Center Field Read Free Page A

Billy, including a visit to the clubhouse and a meal in the stadium. Mike tried to imaginewhat that would be like, but his cell phone interrupted the thought, singing, “Put me in, coach.” He checked the ID. It was Lori. He felt guilty about letting the call go. She was always so nice, never gave him a hard time. Can’t imagine her storming into the boys’ locker room. He felt warm remembering Katherine Herold’s body perched on the whirlpool ledge.
    His eye caught the poster of Billy Budd looking at him accusingly. Billy was big on respect to women. In the IMs book, he wrote: The mark of a real man is how he treats women, children, and all others weaker than himself.
    You call Katherine Herold weak?
    Â 
    Homework made him feel better. The fundamentals again. Mike’s Applied Math teacher, Dr. Ching, had assigned a problem that caught his interest: You are in a boat, on a lake that has a fixed volume of water. You drop your anchor overboard. Does the water level rise or fall? The answer, Dr. Ching said, involves the principle of buoyancy. The problem dated back to Archimedes of Syracuse. Dr. Ching called Archimedes “that ancient dude” and made him sound cool.
    Mike enjoyed getting lost in the problem. In math there’s always an answer, right or wrong. In baseball games you win or lose. You play or you don’t. He liked life simple, like a dog, not complicated, like a cat.

FOUR
    Mike loved the Ranger Runs, especially on a damp, chilly morning like this one in late March when the wind drove grit from the track into his cheeks and rattled against his plastic goggles. He’d gotten the idea for the goggles from Billy Budd’s book. Always protect your eyes, Billy wrote, because you can’t see the ball without them. The Yankee center fielder would like the Ranger Runs, too. Billy had written that athletes need to keep pushing themselves so their performances are never affected by fatigue. Too many ballplayers give up in the late innings because they are tired or afraid of losing. The tough ones love the challenge and step up their game.
    The runs were part of Coach Cody’s plan to make them mentally and physically tough for the new season. Coach was running alongside the team, a silver bat in his hand, chanting, “I wanna be a Ridgedale Ranger, I wannalaugh at fear and danger.”
    Mike led the team with a long, easy stride. The ankle complained softly. He had taped it at home and wore high-top running shoes for extra support. After the first lap the team began stringing out behind him. Hector and Todd, scrappy little middle infielders, were right behind him, followed by the sophomores trying to suck up to Coach.
    Ryan pounded along in a pack of other outfielders and pitchers. Andy was cruising in the rear with the catchers and managers. He looked as if he were bird-watching. Didn’t he want to start?
    Coach Cody came up alongside Mike. “Pick it up, Mighty Mak.” Coach rapped the silver bat against his thigh.
    Mike felt big and hard, leader of the pack. Billy always led the Yankee runs in spring training and the pregame sprints. Mike cranked up the pace, chanting to blot out the pain beginning to bloom in his ankle. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the tall, skinny kid from yesterday run onto the track behind the stragglers. He was wearing white Nike running shoes now and a black Nike warm-up suit. A white Swoosh cap. Pretty duded up for a Ranger Run, Mike thought. After a few steps the kid pulled out of the inner lane and began moving up on the outside.
    Coach hollered, “Let’s go, Oscar, see what you got.”
    Oscar lengthened his stride. He glided past Andy andwas running with Ryan’s pack.
    Without thinking, Mike ran faster. Coach fell back to Hector and Todd.
    It took Oscar less than a lap to pull alongside Mike. They looked at each other. Oscar had a long, dark face with a wispy mustache and a goatee. He did look older than a high