Date: Sat, 1 Jun 2013 22:19:47 -0700 From: Douglas DD DD Subject: Diamond Dreams Chapter 26 Greetings and welcome back. First chapter disclaimers—aye. Please contribute to the Nifty Archive. Be safe. Coach Sanders knew he was entering a hornet's nest when he agreed to become the interim high school baseball coach. His level of experience, his sexual orientation, his handling of his players, would all come into question. But beyond that, the big spring kegger, a long- time tradition, was coming up. Coach Sanders wondered who would show up there and who would take the high road, and how it would all affect his shaky status. Email me at thehakaanen@hotmail.com Douglas CHAPTER 26 SCRAPING BOTTOM-High School Edition [COACH SANDERS] Lying in bed next to Phil Miller, the man I've loved since we were young boys in middle school, I was able to sense some of the tension I felt ease away. He had a way of doing that to me. I knew how fortunate I was to have him in my life. Most gay couples can't brag about their relationship going back to their preteen years, back to when they were twelve year boys just finishing sixth grade, but that was the case with us. Sure we both played around some with other boys in middle school and high school, but we never doubted that we were made for each other and loved each other. We have been monogamous from the time we were college sophomores. We have never had anal sex with anybody but each other. However, we had no problem doing everything else with some of our friends in our younger days. Right now I wasn't thinking about sex, however, even with Phil rubbing my chest and saying soothing things. I was thinking about a party I knew was happening on a farm a few miles outside of town. "I know somebody from the team is there," I said. "I just don't know who it is. I don't know how many of them are there." "Larry, sometimes you worry way too much. I think it would be good for your fledgling program if a couple of players went to that party and got caught and suspended. It would show that, unlike your predecessor, you are willing to put your money where your mouth is." Phil Miller was referring to Coach Collins, who had turned a blind eye to his players attending the annual alumni beer bash at Abner's farm. "I like how you call it my fledgling program. As more than one person has stated, I have that word `interim' in my title." "And taking a stand would be one way to help get that word out of your title. You know you have Avery Benson in your corner, and that is a huge plus." Avery Benson was the president of the school board. He and I had our clashes a couple of years ago regarding his son being cut from the middle school JV baseball team. But I managed to subtly get his son into a program of getting his overweight body into the kind of shape one expects of a thirteen year old athlete. Ever since he found out I had my hand in turning his boy around, he's been one of my biggest supporters. But I would need more than one person in my corner. I knew a number of parents were upset with me being the head coach, both because of how I got the job and because I was gay. Some, like Ralph's dad, were more than willing to use the `interim' word against me. "What if a lot of players show up there?" I asked. "That would show I have been unable to build any kind of respect for what I am trying to do." "Or it will leave you with the kids who are serious about paying the price to win." He gave me a kiss and said, "Look, there's nothing we can do about it tonight, so why don't we turn off the lights and make this bed rock." "Maybe I should have stationed myself outside of the road to the farm and taken a look at who was going in there." "And maybe you should allow them make their own mistakes and let it play out from there, which is what you said you wanted all along. The last thing you want to be is some micromanaging automaton of a coach. You have to show some trust, and reward those who earned it." "Maybe you should take over my job and I should coach your middle school summer team. You seem a lot more in tune with what to do than I am right now." "That's only because I don't have the title of Interim Head Baseball Coach at Mayfield High School. It's easy to sit on the outside and suggest. Now, lets fuck." I sighed, turned out the light, and enjoyed an hour of wild sex with my loving partner and the light of my life. [CONNOR] Vince's brother is fucking crazy. He was begging us to go to the big farm party with him. He's graduated from high school and played baseball for Coach Collins and now was going to the party as an aluminum or whatever the fuck he is. "Come on dudes, you're in high school now. Vince has been there twice and he was just in middle school. Anybody in Mustang baseball who parties goes to this party, even he if doesn't go to any other all season. Nobody has ever been caught or suspended, so just go and get wasted and quit trying to think what kind of good boys you are. I fucking know better. Hell, I bet you two go grabbing beers tonight as soon as I leave." He did have that part figured out. Vince and I already agreed we were getting wasted tonight; it just wasn't going to be at that fucking party. "You guys didn't play for Sanders, that's why nobody ever got his ass kicked off the team when you played. Sanders can be a real asshole when he wants to be," I said. "You're not gonna be the only ones from the school there. I heard from some guys that lots of players are going to be there. Lots of guys don't like Sanders much. They figure if most of them go he can't kick them all off the team or he'll be recruiting a bunch of geeks to play baseball." "Me and Connor are gonna watch TV and drink beer," Vince said. "We know we won't get caught doing it here." "Ah fuck it, Vince," I said "You heard what Ralph's dad said. He's going after Coach's ass. It sounded to me like he was gonna say Coach came on to Ralph and then get his ass fired. So if he gets fired, who the fuck is going to kick us off the team even if we do get caught? I mean, getting fucked up with the seniors and with a bunch of older guys should kick ass...no offense, Brad," I said to Vince's brother. "It would be better if girls were there," Vince said. "They ain't gonna be there, so let's go." "Fuck it. Let me get some clothes on." Vince only had a tank top and boxers on. I had a T and jeans on, so I was ready. I'll tell you just a few of things about that party. First, there was lots of grads there. Second, there was endless cold beer. Third, I could not believe how many players showed up. There was Ralph, just like we figured, but also four other seniors. I wasn't expecting that many. Steve showed up with Crawford, no surprise there. Nothing was gonna keep those two assholes from a party. I used to be friends with Steve and Crawford, but they've been doing some shitty things lately, like them being ready to lie about Marty going back out drinking. I mean I'm still friendly with them and shit; I just don't hang with them like I used to. Steve and I have had a couple of fights, but, hey, that happens to lots of guys. I can be a butthead a lot of times, but I try not to be mean to people and lie about them to get them in trouble. Fuck, I don't even tell the truth about them to get them in trouble. I look after myself and the rest of them can go