Date: Thu, 14 Jul 2011 08:22:33 -0700 (PDT)
From: Joe Hunter <hunterjoe45@yahoo.com>
Subject: Baseball Diamond Tails - 1D

All the usual disclaimers apply:

+This story is a work of fiction.  If you think it is real, you have a very
active imagination.

+Do not read this story if you live in an area where it is illegal to do
so.

+Scenes of sexual activity between an adult male and a young boy are
represented.  Do not read further if this offends you.

+Please do not imitate the actions portrayed herein - the author cannot
accept responsibility for any actions promoted by this story.


If you would like to get in touch, please e-mail me at:

			hunterjoe45@yahoo.com

I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Support Nifty!   Joe

____________________________


BASEBALL DIAMOND TAILS - 1D
(copyright 2011, Joe Hunter)

::::::::::::::::::
 Pitcher:  Part D
::::::::::::::::::

Billy went around the end of the breakfast bar to the dining area.  "When I
come in you have to shoot me," he said.

He ducked down, disappearing momentarily behind the counter and then, when
he straightened and walked back into the kitchen I pretended to draw an
imaginary revolver, dropped into a crouch and went, "Bang!  Bang!"

Billy gasped loudly, "Uhhh!" and grabbed his belly, a look of stunned
surprise on his face.  He staggered back against the wall, the surprised
expression changing to one of agony.  He slid down the wall to his knees,
still clutching his belly.  Putting a hand down to steady himself he
groaned again, "Ahhhhh..."  Then his body went completely limp and he
rolled onto his back, arms sprawling, one long smooth leg stretched out and
the other drawn up, sagging outward.  His head lay twisted to the side,
mouth gaping, and his straight black hair falling over eyes that gazed
sightlessly ahead in an unblinking dead man's stare.

The slid down the wall had bunched his shirt up over his waist and his
sprawled body lay almost nude on the floor, only his chest covered.  The
boy's silky skin gleamed in the fluorescent light and his hard boner
strained up from his groin in a slight curve, the helmeted tip quivering
with each of his heartbeats.

It was a stunning performance.  And it came from a boy who, until now, had
never shown emotion or even much facial expression; who had been dismissed
by so many as dull, passive and uninteresting.  I was touched and humbled
that he had allowed me into his secret world.  I played my role for him,
kneeling quickly beside his body to stroke his naked legs and belly.

"Billy..."

I put an arm under his shoulders.  His head lolled back when I lifted and
he hung against me, a dead weight.

"Billy..." I murmured again.  I laid him back gently on the floor and he
stirred, gazing up at me calmly with a slight tilt to his head as if asking
for my opinion.

"That was good," I told him.

"In my house I like to play dead different ways," he said quietly.  "Then I
like do this."  He reached down to rub himself and I smiled at him, moving
my palm over the swell of muscle in his smooth thigh, my fingers brushing
down over the silky skin inside his leg.

Billy pulled his shirt up over his shoulders and closed his eyes.  I could
feel him tense when he tightened his butt.  He stroked himself faster,
pulling both legs up and straining his thighs apart.  I reached under his
leg and pressed my fingers into the base of his scrotum.  He arched his
head back and lifted his hips as he began to rub hard and fast.  I saw his
body shudder and his hips arched up as fluid ran from the tip of his
straining boy stick.  Then his body relaxed.

I traced the outline of his throat and chin with my forefinger and then
kissed him gently on the lips.  He opened his eyes.

"I like to do that," he said.  "Sometimes I do this."

He drew his knees up to his chest and reached around into his butt,
searching for the opening.  Slowly pushed first one and then a second
finger into himself.  I stroked his chest as he probed himself, and then he
withdrew, straightening his legs.  He lay quietly on the floor for a
moment, looking at me.

"Sometimes there's another thing I do."

I stroked his chest and kissed him.  "What's that?"

"Sometimes I put something inside."

I nodded.  "What do you use?"

