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Doubleday's Game of Second Chances
Robert Conover 

Abner knew this would be the case. There would always be the
chance to atone.  For that strikeout in the ninth, for that attempt
to swipe second in vain.  For that costly base on balls that prolonged
the rally, for that first step in for the outfielder that proves fatal.
For virtually every instance in the rules book and out.  It had not
happened for Hatch Combs, that chance to make it all up to the fans
and to Hatch Combs. That one-hop screamer past third base off the
heel of his glove with the winning run on third and two out late last
September.  
It had opened the floodgates and emptied the turnstiles 
although there were still three games to play.

Forget it Combs could not.

Come next September the second chance had not come in 
a game critical to the race.
Until now.
Until this split millisecond with 39,482 looking on, an identical
two-out scorcher down the third-base line and that same wicked

in-between skip-skip.
This time.
This time he stabbed.
And the ball stuck, 
driving him to one knee.

Recovering
from momentum
and from memory,
Combs calmly got up
and threw the
speedy Ramirez 
out by two strides.
No appeal
except the
one in his 
baseball
heart.

Hallelujah! 


Doubleheader___________________________________________ Nightcap
Where Have You Gone, Billy Martin?

Frank Dattilo

Had I gone too far?

I seriously pondered the battered 
second baseman's
mitt in the crinkly silver gift wrap the 
dealer thoughtfully
dressed it in.  But what would Robin think 
when she
found out how much of our hard-come, scrape-saved

cash I had paid for it-- authenticated autograph or not-- 
of fellow Yankee and running mate of Mickey and Whitey?


She was there when I walked up the little porch.  She had
known where I was going and there was no use trying to
hide what I had done, what I counted out, dollar by dollar,
to buy what I had bought.


Together we walked into the small dining room, the
table all cleared with a new cloth and two bright apples
in the center bowl.


Suddenly, I was not feeling like such a bright apple at all.

Without a word, I asked her to open the gift wrap and
watched.

Robin removed the old fielder's glove with delicate care.


It was then I saw the first tear.

She looked into my own teary eyes and said:

"There is no one I loved more than Billy Martin--"
she paused to help me gather myself, "
after you, 
Alan my love."




Picture
Presented by Paul Lubanski
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  • Home
  • Contact
    • Roadmap to HEAVEN >
      • Suit to Kill, Slip to Thrill
      • Title Index >
        • A Letter From Your Secretary
        • 8086
        • A Woman's Pride
        • Aliens or Angels?
        • Alpha Beta Traitor
        • Amy And Amy And
        • Are You Telling Me?
        • Baby Blue Sunbeam
        • Ballpark Hero
        • Barn Quilts
        • Beautiful with Braces
        • Because it Still Rains
        • Bend
        • Better
        • Better Yet
        • The Big Yellow Elopement Machine
        • Blind Date
        • Brother
        • Cadmium Gold
        • Calico Charms
        • Caramels
        • Carrie Me Back
        • Cat in the Corner Chair
        • CATCH from 13 Stories
        • Cat's Eyes
        • The Cherry Spot
        • The Closer Wins a Steak
        • Cloud
        • Coffee Shop HEARTS 2
        • Company
        • Confessional
        • Confetti
        • Cover!
        • Cover Art Gallery
        • The Dad Who Was 24-Feet Tall
        • The Day the Avanti Didn't Start
        • Days of Christmas
        • The Devil Sells His Soul
        • Double Sugar
        • The Ebullience of Being Elaina Brightman
        • Escape
        • Everybody's Teddy
        • Fall of Winter
        • Fatal Flaws
        • Final Final: The Last Newspaper
        • Forgiveness Day
        • The Girl as Good as Mozart
        • The Girl Who Never Was
        • Girl With Backpack
        • Grand Lady
        • Guardian
        • Hard-Boiled, Soft-Headed
        • The Heart of an Unknown Soldier
        • Help Wanted, Hope Needed
        • Hurt
        • I Am Afraid of My Feelings
        • I Don't Care if I Ever Come Back
        • I Will Be Leaving
        • I Wonder Where He is Now
        • In the Throes of Coca Coma
        • Jailhouse Judy
        • Jigsaw
        • Kansas City
        • The Kid Goes 0 for April
        • KISS
        • Kiss Me, Kate-Lynn
        • klick-klock
        • The Last Elevator Girl
        • Lawyer Vs. Rodeo Rider
        • Library Doors
        • Lighthouses
        • Loft in Space
        • Lookalike
        • Love Nothing Novel
        • The Lunacy and the Lace
        • Man in the Big Pajamas
        • Mermaid
        • Morning Jog
        • Mr. In-Between
        • My Brother's Science Project
        • A Nice Quiet Space
        • Nine
        • Not Fields Afar
        • The Note
        • On Briarwood Roof
        • One-Two Punch//Delivered
        • One Way Ticket
        • Out of Limelight
        • Parallel You
        • The Passenger
        • Perfect
        • Physical
        • Pitch Count
        • Polaroid Manipulations
        • Portrait of Genevieve
        • Pretty Dresses, Petty Thieves
        • Pretty, Ugly
        • Proposal
        • PurgaStories
        • Red Chair to Mars
        • Reentry
        • Return to Fine Arts
        • The Ride of a Lifetime
        • Run-Run Runaway Caboose
        • Saturday
        • Secret Game Workshop
        • Shadows
        • Signals
        • Slideshow
        • Slugger
        • The Small of Her Back
        • Southpaws
        • Spelling Bee
        • Spring of Summer
        • Starry Night
        • Stewart Survives the 7th
        • Stuntgirl
        • Stopover
        • The Stowaway
        • The Super Secret Planet Finder
        • Tail of the Lake Monster
        • Team Bus
        • Telephone
        • Tow Me
        • Turret
        • Usherette
        • Varsity
        • Veranda Nights
        • Wicked Curves
        • We
        • Where's Your Faith?
        • You
        • You Kill Me
      • .005 >
        • Prayers Answered >
          • Postcards
          • Pitch Count
          • Where's Your Faith?
          • Spelling Bee
          • You Kill Me
          • Cruisin'
          • Casey's Comeback
          • Archives
  • Library
  • Omnibus
  • Parables
  • Love Stories
  • 5-Minute Stories that Last Forever
  • Miracles
  • Healing
  • Meditations
  • PurgaStories
  • Scenes of a GT Hawk
  • PRETTY WOMAN
  • A CUPA DONUTS
    • The Miracle at Multiplex 4
    • Moon Over November
    • THE JOURNEYMAN >
      • Strangers on the Shore
  • Wait Worthy