by russ mckay  

TIME: 1960’s PLACE: Baltimore

CHAPTER ONE

Billy James looked so small and so sad standing by third base. He tried to hide his tears, but they were dropping so fast, that he soon gave up and just turned and walked away toward the left field gate, dropping his fielder’s glove and kicking it away into the dirt pile near the empty stands.

“Billy…BILLY!” A shout came from behind home plate, as a hobbled older man climbed from the bench seats and with much discomfort stepped out onto the baseball field.

“Wait Billy my boy!” the man strained to call out as he was trying to follow the kid, but was losing ground with each of the boy’s quickening steps.

Finally, the boy, recognizing his Grandfather’s voice, stopped and turned back toward the man and wiped his eyes with his uniform sleeve. Billy didn’t move as his Grandfather Hector James arrived, winded and frail at the boy’s side.

That was a tough play Billy. Why even Brooks Robinson woulda had a time with that short hop!”
“I hate baseball Papa. Never gonna…….” The tears were back, and Billy just turned away and looked down at the ground and kicked at the dirt.

“Well. That’s enough for today son. Let’s go and get us a milkshake at “Taffys” what do ya think?”

“I just wanna go home Papa.”

“Well, we will. As soon as we’re full of Taffys’ Malted Double Chocolate shakes!”

“Wait! First I wanna get your glove.”

“Aw, leave it. I never wanna see it or touch it again!”

“Well, I might need to use it next week when I play with the Codgers against the dreaded Fogies in Memorial Stadium!”
Billy tried, but just couldn’t stop the smile that wiped his tears away. He took his Grandpa’s hand and they left the field and slowly walked to Taffy’s.

CHAPTER TWO

Filled with the happy elixer from Taffy’s, the two generations of James’ rounded the last corner and neared the small brick row house that had been Hector James’ home since the day that he was born. Billy and his Mom lived two doors down, managing to keep the house even after the sudden loss of Billy’s Dad in an accident at the Bethlehem Steel plant in Sparrows Point.

Billy was a smart and talented lad, but wanted things to be too good and come too soon for the life that he and his Mom were now living.

“Well, I’ll see you at dinner Papa.”

“Billy. Stop in a moment will ya. I wanna show you something. Something special that I’ve never shown you before!”

“Well…..OK. But I gotta get home to set the table and Roy Rodgers is comin’ on soon too.”

“Won’t take but a few minutes.”

Billy looked past his Grandad’s house toward his and thought. “Ok. But can you hurry a bit?

“I ain’t fast anymore, but I can be quick!”

Billy looked up at his Papa and smiled. “I like the way you say stuff Grandpa.”

Inside the house, Grandpa James took Billy up to the attic. It took awhile and Billy asked what time it was every minute or two.

“Ahhh. Now! Got something I want to show you. It’s back in here last I saw it. Naw. Hmmmn.”

Billy was getting impatient. “Wish I had a watch!” he said.

“You’d wear it out in a day or two!”

“You can’t wear out a watch just by lookin’ at it! Can ya?”

“Nobody has yet. But I bet you could! Oh…HERE it IS!”

Hector pulled out an old wrinkled gold painted baseball glove from just above therafter and dusted it off. “This here is a glove that’ll turn any boy that puts it on into a wiz kid baseball player. And I’ll tell you a secret…Brooks actually put on this glove once himself when he was just a rookie. It was the year he first came to play for the Orioles! And that’s a fact!”
“Really Papa?:

“Really Billy!

Billy reached for the glove, but Grandpa James pulled it away so quick that Billy’s eyes got really big in wonder.

“Told you I was quick! It’s the glove son. The Glove!”

“Wow, Papa.” Then Billy reached for the glove again.

“NOPE! First…and foremost, you’ve got to say the oath.”

“What’s an OATH?”
“It’s a promise that you can’t EVER break.”
“OK. What do I say?”

“It’s more like What Do I PROMISE? Are you ready to make the promise?”

”What is it.?”

“OK. Put you left hand into the glove. Now repeat after me…”I Billy James, Do promise …….to use this golden glove to play my very best…… at all times and in every game from now on…….. And if I should make an error,,……. it will not be because of the glove,……… but because I can and WILL do better……… next time and every time after that!”

“I want to go back to the field right now and try it out Papa!”

“Well, Billy, you have to get home to help your Mom and eat dinner. Wait until morning and I’ll get your coach Ted to meet you there and hit you some grounders and see how that glove helps.”

“Aww…OK Papa. But I’m not letting this glove out of my sight!”

“I’ll go with you tomorrow. You’ll see what a difference it will be.”

CHAPTER THREE

That evening, Billy stayed awake as long as he could, but finally fell asleep wearing his “new” old gold glove. It surprised him that he didn’t dream about the glove, or of playing flawless baseball. He awoke the next morning earlier than his Mom, which had never happened before He was too excited to eat breakfast, but his Mom allowed a glass of orange juice and a slice of toast as a substitute.

The doorbell rang…”That’s Papa!. We’re gonna go to the field and Ted will hit me some grounders.”

“Don’t get your hopes up too high Billy. After all, it’s just an old glove.”

“Mom.”

“Yes, Billy. What?”

“You never played baseball before did ya?”

His Mom laughed and rubbed his head. “Go answer the door and get your Papa and see if he wants breakfast!”

The answer was yelled from the front step “Noooo…too excited to get to the ballpark!”

Billy and Papa met Ted and Billy took his position at third base. The first grounder was rather softly hit and a bit routine. Billy moved right and crouched and the ball hit the thick part of the heel of the glove and bounced away.

All was still after/the error. Billy went to retrieve the ball and looked over to his Grandpa who was walking slowly out to third base.

“Now Billy. You have to do your part too, so that the glove can work right. You can’t just throw the glove out there on the field and expect it to catch baseballs. You have to get in position and square up and bend down and keep the glove low and be ready. The glove needs to know that you also know what you’re doin’…get it?”

“Yeah. Papa. Me and this gold glove are partners!”

“Righto! Now take another grounder. Ted! Hit him a hard one!’

Billy had to turn a quick left and scoop up the hot grounder, catch it in the web and throw the ball to first . Billy’s accurate throw actually hit the bag!

“Wow! That’s some kinda good fieldin’ Billy. Brooks would be proud of that one!”

Billy fielded line drives, pop ups and hard grounders for so long, that Ted got tired and Papa needed restin; too.

After the session and Coach Ted was thanked, Billy and Papa slowly walked home. As they arrived at Papa’s house, Billy looked up at his Grandfather and said, “Thanks Papa. It isn’t the glove is it? It’s really me and how I try or not.”

“Billy., . You learned somethin’ today that most people take a long time to figure out…if they ever do!”