fuck themselves. But Steve and Crawford talked three other sophs into coming, so that made five sophs at the party. The only junior was a dude named Fred, who was a shitty player and had a ton of zits. I think he came to the party to try to get people to like him. He ended up puking, passed out drunk, which got nobody to like him at all. I got drunk on my ass, too. I was so, so wasted. It was the first time since baseball started that I got fucked up like that. Not that me and Vince didn't have some beer now and then and got a good buzz, but that's different than just getting fucking wasted. I'm not an alkie like Marty. I mean I can get as drunk or drunker than he ever could, but I can drink three beers and get a little buzz, too. Marty got drunk every time he drank. Getting wasted is usually more fun than just a little buzz, but sometimes you just can't go getting drunk. One guy at the party I knew pretty good was Adam. He helped out coaching when I was in eighth grade, but mostly with the JV. He got hurt so he couldn't play at the college. He helped out Ecklund and Sanders. He was a pretty good dude, though we all knew he was perving on us guys. I figured if he perved on me here at the party I'd kick his ass, but he didn't do nothing. I mean it's one thing for Marty to suck my dick, him being my friend and shit, even if he is gay. And Randy's dad, who is a total perv, has messed with me, but he pays for the parties and gives us all weed and drugs, so I don't mind returning the favor. But no way some perv gets his hands on my junk just because he's a perv. But Adam didn't try nothing. Ralph said it was cool to see a couple of frosh at the party. He wished there was more of us there. He told us not to worry about getting in trouble, that his dad had everything under control. Me and Vince didn't say we knew what his old man was up to. So, that was the party. Since it was all guys, there wasn't any sex, or none that I saw. Vince says guys have messed around there before, especially the middle school dudes when they came. But there weren't any middle school players there at all. Old Ecklund has sure scared the shit out of them. It looks like Sanders didn't scare much of anybody. I mean all the seniors were there except the gay Donkey and Dawg dudes and their buddies. I bet they got drunk on their asses, too, only not here. [COACH SANDERS] Because I was named the coach at the high school at the last minute, I still teach at the middle school. It makes for a busy afternoon. Fortunately I had last period open since I was going to be coaching the middle school JV team until Coach Gardner got nailed for having sex with a student. The man was a total sleaze ball, and I don't mean just because of his sexual behavior. The things I'd been finding out about him were frightening. His vendetta against the boys who belonged to the whole Go to State committee was borderline insanity. Anybody with any brains would have welcomed that kind of enterprise from their students. Of course, a lot of his attitude came down from Coach Collins, who was still looked upon by some as a pillar of the community. For all of their success on the field, the two of them were a true pair of losers. I had spent all weekend worrying about what had or had not happened Friday at Abner's Farm. I hadn't heard a peep from anyone, but I really didn't expect to. Everyone was always closed mouthed about what went on out there. Hearing nothing either meant that nobody was going to spill the beans, or, better yet, none of my players went to the party. Somehow, I doubted that the latter was true. All of the questions in my mind were answered by an unexpected phone call at lunch on Monday. I was sitting in the faculty lounge eating one of Phil's first class sandwiches, this one a lettuce and egg salad sandwich, when one of the secretaries called me on the PA saying I had a phone call. I picked up the phone on the counter and as soon as I found out who it was and why, I put the call on hold and went to a private phone. It was Adam, who had helped me coach at the middle school a couple of years ago. What he had to say was very disconcerting. "Coach, I like what you're trying to do at the high school. I think you're the guy to turn it around. A couple of us think it's time to quit having kids off the team come to the grad party, even if we all went when we were in high school. Nobody ever did anything about it before, but it sounds like you're serious about it." "Yes, I am Adam." I wanted to insist that he got to the point, but I decided it was better to wait him out and let him talk in his own time and in his own way. I actually didn't have to wait long. What I found out was not that two or three of my players had been out on the farm—I found out that thirteen of the twenty-six players in the program had been out there. That was half the team. Needless to say I was both crushed and infuriated by the news. "You say there are others willing to back you up?" "Yep. Some of us want to see Mayfield baseball be great again, even if it means hitting bottom first. You gotta let everybody know you mean everything you say. It looks like they didn't believe you. They thought they were getting a lot of talk from a JV middle school coach who had no clue. At least with Coach Collins we knew he was looking the other way; that we didn't have to try to fool him. They all thought they could take you right to the hoop." I got the details from him, including the names of the other two former players who were willing to back him up. I wasn't surprised at who they were. They'd been good kids and good players in high school. As soon as fifth period was over I went to the high school and met with Coach Fitzsimmons, the Athletic Director. After talking with him, he was as angry as I was. "We're going to have to talk to Kyle," he said, referring to Kyle Wilson, the principal. "He's at a conference in Olympia for the next two days. I'll talk to him and get the ball rolling on how we're going to handle the problem. In the meantime, I suggest we keep the lid on this." "It's not going to be easy looking those players in the eye at practice today knowing what I know." "It will be even tougher if we don't handle this properly. Some of those kids have parents who think they have a lot of power, and think they have to use it to enable their sweet sons instead of using it to kick their sorry asses for being stupid. We need to be on absolutely solid ground." "I agree, but it still won't be easy." "No argument there, but I'm confident you're up to the situation. There is no doubt in my mind you are the perfect guy for this job. I thought so back when we were interviewing, but I was voted down on that. I think when this whole mess is over the baseball program is going to be at rock bottom." "There is no doubt about that." "And I think everybody is going to be talking about what a piece of crap coach you are. But I also think it won't be long before they talk about what a miracle worker you are when you bring baseball back to its former glory." While practice that afternoon went well, I was right when I said it wouldn't be easy. I think I unconsciously favored the kids who had stayed home last Friday, even though I tried to work everybody equally hard. The next morning I met with Coach Fitzsimmons before school. He