A ballplayer doesn’t know where he is in the batting order or if he’s even playing that day until he gets to the yard and checks the lineup card posted in the clubhouse. I’m suiting up at my locker when I catch a nearby conversation.
“Knox isn’t playing today,” one guy says. “It’s Enroth in right.”
“Rather have Knox. He’s no threat anymore.”
Heat rushes through me as I silently bristle. It’s not so much Tommy benched again as it is that “no threat” business. I want to challenge these oafs, but all I do is keep on buttoning my shirt. When I’m in the dugout, I see Tommy on his bench, sitting still while others mill about. Once the game starts, it feels like the longest one on record, though we do eke out a three-two win in nine innings. I’d hoped Tommy would get to pinch hit, but he doesn
