Caroline’s Day
by
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Chapter 16: Let’s Finish This When Caroline easily scored on a huge hit past the right fielder by the next batter, Coach Cheri immediately ran up to her, looked at her squarely in the eyes, and shouted, “Who told you that you could run the bases like that? That’s not how I taught you!” Then she gave Caroline a great big bear hug and an equally big ear-to-ear smile. In fact, they both had big ear-to-ear smiles. She had indeed taught Caroline how to play the game smart, how to look for any small letup in the other team’s reaction, how to use the element of surprise. As Caroline headed toward her team’s bench to cheer on the rest of the team, the thought of the “jockeying” episode from the previous year as well as Big Mike’s advice flashed through her mind. At that moment as Caroline ran the bases, the rest of the world seemed to go into slow motion to her. The other team seemed to be running in a field of molasses. The softball chasing her seemed to be just hanging in the air. As she ran the bases, Caroline felt as though she were “diving at bat speed” in a world that could not possibly catch up to her. Her sonar had zeroed in on 2nd base and then 3rd base. She had a goal set for herself for the sake of her team and she was going to achieve it.
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About the Book
This book makes use of the game of fast-pitch softball as a tool to tell a story about never, ever giving up. It’s about dealing with defeat and personal adversity, about picking yourself up and staying in the game, and about surprise. The book uses the author’s granddaughter, actual happenings from her life, and the fortunes of the game to tell a tale that teaches a life lesson. By the way, there are these furry little flying critters, called bats, that keep making their presence known throughout the story. Watch for them!
About the Author
The author is a retired engineer, father of three daughters, and grandfather of six grandchildren. He and his wife, Joy, live in Knoxville, Tennessee. The author is a life-long sports fan who has never been much of an athlete himself, although he still keeps trying, but he is now able to live sports all over again through his grandchildren. He experiences the highs and lows, the hard work and frustrations, and the successes and failures of fast-pitch softball through the real-life experiences of his granddaughter in this book. He cries and laughs with her, hurts and celebrates with her, and even “slides into third” with her.