and Mr. Wilson were going to interview Adam and his two friends that afternoon. Then he and I were going to call in the boys on Adam's list one at a time to talk to them. Each visit would be followed by a phone call to the player's parents. It was going to be a long process, but we were determined to be finished as quickly as possible. We had three games during the week. One of them was today, the others on Thursday and Friday. Today's game wasn't going to be affected. Coach Fitzsimmons called the athletic directors of the next two opponents and told them we might need to shift the dates, but it would be very last minute. They were both very professional and understanding regarding our dilemma. Our game today was at Clark Pass. Their high school program was as sad as their middle school program, which was no surprise. We ended up with a 14-2 win. We were 5-2 overall and 4-0 in league. The JV won at home 9-2. We'd reached the high point of our season. [CONNOR] "I heard the varsity kicked some serious ass today," I told Vince, talking about our JV game. "Ten-runned them in five." "We should've had a ten-run game, too," Vince said. "That should be an automatic when you play those yahoos." "Looks like we got away with going to the party. I mean the games went on just like normal." "I told you nobody would find out. Now we can all forget parties and kick some ass and finish in first place. If we go to any other parties before the season ends, we deserve getting in trouble." "Yeah, this party was special. I wish some of the other guys like Rodney and Jerome had been there. You knew Marty and Rich weren't gonna be part of it." Vince grinned and said. "Just because we aren't going to parties don't mean we can't drink together here on weekends." "I hear ya. We should drink a couple tonight to celebrate getting away with partying this weekend." "Let's finish our homework and do it. Your old man won't mind you going home with beer on your breath." "Nah, as long as I'm not drunk, he don't mind." We ended up having a toast to baseball. We drank three beers each and I walked home; I didn't live very far from where Vince lived. I was feeling pretty good. I mean it was a great feeling to break the rules and not get busted. Those fucking little eighth graders should try it. It might put hair on their balls. [COACH SANDERS] Things went quickly once Kyle Wilson did his fact gathering. My principal let me be at the high school all day. He used other teachers to cover my classes as Fitzsimmons and I called the boys in one by one. The first boys we talked denied having been at the party, but we told them we not only had it on good authority that they had been there, but we had pictures off of a cell phone to prove it. That was something Adam hadn't told me during our initial talk, mainly because he didn't know. They'd been taken by a third buddy who didn't step up until yesterday. When he found out Adam and his two friends had decided to get the partiers busted, he came forward as well. He'd taken the pictures mostly for fun, to see the younger kids as their behavior changed as they got drunker and drunker. Now they were indisputable evidence. We had already cancelled that day's games. They would be made up later in the season. I also said there would be no practice. Everybody on the team knew why, since I am certain word spread quickly as soon as we'd interviewed the first boys. It didn't take long for everybody to learn about the pictures and videos, and pretty soon nobody denied their presence when we called them in. By three o'clock we'd talked to everybody. We'd already told Wilson we were going to suspend every player who was at the party for the season. He said he would back that decision. I think he was grateful to see that whole mess being cleaned up. I know he'd been trying to get control of some of the issues surrounding the baseball program, but pressure from both the coaches and some prominent boosters often tied his hands. I have the feeling he was more than happy that I was willing to stand up for what I believed. Of course, a number of parents said they were going to appeal the decision. Their major argument was the party was a tradition and nobody had ever been suspended for being there. They said this first time should be a warning, or at most a suspension for a game or two. Their appeals would go to the principal first. Since he said he was going to back us up, they would then go to the school board. That could be a bit of a problem, but we were pretty certain we had the three votes we needed from the board. We knew Dr. Benson would have our backs. We played Friday, or at least the varsity did. We no longer had enough players to field two teams, so we dropped the JV team for the season. Everybody would now be playing varsity, which included the freshman. We were not going to be a very strong team, but the freshman were talented, and getting varsity experience could only help them in the long run. I got permission from Mr. Wilson to have the remaining thirteen players dismissed before the start of the last class of the day so I could address them. I hadn't had a chance to say anything up until then. The boys put their uniforms on and then headed for one of the classrooms in the gym building. I looked at the thirteen players who were all that were left of my baseball program. There were five freshmen, one sophomore, three juniors, and four seniors. We would be young and inexperienced, but having four talented seniors would help. "Well, guys, a lot happened in a pretty short time. I don't know about you, but I'm still reeling. I want to say that I'm proud of all of you for not getting caught up in the moment and doing something stupid." "I was stupid last year, coach, and I sure didn't want to be stupid again," Adrian Hernandez said. He was a freshman and was the only middle school player to go to Abner's Farm the year before. He got caught and it cost him most of his eighth grade season. His comment elicited a chuckle from the group and helped loosen things up some. "I said when I took over that I intend to change the way things are done in the Mustang baseball program. That starts with following the rules and doing things right. That not only makes you winners on the field, but off the field as well. It's going to take us some time to get used to being together, but we will be working hard to become a team, from the freshman to the seniors. "To the freshmen, welcome to the team. I'm sorry it had to happen this way, but you also made it here on your own merits. You were home on Friday night, which gives you the privilege of sitting with your teammates. To the seniors, you're looking at the future around you. You guys are the leaders—act the role. Now, let's hit the field and get warmed up. For many of you this is your first varsity game. All of you, whether it's your first game or whether it's old hat, have a good time." I dismissed the team. I didn't bother going into the fact that Harborview had one loss on the season. I didn't bother with any kind of scouting report. Those kinds of things could come later. For me, the important goal was for the players to concentrate on enjoying the experience as much as they could in a tough situation. The rest would fall into place. (The remaining Mustang players) Bryce 11 Michael 12 