Batter Up!

by Jake Maddox

  “Strike one!” the umpire called.

  “Maybe cheating won’t help you this time,” the catcher said, laughing. He tossed the ball back to the pitcher.

  Caleb stepped out of the batter’s box. He tried to calm himself down. He reminded himself that a good, solid swing beat an extra-hard swing every time.

  Slow down, he thought. Swing easy. Let it happen.

  The next pitch started in at Caleb’s elbow. Then it broke out over the plate.

  Caleb stepped into it and swung.

  This time, the swing was smooth and easy. Caleb heard the crack! he had been hoping for.

  “Great hit!” Coach Bergen cried out.

  The ball headed for the hillside beyond the left-field fence.

  Caleb had done it again.

  Chapter 6

  CHECKING IT OUT

  Caleb jumped and threw his arms up into the air as he began to round the bases.

  Once again, his teammates were screaming for him.

  The sad Oilers players walked slowly off the field.

  The group of Spuds was waiting for Caleb as he rounded third base and headed for home.

  But this time, Caleb’s focus was on something else.

  As he ran past third base, Caleb completely missed the high five from Coach Bergen.

  Caleb wasn’t paying attention. He was too busy watching the Oilers’ catcher walk away from home plate, holding Caleb’s special wooden bat.

  He ran faster toward home plate.

  By the time Caleb touched home plate, the catcher had handed the bat to the Oilers’ coach, Dr. Dennis.

  Caleb ran over to them. Coach Bergen was right behind him.

  “What’s going on here, Dr. Dennis?” Coach Bergen demanded. “That’s our player’s bat.”

  “As a member of the league’s board of directors, I’m going to take this bat,” Dr. Dennis said. “It’s a league rule that if there are questions about a piece of equipment, the league can check it out.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with my bat,” Caleb said.

  “The league will decide that,” Dr. Dennis said. “If the bat turns out to be fine, it will be returned to you, and you can use it.”

  Caleb was worried. Once the Oilers had his bat, anything could happen to it.

  He worried that the Oilers players would do something to it before the league checked it out.

  That would make him look bad.

  Caleb tried to grab his bat, but Coach Bergen held him back.

  “Let them test it, Caleb,” Coach Bergen said. “Dr. Dennis is an honest man. He’ll make sure that it’s fine, and you’ll have it back in time for the next game. We need to clear your name.”

  “Look, son, I won’t let anything happen to it,” Dr. Dennis said. “Do you have it marked somehow, so you’ll know it’s yours when you get it back?”

  “Right there, on the end of the handle,” Caleb said, pointing to the spot. “There’s a big C for my name, and my uniform number, 21, inside of it. But you aren’t going to break it to look inside, are you? It’s really important to me.”

  “No,” Dr. Dennis said. “We have an easy way to check this. I’ll take it to my office and have it X-rayed. Then we’ll know if anything is inside.”

  The Oilers’ catcher smirked as he and his coach walked away with the bat.

  “Coach, I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Caleb said.

  Chapter 7

  SOMETHING’S NOT RIGHT

  Caleb wasn’t sure what to expect when he showed up for his team’s next game.

  Would his bat be there? Would he be kicked out of the league for using an illegal bat? He didn’t know.

  He walked nervously into the home team’s dugout. Coach Bergen was waiting there for him. The coach had a big smile on his face. Caleb had a feeling that meant the coach had good news for him.

  He was right. “Well, you’ve got your bat back,” Coach Bergen said.

  He reached into his bat bag and pulled out Caleb’s wooden bat. He handed it to Caleb, who immediately checked for the C-21 marking he had made on the handle. It was there.

  “That’s awesome,” Caleb said. “What did they say?”

  “Nothing,” Coach Bergen said. “The bat was waiting in our dugout when I got here, with a note from Dr. Dennis. He said he’d had the bat X-rayed, and that it checked out okay.”

  He smiled at Caleb. “I guess that means you can use your wood bat,” the coach said.

  Caleb was thrilled.

  As the Spuds got ready to play the Oilers again, Caleb couldn’t wait for his first turn in the batter’s box.

  He was in a great mood. He was going to be able to use his magic bat for the rest of the season.

  Caleb rushed out into the field at the top of the first inning. He got into his position at first base.

  The Oilers’ catcher was the first player to bat for the other team.

  Caleb was stunned to see him walking to the plate carrying a wooden bat.

  Caleb could tell it was the same model as his bat, but Caleb’s bat was tan in color. The bat the catcher was carrying was black.

  What’s going on? Caleb wondered.

  The Oilers’ catcher swung at the first pitch and lined a base hit to center.

  He rounded first base, and then jogged back to the bag.

  “What’s with the wood bat?” Caleb said.

  “Now that I know they are legal, I thought I’d try one,” the catcher said. “Pretty nice.”

  The Spuds struck out the next three batters to end the top of the first inning. They jogged into their dugout to get ready to hit.

  Caleb was set to bat third. Coach Bergen had moved him higher in the order, since now he could use his prized wooden bat.

  After the first batter of the inning reached base, Caleb was on deck. He began to warm up with his bat.