I discovered that he had tried several different things, ranging from
cucumbers to the handle of a screwdriver.  I marveled - not at his secret
activities, which I had already suspected - but at the number of words he
was using.  I knew it was because he felt comfortable with me.  I prayed
that he always would.

I looked at him with a twinkle in my eye.  "Now I have an important
question for you.  And I want you to answer honestly."

He tilted his head to one side.  "What?"

"Which is better?  In your house, or here with me?"

He smiled with his eyes and a twitch at the corner of his mouth.  Sitting
up, he gave me a hug.  "You."

I gave him a simple meal of soup, crackers, cheese, and some reheated
ravioli.  Billy was a precise, finicky eater but eventually he finished all
of it.  After the meal he put his plates and utensils neatly in the sink,
and then leaned against me, arm around my waist, while I washed everything.

When I had finished, he tugged at my waist.  "Now," he said.

"Now," I agreed.

He held his hand against my back as we went into the living room.  I
started to take off my pants when he stopped me.  He picked up the tube of
KY and took my hand, leading me back through the house to the big double
bed in my bedroom.

"Better," he whispered.

He put the tube of gel on the bed and then turned, gazing up with his wide,
dark eyes.  "I trust you," he told me very simply,

A wave of love and affection for the boy swept through me.  It must have
shown in my eyes because he put his arms around me and pressed against my
bare chest.  I kissed the top of his head and whispered, "I would die
before I let anything hurt you, Billy."

He hugged very tightly and then started unbuttoning my pants.  Together we
pulled the zipper down and while I dropped the pants to step out of them he
pulled off his shirt.  Then he pressed his naked body against mine and
stroked his hands up and down my sides.

"Nice," he whispered.  I squeezed my butt, pressing my throbbing hardness
against his stomach.

Billy slid to his knees in front of me, put his hands on my hips and took
my straining penis into his mouth.  He licked under the head and then slid
the rigid shaft in and out between his lips.  I squeezed tightly to hold
back as Billy tongued the sensitive tip again and then let me slip out of
his mouth.  He looked up.

"In me," he begged softly.  "Put it in me."

I picked him up and laid him on the bed, stretching him out on his back.
He put his arms up over his head and closed his eyes.  Gently I caressed
each of his long silky legs.  Then I pulled his knees to his chest and
Billy held them there, rocking back slightly to spread himself open.

I glopped KY on my fingers and rubbed it around his opening.  The boy
strained his thighs apart and I slid a finger through the ring to spread
the lubricant inside.

"Billy, listen," I said softly.  "Push down like when you take a shit.
Okay?"

"Uh-huh."  He strained and I felt his ring open.

"Good," I told him and shoved in a second finger along with more KY.  When
I withdrew my fingers Billy relaxed and his puckered opening closed like a
flower.

I smeared KY on my rigid penis and leaned over the boy.

"Put your legs up around my chest," I whispered.

He wrapped his legs around me and put his hands on my shoulders, looking up
at me with perfect trust.  I reached down and slid the engorged head of my
penis into his clenched dimple.  "It may hurt at first as it goes in," I
warned.  "Ready?"

Billy closed his eyes and nodded.

"Push down like I told you.  Real hard."

The boy strained and I felt his rectum open.  I thrust gently and the head
of my penis squeezed into his ring.  He was very tight and when the muscle
spasmed it gripped my shaft painfully.  Billy grimaced, clutching my
shoulders as I leaned in to thrust harder.  There was a popping sensation
and then with a rush I entered him.  Billy cried out, almost pulling away.

"Are you all right?"  I asked quickly.  "Should I take it out?"

His eyes were open again, gazing up with an unfocused stare.  He shook his
head and squirmed, accommodating himself to the huge fullness that had
penetrated him.  He pulled his legs up on my chest.  "More," he whispered
at last.

I pushed gently and my engorged member slid into warm sweetness.  Billy
groaned, clutching my arms and when I was in my about halfway he cried out
again so I stopped.

"Don't take it out," he whispered urgently.

