ust after I got home I had one of the worst moments of my whole life I’d forgotten my card binder I’d left it in the Finches dugout when I was talking with Dylan about that stupid spider It felt like I’d left my right arm somewhere I called the Finches locker room Dylan answered It’s me Is the game still going on Yeah And Sparky is done with his web Sparky Sparky the Spider You named that thing No I just call him Sparky That’s naming him Maybe By the way you left your binder here I know that’s why I called I wanted to make sure it was OK It’s fine Do you want me to put it in your locker Keep it overnight I said Take good care of it But feel free to look through it There’re some cool cards in there
Sure Dylan promised Gotta go I want to see if Sparky’s caught any bugs yet I overslept the next morning We batboys had to be at the ballpark two hours before the game started I would have to hurry to get there on time It was my own fault I’d listened to the rest of the game on the radio before I went to sleep The Porcupines finally won in the thirteenth inning Tommy Harris hit a triple and Mike Stammer brought him in with a sacrifice fly It would have been so great to be there I knew what Uncle Rick meant about never leaving a game early Too bad Mom and Dad didn’t understand I got dressed bounded down the stairs and ate a bowl of cereal Mom saw me put the bowl in the dishwasher Do you need lunch she asked I can get a hot dog at the ballpark You’ve been eating a lot of hot dogs lately she said Why don’t I pack you a lunch while you walk the dog Oh yeah It was my job to walk our dog in the morning Penny was near her food bowl She looked up at me with great big eyes and made a whimpering noise Hi girl I reached for the food bin She’s already had breakfast said Mom Aw Mom She wants more I said Penny was still staring at me It would make her happy
She’s happy when she’s eating a second breakfast said Mom She’s not happy when she’s all out of breath on a short walk She just has little legs I took a handful of kibble and put it in my pocket Mom didn’t notice Walk the dog while I make your lunch she said I could still be on time if I hurried I put the leash on Penny and took her out for a quick trot around the block Mom was right Penny was panting before we got to the corner She was getting kind of roly-poly these days She was still cute though Hi Chad I turned and saw Abby She waved at me from across the street Abby worked for the Pines too and was in my grade at school She ran across the street to meet us I’m going to the ballpark early she explained She reached out and let Penny lick her hand It’s a big day They’re giving out bobbleheads Hey aren’t you supposed to be there by now I’m leaving as soon as I’m done walking the dog I took the dog food from my pocket and fed it to Penny I’ll walk to the ballpark with you said Abby We’re going to have to walk fast I told her Usually I rode my bike No problem I can walk superfast We took Penny home and Mom gave me my lunch I peeked at it It was pasta salad and baby carrots
There’s not even a cookie I said Just eat your lunch first said Mom If you’re still hungry you can see if they have something at the ballpark that’s halfway good for you All right Have fun and work hard Mom said She planted a smooch on top of my head I was glad Abby had waited outside Abby and I walked six blocks crossed a field waited for one traffic light crossed the street and turned the corner We stopped Holy cow said Abby There were about a billion people crowded around Pine City Park There are always lines on bobblehead day I told her But the game doesn’t even start for two hours They’re Spike bobbleheads I reminded her Spike was the Porcupines new junior mascot He was the biggest star of the season Everybody loved that quill-covered porcupine kid Not everyone will get one I added They’re only available while supplies last They must really want those bobbleheads said Abby We both knew something most people didn’t Abby was Spike She put on a porcupine costume and played the part She was great at it We started across the parking lot
