Date: Wed, 25 May 2011 20:18:30 +0000 From: Douglas DD DD Subject: The Perfect Game Chapter 23 Welcome back to "The Perfect Game" and spring break. For a chapter we leave to the boys and enter the world of adults, in this case the Mayfield Middle School coaches. While the players on the Titans might want to tell you otherwise, it is the adults who run the show. However, two important things happen in this chapter. One is the germination of an idea that will lead to an interesting pairing of boys. The other has to do with an already existing boy pair as we find out that the connection between the twins and the coaching staff is connected by a sexy pair of munchkins. Thanks for reading. Remember to be over 18 and send any comments you may have to thehakaanen@hotmail.com. CHAPTER 23 SPRING BREAK-THE COACHES Coach Sanders and Coach Ecklund were enjoying an after dinner chat about baseball, kids, and baseball and kids. Coach Sanders had been invited to a Sunday night dinner at the Ecklund house. Vince Sanders was a bachelor and Dean Ecklund had been happily married to the same woman for 25 years. He had a 20 year old son in college, a 17 year old daughter who as a senior at Mayfield High School, and another son, Chandler, who had been a pleasant surprise 10 years ago. "So you're heading up to Seattle tomorrow?" Ecklund asked. "Yes. I will be back Thursday in time for practice." The two coaches took sips of their coffee when Ecklund's wife brought in some boysenberry pie for dessert, each with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. The men took their pies and thanked her. Just as they were getting ready to dig in the phone rang. Mrs. Ecklund answered and quickly called out, "Dean, it's for you." "Who is it?" "Avery Benson." "Well now, isn't that interesting," Dean said. "I wonder what he wants." Avery Benson was a dentist and was also on the school board. His son Carl had been one of the sixth graders cut by the coaches. "We've already had our talk about Carl." He flicked the switch on the phone to Speaker Phone. "Hello, Avery. This is a pleasant surprise." "Maybe not so pleasant when you find out why I am calling, Dean." "We've already had our chat about Carl. There is nothing more to say there." "This isn't directly about Carl, though after I have my say you might need him to fill a roster spot." Dean looked and Vince, shrugged his shoulders and said, "Go on." "You know about the tradition of the baseball alumni party, I assume." "Unfortunately, I do. But what does that have to do with Carl or with me?" "Some of your boys were there on Saturday," Avery Benson said with some satisfaction. "Once I tell you who they were you might just have some roster space open for Carl." "I know about the whole high school tradition behind the party, Avery. Jack looks the other way, the parents look the other way, the town looks the other way, and most people are happy." Jack was Jack Collins, the longtime head coach of the Mayfield High School baseball program. "I don't approve, but that's the way it's been for a long time." "But what about your own middle school boys being there? Isn't that a different issue?" "It is indeed. It is a much different issue. If any of them were there I wasn't aware of it." "Then let me tell you who was there," Benson pushed. "Before you do, let me tell you a few things," Ecklund said. "No matter how many places open up on my roster, Carl will not be filling one of them, for two reasons. First, like I told you after he was cut he is overweight, woefully out of shape, and worse he is lazy. He won't play for me until that changes." Coach Ecklund had told Avery Benson about why Carl had been cut when Benson called the next day. He also told him that Carl had some positives going for him, including his love for the game and his ability to hit the ball. He said if Carl showed up the next spring in better shape and a willingness to work at the game he stood a chance of making the team. He then outlined a fitness plan, gave the names of a couple of excellent baseball camps, and said that playing summer ball was a must. "You've already made that quite clear," Avery Benson said with more than a hint of anger in his voice. "And what is reason two?" "Reason two is that giving your son an easy way to make the team is teaching him that he doesn't have to be responsible for himself. If he sits around long enough his dad will find a way to help him out. I won't be a part of that and I know you are too good of a father to want to lead your son down that path." There was a long silence as Avery Benson worked to regain control of the conversation. "Okay, we'll deal with that later. But do you want the names?" "Before I answer that, let me ask you a question. You realize that if you give me the names of the middle school boys who were at that party you will have to give the names of the high school players who were there too?" "And your point is?" "My point is," Coach Ecklund said in measured tones, "is that there will also be some roster spots open on a team that is currently 8-1 and 4-0 in league. The point is I know how much you like seeing those trophies in the trophy case and would be happy to add another