Ryan 12 Zach 12 Cody 12 Trey Mullen 11 Tyler 11 Marty 9 Rich 9 Rodney 9 Jerome 9 Ron Gomez 10 Adrian 9 The game went much better than anyone expected. Michael started and was dominant the first four innings, allowing only one base runner on a harmless single while striking out seven. The Mustangs led the Tugs by a score of 2-0. Everyone calls him the Donkey, and he is not only an excellent pitcher, but a great kid. Small college scouts were very interested in him. I was more than pleased that he and his partner, Ryan, along with their core of friends, avoided the goings on at the farm. He told me that the entire group had driven to Centralia to take in a movie and then spent the night at his place. Michael and Ryan were an openly gay couple, which sometimes led to issues. But their outgoing, winning personalities fended off a lot of problems. We'd had a good first four innings. Listening to the players, it was obvious they weren't thinking about their current talent and experience level. Instead, they were beginning to think they were as good as their current record. Trey Mullen, a junior, was playing third for the first time since he was a freshman on the JV team, and it showed in the fifth as he kicked away two ground balls for errors. Bryce, another junior threw to the wrong base on a grounder, trying to get a force at third on a play that had him going away from the base. He hurried his throw and the ball sailed into the visitor's dugout. By the time all of the dust settled the Tugs had scored four times to take a 4-2 lead. "It's all good," Mike proclaimed as the team headed to the dugout. "We had that inning to give them a false sense of security. Now the bats will bring us right back into the game. The ears tell me the bats are ready to heat up." You had to love that kid. Some pitchers would have come in sulking at the lack of defensive support, but he comes in making it sound like something positive. But the bats didn't get going as the Tugs pitcher shut us down. Mike allowed one more run in the seventh on a long home run to left center. The final score ended up 5-2 as we suffered our first league loss of the year. The team had competed much better than I had expected, and only a bad inning had kept them from what would have been an upset win. [MARTY] This afternoon's game might have been my first varsity game, but it was also my first time ever spending the whole game sitting on the bench. At least it was my first game ever sitting on the bench when I wasn't in trouble with the coach. Coach Sanders told me to hang tough, that I would be getting lots of playing time, but for now the upperclassmen would get the chance to show what they can do. I think that's kind of dumb. I mean I know I'm a better third baseman than Trey. I'm better than anybody left on the team, even if I am a freshman. Nothing against Trey, he's a pretty decent outfielder and is good at second when Ryan isn't playing there. But he just doesn't have the glove or the arm for playing third. You gotta be fearless to play third, and I could see he wasn't. He was always a few steps farther back than he should have been to make a good play. Well, Coach Sanders never lied to me or anybody else, so I know I'll get my chance to show what I can do there. Not that he doesn't know what I can do--after all I played for him in middle school. I was at Rich's house and I was going to spend the night. We talked about spending the night at my little apartment, but Mikey and Drew were staying here and wanted to hang with us, which probably beats getting bugged by an eight year old Hurricane. I love Jeffrey, but sometimes I just gotta get the fuck away from him for awhile. Rich's dad and mom were at the game. I don't think my old man even knows where the high school field is. Well, he does, but you get what I'm saying I'm sure. They agreed the team needed some help at third. We all agreed that while there were good players left on the Mustangs, the best bats had gone to that party and scoring runs might be a problem. That night me and Rich messed around with Mikey and Drew. I know it sounds weird, but I don't mind messing around with them even if they are only eleven and twelve. I still can feel bad about messing around with Jeff, even though he likes it and asks for it. I guess the difference between a sixth grader and a third grader is pretty big. I know it was for me. For one thing I didn't drink when I was a third grader. Rich and I both said there was going to be no fucking, which got Mikey's undies in a bunch, even though he was naked. "Man, Rich does me a lot," he said. "Yeah, you and me in private," Rich said. "That's the way it will stay." "Marty's watched us." Dealing with Mikey was not as tough as dealing with Jeffrey, but that didn't mean it was easy. "Has Drew ever done your butt?" Rich asked his brother. "No, but I want him to." "I don't care what we do," the normally quiet Drew said. "I just want to get off." Drew was twelve and the older of the two. He wasn't near the horn dog Mikey was. They were both huge into girls, but they had no problem messing with guys. "Okay, a blow job works I guess," Mikey said. Without Drew having his back, Mikey didn't want to push things. So oral sex is what we did. I sucked Mikey and Rich sucked Drew to start. Rich and Drew did it on the bed while me and Mikey were on the rug. I didn't care, I was horny as hell. "Hey, Mikey, you've got some hairs," I said. "He does?" Drew asked. "For real?" "I had eight this morning. Come take a look," Mikey said. Mikey got off the floor and sat on the bed, letting his friend have a close look. "Dang, Mikey, I am so jealous. I want hair so bad. You even shoot more than I do. All I got is the dribbles." Drew licked along Mikey's pubic area a couple of times and then stood back up. "Well, he don't taste different." After the inspection we all went back to work. We soon ended up in a double sixty-nine. Mikey was a pretty good cocksucker and he didn't mind swallowing. Drew was shyer about it, but he hung in and swallowed Rich's cum when he finally shot. And I do have to say, Mikey's seed always tasted sweet. When we finished, Mikey and Drew pulled on their boxers and went to Mikey's room. After they left, there was a lot of kissing and making out between me and Rich. It ended up with us fucking. I fucked Rich, which we both liked the best, even though we switched sometimes. "I wonder if Mikey and Drew fucked after they left," I said. "I doubt it. Drew isn't big on anal stuff. Mikey says they've never done it. But I bet they sucked each other off again or dry humped or something." "So that's why the big deal about not doing anal," I said, "because Drew don't like it." "Mikey does, though. He's done it with me and with Chandler and Korey. And he sure wants to do it with you." "Maybe next time, if you don't mind." "Why should I mind?" "You're his big brother." "Come on, Marty, I fuck him a lot. You should be able to do it, too, without my permission. All you need is his." "Do I have your permission to do it to you again?" "You want to cum three times in one night? Damn, you are horny." I sure as fuck was, and the third time was just as good as the first two. The suspensions and the loss on Friday were the big topic at lunch. The players who were suspended for the year from baseball also received