Post by skip on May 12, 2013 22:29:38 GMT -5
STEVE 'SKIP' SAUNDERS
The crowd was cheering was in a roar in the final inning. “Ball Four!” The Umpire called out. The batter tossed his bat aside and trotted down to first base. “Skip! Skip! Skip!” The crowd cheered as he took one more practice swing in the on deck circle. There were two outs in the bottom of the ninth with runners on second and first. The score was 4-3 in favor of the other team. Skip walked up to the batter’s box as he took a calming breathe. The outfielders were shading him to pull the ball since he was a notorious for doing such things. His cleats bit into the dirt as he stepped into the dirt around home plate. He raises his hand as he digs his cleats to get comfortable. The pitcher gets ready and delivers the pitch. The side spin on the ball indicated a curveball was being thrown and its trajectory was going to end up right in the dirt. The catcher is fast enough to block the ball and the Umpire calls out. “Ball one!” Skip steps out and takes another breathe and steps back in. The next comes, it’s down the middle and Skip swings at it. The sound of bat on ball echoes in the stadium as it clears the fence in a hurry. He had done it! Skip had won the game with one swing of the bat.
The next few moments were all a blur. His teammates and members of the crowd swarmed him at home plate as he finishes his victory trot around the bases. Before he knew it he was back in the locker room getting changed when a report for the University paper entered. She’s cute. He thought to himself. Very cute. He offered the pretty blonde a smile and gestured for her to take a seat on the bench next to his locker.
Reporter: “Skip, my name is Erica Jenks are you able to do an interview for the school paper?” She asked with a smile.
Skip: “Of course. I’d love to.” He sat down next to her to great for the barrage of questions.
Erica: “First of all. Is your name really Skip?” Erica asked.
Skip: “Well it’s a nickname my dad gave that’s stuck ever since. My real name is Stephen.”
Erica: “Can I call you Stephen?”
Skip: He chuckles. “No one calls me that anymore but if you want, go for it.”
Erica: “Skip it is. So Skip can you tell the readers where you are from?” She asked as she recorded his last answer.
Skip: “I’m the Canadian guy.” He responds with a broad grin. “I’m a prairie boy from Calgary, Alberta.”
Erica: “What got you playing baseball in Canada? Isn’t it a sin to not play hockey?” She teased.
Skip: “Actually I played hockey as a kid but I got a little too carried away with the contact of the sport. I hurt a few of the kids so my dad decided I needed another outlet for my aggressive nature. So he got me playing baseball. It took my mind off things and I got to outlet this competitive nature in a way that wouldn’t hurt anyone.”
Erica: “Too rough for hockey? Is that even possible?”
Skip: The smile vanished from his face and he offered a sad nod. “Yea but if it weren’t for my dad I wouldn’t be here today. The old man taught me how to hit the ball and throw it.”
Erica: “Were you and your family close?”
Skip: “Very. They were very supportive of me and my sports.”
Erica: “Do you have any funny stories about your mom and dad?”
Skip: “I could be here for hours.” He laughed.
Erica: “Well I have another 20 minutes so you’ll have to give me a summary.”
Skip: He laughed at her. “Let’s see. Well my mom loves to tell stories about how I would always come into her room as a small child afraid of monsters in my dreams.”
Erica: “What sort of monsters? A nasty curveball that makes you buckle at the plate?”
Skip: “No, much scarier than a curveball. Mostly things you’d see from a scary movie.”
Erica: “Did you watch a lot of Movies?”
Skip: “The funny thing is I spent a lot of time outside throwing a ball around that I didn’t watch a lot of television or movies.”
Erica: “Do you have a favorite show or movie?”
Skip: “Uh, I’d have to say Monty Python and the quest for the Holy Grail and show would be Spongebob Squarepants.”
Erica: “Really? Spongbob?”
Skip: “No, I don’t really watch television and that’s the first thing that popped into my head.”
Erica: “So do Canadians live in igloos and ride moose?” She asked.
Skip: “No, we live in buildings like you guys and we drive cars but be careful. We’ve been known to ride bears when our cars break down. I actually grew up on a farm though. It was a nice honest place to grow up.”
Erica: “What sort of things did you do on the farm?”
Skip: “Help my dad and siblings with the heavy lifting, tending to cattle, plowing fields. You know. Farmer stuff.”
Erica: “So why did you come to the University of Virginia?”
Skip: “I’m not really sure. I was 19 when I first came here two years ago. Just something about this place called out to me and made me want to play for you guys or maybe it just reminded me of home.”
Erica: “Are you looking forward to playing professional baseball? The word is you drafted fairly high.”
Skip: “I am. It’s a dream come true. Who wouldn’t want to play pro ball?”
Erica: “The single girls of the school have to know. Have your good looks, athletic body and nice guy attitude landed you a lucky lady?”
Skip: He blushes a bit. “You know I’ve never really paid that much attention but I think there is one I have my eye on right now. She’s really smart and witty, you’d like her. She’s pretty too.”
Erica: It was her turn to blush as the baseball star flirted with her and she put her notepad away. “Thanks for the interview.”
Skip: “Sure thing. The guys on the team are having a party tonight. You should come.”
Erica: “Only if a super star escorts me to the party.”
Skip: “It’s a deal.”
Her face lit up as she left the change room and Skip couldn’t help but chuckle. This sort of thing was completely out of character for him. He was normally quiet and introverted. There were a few snickers coming from his teammates across the room. “Smooth line Saunders. Didn’t think you had lines as smooth as your swing?” The one on the left chuckled.
