“Go!” he said. He pointed down the street. “And don’t ever come anywhere near this ballpark again! Never again!”
As Jack and Annie started down the sidewalk, the wind picked up. But the wind didn’t matter anymore, Jack thought miserably.
“That wasn’t fair,” said Annie. “We worked hard.”
“Who cares?” said Jack. He felt sick. A wonderful day had turned terrible. Morgan’s plan was a big failure. They hadn’t learned anything about being great baseball players.
“We can’t just leave now,” said Annie. “What about Morgan’s rhyme? We have to give Fly Ball away—and we can’t do that until we hear the final score.”
Jack looked back. The guard and the manager were still watching them.
“Well, we can’t stay here,” he said. “Or anywhere near here. Come on.”
They rounded the stadium at the corner of Sullivan Place and Bedford Avenue. At that moment, two kids were racing down Bedford. They bumped right into Jack and Annie.
“Ow! Oops!” the kids cried, nearly falling down on the pavement.
“Oh! Sorry!” said Jack.
“Olive! Otis!” said Annie.
“I can’t believe it!” said Jack.
“Crashing into you by accident!” said Annie.
“No accident!” said Olive. “We came to look for you!”
“We saw you from under the gate!” said Otis.
“Jack changed before our eyes!” said Olive. “One minute he’s tall! Then he’s short! One minute he can throw the ball! The next, he can’t!”
“One minute Andy’s a big boy!” said Otis. “The next—he’s a little girl!”
“Not that little!” said Annie.
The twins laughed so hard they nearly fell down again. Annie started laughing, too. Then Jack joined in—he couldn’t help it.
“What happened to you?” said Olive.
“It’s hard to explain,” said Annie.
“Really hard,” said Jack, still laughing.
“You changed like magic!” said Otis.
“You’re right,” said Jack. “Just leave it at that.”
“What are you going to do now?” said Olive.
“I don’t know,” said Annie. “We can’t stay around Ebbets Field. But we need to hear the final score.”
“Oh! We know a good place to hear the game!” Olive said as she looked at Otis. “Don’t we?”
“We sure do!” said Otis, as if he’d read his twin’s mind.
“We promise you’ll hear the final score there!” said Olive.
“Where?” said Jack.
“You’ll see!” said Olive. “Hold hands while we cross the avenue!” She grabbed Jack’s hand.
Otis grabbed Annie’s hand. “Let’s go, girl!” he said.
“You can call me Annie,” said Annie.
“Come on, Annie girl!” said Otis.
The twins pulled Jack and Annie away from Ebbets Field. Crossing the avenue, they all dodged a streetcar and jumped onto the sidewalk.
“That was risky!” said Jack.
“That’s how the Dodgers got their name!” said Otis. “Fans have to dodge streetcars to get to the ballpark!”
“Really?” said Jack. “I didn’t know that.”
“So where are you taking us?” asked Annie.
“To a good place to hear the game,” said Otis.
“We know a shortcut,” said Olive.
“Of course you do!” said Jack, grinning.
The twins led Jack and Annie down a street with a fish shop and a bakery. They passed a candy store and headed into a maze of alleys. They ran under clotheslines strung high between buildings. Laundry flapped overhead in the spring breeze.
They passed some girls playing hopscotch.
“Hi, Olive! Hi, Otis!” the girls yelled.
Next, they passed old men playing cards.
“Hey, Olive! Hey, Otis!” the men called, waving.
Finally the twins led Jack and Annie through an alley and down a quiet block. They stopped in front of a small brick house.
“Here we are!” said Otis. “The Granny House!”
“The Granny House?” said Jack.
“This is where our grannies live,” said Olive.
“Two regular grannies and one great-great-granny,” said Otis.
“Plus two great-aunts,” said Olive.
“Wow. You’re so lucky,” said Annie. “You get to visit all of them at the same house.”
“Mama says they spoil us,” said Otis. “They give us cookies and cakes. Best of all—they let us listen to their radio!”
“Come on in!” said Olive. She opened the door and led Jack and Annie into the Granny House.
The small house smelled of fresh-baked cookies and coffee. The loud sound of a radio came from a back room.
The twins led Jack and Annie down a hallway to the entrance of the kitchen.
A large radio sat on the kitchen table. Four women were sitting in chairs, listening to the ball game. They were listening so closely, they didn’t seem to know that Jack, Annie, and the twins had joined them.
Jack heard the roar of the crowd and the band playing on the radio. He heard the announcer say:
“Fifth inning! The score: Brooklyn Dodgers, one—Boston Braves, one. Number 42 steps to the plate.”
“Come on, Jackie! We’re with you!” one of the women yelled.
“Give us a homer, son!” said another.
Jack heard the sound of a loud crack.
“Number 42 hits the ball!” the radio announcer shouted.
“Culler catches the fly! Out! Throws to second base! Out!”
“Noooo!” the women shouted.
“Number 42 hit into a double play! Two outs!” the announcer said.
The women groaned. “I hope they don’t fire him,” one said.