a week's suspension from school starting that Monday. The boys who had skipped the farm party were eager to let the suspended boys know how stupid they were. Some of them already had on Facebook, Twitter, and by texting their suspended friends. A few talked face-to-face. But the satisfaction of bragging was gone. It was hard to gloat in front of friends who weren't present. None of them knew about a meeting taking place in Mr. Wilson's office between him, Ralph Richardson, and Ralph's father. "You say Coach Sanders actually had his hand inside of your pants fondling your penis?" Mr. Wilson asked. "Yes sir, he did. It made me want to pu...er...vomit," Ralph said with exaggerated politeness. "And he did this in the locker room on Monday?" "Yeah, after everybody left." "Why were you still there?" "I went back in because I forgot a book in my locker. He was still in the gym office." There were some more questions and answers and finally Mr. Wilson brought the meeting to a close. "I will investigate your complaint. I would appreciate that you don't discuss this with anybody else," Mr. Wilson said. He was positive Ralph was lying through his teeth, but he needed to figure out how to prove it so it wasn't just a "he said, he said" type of situation. He knew Coach Sanders wouldn't survive that situation. He needed to be on solid ground. Mr. Richardson insisted that Coach Sanders be suspended immediately. Mr. Wilson said he would handle things in an expeditious manner. Mr. Richardson left, not totally understanding what Mr. Wilson had just said. Next, he called the middle school and talked to the principal there. He said he needed to see Coach Sanders immediately, but did not say why. Meanwhile, Ralph needed to talk to somebody about what he and his father had just done at the school. It was useless to get revenge if nobody knew he was doing it. Since he was on suspension, he had to leave the school with his father. Those who happened to see Ralph in the office thought the meeting had to do with his suspension. He went to his friend Brad's house and told him about what he had told Mr. Wilson. Brad pulled a couple of beers out of the fridge. "Want to sneak one in?" "Why not? It's still early." "Did Sanders really stick his hand in your pants like you said? I mean we left together and I don't remember you going back." "Of course he didn't, doofus. But we both know he's a fag, so he's probably thought about it or done it to somebody else. I'm not accusing him of nothing he didn't really do. It just wasn't to me." "I hear ya. This is great. He fucks with us and kicks us off the team, now we got him by the balls." "Exactly." The two seventeen year olds clinked their beer cans together. "You can't tell anybody else, though. I only told you because you're my best friend." Ralph left Brad's house after finishing two more beers and on the way home he ran into Connor and Vince. "Well, fuck me, but there are the two awesome freshman who know how to party," Ralph said. "Yeah, and who know how to lose their whole ninth grade season and get on the shit list of the coach," Connor said glumly. Neither he nor Vince liked Ralph very much and they didn't make much of an attempt to be friendly. "Yeah, Sanders screwed us all over royally. I mean you guys can come back next year; I lost my whole senior season. But you won't have to worry about no shit list," Ralph said. "Cuz there won't be no Coach Sanders real soon." "Why, is he gonna get fired because he suspended everybody?" "No. My dad thought he'd get his ass on that one, but Wilson and Fitzy and the fucking school board are backing him up. But they won't back him up on what I told Wilson today." "What?" "That Sanders molested me. That he stuck his hand in my pants and grabbed by cock and balls after practice Monday. He is so fucked. Sooooo fucked." "He did that for real?" Vince asked. Connor wasn't surprised to hear what Ralph had to say—he knew that Ralph had been cooking up something to get Coach Sanders into trouble. Ralph had told Brad the truth, but he wasn't about to tell the truth to two freshmen he hardly knew. Even with a buzz he knew better than that, but he was just off his game enough to not be able to keep his mouth shut altogether. "Yeah for real. I went back in the gym and he was there and touched my junk right in my pants. I just about puked when he did it. What a loser faggot." Connor remembered hearing Ralph's dad threaten Coach Sanders after practice a couple of weeks ago. He also knew that he and Marty had walked out of the side door of the locker room with Coach Sanders after the Monday practice and that the coach had locked the door with his key and checked it. He knew there was no way Coach Sanders could have touched Ralph on Monday because they had seen the coach leave the school. He also knew he had to tell Mr. Wilson. "That is really fucked that Coach Sanders did that to Ralph," Vince said after Ralph walked away. "Ralph is almost as big as Coach is. If it was me getting my dick molested, I would have clocked his ass." "Coach Sanders didn't do it." Connor said matter-of-factly. "How do you know?" Connor explained it all to Vince, including the conversation they had overheard during the Spring Break practice. "We got to tell Mr. Wilson," Connor said. "Are you nuts? Coach Sanders fucked us over. Ralph is just getting some revenge for everybody." "Vince, sometimes you're so fucking dense. We went drinking knowing the rules and we got snagged. That wasn't Coach's fault." "Damn it, Connor, I don't understand you at all. You're the one who gets suspended for calling Coach Miller `dude' and then you wanted to break the contract and have us all getting drunk. Now you want to come to the rescue of the dude who kicked you off the school team." "Yep, you really don't get it Vince. I fucked up and got caught. I have always taken what I had coming to me. My old man taught me that. He says if I get my ass in trouble he'll be there to give it double trouble. That's why he said I got what I fucking had coming to me for going to the party." "And your point is?" "My point is, sometimes you gotta stand up like a fucking man." For all of his flaws and idiosyncrasies, one thing Connor had was a sense of honor and loyalty. Coach Sanders had done what he was supposed to do and now Ralph was lying to get him fired and probably thrown in jail. That, for Connor, was just plain wrong. He finally got Vince to reluctantly agree to go with him to the school. Connor knew he wasn't supposed to be in the school, but he figured this was an emergency and went in anyway. "What are they going to do, suspend us?" he told Vince. He knew what class Marty had and that the bell was about to ring. He grabbed Marty as he came into the hall from the room. "What the fuck are you doing here?" Marty asked. "You're kicked out." Connor told him and Marty turned pale. "That is just fucking wrong. Totally wrong. I keep saying I want to be part of something better than me, and Coach Sanders is sure the fuck better than I am. I'm with you, let's go to the office." When they got to the office they told Mrs. Hamlin, the secretary, that they needed to see Mr. Wilson right away. She was about to comment on the fact that Connor and Vince weren't supposed to be in the school, but she saw the determined look on their faces and