Third Base (The Boys of Summer, #1)(39)
The Renegades are starting a ten-day road trip that begins in Toronto and ends in Seattle (home of Ethan Davenport) with a stop in Oakland on the way.
Seattle is historically bad, although new management is trying to rebuild the team. Let’s hope Robinson Cano isn’t bringing his A-game while we’re in town, even though we love him from ditching out on the Yankees in favor of the Mariners.
The Renegades are 15 / 16 going into the road trip. If they plan to make it to the post season, they need to start winning. Yes, it’s only May, however the clock is ticking.
Our run count is now – 160 / 149. For those keeping count – we scored six runs in the last three games, giving up ten. That’s backwards, Boys!
GOSSIP WIRE:
It seems the romance is over for Davenport and his super fan! Sources say he’s been leaving the stadium by himself these past few games instead of having his number one on his arm. It makes me wonder why it’s over so fast? Maybe she has a thing for Cooper Bailey...
The Renegades put on quite a show for the Children’s Cancer Ward at Beth Israel. Sources close to the team said the guys had their make-up done, fingernails painted, and many selfies were taken.
Hadley Carter, the wife of General Manager Ryan Stone, recently accepted an MTV Music award for best video. Congratulations, Ms. Carter, even if you are a Yankee fan. Ick!
The BoRe Blogger
I love baseball. I love women. What I don’t love is women and baseball together. Since Daisy and I argued, my game has sucked. My batting average has dropped, my on-base percentage is almost non-existent and when I am hitting the ball, they’re foul or I’m dropping my shoulder and they’re pop-ups. Six out of our ten away games are done with a record of three and three. In those games I didn’t drive in one single run. Not even a sacrifice. At least my defensive game is still intact. I can’t imagine how I’d be feeling if I were committing errors and letting my team down by not being present on the field.
My head is all jacked up with thoughts of Daisy. I’ve been trained to block this type of shit out, but apparently it’s not working. The game should be the only thing on my mind. Even now, as I walk along the hot tarmac to our plane at the Oakland International Airport, I wonder what the hell she’s doing. And as I board the plane and see the same flight attendants I have known since I joined the team, my thoughts should be about tomorrow’s game but they’re not. I’m stupidly wondering why Daisy hasn’t called or texted and I need to stop. This was too fast, too soon for me.
Never again will I allow a female to consume my thoughts while I’m working. My focus from here on out will solely be on baseball and the pitchers I’m about to face; about the teams we need to beat to at least be a wild card team this fall. I’m going to close my eyes and visualize myself at the plate, swinging my bat to kill the ball. From here on out there will be no worrying about how someone feels, or whether someone is looking at me… and no more going the extra mile. I don’t need to.
And this pent up frustration, well that’s what Sarah’s for. She has hers, I have mine, and that is why our arrangement works. I should’ve known better than to f*ck with a good thing.
The flight from Oakland to Seattle is under two hours and it’s barely enough time to get any shuteye. Instead, Kidd and I take advantage of the free booze and we keep the flight attendants busy. We’re not the only ones drinking, just two of the youngest, but legal is legal.
When we land I’ll be heading to my parents. It’s a luxury that we’re entitled to when we visit our hometowns. My parents live close enough to Safeco Field that it’s only a ten-minute drive. Sarah’s apartment is fifteen and if I have my way, I’ll be spending as much time with her as possible. She’s exactly what I need to get over this sour taste in my mouth.
“Are you sure I can’t convince you to stay at the hotel?”
“Nah, my bed at home is waiting for me.”
When you’re single and on the road you can have a lot of fun. The cleat chaser’s know what hotels we stay at and most know our arrival schedules. We’ll be in town long before the bar closes and they’ll be looking for action.
“Shit, don’t you mean Sarah’s bed?” Kidd shakes his head as he downs his drink. If I hadn’t been so hung up on that certain baseball fan back in Boston, I would’ve had Sarah pick me up tonight, but when my mom called it was an automatic request. If I really wanted to, I could go to Sarah’s after visiting, or she could come over to my parents’ house. My mom may not understand, but she wouldn’t question Sarah’s presence at our house.
When the flight attendant comes back, she has new drinks for us, plus an assortment of snacks. I’m starving, but the short flight makes meal preparation a bit difficult. I’m hoping my mom has the refrigerator well stocked or she at least cooked a big meal today.
“Does she have a sister?”
“Who?” I ask, tearing my eyes away from the window. Even though it’s dark out, I know the vast mountains of the Cascades loom beneath us.
“Your girlfriend?”
I frown at the term girlfriend. For a brief moment I was stupid enough to think that I’d have a girlfriend, but that thought is long gone and a f*ck buddy is better suited for me.
“She’s not my girlfriend,” I say, shaking my head. I quickly finish my drink and hand my empty cup to the attendant as she passes by.