Everyone kept listening intently. Jack heard “Out!” and “Safe!” from the radio. He heard the bat crack against the ball. He heard “Foul ball!” He heard the band play “Three Blind Mice.”
Again, he wondered why this was such a big day for baseball. Nothing important had happened during the whole game.
But the women in the kitchen seemed to hang on to the announcer’s every word.
“He’s up again!” one said.
“Knock it out of the park, Jackie!” said another.
“Go, Jackie!” said another.
“Hush! Hush!” another said.
The kitchen grew quiet. The women leaned forward. A couple of them whispered a prayer.
“Bottom of the seventh! The Brooklyn Dodgers are behind! Braves, three—Dodgers, two! And number 42 raises his bat high,” said the announcer.
“We’re with you, son!” one woman said.
Jack heard the bat crack against the ball.
“Robinson bunts—the ball rolls up the first-base line!” the announcer said. “Stanky to third!”
The crowd roared.
“And 42 to second base!” the announcer said. “Reiser up to bat!”
“Bring our boy home!” one of the women cried.
Crack!
“Reiser hits the ball!” the announcer said. “Stanky scores! Here comes 42! He rounds third base! He’s headed for home!”
“Yes! Yes!” the women in the room shouted.
“Go, Jackie! Go!” one said, clapping her hands.
“Safe!” the announcer yelled.
“Safe!” the women in the kitchen echoed. A couple of them burst into tears.
Jack turned to Annie. He was so confused. “What’s the big deal?” he whispered.
“Jackie Robinson, number 42, scores!” the announcer said.
“Jackie Robinson!” whispered Annie.
“Oh, man…,” said Jack. Of course! Finally he understood. Jackie Robinson was the first black player allowed to play with white players in major-league baseball.
“It’s official now,” the announcer said. “Jackie Robinson has made history!”
The women all hugged eac
h other and laughed. Otis and Olive jumped up and down and cheered.
For the first time, the women turned toward the doorway. When they caught sight of Jack and Annie, they seemed surprised.
“Well, hello!” one of them said. “Who are you?”
“Jack and Annie,” said Annie.
“Our new friends,” said Otis. “They were batboys in the game today. At least for a while.”
“Until the magic wore off,” said Olive.
The women looked puzzled. One of them gave Jack and Annie a big smile.
“My goodness,” she said. “You’re the first white people ever to come inside our home.”
“Really?” said Annie.
“Really,” the woman said. “Welcome.” She pointed at a plate of chocolate chip cookies. “Would you like some cookies?”
“Yes, thank you,” said Annie.
“Thank you,” said Jack. He and Annie and the twins each took a cookie.
“Have as many as you like,” the woman said. Then she and the others turned back to the radio.
The Dodgers were in the lead now.
Jack, Annie, and the twins ate their delicious chewy cookies as they listened to the final innings.
The radio announcer reported each play, until finally he shouted, “And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen! Final score: Brooklyn Dodgers, five—Boston Braves, three!”
Everyone in the kitchen clapped.
“The Dodgers have won this one,” said the announcer. “And Jackie Robinson has finished his first major-league game!”
After he heard the final score, Jack smiled. “Okay. Now we know why this is a big day for baseball.”
“Yep,” said Annie. “And now it’s time to give Fly Ball away.” She pointed at the twins.
“Of course,” he said.
He turned to Otis and Olive. “We have a special gift for you.”
He took the ball from his bag and held it out to the twins.
“No thanks,” said Olive. “You keep it. You deserve it more.”
“We have lots of baseballs,” said Otis.
“You do?” said Annie.
“Sure. We grab them when they fly over the wall of the ballpark,” said Otis.
“They’re all in here,” said Olive. “Come look! We’ll show you!”
Jack and Annie followed the twins into a shadowy room off the hallway. The room smelled of roses and lavender.
Otis switched on a lamp. A really old woman sat in a rocking chair. She seemed to be sleeping.
“See? There,” whispered Olive. She pointed to a basket filled with baseballs.
“We keep them here in Granny Beck’s room. We know they’ll be safe with her,” said Otis.
“Oh,” said Jack. He and Annie glanced at the sleeping woman.
“She’s our great-great-granny,” whispered Olive.
“She’s a hundred and one years old,” whispered Otis. “She was born a slave.”
“Do I hear some little children talking about me?” the ancient-looking woman asked. She opened her eyes and smiled.
“Yes, Granny Beck,” said Otis. “Sorry we woke you up.”
“I was just resting my eyes, sweetheart,” she said. “Who’s that with you?”
“Our friends Jack and Annie,” said Olive. “They were batboys at the Dodgers game today.”
“Come closer, children,” said the great-great-grandmother.
Jack and Annie moved closer to her rocker.
“Did you see Jackie Robinson today?” she asked in a whispery voice.
“Yes, ma’am,” said Annie.
“Did the crowd cheer for him?” she said.
“Yes, ma’am,” said Jack.
“All of them?” she asked.
Jack felt he couldn’t lie to her. “No, ma’am. A few people didn’t,” he said. “They yelled mean things.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” she said. “What did Jackie do?”
“He ignored them,” said Jack.
“He held his head high,” said Annie. “And he walked back to the dugout without saying a word.”
