When the Women Come out to Dance (2002) Read Online Free PDF Page A

Also Darrel Evans, Mike Schmidt, Bill Madlock , Willie McGee, Don Mattingly, and I fanned Wade Bogg s twice in the same game--if those names mean anythin g to you."
    Billy Darwin said, "Come on in," and led Charlie into a n office big enough to hold a dance in and not even remove th e desk, which by itself was a size. Darwin took his place behin d it and began fooling with his computer, working the mouse , the PC and a phone the only things on the desk. Charlie go t tired of standing and took one of the ranch-house leathe r chairs without being asked. Looking at Darwin close he sa w the man was about forty, had that young-looking hair and appeared to be in shape. Charlie heard the computer making different noises like static on a radio, then was quiet and pretty soon Darwin went to work on the keyboard, typing and looking at the screen, which Charlie couldn't see.
    He finally asked Darwin what he was doing and was told , "Looking you up on CNNSI dot com."
    "I'm in there?"
    "It says you're six-five and weigh two-twenty."
    "I've shrunk," Charlie said. "I'm only six-four now."
    "But you've put on some weight."
    "Couple pounds."
    Darwin was looking at the screen again. "The year yo u were with Detroit . . ." He stopped. "You only pitched thos e two and a third innings, allowed one hit, struck out five an d walked two." The man sounding surprised as he read it off th e screen.
    "I only walked one. I told you I hit Wiggins? Come insid e on him too close. See, I was never afraid to throw inside.
    You'd see these batters sticking their butts out ready to bail."
    "But the only time you went up to the majors," Darwi n said, "was in '84."
    "I was up with other clubs but never used."
    "And the only game you pitched in," Darwin said, "was i n the World Series," the man still sounding surprised. "Whe n did you strike out Mattingly, Madlock, all those guys yo u mentioned, Gorman Thomas?"
    "You want," Charlie said, "I can go down the list. I go t Mattingly when I was with Toledo in Triple-A and Don wa s with Columbus then. I recall I was playing A ball with Tulsa, a game against Shreveport I got Darrel Evans swinging. Madlock, let's see, I was with Oneonta, that's also A ball, and I believe he was with Pittsfield. I know Mike Schmidt was with Reading when I fanned him and I was playing Double-A wit h Altoona, back then throwing ninety-nine-mile-an-hour fastballs. I also held the record in the Eastern League for hitting the most batters."
    Billy Darwin didn't look surprised anymore, sitting ther e deadpan, like he was looking at all these baseball facts slidin g around in his head.
    "Eighty-one I was back with De-troit, sent down to th e Mud Hens and struck out Willie McGee. As I recall he wa s with the Louisville Riverbats. Who else you want to know?
    Oh, and I was in that longest game ever played that wen t thirty-two innings. You ever hear of it?"
    "Pawtucket and Rochester," Darwin said, "yeah, '81."
    "You know your baseball. Baltimore was giving m e another shot, this time with Rochester, Triple-A, and I struc k out Wade Boggs both times I faced him. The game laste d eight hours and seven minutes before they called it at four-ohseven the next morning, Easter Sunday. Guys came home and caught hell, their wives thinking they were out all night fooling around."
    "They finished the game sometime in June," Darwin said , "but I don't recall who won."
    "I don't either," Charlie said. "I was gone by then." H e grinned at Darwin. "I remember Wade Boggs saying, 'A g ame like this, you can have a bad week in one night.' "
    Darwin was staring at him again and Charlie put on a serious look as Darwin said, "You spent your entire fucking career in the minors except for one game."
    "I was up by the end of August that time. With other club s too, but was mostly used for batting practice. I had all th e pitches, even a split-finger that worked sometimes. I'd thro w knucklers, give the boys a chance to see if they could hit junk.
    Or I'd come inside hard,