thought the better of it. She told them that he was in a meeting with one of the teachers. "Is he meeting with Coach Sanders?" Connor asked. "I'm afraid I can't tell you that," Mrs. Hamlin said. "If he is, we gotta see him, now. It's important, I mean really important." Marty was amazed at Connor's behavior. He'd never seen him this determined about something that didn't concern him personally. "Please, please, what Ralph said isn't true. We have to tell Mr. Wilson." Mrs. Hamlin had no idea what it was Ralph had said. But what she did know was that Ralph and his father and been in the office and that after that the shit had hit the fan, as the kids liked to say. "Just calm down, Connor. I'll go in and see if Mr. Wilson will see you." That was her concession that Coach Sanders was in the principal's office. Within seconds of the secretary entering his office, Mr. Wilson came out, glaring at the three freshmen standing in front of him. Connor and Marty didn't flinch, but Vince found himself wishing he was someplace else. He had visions of his one week suspension being stretched to a month. "And just what is so important that I am interrupted in an important meeting?" the principal asked. Connor knew he couldn't beat around the bush. "Ralph lied to you," he said, "and I got proof he lied to you." Mr. Wilson knew Connor's reputation as a troublemaker, and his recent suspension for attending the drinking party confirmed that. But he could also sense the young teen's urgency. He'd been in education long enough to know when to take the time to listen to a student. He was not about to repeat the mistake he'd made with Rodney. "Come into my office" he said. When the boys entered the office they were suddenly hit by the gravity of the situation. They saw Coach Sanders, Coach Hart, and Coach Fitzsimmons, the athletic director, sitting at a table. The three were surprised to see the three boys come in, but said nothing. Mr. Wilson had three chairs brought in and told the boys to sit. "Okay, Connor, how about telling us what you know." Connor told them about overhearing the threat from Mr. Richardson and about leaving the gym with Coach Sanders. Vince confirmed that he heard the threat as well. Marty then told about leaving the gym with Coach Sanders and Connor, watching him lock the door and then get into his pickup and driving away. "What you say confirms what Coach Hart just told me about the threat. Coach Sanders told me he'd left the gym with Connor and Marty. I was going to call Marty into my office this afternoon to talk to him about that. "Boys, I have two things to tell you. First, is a question. Are the three of you willing to tell your stories to Mr. Richardson in front of his son if I need you to?" Connor and Marty both nodded yes. Mr. Wilson noted that Vince wouldn't commit himself. "The second thing is, you young men showed a lot of courage by stepping up to the plate. If this had been allowed to drag on for even a couple of days I hate to think where it would have ended up. As it is, I will be giving Mr. Richardson a call so we can have another visit." The three boys nodded with uncharacteristic shyness. Vince felt a little bit out of place, since he had been mostly a follower; but being a follower was indicative of his personality. Coach Sanders spoke up before the boys could go. "Thank you, gentlemen. Connor, I know you and I don't always see eye-to-eye. Your coming forward means a lot to me. No offense, but it seems almost out of character." "Coach, I know I get in trouble sometimes. But you know I always practice and play hard and I never lie to you. What Ralph did was totally fucked...um...sorry about that. But it was fu...it sucked. Just like what Steve tried doing to Marty. I don't believe in that bullshi...um...stuff. You get in trouble take it like man. I didn't try to pussy my way out of my suspension, did I Mr. Wilson?' The principal agreed that Connor had taken his punishment like a man and had owned up to his mistake. Coach Sanders was overcome by Connor's speech. Connor was usually a boy of few words. "Well, I do appreciate it Connor. But understand, I'm still going to be on your case next year. In fact I'll be riding you when summer ball starts. You get no special favors." "I didn't expect none, coach." Mr. Wilson dismissed Marty, but asked Connor and Vince to stay. "Gentlemen, you showed uncommon courage. While I don't feel it is right for me to reinstate you to the baseball team since you blatantly violated a rule knowing what the consequences were, I can and will rescind your week's suspension from school. You may return tomorrow, but any work missed still cannot be made up." Connor and Vince left, with Connor telling him that when you do a good thing sometimes you get a reward. "Um, I think I'd rather go back to playing baseball than going back to school," Vince said. Ralph ended up not being able to do either, as Mr. Wilson had him expelled from Mayfield High School. While the baseball team changed into their practice gear, Coach Sanders called Tyler into his office. "How's the wheel?" he asked. Tyler had suffered a severe ankle sprain in his first game of the season and had been spending the last month rehabilitating it under the care of a physical therapist. "It feels good, coach. I have the note for you." Tyler handed Coach Sanders a note from his doctor. It gave Tyler clearance to practice at full speed. "Good news, Tyler. I know you've worked hard to get that ankle back into shape and get some games in. I'll have you taking ground balls and batting practice today. I can't promise you when you'll get into your first game, but I can say that when you do it will be a sub." "That's cool, coach. I'm just happy to be ready to help out the team again." Tyler told Coach Sanders he'd been to the batting cages a couple of times the past week, with his doctor and his therapist's okay. What he didn't say was that it was Mr. Robinson who took him there. The cages were in Centralia. "You're a good kid, Tyler." He gave the senior a gentle smile. "How are you doing otherwise?" "I'm doing fine coach. I guess I'm rehabilitating from losing Bobby, too. Everything is healing." Coach Sanders had the urge to ruffle the boy's hair, but after the incident with Ralph doing so would probably not be a good idea. Besides, he was sure that high school boys didn't go for the hair ruffling the way middle school boys did. What he didn't know was that having his hair ruffled was a gesture Tyler would have loved from his coach. After Tyler left the office he was stopped by the Donkey. The Donkey had become the de facto team leader. "Is everything okay?" Michael asked. "Everything is great; I can practice again." Michael ruffled Tyler's hair, generating a big smile from the seventeen year old. Coach Sanders noticed the gesture through the office window, wondering what it was that made high school boys happy. He also noted that Tyler had no problem having a gay teammate touch him playfully. After Bobby's accident, Tyler's peers had treated him like fragile piece of glass for a long time, not knowing exactly how to react. Since Tyler was a quiet, private boy even in the best of times, he took things as they came. But now his teammates, at least those who were left, were treating him like a normal member of the team. Tuesday saw the