The Rookie Blue Jay
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Dusty hung his head and smacked the palm of his glove a few times with his hand. “Well, you’re right,” he said. “I’ve been practicing hockey at night in the bull pen. I was trying to do it secretly, so people wouldn’t know.”
Just then, a Blue Jays player with a beard left the dugout. He noticed Dusty talking to Kate and Mike and gave a sharp whistle.
“Dusty! Coach wants to see you before the game!” the player shouted.
“Okay, I’ll be there in a minute,” Dusty answered. He turned to Mike and Kate and nodded. “I’m going to let you in on a secret,” he said. “Make sure you stick around until the end of tonight’s game.”
“Why?” Mike asked. “What’s going on?”
Dusty stared at the field for a minute, and then pounded his fist into his glove. “Because after tonight’s game, I’m going to tell the press that I’m quitting baseball forever!” he said.
Rookie of the Year
Mike’s and Kate’s jaws dropped open.
“What?” Kate asked.
“Are you crazy?” Mike asked. “You’re up for Rookie of the Year! You can’t quit!”
Dusty’s shoulders slumped. “I have to!” he said. “I love baseball, but hockey’s always been important to my family. I feel like I’ve let someone down by playing baseball. So I’ve decided to quit and play hockey instead.”
Without another word, Dusty vanished into the clubhouse.
“Now what do we do?” Kate asked.
“He can’t give up baseball!” Mike said. “He’s got a shot at Rookie of the Year!”
“It sounds like he’s made up his mind,” Kate said.
Mike’s eyes narrowed. “Or someone else has,” he said. “Like his father. Dusty isn’t quitting baseball because he doesn’t like it. I’ll bet he’s quitting it because he feels guilty!”
Kate nodded. “We’ve got to stop him before he makes a huge mistake.”
“Or maybe his father has to stop him,” Mike said. “We need to find Buck before the end of the game.” He bounded up the stairs and disappeared into the crowd.
Kate ran to catch up. She followed Mike to the section where they had seen Buck the day before, at batting practice. They walked up and down the aisles, looking for Buck. They checked the seat that he had sat in earlier, but it was empty.
Mike and Kate were just about to head back when they spotted Buck. He was standing on the walkway behind the last row of seats.
When Buck saw Mike coming, he shook his head. “Oh no, I’m not going to have to rescue your hat again, am I?” he asked.
Mike laughed. “No, not this time,” he said. “But you’re Dusty Martin’s father, right? We saw your picture at the Hockey Hall of Fame.”
Buck raised one eyebrow. “Yes…,” he said slowly. “Why?”
“That’s what we thought,” Kate said. “Dusty is about to make a big mistake! We need your help.”
“What’s going on?” Buck asked. “It sounds important.”
“Dusty just told us he’s going to give up baseball!” Kate said. “We think that he thinks you’re disappointed in him. He’s going to try to play hockey instead!”
“That’s silly!” Buck said. “I’m sorry that Dusty didn’t play hockey, but he’s so great at baseball, he just can’t give it up! As long as he enjoys it, I’ll be happy.”
“Can you meet us after the game?” Kate asked. “We’ll go talk to Dusty before he talks to the press. You can tell him how you really feel. Maybe that will change his mind.”
Buck nodded. “That’s a good idea,” he said. “I’ll meet you near the dugout when the game’s over. We can’t let Dusty strike out at baseball!”
By the time Mike and Kate got back to their seats, the game was definitely going the Blue Jays’ way. The Blue Jays had scored two runs in the first inning. Then they added on runs in the fifth and sixth innings to keep their lead.
Unlike the last few games, Dusty played really well. He hit back-to-back home runs and turned a double play to end an inning. He seemed on top of the world. When the game was over, he ran off the field to wild applause.
After the game, fans sang “O Canada” as they filed out. Mike and Kate made their way down to the Blue Jays dugout to meet up with Buck, but he was nowhere in sight.
Kate checked the time. “Where is he? He’s supposed to be here by now,” she said.
“I don’t know,” Mike said. He continued to scan the aisles. Finally, he spotted Buck bounding down the stairs toward them.
“Sorry!” Buck said when he made it to Mike and Kate. “I got caught behind a big group of fans. Is there still time?”
“If we hurry,” Kate said. “But we’ve got to run!”
They ran as fast as they could through the stadium to the team’s media room. They were just about to open the media room door when a security guard stepped in front of it.
“Sorry, but only members of the press or the team are allowed in here,” the guard said.
“But we’ve got something important to tell Dusty,” Mike said.
The guard shook his head. “Sorry, but we can’t let just anyone in,” he said.
Buck stepped forward. He held out his driver’s license for the guard to read. “We’re not just anyone,” he said. “I’m Dusty’s father, and these are his friends Mike and Kate. Can you let us inside, please?”
The guard studied the license. Then he nodded and stepped aside. “That’s good enough for me,” he said. “But be quiet, since the press conference has already started.”
Mike pulled the door open, and the three rushed in. Dusty was just stepping up to the microphone. Reporters swarmed around the room, waiting for a big announcement. Men and women with video cameras lined the sides and back of the room.
