"Ryan's Catch"

"Ryan's Catch," which appears in the baseball-loving zine Slow Trains, was inspired by the play of my nephew Brian at the age of 11. The story also appeared in print in Oasis. One of my prized possessions is a copy of Oasis signed by the great announcer Vin Scully, who is fondly imitated at two points in the story. The tale leads off like so ...

Tonight in Madison I made a diving catch of a sinking liner to center by Teddy Blackman with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, the tying run on third, and the winning run on second. I broke in right away, not thinking about where the ball would go, but knowing where it would, `cause I had to know; but I admit, my heart leaped into my throat when the ball took air halfway to the outfield and disappeared into the low bank of lights behind home plate. But the topspin brought the ball down from the lights, and man what a feeling, sliding on my belly on the glistening grass with the ball in my glove! After the play everyone mobbed me, and not one guy asked “How could you reach the ball?” with those short arms of mine; and our pitcher, Frankie Pearl– my roomie, the first I’ve ever had–told me to keep the ball. Ordered me to keep it, actually. But the ball was Frankie’s. He was the one that had gutted out a complete game on a muggy August night, and he was the one that crossed-up that big Valentine with a 2-2 change and the game on the line. And we needed that win big-time, `cause we'd already lost three in a row, and Madison was threatening to run away with the division. Damned Muskeys. They're the A's Midwest League affiliate, and I'll tell you, there are some future Canseco’s and Rickey Henderson’s on that team, and Teddy Blackman's a dead ringer for Mark McGwire. Seriously, if these guys are as good as I think they are, in a few years The A's could have their best teams since the McGwire-Canseco-Eckersley A's of my Little League days.

I also have to admit, the catch came at a great time from a personal standpoint, since Jefferson Kasmer was in the stands; I’d spotted his straw hat behind home plate in the first. Kazzie's a roving scout for the Brewers, and he was in town to look at our players and give a report to the front office in Milwaukee. ...