Stanimals

Episode 18: The Pitcher

Snooks could not resist the temptation to pitch for an hour every morning. Spring was near and that meant baseball season.

Snooks on the Mound

Hugs was always there ready to catch.

Snooks started slowly. He lowered his head, eyed Hugs behind the plate, stood tall, wound his right arm into a frenzy and leaned into the pitch.

He was getting extraordinary. Hugs could sense the improvement. This season was going to be great!

Da Morgo would first watch Snooks and then the ball. She would follow its speedy flight to home plate. It would go straight. It would curve. It would drop. But the sound of it hitting Hugs' glove was loud. Very loud.

Ringer held the radar gun and clocked speeds approaching 100 miles per hour, sometimes over 100.

Moody even noticed and thought..."Baseball Hall of Fame!"

Talking Machine stood at a distance. He provided the constant chatter that would distract some pitchers, but not this one.

Snooks would stare straight ahead, sometimes check a pretend runner on first or second, then wind up and let it fly. He was in a zone. He could not be distracted.

Charles tried dragging a large nut near home plate. Snooks never saw it. He was focused, very focused. He wanted to be good at baseball. It consumed him.

Dukester sat by a tree and could feel a slight breeze when the pitch was thrown. It moved the air.

The local reporter, Scribe, watched and made notes. The local paper had turned Snooks into a legend. Everyone would rush out to read the morning paper and Snooks' early morning practice tips. Snooks was quoted as saying things like, "I want to be the team leader," "I never stray from my purpose," and once, "Oh I get tired, but nuts refresh me. Even peanuts, but they are not my favorite."

The Commissioner of the League wrote back. "We can get other kinds of nuts."


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