briese
03-30-2009, 06:50 PM
I didn't get much of a reply for the first chapter, but maybe the second chapter will garner a bit more interest. Any criticism or comments are welcomed with open arms.
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Crosswords in Crunch Time
The dugout was the closest thing Skip ever had to an office.
He would show up long before practice or a game if they had one that day just to tinker with the line-ups and go over the notes he had written over previous practices or games. Skip saw the game of baseball in a more romantic way than most do, and his view of an empty field in the morning was a sort of inspiration to his work. Most of all, he enjoyed the solitude of his little 'office'...within the hour it would turn into a haven of vulgar jokes, complaints, and only half-true stories about the previous night's adventures. For the time being, though, it was a place of peace and contemplation - just the way Skip liked it.
'Hiya Skip!', rang a cheery voice from the door of the dugout. Skip didn't flinch, but failed to suppress a vain across the side of his forehead that could be seen from a mile away. Without turning to look at who it was, Skip said, 'Hey, whatcha need? Practice doesn't start for another 45 minutes.' The answer came with a chuckle, 'Heh; I need ya to quit being so damn grumpy and come shake my hand.' The coach wasn't used to being talked to in this manner in his office, and the vain swelled to twice it's previous size, now looking as though a miniature Mario and Luigi could slide down it to Level 2. Skip turned and said, 'Well you can take your request and stick it right up...Lenny? What're you doing here? I haven't seen you in ages, boy; how've you been?' A fairly pleasant conversation ensued, where Lenny explained that in his time away from the team he had landed a job in real estate, and was back in town visiting family.
'How're the guys? Pub, Fargo, Jeremy, Aric...they doin' alright? I hate to say it, but I probably won't be here long enough to see 'em. I'm s'posed to meet a few of my cousins over at the Waffle House right now; just stopped by to say "hey".', Lenny said with a half-shrug.
'The guys...hm. Pub doesn't talk much anymore. He works as hard as any of the young guys, though, I can tell ya that. He's looking to get back into the swing of things, but I'm starting to think he's over the hump. Fargo's arm turned into a noodle a few seasons ago, and since then invited his moron brother to play with us...he didn't last long. Still having to put up with that crap now, matter of fact. Jeremy's on and off the bench as always, but is still the same old Jeremy - too damn nice to care. Aric's been missing practices off and on the last year or so; it's affecting his play, too. I give him some lee-way because he's still working on getting that law degree.', Skip explained, 'But Angus tells me the guys never see him outside baseball anymore.'
'Sounds like nothing's changed. It was good seein' ya again, coach, but I've got a date with some bacon...and before you start; no - I'm not talking about my wife. Ha-ha.', Lenny said with a wave that was reciprocated with a rare wave back from the coach. Skip always got along famously with Lenny...it had given him real joy to see him again. Rather than returning to his checking and re-checking the line-ups, Skip spent the next 15 minutes or so reminiscing about the old days of coaching...the less stressful days, where he was a tad more friendly with his players.
Practice ended early that day due to a game with a team from Chattanooga. 'Alright boys, this is no exhibition game,' Skip began, with nearly half of his audience actually paying attention. 'This is a league game. Every win helps us move to the next division. This team's coming to our park; let's make them feel welcome. Now get out there and stretch.' Skip always liked to see who would partner up for catch after the stretches. Harvey and Steve went off to the bullpen as always, which left Lance to have a catch with Angus. Fargo and Pub partnered up as always almost out of habit, though their days of being steady starting pitcher and catcher were long gone. Sledge and Jeremy partnered up, though Sledge had first attempted to talk Al and Dwayne into a triangle catch, as Jeremy unknowlingly was annoyingly condescending towards Sledge with comments such as, 'Whoa! Nice throw, bud; that one hurt my hand!' Aric and Pat were the only two who hadn't immediately drifted toward a partner. Both shrugged in unison to show that they neither liked nor disliked their pick of throwing partners, and warmed up in silence.
Skip wasn't the most attentive coach during games. He had an old book of crossword puzzles based on baseball history, which he was a big fan of. While the players were in the field, he would occasionally bark an adjustment or 'constructive criticism' based on their performance in the previous play, but while the team was on offense he would bury himself in a crossword puzzle. 'How come you never watch us bat, coach? You sure have a lot to say while we're in the field, but never coach us while we're at the plate,' Sledge commented in the bottom of the 6th, with the team down 2-1. 'I give you guys enough hitting advice in practice. When it comes to the games, you guys coach eachother enough without me getting in the way - now go coach.', Skip said with an annoyed tone, motioning his head towards the edge of the dugout where a line of players were cheering Pub on.
As the game wore on, Skip kept up with his crossword. In the bottom of the 8th, Lance slid into some empty pine to his left. 'Crunch time, coach. Might want to start watching. We're all locked up at 6, 2 outs on us...but the boys are rallying!' Skip shook off the comment like a pitcher shaking off a sign. '1946 World Series Champion Cardinals - Whitey blank. Eight letters. Little help?', Skip asked, taking a long drag off his cigarette. 'Seriously coach - you said yourself this is a league game, aren't you even the least bit scared?', Lance asked in desperation. They both flinched at the crack of the bat and watched as Angus knocked yet another run in, making the score 7-6. 'Yeah, Lance. I'm petrified.', Skip said with a smile, filling up the last answer of his crossword puzzle with KUROWSKI.