"I won't," I reassured him.

"It feels so big," he said.

He reached down and felt around his opening where my hard rod was jutting
into him.  His exploring fingers stroked up my shaft.  "It's only half
way," he whispered.

"I don't want to hurt you."

"Put it in," he pleaded.  "All the way."

I pushed gently again and Billy's head arched back.  He grabbed his knees,
straining his thighs apart, and my hard shaft thrust inwards, penetrating
deep into his body.  With a final push my groin pressed against his
stretched ass and Billy cried out in pain and delight.  I lowered my body
down onto his and he wrapped arms around my chest.

"Feels so good," he whispered.

"Are you sure?"

He nodded.

"Does it hurt?"

He nodded again.  "But good, too," he whispered.

He stroked his hands over my back and kissed my chest while his knees, hips
and feet all moved on me as he twisted around my impaling shaft.

"I'm going to slide it in and out a little," I told him.  He nodded.  Very
slowly I began to withdraw and Billy's arms tightened around me.

"Don't take it out," he whispered.  I shook my head.

I withdrew about halfway and then gently thrust in again.  Billy moaned,
hugged, and then began moving with me, writhing and panting as my hips
pumped.

"Uh...Uh...Uh...Uh..."

"All right?"  I asked.

He nodded and gasped, "Don't stop..."

"Does it hurt?"

He nodded.  "More...  Don't stop."

I kept pumping, sliding my rigid pole in the boy's hot, moist sweetness
with slow careful movement until I felt Billy relax, opening completely.
The boy gave a soft little cry each time I thrust, gripping tightly and
squirming.

I knew he had regained his erection when I felt the slender hardness throb
against my belly, but I was sure he would lose it again if I went too fast,
so I kept to a slow, gentle rhythm.

At last the boy's cries became louder and more urgent.  His knees pulled
away from my chest as he strained them apart to deepen my penetration.
Suddenly, he squealed and gripped me convulsively.  His feet kicked.
Throbbing contractions squeezed my impaling rod and his penis jerked
against my stomach.  Billy locked arms and legs around me, bucking and
heaving until the spasm passed and then, panting for breath, fell back, his
head lolling.

"Ah...  Ah...  Ahhhhh..."

I stopping thrusting, my shaft half withdrawn, and slowly began to withdraw
the rest of the way.  Billy reached down to stop me.

"Don't take it out," he pleaded.

"Trust me," I whispered.

I let the natural tone of his rectum push me out and rolled off the boy.
Billy lay with his eyes closed and arms outstretched.  His knees sagged
apart.

Tenderly I wrapped the boy in my arms and rolled onto my back with my
engorged erection straining upward.  The feel of Billy's smooth slender
body excited me so much my penis throbbed almost painfully.

I showed Billy how to squat over my hips facing me.  "Let it slide in as
you sit on it," I told him.

He positioned himself carefully while I held my erection up for him.  The
head of my penis slipped on his butt crease and he reached back to push it
onto his anus.  Then he let himself sink down slightly.  I felt the swollen
head penetrate and with a grimace he arched a little, pulling his head
back.  I took my hand away, placed it on his taut thigh and slowly the boy
squatted down, impaling himself on my throbbing shaft.  As my penis thrust
up into hot, moist sweetness his lips parted and his eyes closed.  He sank
down until his tight butt pressed on my groin and then with a soft moan,
twisted slightly to deepen the penetration.

His boy stick was only half erect and I put my fingers on him rubbing
quickly, letting my fingers pass up over the slit as I stroked.  As Billy
hardened into full quivering erection he squirmed on my up thrust rod
moaning and writhing.  As I lifted my hips he pushed down hard against them
and my straining penis throbbed inside his hot cavity.  I felt the boy's
rigid shaft give a sudden jerk and I stroked even harder.

Billy's squirming had brought a tide rising in my loins.  My hard member
pulsed and even though I squeezed I felt droplets escape from the tip.  I
began to pump faster and, sensing my excitement, Billy pressed down to meet
my driving thrusts.  Moaning with pleasure he quivered and bucked as clear
slippery droplets ran off his tip.

