five out of six games including three in a row to the Swedenberg Swatters Then the Rosedale Rogues came to Pine City I started to worry when the Porcupines came home and won three straight games against the Centralville Cougars In the dugout I was all smiles and high fives and Way to go and First place here we come I was glad the Pines were playing well But I had my heart set on being there for some of the playoff games Now it looked like the Porcupines were headed for second place I was miserable I would miss the playoff games Even worse I had betrayed my favorite team for nothing
t was my turn to help the opposing team I walked into the visitors locker room and one of the Rogues asked me to relace his shoes I was hunched over in the corner and the players forgot I was there Glad this is the last series in this crummy stadium one of the Rogues said agreed It’s the sorriest sight in the Prairie League another player I don’t like the showers here said a third player The water’s not hot enough and there’s no pressure
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What would they complain about next That our grass wasn’t green enough That our baseballs weren’t round enough I finished lacing the shoes and plopped them on the bench The Rogues still didn’t notice me Not even the guy who owned the shoes The food is pretty boring here too he said I miss the catfish fingers and hush puppies back in Rosedale said another player It was Damien Ricken He had just been called up from Rookie League Ricken was supposed to be a big-deal pitcher By the time the game started I didn’t care about seeding and school nights I just wanted the Rosedale Rogues to lose I wanted them to be sorry they ever came to Pine City I rooted for the Pines with all my might Unfortunately the Rogues were on fire They scored four runs in the first inning before the Porcupines even came up to bat Worse Damien Ricken struck out the first three Porcupines batters and was back in the dugout before I knew it So that’s the competition he asked the Rogues catcher Yep the catcher answered with a grin Damien noticed me watching Hey kid Where are the good places to eat around here Um I like the food here at the ballpark I said I wanted to make that clear I don’t eat while I’m pitching What about restaurants The Pine City Café I said I liked the pizza place better but grown-ups always liked the Café Don’t get your hopes up the catcher said It’ll be closed
