Kid Coach Read Online Free PDF

fly ball to right field. Benny took a couple of nervous steps to his left and held up his glove. The ball plunked against the heel of Benny’s glove and dropped to the grass.
    “Get it in!” Scott shouted to Benny. The Tigers right fielder tossed the ball to Scott but it was too late to catch the speeding Twins runner at the plate. The Tigers now led 2–1.
    Drew struck out the next Twins batter with three angry fastballs.
    Scott shouted encouragement as the Tigers hustled off the field. “Eric. Then Brendan’s hitting for Benny. Then the top of the order. We’re gonna need more runs.”
    Drew looked down the bench to Benny writing in his notebook. “Be sure to put down an error for the right fielder, Brain!” Drew shouted. “Let’s try playing baseball instead of just watching it.”
    “Cut it out, Drew. Believe me, we need Benny,” Scott said angrily to his friend. “Now let’s get the run back.”
    The Tigers rallied in the top of the fourthinning. Brendan, Maggie, and Drew loaded up the bases with a walk and two singles.
    Scott knew a big moment in the game had come when Danny stepped to the plate.
Bases loaded, two outs, and a one-run lead
, Scott thought as he stood at the on-deck circle rubbing his bat nervously.
    “Come on, Danny, be a sticker. Ducks on the pond!” shouted Scott.
    Danny drilled a line shot to left center field. The Twins left fielder raced over and leaped. The ball whizzed right by his outstretched glove and bounced to the wall.
    The Tiger bench exploded in cheers as three Tigers sprinted around the bases and crossed home plate.
    “All right, Danny! Big stick!”
    “Three runs batted in. Let’s get some more!”
    The Tigers added another run in the later innings, but it hardly mattered. Scott pitched three solid innings and the Tigers won for the first time that season, 6–1.
    After the last out, the team swarmed around Scott chanting, “Game ball, gameball, game ball.” Scott held up a battered baseball for silence.
    “Everybody played great today but this can only go to one guy. Danny’s double broke the game open,” Scott said, tossing the ball to Danny as the Tigers whooped and hollered.
    The team left happy. Smiling, Scott gathered the equipment into the big brown bag. Slinging the heavy bag onto his back, Scott walked over to Benny, who was sitting alone on the grandstand studying his notebook.
    “Got today’s pitching stats?” Scott asked.
    “Yeah, want to take a look?”
    Scott studied the neat columns of figures.

    “They look pretty good,” Scott said, still smiling.
    Benny pointed to the paper. “Notice your first inning was a lot stronger then Drew’s last. He was starting to get tired.”
    Scott nodded. “Looks like you’re a pretty good coach, Peaches,” he winked.
    “Don’t call me Peaches, okay?”
    “Okay, Benny.”

T EN
    T hree weeks later, Scott, Drew, and Fran blew through the door of the Hudsons’ house and threw their baseball gloves on a chair.
    “Is that you, Scott?” called Scott’s father from the kitchen.
    “Yeah, Dad.”
    “How was practice?”
    “Great! The team is getting better all the time.”
    “You should be. You guys are practicing almost every day. Do you have much homework tonight?”
    “Not much. I did most of it in school. Drew, Fran, and I are going upstairs, okay?”
    “Fine with me. We’ll eat when Mom gets home from work. I’m going to make hamburgers.”
    “Right, Dad,” Scott called as he scrambled up the stairs.
    The three friends flew into Scott’s bedroom. Drew grabbed a small ball and tossed a quick jump shot at the miniature hoop hanging on the closet door.
Swish.
    “Okay. What did you want to show us?” Drew asked.
    “Not so fast. First look at this,” Scott said as he handed Drew and Fran the Tigers schedule. Drew and Fran glanced down the columns.

    “We still got a shot at a winning season, don’t you think?” Scott asked.
    “Maybe,” said Fran.
    “Fat chance,” said Drew, tapping the