Suddenly I could contain myself no longer.  I thrust my hips upward,
pushing as hard against Billy as I could, straining to penetrate deep into
his body.  My penis jerked powerfully as I ejaculated into him.  Billy felt
the pulsing contractions within himself and pushed on me, jerking as his
own rigid boy stick throbbed over and over again.  Then, when the spasm
passed, he collapsed onto me and I pulled him into my arms, cuddling the
boy as my spent shaft slipped out of him.

Billy lay exhausted against my chest with his arms draped loosely and his
long slender legs sprawled to either side of my hips.  I held him tenderly
and stroked his smooth back and silken butt with slow circles of my palm.

"Do it again," he begged, squirming slightly.

"I will as soon as I rest," I said.  "Show me your 'dead' game again."

"Uh-huh."

We both got up and stood by the bed.  "We fight with swords," he told me.
"You gotta' stab me."

We pretended to fight.  Suddenly, I lunged forward with a simulated thrust
into his belly and Billy gasped, "Uhhhh..."

He dropped his imaginary sword, clutching his slender waist, and staggered
back half felling against the edge of the bed.  Writhing in simulated agony
he gradually slipped off and collapsed on the floor holding his gut and
moaning softly.  Then, very slowly he rolled half onto his back letting his
arms sprawl and knees sag apart.  After a final jerk he lay still, mouth
open and his eyes staring blankly.

I knelt beside him and whispered, "That was good,"

With gentle circling movements of my palms I caressed his taut belly,
glossy hip and the satiny sheen of his inner thighs.  The game had excited
Billy and a tiny gleam of moisture twinkled at the tip of his up thrust boy
stick.  I took the straining shaft in my fingers, rubbed hard, and the boy
stretched his thighs apart, squeezing his butt.

"Stretch out for me," I murmured, taking my hand of his quivering boner.

Straightening his legs, Billy arched himself a little, extending his arms
back behind his head.  I slide a palm up the firm smooth sheet of his
stomach and onto his chest, brushing fingertips over his hard nipples and
the little swells of muscle.

"I'm gonna' be good this year," Billy said, lifting his head to look down,
admiring himself.

"You're gonna' be the best!" I assured him.  "You're gonna' be my starting
pitcher!"

"For real?"  He gave me a quick, shy glance.

"For real."  I kept petting him, running my hands down his silky flanks,
around his tight little waist and then back up over his chest.  Billy
stretched, squeezing his butt and arching in pleasure like a cat being
stroked.  Suddenly his head pulled back and with a jerk his hips bucked.
For a moment he lifted up, bowed in tension, every muscle visible, and then
with a little sigh he stretched out again, legs straight and toes pointed.

I got up and pulled him to his feet.  "Over here," I told him.

We stood in front of the full-length mirror by my closet and I anointed
Billy's lean young body with another coating of Hawaiian Tropic making his
silky skin glisten.  Then I posed him, letting him admire his image in the
glass.

"You're going to be terrific this year," I whispered, stroking the rounded
shoulders, the elegant taper of back and the firm swell of glossy butt.
"The best.  My ace.  My All-Star."

Billy's eyes gleamed.  He stood proudly regarding himself, the shaft of his
rigid boner jutting outward, its tip quivering with his heartbeat.  When I
put my arms around him he put his hands over mine and leaned back against
me, closing his eyes in happy contentment.

The warm pressure of the boy's smooth body against my own aroused me and I
felt a stirring in my groin.  "You're my pitcher," I breathed, hugging him.
"The best kid in the world..."

Billy drew his head back to rest it on my shoulder and squirmed a little,
rubbing the swell of his butt on my stiffening member.  I thrust back and
whispered, "Shall I make you dead again?"

He nodded.

