Page 4 of Catching the Coach
“Very cool bud, that’s awesome.” I give him a thumbs up and he turns back to watch Kessler warm up.
“Oh, I am not going to mind this view for the game,” Kara whispers to me.
“He’s ok,” I say back to her
“Just OK? Girl, do you need glasses?” she lowers her voice so the other parents and kids don’t hear her. “Have youseenthat ass? God built that one right.”
I chuckle. “I don’t think God had much to do with it. More like the insane amount of squatting being a catcher requires. Plus, you know how I feel about ball players.”
She rolls her eyes. “Ok, but you can’t hold what happened with Captain Dickhead against them all.”
“I’m not, I just have no desire to date anyone,especiallya ball player.” I shift in my seat, leaning closer to her. “I don’t even know why we’re talking about this. What MLB player would be interested in a single mom?”
“Have you heard of the term MILF?”
“Ok, now it’s my turn to roll my eyes,” I say, doing just that.
“Whatever, girl. You know I’m right.”
“Mmhmm ok,” I reply, ending the discussion.
The announcer starts announcing the lineup, indicating the beginning of the game.Saved by the bell. As players for the Silverbacks are announced the crowd cheers. Some players get more noise than others. Kessler Davis is announced and all the boys along with the crowd go nuts. I even find myself clapping a little harder for him. Kara gives me a look and I ignore her. It’s not that I’m interested in him. He came back from a pretty serious injury that could have been career ending, and as a Physical Therapist, I respect the work he did to make it back to the game.
* * *
By the bottom of the eighth inning, the Silverbacks are ahead by two with two outs. It’s been a good battle from both teams. The only reason the Silverbacks got those two runs is because of an error made by the San Diego Suns first baseman in the bottom of the third. The Silverbacks have two outs and Kessler Davis is up to bat. Hudson stands and goes to the fence like he has each time his idol has been up. Normally Davis is a force to be reckoned with, today he’s struggling. He’s been missing easy strikes and pulling up short in his swing when he does take a swing at a pitch. I find myself worrying away at my thumbnail as he takes his stance. The pitcher checks his runner at first, steps forward and throws his pitch. Kessler takes a swing and misses.
“Strike one!”
Kessler steps out of the batter’s box and takes a few half swings. If I were a betting woman, I’d put money on the fact that his shoulder is tight and causing him to pull up early on his swings. Tendons are tricky bastards and take a long time to properly heal. Even then, they may not fully heal correctly and cause issues, like what Kessler seems to be dealing with now. Kessler looks to the third base coach, who gives him a sign and steps back into the box. The pitcher winds up again and sends a perfect fastball right down the center. The ball makes aThumpsound as it hits the catcher’s mitt.
“Strike two!”
Hudson looks back at me, sadness in his eyes. I give him a reassuring smile and cross my fingers. We look back at Kessler and I can see the tendon in his jaw working overtime. Kessler steps into the box and sets up his stance one last time.
Before I know what I’m doing I jog down to the fence and yell “BUNT!”
The pitcher winds up and sends another pitch right down the middle. Just before Kessler takes a swing, he chokes up on his bat and bunts, shocking everyone. The ball bounces off his bat and slowly rolls towards the pitcher’s mound.
“YES!” I yell, jumping up and down. “RUUUUNNN!” I scream. Kessler takes off like his pants are on fire and is a quarter of the way to first before anyone realizes what happened. “Go go go go go,” I’m chanting, clinging to the fence. All the boys are out of their seats, jumping up and down and yelling for Kessler to run. The catcher snags the ball and lobs it to first, but overthrows it and makes the first baseman run after it, allowing Kessler to safely make it to the bag.
“YEAH!” Hudson yells, giving Kade a high five. “Mom, I think he heard you!” Hudson says as we head back to our seats.
“It was the next logical step bud, his third base coach probably gave him the signal.”
I sit back in my seat and Kara gives me a look.
“What’s that look for?”
“What was that?” she asks, one eyebrow raised at me.
“What? I got into the moment.”
“Mmhmm.”
The next batter, Carson Jones, hits the ball into far center, sending Brent Attwood home and Kessler to third. Jones makes it to second before the ball is thrown back. Duke Keller comes up to the plate and the crowd gets loud. The boys get on their feet and go back to the fence line. Duke is a power hitter and is bound to send our boys home. The pitcher is in a full-on sweat now, wiping his brow with his sleeve. He winds up at lobs one toward the plate. Keller swings and connects. Thecrackof the bat seems to echo throughout the stadium.
Everyone jumps to their feet as they watch the ball make its way through the outfield and over the wall. The stadium is in an uproar over the home run. The boys are all jumping up and down screaming. Kessler and Carson wait for Duke to cross the home plate and each give him a high five. The next batter strikes out and brings us to the top of the ninth. All they have to do is hold off three batters and they win the game.
