Too Hot to Handle by Matt Christopher Read Free Book Online Page A

you a workout. Third base is
     a lot tougher than a lot of people think.”
    “You’re telling me,” said David. It took a player like Don to realize a thing like that.
    There was much rejoicing when Don got home. Mom and Ann Marie kissed him, and Ann Marie immediately began telling him about
     a dozen things that had happened in and around town, hardly giving Mom a chance to squeezein a word. Dad laughed. David shook his head in puzzlement. Where had he ever got such a talkative sister? Don just sat there,
     smiling happily about the whole thing. You could see that he was certainly pleased to be home.
    The following morning David telephoned Bonesy to tell him that he and Don were going to the ballpark. Would Bonesy like to
     come along? Bonesy would.
    On their way to the park — Ann Marie went, too — they met Rex Drake and Marty Cass. The boys were glad to see Don and were
     willing to practice with them. They looked at Ann Marie and the glove on her hand with suspicion, though, then rushed home
     after their gloves.
    Under Don’s direction, Bonesy hit grounders to David at third. Ann Marie backed up her brother. She picked up and threw in
     the grounders that David missed. She had played pitch and catch with David for several years and could throw well.
    After they had worked out awhile a car drove into the parking lot and stopped. Two people walked in through the gate. David
     recognized them immediately. Mr. and Mrs. Finch! What were they doing here?
    They walked up to Don, smiled and shook his hand. David heard them ask Don about his leg. Then he heard Mrs. Finch say, “You
     just won’t give up, will you?”
    Don laughed. “I guess not, Mrs. Finch,” he said.
    “And you want your brother to be a baseball player like yourself?”
    “No,” said Don. “I want him to be better than I am.”
    Mrs. Finch shook her head. “I can’t understand it,” she said. “You boys spending your precious time out here hitting a little
     white ball all over the place and then chasing it just so it can be hit all over again. Really now, Don, is that practical?
     Does it make sense?”
    Don shrugged. “There are millions of Americanswho think so, Mrs. Finch. And, I bet, so does Mr. Finch.”
    Mr. Finch, a big man with graying hair, grunted. “I never played baseball, Don. Football was my sport. But I’m a fan, I’ll
     tell you that.”
    “Never mind asking Mr. Finch,” said Mrs. Finch. “Sometimes I think he’s still a boy.”
    Mr. Finch grunted again, and Don laughed.
    “Why don’t you come to a game, Mrs. Finch?” invited Don. “These boys play tomorrow. Why don’t you come with Mr. Finch? You
     will understand better maybe watching it why kids just never grow up when it comes to playing baseball.”
    Mrs. Finch looked hard at Don. “I doubt that, Don,” she said. “But to show you that I’m not bullheaded, I will have Mr. Finch
     bring me.”
    The Finches left, and the boys broke out in laughter.
    “Bet she won’t be there,” said Rex.
    “Oh, yes, she will,” said David. “You don’t know Mrs. Finch!”
    That evening the
Penwood Times
carried a short article in the sports section about the Flickers-Canaries game.
    Big guns for the Flickers were Marty Cass and Bonesy Lane with four and three hits respectively. David Kroft, the Flickers’
     third baseman, smashed out a triple against the left center field fence that brought in two runs. Then he scored on a single
     by Steve Pierce.
    It was a great victory for the Flickers. This was the first game the Canaries had lost out of eight.
    The box score:
AB
H
RBI
R
Lacey 2b
4
1
0
1
Hines rf
3
2
0
1
d Simmons rf
1
1
0
1
Merrill lb
4
0
0
0
Drake c
2
1
0
2
Cass If
4
4
2
0
Lane ss
4
3
2
1
Mulligan 3b
1
0
0
0
a Kroft3b
3
1
2
1
Hill cf
1
0
0
0
b Pierce cf
2
2
1
0
Lodge p
2
1
0
0
c Hines p
1
0
0
0
Totals
32
16
7
7
    a — Flied out for Mulligan in 4th; b — Singled for Hill in 4th; c — Flied out for Lodge in 5th; d — Singled for Hines in 6th.
Flickers
. . . 0