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PROMISES

Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

Ever since he was a small boy growing up in Fairfax, Missouri, Will Horton was obsessed with baseball. Every chance he had he’d play ball with his friends and when no one was around, he’d spend hours bouncing a ball off the old shed behind the house.  

In 5th grade Will was one of the starting pitchers for his Little League Team, the Badgers. They practiced three or four days a week after school and played a game every Saturday against the rival team – the Coyotes. By the time Will entered 7th grade, he qualified for the traveling team playing both home and away games.

Most nights during baseball season, Will and his dad Tom would hunker down in front of the TV and watch the local major league baseball team, the Kansas City Royals. Will dreamed of one day playing with the Royals in Big K Stadium; he longed to go to a game but tickets weren’t cheap and Kansas City was 100+ miles from Fairfax. “Some day” Will would whisper to himself and fall asleep every night clutching his mitt. 

On his 10th birthday Tom surprised Will with two tickets to the Royals game. Will talked nonstop all the way to the game, quoting all the Royals stats. Arriving at the Big K, he swore it was the biggest building in all Missouri. Will was the happiest he’d ever been. The smell of peanuts and hot dogs filled the air and the crowd was anxious for the game to start. Finally the Royals ran onto the field to cheers from the fans. They played a great game and won with a staggering score of 16 to 2. All the way home Will and Tom talked about the game.

That night at bedtime Will made himself the biggest promise ever – to one day be starting pitcher for the Royals against the most famous baseball team in the world: The New York Yankees.

Time went on, Will graduated high school and was recruited by the University of Miami as pitcher for the Miami Hurricanes. In the evenings he delivered pizza, saving what money he could. He was living his dream. One night that dream abruptly turned into a hellish nightmare when Will’s delivery car was sideswiped by a truck and slammed hard into the side of a building. Will lost consciousness and woke up in the hospital; his pitching arm had been amputated just above the elbow.

Will was devastated; his baseball days were over before they even started. Needing to get away from Miami and reminders of the crash, he transferred to a college in Cincinnati which happened to be located across from The Great American Ballpark, home to the Cincinnati Reds. On game nights he’d go up to the school’s rooftop alone to watch the games.

One particularly dismal night about eight months after his accident, Will pushed himself up onto the ledge of the roof and inched his way to the edge. Hugging the stump of his right arm, he stared at the twinkling lights coming from The Great American. Will swayed slightly; there was nothing to hold on to. He looked straight ahead at the stadium, then closed his eyes and slowly lifted his right foot off the ledge. What did he have left in his life?

In the heavy silence of the night, Will was aware of a barely imperceptible click as the door to the roof quietly closed. A soft voice by his side asked “You don’t really want to do that, do you?”

“What’s it to you? You don’t even know me.“

“That’s true” came the reply “but if you jump, who’s gonna go to tomorrow’s game with me?“

Planting his foot back on the ledge, Will glanced out of the corner of his eye. There stood a petite figure wearing a baseball cap. From the back pocket of her jeans she produced two tickets and placed them down on the ledge.

The shadow of a smile crossed Will’s face; this girl had spunk. Offering her hand, Will reached out, grabbed hold and climbed off the ledge.

“Hey, I’m Kate.” 

“Will Horton” he replied.

“Well, Will Horton. Do we have a date?”

He paused for just a second. “Yeah. Why not?”

“If you play your cards right, Will Horton, there’s a couple of good games coming up in June and July. Ever hear of a little team called The New York Yankees?”

Will suddenly realized he was still clutching Kate’s hand. It felt really good having someone to hold on to.

NAR © 2023

Crash

It’s October – World Series month here in the USA and the games begin in just 10 days. Unfortunately for us here in NY, the Yanks fell short again but if you’re a diehard baseball fan like me, you’ll watch any game that’s on TV. Here’s a great song in honor of America’s Favorite Pastime – “Centerfield” by John Fogerty. Play ball!

I hope you’ll join me today
as we continue our
musical journey
In The Groove.
Hold onto your baseballs!
⚾️
https://rhythmsection.blog/

36 thoughts on “PROMISES”

  4. what a wonderful story Nancy. It’s amazing how much the seats are and crazy the money it costs! We have 1/4 shared seats but sell the seats.. it’s crowded and just not the same as the old days..💗

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  5. Major League Baseball ticket prices average about $150 a seat, which is way too much for most families, especially when you have to pay for gas to get there and then parking and just forget about buying a hot dog and a drink when you get there.

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    1. You’re so right, Jim! It’s really a shame, isn’t it?
      My son and his wife have started taking their three kids to see the New York Boulders play; they’re an independent team based in Pomona NY. They get the thrill and atmosphere of watching a live game without the extreme prices for tickets. These days there aren’t too many things a family of 5 can do without breaking the bank!

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      1. It really is – like everything he does. I’ve been a fan since early CCR days. Did you see the series of videos he did during lockdown in 2020, with his kids? They called themselves Fogerty’s Factory, and the Dodgers let them play this one in their stadium to mark his 75th birthday. Magic moment 😊

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