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Crosswords in Crunch Time
The dugout was the closest thing Skip ever had to an office.
He would show up long before practice or a game if they had one that day just to tinker with the line-ups and go over the notes he had written over previous practices or games. Skip saw the game of baseball in a more romantic way than most do, and his view of an empty field in the morning was a sort of inspiration to his work. Most of all, he enjoyed the solitude of his little 'office'...within the hour it would turn into a haven of vulgar jokes, complaints, and only half-true stories about the previous night's adventures. For the time being, though, it was a place of peace and contemplation - just the way Skip liked it.
'Hiya Skip!', rang a cheery voice from the door of the dugout. Skip didn't flinch, but failed to suppress a vain across the side of his forehead that could be seen from a mile away. Without turning to look at who it was, Skip said, 'Hey, whatcha need? Practice doesn't start for another 45 minutes.' The answer came with a chuckle, 'Heh; I need ya to quit being so damn grumpy and come shake my hand.' The coach wasn't used to being talked to in this manner in his office, and the vain swelled to twice it's previous size, now looking as though a miniature Mario and Luigi could slide down it to Level 2. Skip turned and said, 'Well you can take your request and stick it right up...Lenny? What're you doing here? I haven't seen you in ages, boy; how've you been?' A fairly pleasant conversation ensued, where Lenny explained that in his time away from the team he had landed a job in real estate, and was back in town visiting family.
'How're the guys? Pub, Fargo, Jeremy, Aric...they doin' alright? I hate to say it, but I probably won't be here long enough to see 'em. I'm s'posed to meet a few of my cousins over at the Waffle House right now; just stopped by to say "hey".', Lenny said with a half-shrug.
'The guys...hm. Pub doesn't talk much anymore. He works as hard as any of the young guys, though, I can tell ya that. He's looking to get back into the swing of things, but I'm starting to think he's over the hump. Fargo's arm turned into a noodle a few seasons ago, and since then invited his moron brother to play with us...he didn't last long. Still having to put up with that crap now, matter of fact. Jeremy's on and off the bench as always, but is still the same old Jeremy - too damn nice to care. Aric's been missing practices off and on the last year or so; it's affecting his play, too. I give him some lee-way because he's still working on getting that law degree.', Skip explained, 'But Angus tells me the guys never see him outside baseball anymore.'
'Sounds like nothing's changed. It was good seein' ya again, coach, but I've got a date with some bacon...and before you start; no - I'm not talking about my wife. Ha-ha.', Lenny said with a wave that was reciprocated with a rare wave back from the coach. Skip always got along famously with Lenny...it had given him real joy to see him again. Rather than returning to his checking and re-checking the line-ups, Skip spent the next 15 minutes or so reminiscing about the old days of coaching...the less stressful days, where he was a tad more friendly with his players.
Practice ended early that day due to a game with a team from Chattanooga. 'Alright boys, this is no exhibition game,' Skip began, with nearly half of his audience actually paying attention. 'This is a league game. Every win helps us move to the next division. This team's coming to our park; let's make them feel welcome. Now get out there and stretch.' Skip always liked to see who would partner up for catch after the stretches. Harvey and Steve went off to the bullpen as always, which left Lance to have a catch with Angus. Fargo and Pub partnered up as always almost out of habit, though their days of being steady starting pitcher and catcher were long gone. Sledge and Jeremy partnered up, though Sledge had first attempted to talk Al and Dwayne into a triangle catch, as Jeremy unknowlingly was annoyingly condescending towards Sledge with comments such as, 'Whoa! Nice throw, bud; that one hurt my hand!' Aric and Pat were the only two who hadn't immediately drifted toward a partner. Both shrugged in unison to show that they neither liked nor disliked their pick of throwing partners, and warmed up in silence.
Skip wasn't the most attentive coach during games. He had an old book of crossword puzzles based on baseball history, which he was a big fan of. While the players were in the field, he would occasionally bark an adjustment or 'constructive criticism' based on their performance in the previous play, but while the team was on offense he would bury himself in a crossword puzzle. 'How come you never watch us bat, coach? You sure have a lot to say while we're in the field, but never coach us while we're at the plate,' Sledge commented in the bottom of the 6th, with the team down 2-1. 'I give you guys enough hitting advice in practice. When it comes to the games, you guys coach eachother enough without me getting in the way - now go coach.', Skip said with an annoyed tone, motioning his head towards the edge of the dugout where a line of players were cheering Pub on.
As the game wore on, Skip kept up with his crossword. In the bottom of the 8th, Lance slid into some empty pine to his left. 'Crunch time, coach. Might want to start watching. We're all locked up at 6, 2 outs on us...but the boys are rallying!' Skip shook off the comment like a pitcher shaking off a sign. '1946 World Series Champion Cardinals - Whitey blank. Eight letters. Little help?', Skip asked, taking a long drag off his cigarette. 'Seriously coach - you said yourself this is a league game, aren't you even the least bit scared?', Lance asked in desperation. They both flinched at the crack of the bat and watched as Angus knocked yet another run in, making the score 7-6. 'Yeah, Lance. I'm petrified.', Skip said with a smile, filling up the last answer of his crossword puzzle with KUROWSKI.