The Team That Stopped Moving

by Matt Christopher

  Dick smiled. “Aw, forget it,” he said.

  “Okay,” Jack said. “Go back to your positions. Win or lose, play so that your fans will be real proud of you. Promise?”

  “We promise!” both boys answered at once.

  They returned to their positions. Suddenly Jack was gone, and everything was back to normal again. Dick noticed, too, that Stan had not followed through with his kick. He had spun around and was now smiling pleasantly at him.

  “Let’s go, gang!” Stan shouted. “Let’s get em!”

  As if the Tigers had drunk some kind of magic potion, they began to play much better than they had before and proceeded to keep the Foxes from scoring. Then, during the bottom of the fourth inning, they began to hit Jack Munson to the tune of eight hits and seven runs. In the fifth inning they garnered three more to tie up the score, 10-10.

  “One more run!” Dick shouted as the Tigers came to bat in the bottom of the sixth. “Just one more!”

  Stan led off and smashed out a scorching double. Andy flied out to center. Dick, stepping up nervously to the plate, realized that the game could go into an extra inning unless he, or Eddie, got a hit to score Stan.

  “Knock me in, Dick!” Stan shouted from second base. “Powder it!”

  Dick watched Jack Munson’s first pitch breeze by him. “Strike!” cried the ump.

  Another pitch rifled in. “Strike two!” bellowed the ump.

  “Dick — please!” Stan yelled.

  Crack! A long, shallow blow to deep left center field! Thunder rocked the Tigers’ bench as Dick dropped his bat and raced around the bases, holding up at third.

  It was over. The Tigers won, 11-10.

  The boys jumped up and down and hugged each other as if they had won the championship.

  “I can’t believe it!” Coach Banks exclaimed as he stood among them, beaming proudly. “Stan, your coming to finish up the game with us made all the difference in the world!”

  Stan’s eyes shone like bright lights. “It wasn’t only me, Coach. It was Dick, too. And Jack Wanda.”

  The Coach frowned. “Jack who?”

  Dick laughed. “Jack Wanda!” he cried. “A new friend of ours, Coach! You should meet him sometime! Right, Eddie?”

  “Right!”

  Coach Banks’ eyebrows rose in wonder and amusement. “You guys!” He laughed. “What are you going to think of next?”

  THE TEAM THAT STOPPED MOVING

  by

  MATT CHRISTOPHER

  Dick Farrar was glum. The baseball team he had helped organize couldn’t seem to get a winning combination together.

  Then one day, in the midst of an important play, something happens to Dick. For some strange reason, all the action on the field seems to freeze, and a man who calls himself a wizard appears and begins to talk to him. The wizard gives him pointers on how to improve his play, and after everyone starts to move again, Dick sparks a rally that enables them to win the game.

  Combining baseball and the supernatural, Matt Christopher weaves an exciting story in this his fortieth book for young readers.

  Illustrated by Byron Goto

  Matt Christopher

  Front Court Hex

  What would you do if a warlock put a hex on you?

  Jerry Steele couldn’t understand why he had suddenly turned into such a bumbler on the basketball court. Last year he was his team’s star player, but this year he couldn’t score a point.

  When Jerry meets Danny Weather-spoon he really begins to think something strange is going on — for Danny says he’s a warlock who is purposely preventing Jerry from scoring.

  Why Danny feels he has a good reason to hex Jerry and how Jerry reacts to Danny’s claim of supernatural powers make up the intriguing plot of this fast-paced sports story by one of the most popular authors of stories for young readers.

  Illustrated by Byron Goto

  SPORTS BOOKS BY MATT CHRISTOPHER

  BASEBALL BOOKS

  The Lucky Baseball Bat

  Baseball Pals

  Two Strikes on Johnny

  Little Lefty

  Long Stretch at First Base

  Challenge at Second Base

  Baseball Flyhawk

  Catcher with a Glass Arm

  Too Hot to Handle

  The Reluctant Pitcher

  Miracle at the Plate

  The Year Mom Won the Pennant

  Hard Drive to Short

  Shortstop from Tokyo

  Look Who’s Playing First Base

  The Kid Who Only Hit Homers

  Mystery Coach

  No Arm in Left Field

  Jinx Glove

  The Team That Stopped Moving

  BASKETBALL BOOKS

  The Basket Counts

  Basketball Sparkplug

  Break for the Basket

  Tall Man in the Pivot

  Sink It, Rusty

  Long Shot for Paul

  Johnny Long Legs

  Front Court Hex

  FOOTBALL BOOKS

  Touchdown for Tommy

  Crackerjack Halfback

  Counterfeit Tackle

  The Team That Couldn’t Lose

  Catch That Pass!

  Tough to Tackle

  Glue Fingers

  HOCKEY BOOKS

  Wingman on Ice

  Face-Off

  Ice Magic

  Lucky Seven: Sports Stories by Matt Christopher

  ANIMAL STORIES

  Desperate Search

  Stranded