Buck stopped short. Mike and Kate did, too.
“It’s too late. I don’t know if I should do this,” Buck said. “This is Dusty’s decision.”
“But you’ve got to talk to him,” Mike said. “He needs to know how you really feel.”
Before Buck could answer, Dusty stepped forward and cleared his throat. He looked into the cameras. “Thank you for joining me here tonight. I’ve made a difficult decision that I want to share with all the Toronto Blue Jays fans,” he said. “Playing baseball has been my lifelong dream. I’m lucky to have had a chance to play for the Blue Jays.”
Dusty adjusted his baseball cap and took a deep breath. “I love baseball. But I also love my father, who first taught me how to play sports,” he said. “He’s the best athlete I know, and I want to make him proud. Hockey means everything to him. That’s why I’ve made up my mind to—”
“Wait!” Mike called out from the back of the room. “You’re making a huge mistake!”
All the reporters and video cameras in the room swiveled around to see what was going on.
Kate tugged on Buck’s shirt. “Now’s the time!” she said.
She and Mike pulled Buck through the crowd to the other side of the room. They emerged right in front of the podium.
Dusty’s jaw dropped. “Dad, what are you doing here?” he asked.
“I’m here because I want to stop you from making the biggest mistake of your life,” Buck said.
“What do you mean?” Dusty asked.
“Mike and Kate told me you had something important to say,” Buck said. “But I have something important to say, too. You can’t quit baseball. You’re one of the best rookie players ever. You were born to play baseball.”
“But I thought you wanted me to play hockey, like you,” Dusty said. “I always thought that I was disappointing you by playing baseball. That’s why I’ve been practicing hockey in secret at night. I’ve decided to quit baseball and play hockey instead.”
“You can’t do that,” Buck said. “I’d love to see you play hockey like me, but I’m so proud of how well you’re doing at baseball. You love baseball the way I love hockey.”
“You’re not disappointed in me?” Dusty asked.
“Not at all,” Buck sai
d. “I’m happy you found something that you love so much.”
When he heard that, Dusty leaned over and gave his father a big hug. Click! Click! Click! All the reporters with cameras snapped away. When Dusty and his father finally let go of each other, someone handed Buck a hockey stick and Dusty his glove. The reporters took even more pictures.
After a few minutes, the reporters finished up and drifted away. Mike, Kate, Mrs. Hopkins, Buck, and Dusty were left alone. As the last reporter left the pressroom, Dusty snapped his fingers.
“I wonder if I should call them back in,” Dusty said. “I just remembered there’s one more thing I want to say.”
“What’s that?” Buck asked.
Dusty threw his arm around his father. “Well, thanks to Mike and Kate, I’ve got you back on my side,” he said. “And that means that nothing is going to stop me from winning Rookie of the Year!”
Dugout Notes
Toronto
Blue Jays Ballpark
Fast World Series winners. The Toronto Blue Jays played their first game in 1977. They won their first World Series in 1992, just fifteen years later. The Blue Jays were the first team from outside the United States to win a World Series. And they came back the next year (1993) to win the World Series again!
Stanley Cup. The Stanley Cup is the trophy that’s awarded to the best professional hockey team each year. It’s named after Lord Stanley of Preston. He was governor general of Canada in the late 1880s. Lord Stanley first awarded the famous trophy in 1893.
Hockey. The first organized indoor hockey game was played in 1875 in Montreal, Canada. There are currently thirty National Hockey League teams, just as with baseball. But seven of the hockey teams are in Canada, compared with only one baseball team.
Blue jays (the birds). The blue jay is a songbird. Blue jays mostly blue, with some black and white feathers. They are smart birds that can be noisy and pushy. They like nuts and acorns. They live all over North America, from Florida up to Canada. Even though a blue jay’s feathers look blue, they’re actually dark-colored! The blue comes from the way light is reflected off the feathers.
Blue Jays (the team). The Toronto Blue Jays started in 1977. They were the second team outside the United States. The Montreal Expos (also in Canada) were the first. But the Montreal Expos became the Washington Nationals starting in 2005. Now the Blue Jays are the only team outside the United States.
Two national anthems. Before a Blue Jays game, fans have to stand for two national anthems! Since the Blue Jays are a Canadian team, “O Canada” is one. But since the Blue Jays always play an American team, “The Star-Spangled Banner” is the other. At home, the Canadian anthem is played last. On the road, the American anthem is played last.
The Blue Jays’ stadium. The Blue Jays play inside a big stadium in downtown Toronto. When it opened, it was called the Sky Dome. The stadium’s roof can be fully opened for games. The Blue Jays’ stadium is the only ballpark with a hotel inside it.
Don’t miss the next Ballpark Mystery®!
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Someone has stolen a Detroit slugger’s favorite baseball trophy! And unless he fills a tiger-shaped bag with signed baseballs, he’ll never see the trophy again. Can Mike and Kate track down the thief?
Get ready for more baseball adventure!
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