Holding an imaginary dagger in my right hand I held Billy with an arm
around his neck while he arched back against me.  "Like this," I growled
and pretended to plunge the dagger into his chest.  Billy jerked, writhing
in pretended agony, and then with a groan went limp in my arms.

"Nice," I told him.  Shifting my grip, I lifted the boy and carried him,
head and arms dangling, over to the bed.  Laying him on his back I
stretched out beside him and whispered, "Stay dead." Billy remained
motionless, eyes unblinking in a dead man's stare.

I stroked from his armpit down over flank, hip and thigh, all the way to
his delicate foot.  The sight and feel of his slender, flawless body washed
over me as I kissed and sucked on perfectly formed toes.  Then I worked
back upwards, caressing and kissing the mounded swell of his calves, the
soft hollow of his knees, the rounded firm thighs.  As I stroked and kissed
his slender tapering belly I licked around his belly button and pressed my
tongue against its sensitive knob of flesh.

Billy stirred slightly.  "Stay dead," I warned him.

I caressed the smooth hairless skin of his chest, licking and kissing his
tiny nipples.  I leaned close to him and put my tongue to the soft,
sensitive flesh under his arms.  Then I gently kissed his slender neck, his
ears, and his forehead.

He remained absolutely limp and still, staring unblinkingly up at the
ceiling.  I moved back to his waist.  "Remember," I told him.  "You're
dead."

Gently, I pulled up each of his legs and let the knees sag apart so I could
put my tongue to the silky fabric of his inner thighs.  I licked into the
groin creases and pulled his butt up to lick further into the crease.
Reaching the puckered opening I thrust my tongue into his ring, wiggling it
for a moment and then licked back to the base of his tight little nut sac.
Taking it into my mouth I pressed my tongue gently on each of its small
treasures and then went on to lick around the base of Billy's stiff
boyhood.  A tiny bead of clear fluid glittered at the tip and I swirled my
tongue over it.

Gently I let the full length of Billy's stiff branch slide into my mouth.
Sliding my hands around the backs of his thighs I buried my face in the
boy's groin and felt his hard shaft throb against my tongue.  Stroking him,
I moved my tongue over and around his shaft until another throb made the
boy jerk.

Billy's heated flesh had now brought me fully erect, ready to sate his
desire.  Slowly I allowed his throbbing shaft to slip out of my mouth,
tasting more slippery sweetness as my tongue ran over the tip.  Billy
remained limp and motionless as I moved his arms up over his head and
rolled him onto his side.  Then I stretched out behind him and smeared KY
over my throbbing shaft.

"Stay dead," I whispered.

Sliding the head of my straining penis into Billy's butt crease I held the
shaft and pressed the head into the anal dimple, feeling the ring stretch
open.

"As it goes in, you slowly come alive again," I whispered.

Billy did not move.  His eyes stared straight ahead.

Putting my arms around his hips I pulled his limp body towards me and
arched, letting the head of my rigid penis penetrate, slipping it through
the tight constriction of Billy's ring.  I felt the boy tremble, but he did
not make a sound.

I waited for a minute so he could adjust to the fullness and then, sliding
Billy toward me I impaled the boy with one slow continuous thrust,

As the head of my rigid penis penetrated deep into his body, the boy's head
pulled back.  He stretched his hands outward, clenching his fists.  His
knees pulled up slowly and he gave a long groaning sigh of pain and
delight.

"Ah-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h..."

I pulled his hips tight against my groin and when Billy felt his butt touch
the skin of my thighs and belly he slowly extended his legs back out.  I
left one arm around his hips and slipped my other beneath his chest to pull
his smooth naked body against mine.  The boy writhed, moaning, and the
sensation of his silky flesh on my own sent a tremor shuddering through me.
I squeezed hard to swell my shaft, straining to push up as far as I could
into his hot tight cavity.

Billy groaned again and I felt the muscles of his belly flutter.

"Does it hurt, Billy?"  I asked softly.

He shook his head.  Putting his hand down to feel that I was all the way
in, he wiggled slightly and whispered, "Move it in and out."