“Yea, neither did I.” He couldn’t stop smiling. He had finally got a date.
The crowd was cheering was in a roar in the final inning. “Ball Four!” The Umpire called out. The batter tossed his bat aside and trotted down to first base. “Skip! Skip! Skip!” The crowd cheered as he took one more practice swing in the on deck circle. There were two outs in the bottom of the ninth with runners on second and first. The score was 4-3 in favor of the other team. Skip walked up to the batter’s box as he took a calming breathe. The outfielders were shading him to pull the ball since he was a notorious for doing such things. His cleats bit into the dirt as he stepped into the dirt around home plate. He raises his hand as he digs his cleats to get comfortable. The pitcher gets ready and delivers the pitch. The side spin on the ball indicated a curveball was being thrown and its trajectory was going to end up right in the dirt. The catcher is fast enough to block the ball and the Umpire calls out. “Ball one!” Skip steps out and takes another breathe and steps back in. The next comes, it’s down the middle and Skip swings at it. The sound of bat on ball echoes in the stadium as it clears the fence in a hurry. He had done it! Skip had won the game with one swing of the bat.
The next few moments were all a blur. His teammates and members of the crowd swarmed him at home plate as he finishes his victory trot around the bases. Before he knew it he was back in the locker room getting changed when a report for the University paper entered. She’s cute. He thought to himself. Very cute. He offered the pretty blonde a smile and gestured for her to take a seat on the bench next to his locker.
Reporter: “Skip, my name is Erica Jenks are you able to do an interview for the school paper?” She asked with a smile.
Skip: “Of course. I’d love to.” He sat down next to her to great for the barrage of questions.
Erica: “First of all. Is your name really Skip?” Erica asked.
Skip: “Well it’s a nickname my dad gave that’s stuck ever since. My real name is Stephen.”
Erica: “Can I call you Stephen?”
Skip: He chuckles. “No one calls me that anymore but if you want, go for it.”
Erica: “Skip it is. So Skip can you tell the readers where you are from?” She asked as she recorded his last answer.
Skip: “I’m the Canadian guy.” He responds with a broad grin. “I’m a prairie boy from Calgary, Alberta.”
Erica: “What got you playing baseball in Canada? Isn’t it a sin to not play hockey?” She teased.
Skip: “Actually I played hockey as a kid but I got a little too carried away with the contact of the sport. I hurt a few of the kids so my dad decided I needed another outlet for my aggressive nature. So he got me playing baseball. It took my mind off things and I got to outlet this competitive nature in a way that wouldn’t hurt anyone.”
Erica: “Too rough for hockey? Is that even possible?”
Skip: The smile vanished from his face and he offered a sad nod. “Yea but if it weren’t for my dad I wouldn’t be here today. The old man taught me how to hit the ball and throw it.”
Erica: “Were you and your family close?”
Skip: “Very. They were very supportive of me and my sports.”
Erica: “Do you have any funny stories about your mom and dad?”
Skip: “I could be here for hours.” He laughed.
Erica: “Well I have another 20 minutes so you’ll have to give me a summary.”
Skip: He laughed at her. “Let’s see. Well my mom loves to tell stories about how I would always come into her room as a small child afraid of monsters in my dreams.”
Erica: “What sort of monsters? A nasty curveball that makes you buckle at the plate?”
Skip: “No, much scarier than a curveball. Mostly things you’d see from a scary movie.”
Erica: “Did you watch a lot of Movies?”
Skip: “The funny thing is I spent a lot of time outside throwing a ball around that I didn’t watch a lot of television or movies.”
Erica: “Do you have a favorite show or movie?”
Skip: “Uh, I’d have to say Monty Python and the quest for the Holy Grail and show would be Spongebob Squarepants.”
Erica: “Really? Spongbob?”
Skip: “No, I don’t really watch television and that’s the first thing that popped into my head.”
Erica: “So do Canadians live in igloos and ride moose?” She asked.
Skip: “No, we live in buildings like you guys and we drive cars but be careful. We’ve been known to ride bears when our cars break down. I actually grew up on a farm though. It was a nice honest place to grow up.”
Erica: “What sort of things did you do on the farm?”
Skip: “Help my dad and siblings with the heavy lifting, tending to cattle, plowing fields. You know. Farmer stuff.”
Erica: “So why did you come to the University of Virginia?”
Skip: “I’m not really sure. I was 19 when I first came here two years ago. Just something about this place called out to me and made me want to play for you guys or maybe it just reminded me of home.”
Erica: “Are you looking forward to playing professional baseball? The word is you drafted fairly high.”
Skip: “I am. It’s a dream come true. Who wouldn’t want to play pro ball?”
Erica: “The single girls of the school have to know. Have your good looks, athletic body and nice guy attitude landed you a lucky lady?”
Skip: He blushes a bit. “You know I’ve never really paid that much attention but I think there is one I have my eye on right now. She’s really smart and witty, you’d like her. She’s pretty too.”
Erica: It was her turn to blush as the baseball star flirted with her and she put her notepad away. “Thanks for the interview.”
Skip: “Sure thing. The guys on the team are having a party tonight. You should come.”
Erica: “Only if a super star escorts me to the party.”
Skip: “It’s a deal.”
Her face lit up as she left the change room and Skip couldn’t help but chuckle. This sort of thing was completely out of character for him. He was normally quiet and introverted. There were a few snickers coming from his teammates across the room. “Smooth line Saunders. Didn’t think you had lines as smooth as your swing?” The one on the left chuckled.
“Yea, neither did I.” He couldn’t stop smiling. He had finally got a date.