The Catch
4/5
()
About this ebook
When Danny makes "the catch," everyone seems interested in him. Girls text him, kids ask for autographs, and his highlight play even makes it on SportsCenter's Top Plays. A sports-gear executive tempts Danny with a big-money offer, and he decides to take advantage of his newfound fame. Danny agrees to wear their gear when he plays. But as his bank account gets bigger, so does his ego. Will Danny be able to keep his head in the game?
Read more from Richard Reece
Skin Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSkin Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThaw Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The Late Bus Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThaw Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5
Related to The Catch
Related ebooks
The Catch Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rotten School #4: Lose, Team, Lose! Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Baseball, Boys, and Bad Words: A True Story of Little League, Laughter, and Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Game On: A Romantic Comedy that Scores Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPunch Drunk Kisses Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook-see: if you can... Boy Detective Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Psycho 100: Baseball's Most Outrageous Moments Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Rise Above Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDanny Mann Super Fan: Chadmouth Town, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPocket Piece Cameo Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsShootout: Ridder U Hockey, #0.5 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Patriots Part Ii: Champions Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRearview Mirror Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDamned Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBe The G.O.A.T. Tales Of A Future Champion. A Pick Your Own Football Destiny Story Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBe The G.O.A.T. - A Pick Your Own Soccer Destiny Story: Tales Of A Future Champion Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Man Who Once Played Catch With Nellie Fox Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsByrne Identity, The - The Sensational Rugby Autobiography Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Along for the Ride Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5If These Walls Could Talk: Dallas Cowboys: Stories from the Dallas Cowboys Sideline, Locker Room, and Press Box Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBaseball Karma and The Constitution Blues Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOut of the Tunnel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSoccerheads 2: Double Trouble Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLittle White Lies Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Open Look: Canadian Basketball and Me Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ted & Me Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Baseball and Bad Guys: Spy Kitty in the City, #4 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhere are the Girls? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Goalkeeper Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
YA Coming of Age For You
The Memory of Babel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary of Black Cake: by Charmaine Wilkerson - A Comprehensive Summary Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEver the Hunted Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Radio Silence Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Me (Moth): (National Book Award Finalist) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Winter's Promise Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Inexplicable Logic of My Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Missing of Clairdelune Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5My Real Name is Hanna Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Weight of Everything Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wintersmith Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Poet X Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Miseducation of Cameron Post Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hello Girls Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5With the Fire on High Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Smoke Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5American Street Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Chaos of Stars Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Black Kids Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Storm of Echoes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5What If It's Us Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Last of the Firedrakes: The Avalonia Chronicles, #1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Clariel: The Lost Abhorsen Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5We Were Kings Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lost and Found Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Float Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5You Have a Match: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How It Ends Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gone Too Far Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Starcrossed Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Catch
2 ratings1 review
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rick Jasper's YA novel charts the ascension and downfall of a teenage baseball player who gains fame after an "impossible" catch and learns it's not all it's cracked up to be. The book is a little simplistic (although not excessively so for a book clearly aimed at young teens and younger), but I was impressed that it gets the baseball action just right. All in all, a refreshing change from the dystopic YA fiction I've been reading lately.
Book preview
The Catch - Richard Reece
CHAPTER 1
It all began with The Catch. If you say that, The Catch,
to anyone who was playing for the Las Vegas Roadrunners that day, they still know what you mean. And you can still watch it on YouTube and other websites. It will probably live online, somewhere, forever.
It happened a year ago in the quarter finals of the Palm Springs Invitational Tournament. For U17 traveling teams, the Palm is a big deal. It comes at the end of the season, and the best teams from west of the Rockies are there. Not to mention a ton of college and pro scouts and TV cameras.
The Runners were the designated home team in that game, and they were a run up on the Phoenix Desert Eagles in the bottom of the ninth. There was one out and an Eagle on first: Jimmy Toms, one of their speedsters. Unfortunately for Eagles fans, their number-nine hitter was at the plate. That was little Kenny Bailey. He was a terrific infielder, but he had already struck out three times in the game. The outfielders were playing shallow.
Maybe Kenny was frustrated, or desperate. With a 1–2 count, he should have known they were sending Jimmy to second and just tried to hit something sharp behind the runner. Instead, he practically left his feet swinging at a fastball.
There was a sharp clowp! as Kenny connected and sent a rising line drive lasering for the fence in deep right center. You can hear the commentary on YouTube:
And there it goes! Toms is off, this will definitely tie the game! Hold it, look at the center fielder! Danny Manuel is flying after that drive. There’s no way he can catch up . . . but he’s gaining, he’s gaining . . . He dives flat out and . . . Oh. My. Gosh! He’s caught it. He throws from the ground to second, who throws to first and they’ve doubled up Toms. Game over! Do you believe that? Let’s watch it again.
And they did. Again and again. In Vegas the TV news shows were actually leading with the clip—a sports story beating out the murders and car wrecks. When the video made ESPN, the analysts had a few more words:
How did that kid catch up with that? He must be psychic!
I know, Boomer. It almost looked like he was after that ball before it left the bat.
The video footage is amazing to watch. The pitcher winds up, the runner goes, Kenny swings for the fences and . . .The rest seems almost like slow motion, even when it isn’t.
The fielder is racing after the ball, and then at some point the ball is trying to outrun the fielder. And just when it seems a catch is impossible, Manuel goes airborne and horizontal. Like the dude should have been wearing a cape.
Suddenly Manuel has the ball. He lands on the ground in a heap, but he holds on and raises the ball to show he’s made the catch. Toms, the base runner, has just rounded third when he stops, looks back at the third-base coach yelling and waving his arms, and reverses his field. But he knows it’s hopeless. Manuel suddenly looks at Perez, who’s also yelling, and throws him the ball. Perez throws to first. The crowd goes nuts. Manuel trots in, and when he gets to the infield his teammates swarm over him, finally hoisting him on their shoulders and carrying him to the dugout.
Quite a catch. Quite a play. I can hardly believe it was me.
CHAPTER 2
In the dugout, everyone was hollering and slapping me on the back except the coaches. Coach Harris was writing something in his notebook. Coach Washington, his assistant, finally came over and put a hand on my shoulder. Then he took me to one side.
Congratulations, Danny,
he said. Great catch.
There was something else in his eyes, though. You know,
he said next, it was the wrong play.
What do ya mean, Wash?
I got defensive. We won!
We did, Danny. But what do you think were the odds of you making that catch?
One in a million,
I grinned. That’s why it was . . .
That’s why it was the wrong play. If you miss, we lose. Bailey had the speed to take all four bases if it got by you. If you play the ball off the fence, we’re tied with Bailey on second. You’ve got a good arm—maybe we even have a shot at nailing him there.
But, Wash . . .
—Why couldn’t he see this?—We won!
Yeah. We won the lottery.
Whatever. I wasn’t about to let Wash bring me down with all that. I was enjoying the moment. Next thing I knew there was a hot girl in a T-shirt that said PEPPERDINE, the Malibu university, across the front, putting a microphone in my face.
Danny,
she said, that was incredible. What was going through your mind when that ball was hit?
"Just,