bat, Koby thought,
eyeing the huge seventh grader.
Jethro walked up to the batter’s box as if he wereentering a ring for a professional wrestling match. Koby hunched over, left hand on his knee, and shook off Tug’s first signal.
The second signal was a go. It called for a fast one, down and low.
As Koby let the pitch fly, Jethro kicked his left leg up and swung the bat back. He untangled himself and swung.
Thump!
The ball landed in Tug’s oversize mitt. The Hummer cradled it the way a robin’s nest cradles an egg.
“Strike one!” yelled the umpire.
Jethro frowned, then looked more determined than ever.
But so did Koby.
Tug relayed the signal, and Koby unleashed a sidearm pitch that caught Jethro completely by surprise. All he could do was
watch the pitch whiz by and listen to the umpire cry, “Strike two!”
Next, Tug called for a fastball. Koby threw, but the pitch was a bit high. Swinging with all his might, Jethro smacked the
ball farther than any ball had traveled that day.
Koby craned his neck to see where the ball washeading.
Thunk!
— it landed right on top of Ms. Brodsky’s station wagon in the farthest corner of the parking lot near left field.
“Foul ball!” screamed the ump as he tossed a fresh ball to Tug.
Just barely, Koby thought with a sigh of relief. He wiped his brow, then dug his fingernails into the ball. With everything
he had, he threw the next pitch down the pipe. Jethro swung hard, obviously looking to punch that ball out of there.
Whoosh!
On the mound, Koby was sure he felt the breeze as Jethro struck out.
The Cardinal bench raced onto the field. Tug ran to the mound and bear-hugged Koby.
“We did it!” he yelled.
“We sure did,” said Koby with a huge smile. “We sure did!”
Moments later, Koby and Tug were buried under a pile of cheering teammates.
“W-A! T-E-R! M-E-L-O-N!”
chanted the Cardinals faithful.
“W-A! T-E-R! M-E-L-O-N!”
“C’mon, let’s eat!” Koby yelled in Tug’s ear from under the pileup. “If Scoop gets there before us,there won’t be any left!” Scoop Jones, the team’s left fielder, was known for his hearty appetite.
“Are you kidding?” Tug yelled back. “They’re going to save a piece for the winning pitcher of the Watermelon Game. You’re
the hero, man!”
“Hey, I couldn’t have done it without you and the Hummer!”
“Ah, piece of cake. Or, should I say ‘slice of watermelon’?”
The Greenview players and coach dragged their garbage can of watermelons over to the Monticello dugout. “Come join us in the
feast,” Coach T. yelled to the Green Jackets. “There’s plenty for everybody!”
Scoop was the first player in line.
2
The Megaphone
Monticello Middle School
April 29
SPORTS SHORTS
by Sara Wilson
OK, Cardinals fans! I think I’ve died and gone to heaven — baseball heaven, that is. Watermelon never looked so good as it
did after the annual preseason Watermelon Game, and I don’t even
like
watermelon. Too many seeds, but I didn’t care if I swallowed them all, because victory sure tasted sweet!
The Cardinals came out on top thanks to Koby Caplin’s excellent pitching and the hard work of a team whose thirst for watermelon
was bigger than their opponents’. Koby went the distance and scatteredfour hits with seven whiffs to a 1-0 victory. In the biggest K of the game, Jethro Hubbard did an impressive imitation of
a windmill.
While the pitching for the Cardinals was awesome, our offense sputtered a bit. Despite eight solid hits under its belt, our
team left several runners stranded on base — a no-no in Coach T.’s playbook.
Here’s my take on this year’s starting lineup:
1B: Tom Jefferson (a.k.a. “the Prez”): At nearly 5’10”, he is a great target for scrambling fielders throwing on the run.
The Prez picks balls out of the dirt with ease. Good bat!
2B: Sandy Siegel has the speed and agility to fill the hole between second and first. Can scratch out a clutch
eyeing the huge seventh grader.
