Pee Wees on First Read Free Page B

the ball with a thin bat. She would have the best baseball book of all! Even if she couldn’t hit the ball.

CHAPTER 5

Acting Casual
    T he next afternoon the Pee Wees practiced in the park. Afterward, Roger said, “I’m going to find that guy Brett Brady. I’m going to show him how good I can play.”
    “He’ll make a fool of himself,” whispered Mary Beth.
    “I wonder what this Brady guy looks like,” said Kenny.
    “He’s real tall and he’s got glasses,” said Sonny. “I saw him on TV a long time ago.”
    “He’s got black hair,” said Tim. “And it’s real curly.”
    “How do you know?” demanded Jody.
    Tim shrugged. “Someone told me,” he said.
    “I wonder where he’s staying when he’s here,” said Kevin. “We could go find him and hit a few balls while he’s watching.”
    “Maybe he is staying with somebody he knows,” said Lisa.
    “I don’t think he knows anybody here,” said Ashley. “His friends probably live in big cities where there are big ball teams. You know, major leagues.”
    “When you’re from out of town, you stay at a hotel,” said Rachel.
    “There’s a hotel downtown,” said Patty. “A big one.”
    “Hey, I’m going to go find him,” said Roger.
    The Pee Wees followed Roger. They allwanted to see Brett Brady. They all wanted to see a famous person.
    Molly wanted to get a head start finding out more baseball facts. Facts that came from a real player, instead of from a book or even from Mrs. Peters. Maybe he knew this Baby Ruth! Maybe he knew why she was named after a candy bar!
    Some of the others wanted Brett Brady to see how well they played.
    Roger wanted to get signed up for a team!
    When the Pee Wees got to the hotel, they were all out of breath from running. They sat on a bench in front of the building to rest.
    “We can’t miss him here,” said Mary Beth. “If he goes in or out, we’ll see him.”
    The Pee Wees sat on the bench a long time. They watched and watched for Brett Brady to walk by.

    “What are you going to say when you see him?” Jody asked Roger.
    “I’ll just grab him and say, ‘Hey, come and watch me hit some grand slams,’ ” said Roger.
    “I don’t think we should let him know we know who he is,” said Kevin. “That might scare him off. Everybody wants to get chosen. You have to be cool and let him discover us.”
    “That’s smart,” said Ashley. “To act casual about it.”
    “Well, maybe,” said Roger. “Just keep our balls and bats out in plain view. When he sees them he’ll know we are pros. No one else would walk around with bats and balls.”
    “Hey, here comes a guy!” whispered Lisa.
    A man came out the door.
    He was tall.
    He had glasses.
    But he didn’t have dark curly hair.
    He was bald.
    “Brett isn’t bald,” whispered Tracy. “It’s not him.”
    The next person who came out was a woman.
    Then two men went in. One was short and fat. The other one was limping.
    “Does Brett limp?” asked Tim.
    “Naw,” said Roger. “He couldn’t run around those bases very fast if he limped.”
    “Handicapped people play ball,” Jody reminded them.
    “He could have hurt his leg in a ball game,” said Mary Beth.
    “Maybe that’s why he retired,” said Kenny.
    By that time the men were out of sight.
    “I have to go,” said Jody. “My dad is picking me up at the library.”
    Some of the other Pee Wees had to leave too. Soon only Molly and Mary Beth and Roger and Sonny were left.
    “I’m not moving till I see this guy,” said Roger.
    Molly felt the same way. This was her chance to get the inside scoop on Baby Ruth.
    “It’s good those guys are gone,” said Sonny. “Now we get a better chance to get chosen for his team.”
    More time went by, and Molly almost fell asleep in the warm sun. Suddenly, Mary Beth nudged her in the ribs.
    “Look!” she said. “That’s him!”
    A tall man was coming down the street. He had dark curly hair. He wore glasses. He did not limp. And he was carrying a