one." "Okay, I see your point. But still, you can't say you can really look the other way regarding seventh and eighth graders being at a kegger." "Here is what I think we should to, Avery. Hear me out and if you agree with me then we can move on." "Okay, talk to me," Benson said. "Jack will give his usual meaningless talk about the rumors he heard regarding the alumni party. He will then make the usual promise about how being at a party where alcohol is being consumed could mean suspension. And it is an empty promise because he only follows up on it if somebody rubs his nose into the issue." Dean Ecklund was not a big fan of Jack Collins. He liked Collins enough as a person, but he felt that Collins had spent the last decade resting on his laurels and that baseball in Mayfield had declined as a result. "I will read the riot act to the middle school kids," Coach Ecklund continued. "In my case I was truly unaware that middle school kids have been attending that function, so my talk will have a bit more depth to it. I will make the same promise as Jack. Only in my case I will follow through on anything I hear." "So far you haven't told me anything new," Benson said, interrupting Ecklund's flow. "Hear me out," Dean Ecklund said somewhat impatiently. "I will then talk to Jack and tell him that I had a chat with a member of the school board who thinks the whole charade surrounding the alumni party needs to end; that it has gotten out of hand. I will suggest that maybe it's time to have a chat with Abner Hotchkins regarding high school kids attending the party." "Will he go for it?" "He will. Jack is a good man and a good coach, but he developed this big blind spot regarding that party and other goings on. I dealt with it the couple of years I coached JV ball, and I let my feelings be known then. I have said little since because to my knowledge it wasn't affecting the kids on the middle school team. But now that it does I am going to step in. I will also tell him that next year when the alumni gathers on the farm, if they gather on the farm, he and I should promise the kids we plan on stopping by sometime that night to monitor who is there." "Okay, I will go for it if you follow through on all of what you said. But I will ask one thing first." "And that would be what?" Ecklund asked warily, thinking it was going to be a favor regarding Carl. "That you use my name as the school board member who is concerned. That should make it official." "I was hoping you would say that." Coach Ecklund knew that when he wasn't dealing with his son Carl, Avery Benson was actually a pretty reasonable man. "One more thing before you go," Ecklund said. "Yes?" "Doesn't Danny Foster live near you?" "He does. About a block away." "Are he and Carl friends at all?" "They hang out together. Play together sometimes at each other's house. They go to the same church youth group. Why?" "Just an idea I'm working on," Ecklund said. "I'll let you know if it has any merit once I figure things out." "Always the man of mystery are you?" "Sometimes I am." The two men finished their chat and hung up. Ecklund turned to Coach Sanders and asked him what he thought. "I think it was a pretty productive conversation. I think we both will be glad to see that farce of an alumni party end, at least as far as current students are concerned. What was the deal with the question about Danny?" "I'm not sure yet. I just think Carl has some potential but is a bit spoiled by his dad." Sander laughed. "Just a bit spoiled? How does totally spoiled sound?" "Point made. I think Avery will suggest Carl do the things I laid out, but I don't know how hard he will push him. I think he still feels that Carl has some from of entitlement coming to him and all he needs to do is be a year older to make the team." "And you're thinking that matching Carl up with a somewhat driven athletic type like Danny might be the ticket to getting Carl to work hard?" "Something like that. But I needed to know if the two of them were at least friendly. And I have to figure out how to broach the topic with the two boys." "Good luck," Coach Sanders said. "Who from our teams do you think were at the party?" "I don't know, but not many. The high school kids really don't want to be hanging around with the `little' kids, but a couple of our boys have older brothers and a couple of our kids have honed their middle school rebelliousness. " So, who was probably at that party? I would say Marty and Steve. We know that Marty likes to follow trouble and rumor has it he has problems with alcohol. Maybe Crawford because he hangs with Steve. Vince because he has an older brother on the high school team who is known to be a partier. That would be about it. But you never know." "That sounds about right to me," Coach Sanders. "That many at the most, and probably those boys." Neither of the coaches had the remotest thought that Rich would be one of the boys at the party. The phone rang again. Ecklund recognized the number and picked it up. "Hello?" He listened for a moment and then said, "Sure, I'll call him." He covered up the mouthpiece and yelled out, "Chandler. It's for you. It's Korey." Next: Spring Break---Eric and Scott