  But something didn’t seem right when he swung it for the first time.

  The bat didn’t seem to have the same weight to it. If he hadn’t seen the marking on the handle, he would have thought it was a different bat.

  I must be imagining things, Caleb thought.

  The Spuds’ second hitter popped out, so it was time for Caleb to bat. He stepped into the batter’s box and stared out at the Oilers’ pitcher.

  Caleb swung his bat lightly back and forth, readying himself for the pitch. The bat still seemed strange, but he ignored it.

  The pitcher wound up and delivered. Caleb saw the ball clearly the whole way. It was right in his hitting zone.

  Caleb’s back leg drove forward and his hips turned.

  The bat powered through the zone.

  But when the bat met the ball, all Caleb heard was a soft thud.

  The ball glanced off toward the first base side. It was foul. Caleb had just missed it.

  He wasn’t worried about the foul ball. After all, that happened all the time. But not only did his bat feel weird, it suddenly sounded weird too.

  Something was different.

  Caleb tried to ignore it.

  The pitcher was ready to deliver again.

  Once again, the pitch was perfect for Caleb. This time, he decided, he would not miss it.

  Caleb pounced on the pitch and met it with the meat of his bat.

  Crackle!

  It was not the noise Caleb wanted to hear.

  Instead of the crack of a solid hit, Caleb heard the sound of his prized bat shattering into a million pieces.

  As the barrel of the bat split in half the long way, something else popped out. Caleb watched in amazement as bits of cork flew in all directions.

  Chapter 8

  CORKED?

  The umpire jumped out from behind home plate. He immediately picked up the two big pieces of the bat’s barrel.

  Coaches from both teams ran to the scene.

  Caleb stood there, shocked. He didn’t know what to do next.

  When he looked at the inside of the bat, he could see that a hole had been drilled into it.

&n
bsp; The hole had been filled with pieces of cork, and then sealed at the top.

  Without a word, the umpire made a quick motion with his hand, throwing Caleb out of the game.

  Caleb glanced around the field. All the Oilers players were laughing.

  The catcher was laughing really hard. “I knew he was a cheater!” he said.

  There was nothing Caleb could do. He had used an illegal bat. There was no way to argue that point. But he knew it wasn’t really his bat. He just didn’t have a way to prove it.

  Caleb was speechless. The umpire had handed the bat pieces to Coach Bergen, who handed them to Caleb. He eyed them carefully.

  “Here’s what’s left of your bat, Caleb,” Coach Bergen said. “I guess Dr. Dennis’s X-ray machine was broken. I can’t believe what just happened out there. That’s not like you at all. I’ve never known you to be a cheater.”

  Then Caleb realized something. Before Coach Bergen could finish, Caleb interrupted. “Coach, it’s not mine!” he said.

  “You need to leave the field, young man,” the umpire said.

  “Listen, Caleb, I don’t want to hear any excuses,” Coach Bergen said.

  “But, Coach, this isn’t my bat!” Caleb yelled.

  Coach Bergen looked angry. “Caleb, you know it’s your bat,” he said. “It has the marking you put on the handle.”

  He started to walk away.

  “Yeah, but it doesn’t have the factory stamp,” Caleb said.

  Coach Bergen turned around.

  Caleb showed him the label on the broken bat. It had the same Original Slugger logo, but it didn’t have the same factory authentication stamp that Caleb’s

  It wasn’t a bat straight from the factory. It had been purchased in a sporting goods store.

  “Somebody replaced my bat with this one,” Caleb said.

  By then, Dr. Dennis had reached them. Coach Bergen was looking for answers. “Dr. Dennis, what happened to Caleb’s bat?” the coach asked.

  “I took it to my office and had it X-rayed, and it checked out fine,” Dr. Dennis said. “Solid wood. So I sent it back to you guys.”

  “Well, it looks like we ended up with a different bat,” Coach Bergen said. “Is it possible there was some kind of mistake?”

  Dr. Dennis looked puzzled. “I don’t see how,” he said. “I handed the bat to Davey myself, and asked him to put it in your dugout with the note from me.”

  “Davey?” Caleb blurted out. “Isn’t he your catcher?”

  Caleb shot a glance over at the Oilers’ catcher, who looked away.

  “Now hold on a minute,” Dr. Dennis said. “You’re not suggesting that Davey had anything to do with this, are you?”

  The umpire interrupted. “Gentlemen, we have to sort this out later,” he said. “We have a game to play. The hitter is out of the game.”

  Caleb was walking away when it hit him. He turned and sprinted for the Oilers’ dugout.

  He reached the bat rack and snatched the catcher’s black wooden bat off it. He turned it over and looked at the label.

  There, just as he suspected, was the authentication stamp from the Original Slugger factory.

  “This is my bat! He painted it black!” Caleb said.

  Dr. Dennis looked at Davey.

  Davey stared at the ground.

  “Davey, take your catcher’s gear off,” Dr. Dennis said. “As a member of the board of directors, I can’t let you continue to play.”

  Davey slowly took off the gear and left the field.

