The Legend of Mickey Tussler by Nappi Frank;

Author:Nappi, Frank;
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 1320988
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Published: 2008-07-31T16:00:00+00:00

Murph’s team failed to build on the momentum generated by the victory over the Bears, dropping each of the next three games. Murph was beside himself, powerless to combat the insidious contagion of losing that had gripped his entire squad. They lost games in every conceivable way. They could not hit, the pitching had become batting practice for opposing hitters, and the fielding had degenerated into a sorry comedy of errors. Even the mental part of the game had gone south, resulting in a late-inning loss to the Mud Hens when Ruffings, with one out in the ninth and the winning run standing just ninety feet away, caught a fly ball in right and unwittingly flipped it to a young fan sitting in the first row, certain that the game was over.

Dennison lambasted Murph for the team’s deplorable performance, screaming and yelling about feeling as if someone had a hand on his throat and how he was tired of being fodder for the newspapers.

“You better think of something!” he warned. “Think of something, and fast!”

Murph took it home with him every night. He slept for a little while, or maybe he didn’t. He never could tell, for it seemed as though he hovered torturously between the realms of dozing and waking, never quite crossing over into either. But one thing was for sure—not long after he was under the covers, he found himself on the edge of the bed, coiled up in a fetal ball.

He lay there, listening as the sounds of nighttime mocked his restlessness. A unexpected wind blew against the window, and in his thoughts a cast of amateur actors bumped into each other carelessly on a darkened stage. He directed, trying to order the chaos, but the players just executed their own will, vibrating in a mêlée of impromptu performances. All night long he blinked, trying to drop the curtain and bring the act to a close, but the show went on in painful perpetuity.

The only one seemingly impervious to the skid was Lefty, who got the ball the next day and turned in another stellar performance: nine more innings, twelve strikeouts, and just one unearned run. He was definitely in the zone.

His star had gloriously risen from the wreckage. The newspapers grabbed hold of his exploits and lionized him, using such words as savior and such expressions as the cavalry and knight in shining armor. It seemed, as a natural defense to the intolerable hurt, people became desensitized to the Mickey saga; it was just easier to leave that painful chapter behind for the moment and focus on something positive. Consequently, George Lefty Rogers became the talk of the town, the lone bright spot, the port in a season-threatening storm. He was, all at once, the town darling, capturing the hearts of an entire city, especially the younger female followers.

He began receiving flowers, candy, and other small tokens of affection, including perfume-laden love letters, a fistful of telephone numbers, and invitations to all sorts of social engagements.

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