Hit & Miss by Derek Jeter

his head off. Still, he felt better having done something to contribute to the team’s effort.
    That good feeling didn’t last long, though. Derek struck out in the fourth and felt like he was going to explode in frustration. It took a supreme effort to keep his cool and not melt down in front of everybody.
    The game continued, with the Red Sox scoring threemore runs in the fifth. Derek could have been a big part of it—he came to bat with two more men on base—but in spite of the fact that he stayed calm, swung at strikes, and kept his swing level, he wound up hitting only a long fly ball that was run down by the center fielder for an out.
    The runner at third did come home, for Derek’s first RBI of the season, but that didn’t make him feel much better. Three games, and he still didn’t have a single hit! His batting average was still a big fat .000.
    Still, the Sox had a 10–4 lead with just half an inning to go. Derek’s arm was sore and tired, and he allowed two runs to score in the top of the sixth, but in the end he managed to seal the Red Sox’s first victory of the season with a pair of strikeouts.
    Derek joined in the team’s raucous celebration at the mound. He was happy his team had won, happy for Vijay and Dave—but as for his own performance, he couldn’t help feeling terribly disappointed.
    â€œHey, come on now,” his dad said when Derek came over to greet his family. “Why the long face?”
    â€œWhat do you mean?” Derek said. “I stunk. Again.”
    â€œDon’t say that!” his mom jumped in. “How are you going to get out of your slump if you keep thinking negative thoughts?”
    â€œExactly,” said his dad. “Instead of thinking how badly you did, look at the bright side.”
    â€œWhat bright side?” Derek asked. “That we won? Okay, I’m glad about that. But I still stunk.”
    â€œNonsense!” said his mom. “You played great in the field, and you hit the ball hard almost every time. You just got unlucky a couple times. But you got an RBI.”
    â€œYou didn’t pitch too badly either,” his dad added.
    â€œI gave up two runs.”
    â€œYou struck out five guys,” his dad said. “And both those two runs came on that one home run.”
    â€œHey, old man, keep your chin up,” said his mom. “Take this win and build on it.”
    â€œThat’s right,” said his dad. “You keep swinging like that, and just be patient. Bad luck tends to even out over time. Next time you might be as lucky as you were unlucky today. The main thing is to be consistent with your approach. Don’t get too high or too low.”
    â€œAll right, Jeter,” his mom told his dad. “Derek’s had enough coaching for one day. He’s got a lot to digest. Speaking of which—it’s time to go home and have dinner.”
    Derek knew they were right, but he still didn’t feel very good about his performance. He was quiet on the way home in the car—and so was Sharlee. In fact, she had hardly said a word the whole time.
    He thought back to the other night, when she’d seemed so down and he’d promised his parents he’d talk to her.
    Well, he hadn’t—not yet. Derek promised himself tolook for the right moment to approach her about it.
    Sharlee didn’t like talking about her problems any more than he did, so he had to pick his moment carefully. But he was determined to get to the bottom of what was bothering her. Stewing about things was no good, he knew that from his own experience. Only talking things out made it any better.

Chapter Eleven
PATIENCE PAYS OFF
    Derek spent the next Monday in school trying not to think about all the important things on his mind. It was important to pay attention, he knew. All this stuff they were studying now would be on their finals in June.
    Gary didn’t make it any easier with his