first of three league games and one non-league game during the week. The Mustangs played Kentburg at home. They had defeated the Royals 3-1 on the road earlier in the season. Bryce started and pitched well, but once again defensive problems in the infield and lack of timely hitting plagued the Mayfield team. Rich got his first varsity pitching experience, coming into the game in the fifth inning trailing 5-1. He gave up one run over his two inning stint as the Mustangs lost the game 6-1. The Mustangs had another game the next day. This one was against Lakeshore at home. It was the makeup of an earlier rainout. The Donkey was the starting pitcher. Marty made his first ever varsity start, playing third base, his regular position. Nerves had him fumbling an easy grounder in the second inning, but the Donkey gave him a thumbs up, telling Marty he'd come through on the next tough play, eliciting a smile from the tense freshman. Michael had almost called the next play for Marty. Marty fielded a hard hit ball to his right smoothly, stopped, got set, and completed the play by using his strong arm to throw the runner out by a step. That play convinced Marty he belonged out in the field, as he realized that batted balls on the varsity diamond were no different than anywhere else. He was yet to discover, however, that some of the big juniors and seniors could hit the ball much harder than he was used to. One thing he wasn't used to was varsity level pitching. He was overmatched in his first game, striking out his first two times up. Coach Sanders pinch hit for him when his third at bat came up. Again, the Mustangs played well and with enthusiasm. The Donkey pitched very well, going all seven innings, while giving up two runs on four hits while striking out nine. But once again there was a lack of timely hitting and the Mustangs lost 2-0. After the game a scout from a small private college in Tacoma talked to the Donkey, praising his pitching prowess and leaving his card. What Michael didn't know was that Steve and Crawford had watched the game and noticed the scout. "Were you looking at Michael, the pitcher?" Steve asked the scout. "I was." "He's pretty good. But did you know he was gay?" The scout looked at him in surprise. "No, I did not." "He is. The second baseman is his boyfriend. You can ask everybody if you don't believe me." The scout did some follow up and found out that Steve was right. Michael never heard from him again. The team was on the road this time, playing the Monte Vikings. Ryan the Dawg started the game and had control problems, walking four in the first three innings, all of whom came around to score. Ironically, the Mustangs managed to plate some runs this time, but ended up on the short end of a 10-4 score. They had now lost four straight games and were 5-6 overall and 4-4 in league play. Before they got on the bus for the ride back to Mayfield, Coach Sanders held a brief meeting. He told the team that they were playing hard. He encouraged the players to keep their heads up, that as soon as they jelled as a team things would fall into place for them. He also told them that before the game on Saturday he wanted them to elect a team captain for the rest of the year. Brad had been elected captain, but since he was no longer on the team, the coach would like the team to pick a new one. "You've had time to see who's stepping it up. While we have less than a month left in the season, it will help all of us to have an official captain again." The Mustangs finished their busy week with a Saturday afternoon game against the Suquamish Creek Fishermen. Suquamish Creek had been their first scheduled game, but it was rained out. Coach Collins, who, along with Coach Fitzsimmons, had put together the non-league schedule, liked to start the season against a weak program, followed by a game against a stronger one. The Fisherman were now 3-7 and were not a strong team. Coach Sanders decided to give Rodney his varsity debut by naming him the starting pitcher for the game. Rodney was without a doubt the most talented pitcher on the team. The Donkey was almost as skilled as Rodney. He was a better pitcher than Rodney, simply because there was a big difference between a senior and a freshman. Rodney stepped right up and pitched a strong four innings, giving up two hits and no runs while striking out eight and walking three. Even though he was a bit rusty and was only a freshman, he dominated the Fishermen. Because he hadn't pitched since the JV team was disbanded, he was on a strict pitch count. He left sporting a 5-0 lead. Marty again started at third and singled in his second at-bat for his first varsity hit. Tyler, who had played twice as a sub since getting cleared to play, started at shortstop. Marty and Tyler gave the Mustangs some solid defense on the left side of the infield. Rich pitched two innings and Trey finished off the game as the Mustangs ended their losing streak with a 6-1 win. Coach Sanders was surprised and pleased when the players elected Michael as team captain. He realized, to his amusement, that he had both a Donkey and a gay player as his captain. On Monday the Mustangs played the makeup of the game that had been cancelled because of the suspensions. Their opponent was Chinook High School at Chinook. Once again they played well, but they lost 7-4. On Wednesday, the Mustangs played Harborview on the road, with the Donkey starting. He pitched seven strong innings against a good team, but the Mustangs simply were not big and strong enough to make much of a dent offensively and lost 3-0. It was their sixth straight league loss. They still had a shot at a league playoff berth, but the way Coach Sanders saw it, they would need to win two of their final four league games. He put that challenge before the team. They practiced on Thursday, but rain washed out their Friday practice. Coach Sanders didn't see any value in an indoor practice this late in the season. The team's next game was Meadow Park at home. They had defeated the Sentinels 9-4 on the road. But the team ended up scraping bottom with a sloppy game in the field coupled with impatient hitting. Rodney started the game but didn't make it out of the first inning. Ryan and a long string of pitchers relieved him as the Sentinels hammered out a 15-2 win. The game only went five innings because of the ten-run mercy rule. Coach Sanders was not at all pleased with this game. He decided a private team meeting was required. At the meeting he reamed the players for not playing team ball, for being concerned with their own egos more than the success of the team, and for not being mentally prepared to play. He also told the ninth graders that no matter who was recruiting them for summer ball, the expectation was that they play for the Falcons, whether they were active with the organizing committee or not. He hit upon a lot of the division he was seeing. The problem was not one between the players of different grades, but rather between players within the same grade. He was referring specifically to the freshmen and their petty bickering. After he finished and left the locker room, Michael addressed them. "We got a chance to play some more in the postseason, but we have to want it. And you freshman used to be a together group. I don't know what's going on with you, but