Very slowly I began to pump my hips, moving the thick shaft just slightly
in and out.  Billy tugged on my hip, arching to lift himself.

"More," he whispered.

Gradually, I increased the distance of my stroke until finally my shaft was
out halfway before sliding back in.  Billy reached down into the space
between us to feel the thickness gliding between his butt cheeks and then
stretched his hand back out in front of his body while he pressed back
against me.

I stroked and thrust in a slow steady rhythm, hesitating at the end of each
withdrawal before thrusting smoothly back in and grinding against Billy's
rounded butt.  On each inward penetration, Billy moaned in pleasure and I
felt his rectum begin to relax and gape open.

"Deeper," he moaned.  "Deeper."

"It won't go as far like this," I whispered.  "Your butt's in the way."

He nodded and pushed back harder against me.  I let go of his hips to begin
rubbing his stiff boner and Billy arched, stretching his legs.  His feet
twisted.

I kept stroking and rubbing as I slowly pumped my hips feeling his little
shaft swell each time Billy squeezed his butt.  Using more KY I rubbed the
base of his throbbing boy rod and then spread the slippery stuff with my
fingers and began to pump with my fist.

Billy moaned again, his opening now so relaxed I could increase the speed
of my pumping.  With each thrust he pushed back trying to impale himself,
stretching his arms out, clenching his fists and sometimes pulling up and
then extended his legs.

When a pulse throbbed in his straining boyshaft I rubbed harder and Billy
arched his head back moaning in ecstasy.  In the firm sheath of his lower
belly a slight bulge appeared each time my hard rod thrust up into his
body.

I rubbed faster and suddenly Billy's entire body tensed.  He gave a soft
moaning cry, pulling his knees up.  His rigid boner jerked and throbbed
under my fist.  Clear droplets rolled from the tip.

"Don't stop," Billy pleaded.  "Don't stop, don't stop, don't stop..."

I continued to pump my hips, sliding and thrusting in his hot yielding
sweetness.  As my hips thrust I continued to rub his hard erection,
stroking and squeezing the shaft, my forefinger rubbing over the swollen
head.

The boy entered a trance of pleasure.  His lips parted and his eyes were
locked straight ahead in a blank stare.  He squirmed his butt around my
impaling shaft, fists curling and uncurling, pulling up and then extending
his legs, feet twisting.  Now and then he would moan in pleasure, writhing
in the throes of throbbing contractions.  Slippery droplets ran over my
pumping fist.

I don't know how long we continued, but after a time I realized the boy had
lost his erection and that I was tiring.  Gradually I slowed the rhythm,
stopped and gently withdrew.  Billy shuddered.  "No-o-o-o-o-o," he pleaded.

"It's time for you to rest now, Billy," I whispered.

The boy was so limp he was unable to move.  I rolled him over to take his
slender nakedness into my arms and he slumped against me, just as he had
when he was playing dead.  I held him tightly and stroked him, whispering
over and over, "Billy Bee, Billy Bee., Billy Bee..."

"You're my pitcher..." I murmured, hugging him.  "This is your year...
All-Star for sure...  We'll have such good times, Billy.  You and me.  And
this year in school - you're going to be so good.  I'll help you with your
homework.  We're going to have a lot of fun.  I'll take snowmobiling, and
to the movies.  Oh Billy Bee, Billy Bee, Billy Bee...."  As I whispered to
him I stroked and massaged his butt, caressing his silky sweetness.

At last he stirred against me, slipping his arms around my chest and
hugging.  He hitched his leg up over my hip and slid a feet slowly up and
down my leg.  Then he raised his lips to mine and after a long deep kiss he
buried his face against my shoulder.

"Feel good," I whispered.

He nodded and whispered back, "I wanna' do it again."

"We will."  I stroked the boy.

"When?"

"Whenever you want, Billy Bee," I told him gently.

"Tomorrow."

He took a hand from around my neck, felt my arm muscle and then looked up
at me.  "My shoulder never really hurt."

