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It was over, he thought. He didn’t know the numbers, but he knew the trend line. You could plot it by games started, or by wins. You could look at his shrinking salary, or at the smaller number of teams faxing offer sheets to his agent’s office each spring. You could look at the lower number of offseason speeches he gave, or the tinier number of baseball camps he was invited to over the winter. You could look at however you want, he thought, it still adds up to one thing. It’s over. The kids, and both of his wives, didn’t want to hear that- they didn’t want the gravy train of diamonds and consumer electronics to end. He didn’t want to disappoint them- didn’t want his youngest daughter to not get a BMW the way the oldest one did- but the math was clear. His old way of life was ending. He looked down at the ball in the palm of his hand. He had called time out, here in this half dead stadium in the middle of a nothing game between two teams who quit trying around Independence Day. He bent to tie his shoe, feeling the ache in his right shoulder that used to come and go, but never went away now. He had to throw, and keep throwing, ignore the pain and get hitters out, because it was all he knew how to do. |
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Fifth Inning, Mid September by Michael Webb
Filed under Michael Webb
This one left me feeling a bit ambivalent; both sad for failing his personal goals but happy that he was determined to keep himself in the game despite that.
A beautifully drawn character sketch; his past, his present, his future all in that single moment.
Great use of small details, like tying his shoes, to build up the character and atmosphere.
Thank you all.
That I feel ambivalent about this character (though perhaps not for the same reasons as Catherine) is a testament to your writing. I feel for him when normally I would not care at all; an over-paid athlete whining that the over-paying will soon be ending. An excellent piece of writing.
It’s not easy to produce a multifaceted character with a past and a future in less than 250 words. Great work!
Wonderfully drawn character. I feel his pain at the same time trying to swallow that schadenfreude feeling we all love to indulge in. That’s a very difficult thing to accomplish with any character, but especially one painted in 250 words or less. Bravo! Peace…
I once lived next to a former big leaguer. That we lived in the same crappy apartment complex in the same crappy Texas town says something about the trajectory of his life. He died young, too.
When you step into this territory you have to go up against literary hall of famers like Jack Keefe and Flick Webb. This piece goes straight onto their turf (where sports stars deal with money) and scores. I think the changed economics of sport give you an opportunity. Good for you for seizing it.
Thank you all so much. I’m touched.
The economics of sport are interesting in many ways- of course, they are all overpaid. However, no one wants to spend to $500 to watch me work for 3 hours- therefore, Derek Jeter gets paid more than me. And if Jeter didn’t get the money, the Yankees would just keep it- it’s not like it would end up in the schools or funding cancer research.
What touches me about athletes (those below Jeter’s megastar level, the sort of wealth that ensures one’s grandchildren will be wealthy) is that, at my age (I am 1 week older than Pedro Martinez, who did not pitch in 2010) most athletes’ careers have ended or are about to end. One thing you have to bear in mind is that, especially in baseball- this may be all these men know how to do, (a lot of baseball players don’t go to college) and whatever money they make, essentially, has to last them the rest of their lives.
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