let's see if we can all be at the dugout fence cheering our teammates. I can guarantee you that this Donkey intends on pitching his ass off on Friday. Hearing my teammates behind me will make it that much sweeter. Don't make me have to hoof somebody for not having his teammate's back." The Friday game was at Lakeshore, who was tied for first with Kentburg. With a college scout from a small Oregon college looking on, the Donkey dominated, throwing a two hit shutout at the Sentinels. A two-run double in the third by Tyler was all the scoring the Mustangs needed, but they added another two runs as the Donkey helped his own cause with a sixth inning two-run homer. The 4-0 win against the first place team ended a seven game league losing streak. The victory was a huge confidence booster for a team that had been down and out a couple of days before. While they weren't always sharp, they played hard, and the infield of Ryan, Tyler, and Marty proved to be a tough one defensively. The play of the game, however, was made by Rich, who subbed for Tyler at short for two innings. In the fourth inning he made a diving stop to his left with a runner on first. He only had time to get to his knees, where he was able to just nick the runner coming into second for the third out. That got him an enthusiastic pat on the ass from Marty, who loved having any excuse to touch his boyfriend's ass. On Monday the Mustangs beat Clark Pass 9-1 and suddenly they had a legitimate chance at a league playoff berth. They had Chinook at home on Wednesday for their last game. Chinook was a game ahead of them for the last spot in the league tournament. If the Mustangs lost, their season would be finished. If they won, they would have a play-off game against Chinook for the final tournament spot. Chinook had defeated them 7-4 the first time they'd played each other. This time the Totems would have to deal with the Donkey. The scout from Oregon, who was an assistant coach, and had seen him pitch against Lakeshore, was attending this game as well. While the Donkey didn't get a shutout this time, he did stop the Chinook offense and the Mustangs scored enough for a 4-2 win to tie the Totems in the standings. During the game Steve saw the scout sitting behind home plate. He and Crawford talked to him between innings. Since he hadn't seen the first scout he'd talked to return, Steve decided to perform some more mischief. He wanted to do anything he could to the assholes who didn't party at the Farm, and he especially wanted to get to the Donkey, who was a faggot on top of everything else. "Are you looking at our pitcher?" Steve asked. "I am," the scout replied. "Pretty impressive pitcher." "He's okay. Kind of a dork, but okay." "How is he a dork?" The scout didn't like the young high school kid. There was something about him that seemed phony. His initial impression was confirmed by Steve's answer. "He's gay, not that being gay is bad or anything, but you just don't see gay guys playing sports, if you get my drift." "How do you know this?" "He don't make it a secret. You can ask anybody. The second baseman is his boyfriend." "He's not a bad ballplayer either. Well, being gay is no problem. It's always good to entertain diversity in one's program." The next inning started and the scout brushed Steve off by saying he needed to get back to work. Steve returned to the upper bleachers, telling Crawford about what an asshole the scout was. The scout talked to Mike and told him he'd been impressed with his pitching and overall demeanor. Mike thanked him. Ryan was standing next to him. "My understanding is that the two of you are a pair." "Yeah, we're boyfriends," Mike said somewhat nervously. He knew that gays weren't usually welcome in the locker room, but he and the Dawg both agreed to be upfront about their relationship. "So I would assume the two of you would come as a pair." "We'd like to stay together." "Give me your phone numbers. Coach Ferris will give your parents a call and arrange for a visit." Mike told them that he and Ryan lived in the same household and why. "I'm assuming you haven't committed to another school yet," the scout said. "No. We were figuring on going to the community college to play." "I'd like to see the two of you play together for four years at our school. You'll being hearing from us in the next couple of days." Michael looked at Ryan and the two broke out into huge grins. "We'll be looking forward to it coach." The mighty Mustangs now had some momentum. On Saturday they played Chinook at Centralia. Bryce started the game, with Ryan, Rodney, and Rich also pitching. The freshmen managed to hold their own as the Mustangs got their bats going for an exciting 7-6 win over the Totems. The win had them playing the next day at Centralia against Harborview. Coach Sanders used a committee of pitchers again, but the Tugs were one of the top three teams in the league and the young Mustangs had problems holding them as they lost 10-3. On Saturday Ryan had enough innings left to pitch five against the Meadow Park Sentinels. A three hit, four RBI day by Tyler helped the Mustangs earn an 8-5 win. Their season came to an end that evening as they ran out of pitching and lost 12-4 game to their archrivals from Kentburg. The Mustangs ended up 11-11 for the year, including a 6-9 record after the suspensions. Coach Sanders complimented the seniors and wished them good luck in the future. He told them they had shown a lot of leadership in a tough situation. He let the freshmen know that they had a lot of work to do, but that the experience of playing varsity as freshmen would help them in the end, even if they felt overwhelmed at times. He told them that he was proud of the improvement they had shown during the season. He said they should be proud of their helping the team to make it to the league tournament. He told them that nobody had a guaranteed varsity spot next year. Seven of the suspended players would be back next year vying for spots on the roster. He finished by telling the freshmen that they would have to work hard to prepare for next season. Playing summer ball for the Mayfield Falcons was one way he expected them to do that. While the season ended up being not as good as the remaining seniors had expected, the seniors gained some satisfaction from not letting the season get away from them and bringing the Mustangs back to respectability. They also found themselves impressed with the younger players, especially the freshmen. "They have talent, but they need to get their acts back together," Michael told his senior friends. "I saw them play last year in eighth grade and during the summer. You could sense the teamwork and the spirit they had. The guys who are in eighth grade now helped that attitude, but I guess they have their own problems over at the middle school. I don't know what their problems are, but if they want to be playing in the state tournament in a couple of years, they better have their shit together a lot better than they do now." "You don't need to tell us that," Zach said. "We're graduating. You need to tell them." "I did, and I think it helped some. But in the end, I'm just another old fart senior." The freshmen and the eighth graders did have their problems. Those problems were showing no signs of going away soon. Next: The Titans