Lily could see it written already. The Rise and Fall of Jack Foster would be plastered all throughout the sports world, and no matter what she did she couldn't get him to get the ball down. This might be ok if she could get his slider to slide, or his sinker to sink. Hell if she could get any of his pitches to move or leave the sweet spot, then they would be out of the forth inning already. The 11 to 7 score is making for a very very long game and if she can get Jack past this next batter, and maybe four more then he could have a win he doesn't deserve. The pitcher on the other side is a rookie and a BAD rookie at that, but on the other hand at least he is a bad rookie. Jack is a bad veteran today, and that translates to old.
The next pitch was a beautiful change up out. Of course Lily had signalled for a fast ball in. The sound of the bat striking the ball made it so that Lily didn't want to open her eyes. It was the sound of the batter swearing that got her eyes open again, and she saw the ball being tossed around the infield before it made it back to Jack. Must have been a line shot to someone in the infield, but she didn't know, she didn't care. Lily wanted the next person out, and fast. Jack looked in at Lily as the next batter came to the plate. Lily was now overthinking the game, and she hates doing that. Should she ask for a fastball that will not go fast and drop out at the end? Should she ask for a curveball that will probably rise on her? The batter at the plate could cream a curveball but can't hit the hight heat, what is the risk?
Lily applied the signal and Jack nodded. Lily actually had the thought that if Jack was so comfortable then it probably was a bad call. Then again Jack never shakes her off. He starts into his stretch wind up since the guy standing on second is pretty quick. The pitch came in and started rising just like Lily thought it would and the batter fouled it strait up. Not exactly the desired effect but Lily could work with that. She positioned herself under the ball and got the final out. Jack was already walking towards the dugout with his head down. Of course he deserved to, and it was up to Lily to get into the dugout and figure out what the hell is going on with Jack. Well what is wrong with Jack aside from the obvious that he is losing it really quickly.
Nobody likes to see a player who was so great for so long get old right in front of your eyes, but try being their catcher, and in the middle of a penant race. This thought had been going through Lily's mind over and over again, but her logical mind kept reminding her of some interesting facts throughout. She's already made history. She's already wealthy without baseball, and more to the point, she's already proved her worthiness in this game. Now is the hardest thing in the world for her, to carry the man who probably was the very reason she was crouched down behind the plate. The very reason that she was taking the baseball world by storm. The very reason that a very stupid reporter and a few fans of her skirts that never got around to changing the chanel believe that she is pregnant. Oh Jack Foster is more of an institution to baseball, he is the father figure she had been lacking since that eventful night her parents died after she had spoiled Christmas.
The worst of all of this was the way it was taking it's toll on Jack. His demeaner was changing, and he wasn't all that much fun to be around these days either. He skulked off the mound and sat on the bench in a foul mood. He was the only pitcher she had ever met that didn't have a zone. He had a zip code and enough room for everyone to be inside it. Even before she had been a member of the Red Sox, she would watch Jack on television making water bombs out of barf bags from the planes that he took to the away games and launch them into the crowd. It's why for at least fifteen of the last twenty years Jack has been THE biggest draw in baseball. He eliminated home field advantage by being THE person that was being rooted for in any venue, and don't think he didn't know that that in and of itself was worth a water bomb between innings that he pitched. Now he brings out the Boo-Birds in his own venue, and as fickle and harsh as a Boston fan is, you never get used to falling out of that pink cloud. Lily was having a hard time forgiving the fans for that, especially today.
Now as she starts pulling off her equipment to be the second batter in this inning Lily realizes that she is psyching herself off the batting "zone" that she maintains as she so desperately want to do whatever is neccessary to get this game out of reach and into the "easy win" category for her fallen hero. She didn't have the yips earlier, but they come on strong and hard and are a real bitch to shake. Years of doing "girlie things" have come in real handy as a catcher though, since Lily get's her gear off and on faster than anyone in the league. The YES network actually did a half hour special on it and she managed to catch it when she was in New York for that interleague series with the Mets. She had never seen it that way and wasn't offended in the least but there were plenty of women's groups that got up in arms on her behalf.
Standing in the batter's ring, Lily could feel her swing dropping a bit. She reminded herself to stop thinking about it and simply use that eye she was graced by God with. The batter ahead of her was enjoying the only pitcher in this park that could pitch worse than Jack throw the third ball to him. One and three the umpire signals, and Valez never gets the green light to swing, and for good reason. He's a big cut, little ability sort of batter but man can he play short stop. If this pitcher is THAT bad then he won't even be able to sneak an easy fast ball past him, and guess what? He didn't as ball four was signalled so that Valez could trot off to first base and await Lily's response at the plate.
You have no idea how difficult it is to hit a baseball in Major League Baseball. Seriously, if you do your job, which is to hit a baseball, forty percent of the time you go down as a God and have a plaque with your face on it in Cooperstown. The last person to do it wore one of these uniforms and did it before World War II ended, so it isn't exactly common. Any little life change, and Lily herself has mused over trying to hit a baseball with menstral cramps, can completely change how well you do something so intricate. And it's like a terrifying form of impotency during times like this when you get waht Lily affectionately and spitefully call it the yips and fall prey to your own mind. This is even more complicated when you have an eratic pitcher. Only the best hitters truly understand how far off base the science is when a bad pitcher throws to you. Especially if thier ball darts and moves. Most of the time you can stand there and watch a walk happen but good hitters hate that. They want to hit the fences everytime.
Lily not only is a great hitter, who is flirting around that magical four hundred that every baseball player dreams about, but she is also a girl who wants to help her daddy win the big game. Think about it a bit and you'll understand that all three factors are enough to make an emotional mess of anyone. Her stance in the batters box is even a bit awkward for a change, but it is by design as the balls tend to cut in on the batters hard with this guy. The first one demonstrated that as it came within an eyelash of hitting her kneecap. Add that to the mix as a catcher fears the kneecap shot more than any other errant pitch. She tightens her stance a bit more which doesn't add to her security, but appears to fool the pitcher into thinking it does. Don't think the pitcher doesn't have the yips as well faced by the proclaimed "Goddess of Baseball" as he had read it on the front page of his own morning paper that day.
The pitcher curled in using that strange windup that he does that nobody could get a clue about, but still had no problem either hitting the crap out of, or watching the balls add up all day. He doesn't bother using a stretch stance anymore as that had been an abstract failure. His arm comes over himself three quarters, as the ball started raging in with what appears to be a little more zip than it had to Lily's well trained eye. It also was still wobbling like a dying butterfly which in a year or two will make this a class A pitcher to be feared in the game. Today is not the time though, as Lily's arms swung the bat in with a punishing up swing that lifted the ball strait up in the air. The ball litterally left the vision of every person on the field, and most of the fans in the seats. Of course it didn't matter, as she also hit it with so much hip power that it won't even hit the earth in sight of this baseball field. The Goddess of Baseball has rendered this pitcher unworthy … to be continued
Nothing that was printed here was intended to offend anyone, and if it did, screw ya, you begged for it. If you believe that there are some measures that can be taken to change me, then please feel free to pray for me, and while you are at it yourself, because you read this far, and if you hated every minute of it, then you are an idiot, not me, or the other people who like what I have to say! .. Jeremy Want More Free Art? ...Visit the new angelis deZines on the web at jeremycrow4life.com/angelisdezines All writings Copyright © 2009 & Beyond The Crows Nest |
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