Jethro walked up to the batter’s box as if he wereentering a ring for a professional wrestling match. Koby hunched over, left hand on his knee, and shook off Tug’s first signal.
The second signal was a go. It called for a fast one, down and low.
As Koby let the pitch fly, Jethro kicked his left leg up and swung the bat back. He untangled himself and swung.
Thump!
The ball landed in Tug’s oversize mitt. The Hummer cradled it the way a robin’s nest cradles an egg.
“Strike one!” yelled the umpire.
Jethro frowned, then looked more determined than ever.
But so did Koby.
Tug relayed the signal, and Koby unleashed a sidearm pitch that caught Jethro completely by surprise. All he could do was
watch the pitch whiz by and listen to the umpire cry, “Strike two!”
Next, Tug called for a fastball. Koby threw, but the pitch was a bit high. Swinging with all his might, Jethro smacked the
ball farther than any ball had traveled that day.
Koby craned his neck to see where the ball washeading.
Thunk!
— it landed right on top of Ms. Brodsky’s station wagon in the farthest corner of the parking lot near left field.
“Foul ball!” screamed the ump as he tossed a fresh ball to Tug.
Just barely, Koby thought with a sigh of relief. He wiped his brow, then dug his fingernails into the ball. With everything
he had, he threw the next pitch down the pipe. Jethro swung hard, obviously looking to punch that ball out of there.
Whoosh!
On the mound, Koby was sure he felt the breeze as Jethro struck out.
The Cardinal bench raced onto the field. Tug ran to the mound and bear-hugged Koby.
“We did it!” he yelled.
“We sure did,” said Koby with a huge smile. “We sure did!”
Moments later, Koby and Tug were buried under a pile of cheering teammates.
“W-A! T-E-R! M-E-L-O-N!”
chanted the Cardinals faithful.
“W-A! T-E-R! M-E-L-O-N!”
“C’mon, let’s eat!” Koby yelled in Tug’s ear from under the pileup. “If Scoop gets there before us,there won’t be any left!” Scoop Jones, the team’s left fielder, was known for his hearty appetite.
“Are you kidding?” Tug yelled back. “They’re going to save a piece for the winning pitcher of the Watermelon Game. You’re
the hero, man!”
“Hey, I couldn’t have done it without you and the Hummer!”
“Ah, piece of cake. Or, should I say ‘slice of watermelon’?”
The Greenview players and coach dragged their garbage can of watermelons over to the Monticello dugout. “Come join us in the
feast,” Coach T. yelled to the Green Jackets. “There’s plenty for everybody!”
Scoop was the first player in line.
2
The Megaphone
Monticello Middle School
April 29
SPORTS SHORTS
by Sara Wilson
OK, Cardinals fans! I think I’ve died and gone to heaven — baseball heaven, that is. Watermelon never looked so good as it
did after the annual preseason Watermelon Game, and I don’t even
like
watermelon. Too many seeds, but I didn’t care if I swallowed them all, because victory sure tasted sweet!
The Cardinals came out on top thanks to Koby Caplin’s excellent pitching and the hard work of a team whose thirst for watermelon
was bigger than their opponents’. Koby went the distance and scatteredfour hits with seven whiffs to a 1-0 victory. In the biggest K of the game, Jethro Hubbard did an impressive imitation of
a windmill.
While the pitching for the Cardinals was awesome, our offense sputtered a bit. Despite eight solid hits under its belt, our
team left several runners stranded on base — a no-no in Coach T.’s playbook.
Here’s my take on this year’s starting lineup:
1B: Tom Jefferson (a.k.a. “the Prez”): At nearly 5’10”, he is a great target for scrambling fielders throwing on the run.
The Prez picks balls out of the dirt with ease. Good bat!
2B: Sandy Siegel has the speed and agility to fill the hole between second and first. Can scratch out a clutch
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