"I know."

"But my legs did."

"Growing pains," I told him softly.  "They'll feel better now."

He moved his hand over my chest and down my side.  Then he reached into the
space between us and explored my groin, curling his small fist around my
hard shaft.

"I like this," he whispered.

"I know.  I like it too."

His fingers moved on me rubbing up and down.  "I ain't good at it yet."

"I'll teach you."

I hugged him again, picked him up and carried him into the bathroom for a
shower.

As we dried off and got dressed I looked at his shirt.  "I really like that
shirt, Billy Bee," I said.  "Could you teach me how to make one like it?"

He smiled with his eyes and a corner of his mouth twitched.  "Yes," he said

It was dark and the stars were out by the time I drove him home in the
truck.  Billy sat close to me on the seat, quiet as always.  But instead of
getting right out when we stopped in front of the trailer where he lived
with his grown up sister and grandmother, he looked up at me with his big
dark eyes and said in that calm way he had, "Don't ever stop being my
coach."

"I won't," I assured him.

"Not ever," he insisted.

"Not ever, Billy Bee."

"Promise?"

"I promise," I told him solemnly.

He started to open the door, but I stopped him and he turned to look at me.

"Don't stop being my pitcher, Billy Bee."

"I won't," he assured me.

"Not ever," I insisted.

"Not ever, coach."

"Promise?"

"I promise," he said calmly.

Then, to my amazement and delight, he actually smiled - the first one I had
ever gotten from him.

[ The End ]

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Hope you enjoyed it!  This baseball series has a 'long' short story for
every position around the diamond.  Look for a new chapter or two each
month.  Here is a short excerpt from the next in the series - The Catcher:

Catcher - Part 1

"I guess I'm your catcher, coach," Todd said happily.  He snagged a ball
thrown from the infield and tossed it underhand to me at the plate.

"I guess you are, kid.  You've got the strong legs for it."

I smiled at the blonde athletic looking boy and gave him a nod to show my
confidence in him, but mentally I was crossing my fingers.  I hoped that he
wouldn't get killed back there behind the plate.

Todd was a sturdy, well-built kid, but he was not big.  He was what we
coaches called a 'young thirteen'; that is, he was really still twelve and
would not turn thirteen until nearly halfway through the season.  The
league president had assigned me a team in the Colt division of the Pony
League that year; boys in the midst of their growth spurts, a stage in
development where there is considerable physical disparity.  Some of our
fourteen year olds were almost men.  The vision of one of these monsters
hurtling down the third-base path at Todd made me wince.  They would
flatten him like a freight train going through a school bus.

But I had little choice.  Already, on this first day of practice, it was
clear I had talent problems at almost every position. I had no natural
catchers and no one except Todd who really wanted the job.  Todd said he
liked it, he had the sturdy upper leg and butt strength needed to get
repeatedly in and out of the crouch and, despite his athletic build, I did
not see him as a good fielder.  I had noticed that he was a little afraid
of the ball.  Behind the plate in protective gear, where all he had to do
was stop the pitches and make an occasional throw to second, he might be
all right.

After practice that same evening I discovered Todd had no doubts that my
choice.  I was putting the equipment bags away in my truck when I overheard
him announce to his friend Pauli, "I'm the starting catcher.  Coach says
I'm the only one strong enough."

[ To be continued... ]

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Thanks for taking the time to read my story and if you'd like to comment,
my e-mail address is:

			hunterjoe45@yahoo.com

I will try to answer all serious mailings.  My on-line access is very
limited.  Rants and ravings will not get consideration.

To all you readers who enjoy these stories, please support Nifty with
contributions and keep the Archive online.  Check the Nifty home page for
ways to make contributions.  Without this Archive those of us who write for
you will lose a wonderful resource to get our stories out.

You can find links to all my other stories on Nifty under my name, Joe
Hunter, listed under the J's (for Joe) in the prolific authors list.  I
hope you will read and enjoy!

All the Best.  Joe