“Of course he did. He kept his mind on the game,” the old woman said. “He kept his dignity. He rose above what’s mean and low.”
That’s a good way to describe it, thought Jack.
“He walked toward the good,” she whispered. “Always keep your eyes on the good, children. And always keep your self-respect.”
“Yes, ma’am,” said Jack.
“Jack!” whispered Annie. “Look!”
Annie pointed at the baseball in Jack’s hand. Writing was magically appearing on the white ball. The letters spelled:
Jackie Robinson
The twins stared at the ball in amazement. “You have a ball with Jackie Robinson’s autograph!” Otis said.
“The ball with the name,” Jack said to Annie.
Annie grinned and nodded. She took the ball from Jack and held it out to Granny Beck.
“This belongs to you,” Annie said. She placed the ball in the old woman’s bent hands.
“Thank you,” Granny Beck whispered. She looked at the autograph. “I must be his oldest fan.”
Jack remembered the last three lines of the message from Morgan:
Give the ball with the name
To the one who knows best
The rules of the game.
“You know the rules of the game,” Jack said softly.
“Yes. I do,” she said. The old woman wrapped her wrinkled hands around the baseball. Then she closed her eyes again.
Olive motioned to Jack and Annie. They followed her and Otis out to the hallway.
Annie smiled at the twins. “Your great-great-granny is…well, great!”
They all laughed.
“I’m afraid we have to leave now,” said Jack.
“Thanks for coming over,” said Olive.
“Wait, I have a question,” said Annie. “Why are we the first white people to ever visit your house?”
Olive shrugged. “I guess you’re the first ones who ever wanted to.”
“That’s so weird,” said Annie.
“Not really, Annie,” said Jack. “There was a lot of racism in the 1940s.”
“Was?” said Otis.
“You mean is,” said Olive.
“Yeah…is,” Jack said softly.
“But Jackie Robinson’s starting to change things!” said Otis.
“That’s true,” said Jack. “Well, thank you for everything. You two really helped us today.”
“You sure did,” said Annie. “And now can you tell us how to get back to the park?”
“Easy,” said Otis. He led them out the front door. “Go to the corner, turn left, and go about six blocks.”
“Great, thanks!” said Jack.
“Bye!” said Annie.
“Bye!” said Olive and Otis.
Jack and Annie ran to the corner and turned left. In the brisk air, they walked quickly up a busy street until they came to the city park. They headed to the open area where they’d first met the twins. The big kids shooting marbles were gone. The girls playing jacks were gone. The man singing in Spanish was gone, too.
Jack and Annie kept walking until they came to the small grove of trees. They found the rope ladder and hurried up.
Inside the tree house, Annie grabbed their Pennsylvania book. She found the picture of the Frog Creek woods.
“Ready?” she asked Jack.
“Knock it out of the park,” said Jack.
Annie laughed. She pointed at the picture and said, “I wish we could go there!”
The wind started to blow.
The tree house started to spin.
It spun faster and faster.
Then everything was still.
Absolutely still.
Leaves rustled in the woods. Shadows danced on the floor of the tree house. No time at all had passed in Frog Creek.
“We’re back,” said Jack with a smile. He and Annie were wearing their own clothes
again.
“I wish Otis and Olive lived in Frog Creek,” said Annie.
“Me too,” said Jack.
“They really knew how to get around,” said Annie. “They knew all the shortcuts!”
“Yeah, Grandpa says in his time, kids did a lot by themselves,” said Jack. “It’s different now.”
“Unless you have a magic tree house,” said Annie.
Jack laughed. “Can you believe we just saw Jackie Robinson play at Ebbets Field?” he said.
“Let’s look him up,” said Annie.
Jack reached into his backpack and pulled out HISTORY OF BASEBALL.
“Funny. Our whole trip, we never thought to read about baseball,” said Annie.
“That’s because we were too busy living it,” said Jack.
He found the page about Jackie Robinson. He read aloud:
Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play major-league baseball in America. He played his first game with the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York, on April 15, 1947.
“A big day for baseball,” said Annie.
“Yep, a really big day,” said Jack. He kept reading:
In 1947, Robinson was voted Rookie of the Year. And in 1955, he was a World Series champion.
“What’s Rookie of the Year?” Annie asked.
“The best new player,” said Jack. He read on:
Jackie Robinson was not just a great baseball player. He also showed heroic strength in the face of racism. “I’m not concerned with your liking or disliking me,” he once said. “All I ask is that you respect me as a human being.” His talent and courage helped inspire the civil rights movement.
“That’s so cool,” whispered Jack. He closed the book. He took a deep breath. “Well, we’d better get going. We have a lot to do.”
“We do?” said Annie.
“Yep.” Jack pulled on his backpack. Then he followed Annie down the rope ladder.
A gentle breeze blew as they started walking through the woods. Sunlight streamed between the trees.
“You said we have a lot to do,” said Annie. “Like what?”
“Like go to the ballpark and try out for the baseball team,” said Jack.
“Seriously? You changed your mind?” said Annie.
A Big Day for Baseball Page 3
