. They’re already calling you the Bionic Woman.’’
Katie smiled and squeezed Cheryl’s hand. Then she returned her focus to the TV screen. “Look,’’ she said. “The Asterisk is stepping into the batters box.’’
# # #
The Commish squirmed in his seat and bit hit his fingernails. This was it. The greatest record in sports could fall in the next minute and whether the public would come to view that as a great moment in the sport’s history or a disgrace largely depended on the risky plan he had put in place. He looked around to see that everyone was ready and crossed his fingers. Then, as the umpire took one of the specially marked baseballs from the bellboy and tossed it to the pitcher, the Commish turned his attention to The Asterisk.
“Let’s hope this works,’’ he said to himself.
# # #
The Asterisk felt oddly calm as he approached the plate. He had to admit that all the media pressure and controversy had affected him over the past couple weeks. For one of the few times in his career, he had begun trying for the fences, throwing his stroke completely out of whack. Then there was the knee injury, which might actually have been a blessing. It had forced him to shift his weight ever so slightly, which in turn got him back to his old form. And after hitting the first home run, he was so locked in that he wasn’t even aware of the pressure anymore.
“Let’s do it,’’ he said quietly as he stared down the pitcher, daring him to throw a strike “Let’s get this damn chase over with.’’
# # #
“This is big moment, yes?’’ Magdalena asked in the right field bleacher. “If Asterisk hits home run, we are saved?’’
Josh didn’t reply. He tried but he couldn’t. He had drunk so much beer and smuggled in vodka during the course of the game that he could barely stand, let alone speak.
“Lesssgo Asterish!!!’’ he finally shouted as he staggered toward the first row of the bleachers.
# # #
The fastball left the pitchers hand at 95 miles per hour and left The Asterisk’s bat significantly faster. The ball was hit so hard that the pitcher felt as if his uniform was being torn off by the force of the blow, like Charlie Brown. But the ball didn’t come close to hitting the pitcher. Instead it rose in a majestic parabola, climbing toward center field as the crack of the bat echoed through the stadium.
The Asterisk knew immediately the ball was gone. He stood at the plate to follow its flight, and as he did, he felt alternating waves of pleasure and relief flood his body. It was as if he was watching it all from the stands. Time seemed to stand still.
Finally, as the ball bounced out of the hands of a fan named Brian Herman and into a mob, The Asterisk wiped a tear from his eye, turned toward first and began his slow home run trot. He put his head down and thrust his fist into the air, feeling strong enough to carry the world on his shoulders yet so light on his feet he might float away to the heavens.
And that’s when he noticed the fans charging after him.
# # #
There was some sort of disturbance by the first base dugout just before the pitch. Jenn wasn’t able to tell what was going on, but the security guards were distracted for a minute. And that was all the opening anyone needed to hop over the fence and sprint toward The Asterisk.
“Jenn, look!’’ Steve yelled. “It’s Lacey! Lacey is running after The Asterisk!’’
Jenn didn’t reply. She saw Lacey but her attention was elsewhere. For just after the cheerleader dashed onto the field, Sharbor hopped the fence and rushed toward The Asterisk as well.
Amazingly, the security guards hadn’t reacted. Perhaps they were still distracted by the earlier commotion or simply were stunned by it all. Either way, no one was doing anything to stop Lacey or Sharbor.
Jenn wasn’t too concerned about Lacey; having worked with her for two seasons, she figured the only threat the cheerleader posed was passing on an STD. Sharbor, however, was another matter. Sharbor was obsessed with The Asterisk, perhaps dangerously so. The next seconds were crucial and someone had to do something.
So Jenn did the only thing she could. She hopped over the fence and raced after The Asterisk, Sharbor and Lacey as fast as her legs could carry her in the owl costume.
Next: Touch ‘Em All
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