  Caleb watched the rest of the game from the bleachers. But he knew that from now on, finally, he could play the game he loved, using the bat he loved.

  About the Author

  Bob Temple lives in Rosemount, Minnesota, with his wife and three children. He has written more than thirty books for children. Over the years, he has coached more than twenty kids’ soccer, basketball, and baseball teams. He also loves visiting classrooms to talk about his writing.

  About the Illustrator

  When Sean Tiffany was growing up, he lived on a small island off the coast of Maine. Every day, from sixth grade until he graduated from high school, he had to take a boat to get to school. When Sean isn’t working on his art, he works on a multimedia project called “OilCan Drive,” which combines music and art. He has a pet cactus named Jim.

  Glossary

  aluminum (uh-LOO-mih-nuhm)—a light, silver-colored metal

  authentication (aw-then-tih-KAY-shuhn)— proving that something is real

  barrel (BARE-uhl)—the thick part of a bat

  corked (KORKD)—if a bat is corked, it has been filled with cork to make it lighter

  discolored (diss-KUHL-urd)—stained or changed in color

  legal (LEE-guhl)—allowed. Illegal is the opposite of legal and means not allowed.

  on deck (ON DEK)—if a player is on deck, he or she will bat next

  outcome (OUT-kuhm)—a result

  tamper (TAM-pur)—to interfere with something so that it is damaged or broken

  umpire (UHM-pire)—the official who rules on plays

  Wood or Aluminum? You Decide!

  It used to be that all baseball bats were made out of wood.

  Today, only professional baseball players are required to use wood bats. At all other levels, including college and high school baseball, players can use aluminum bats or bats made of other materials.

  Youth baseball organizations started using aluminum bats many years ago, mainly because they lasted longer.

  Youth sports organizations have limited budgets, and having to replace broken wood bats was expensive. While an aluminum bat might be more expensive at first, they almost never break, so they can last for many years.

  Recently, safety organizations have raised concerns about aluminum bats.

  Because a baseball “jumps” off of an aluminum bat faster than off a wooden one, the ball heads out faster toward the fielders.

  This is particularly dangerous for the pitcher. The pitcher is the closest player to home plate, and can often be off-balance after delivering a pitch. Some pitchers have been seriously injured by fast line drives that come directly back at them off of aluminum bats.

  Of course, there is no way to completely avoid the dangers of playing any sport. But some youth organizations are discussing returning to the use of wooden bats for these safety reasons.

  Plus, using a wood bat makes you just like a big leaguer!

  Discussion Questions

  1. Why do you think Davey tampered with Caleb’s bat?

  2. The Oilers and Spuds were rival teams. Do any of your sports teams have rivals like that? Talk about rivalry. What is your experience with it? What is it like to compete against a rival? Do you think it is good or bad to have a rival?

  3. Why did Caleb’s coach want him to use an aluminum bat? Why did Caleb want to use a wood bat? Talk about both sides of the problem.

  Writing Prompts

  1. Sometimes it’s interesting to think about a story from another person’s point of view. Try writing chapter 8 from Davey’s point of view. What does he think about? What does he see? How does it feel to him?

  2. Caleb bought his bat on a summer trip. Have you ever taken a memorable vacation? Describe it. If you haven’t, describe a vacation you’d like to take!

  3. When the bat Caleb used breaks open and cork pops out, Caleb is thrown out of the game. Have you ever been accused of something that wasn’t your fault? Write about the experience.

  Other Books By Jake Maddox

  Anton loves playing football until Malik, the talented quarterback, starts acting strange. Instead of working with the team, Malik is just showing off. Anton has to fix the problem fast, before the quarterback ruins everything!

  Josh and Chad have been using the same place as a paintball field forever. But now, someone’s attacking them! Who’s out to stop their paintballing fun? It’s going to take all the skills they have to stop the sabotage.

  Internet Sites

 
; Do you want to know more about subjects related to this book? Or are you interested in learning about other topics? Then check out FactHound, a fun, easy way to find Internet sites.

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  Jake Maddox Books are published by Stone Arch Books,

  A Capstone Imprint

  1710 Roe Crest Drive

  North Mankato, Minnesota 56003

  www.capstonepub.com

  Copyright © 2008 by Stone Arch Books

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Maddox, Jake. Batter Up! / by Jake Maddox; illustrated by Sean Tiffany.

  p. cm. — (Impact Books — A Jake Maddox Sports Story)

  ISBN 978-1-4342-0465-3 (library binding)

  ISBN 978-1-4342-0515-5 (paperback)

  ISBN 978-1-4342-8863-9 (ebook)

  [1. Baseball—Fiction.] I. Tiffany, Sean, ill. II. Title.

  PZ7.M25643Bat 2008

  [Fic]—dc22

  2007031257

  Summary: Caleb has always batted with the same wood bat. But this year, his new team’s coach wants him to use an aluminum bat. When his coach sees what Caleb can do with the wood bat, he agrees to let him use it — until the other team accuses Caleb of tampering with the bat! With his favorite bat out of commission, Caleb’s forced to use the aluminum bat. How is he supposed to help his team win when he keeps striking out?