be
EddieV: but i made fun of myself last week. that shouldâve fooled em.
HudCityCal: yeah. but those first 2 articles were all bout u
EddieV: so what do I do now?
HudCityCal: play it str8 4 one more article.
EddieV: you sure?
HudCityCal: yeah. I still need yur help. 1 more time.
EddieV: ok. but im keeping it short. cya later
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âAnother article for the paper?â Mrs. Ventura said as she poked her head into the family room.
âYeah. Kind of a wrap-up on last week and a preview of this one.â
âThe boys must be happy with the great pieces youâve been writing.â
Eddie swiveled in his chair to face his mom. âWell, they arenât supposed to know itâs me. But some of them have figured it out, I think.â
âI think youâve done a wonderful job.â
Eddie was surprised. âYou read them?â
âSure. They send copies over to our school so the teachers can see what their former students are up to. I had a lot of those kids in my class, remember? Spencer, Ramiro, Lamont.â
âYeah. How were they?â
Mom made a flapping motion with her fingers, indicating a mouth. âBoy, were they chatterboxes.â She shook her head and smiled. âNice kids, but Spencer especiallyâI sent him to the principalâs office once a week at least.â
âHe doesnât shut up much now, either.â
âHeâs got a good heart. Great energy. I never wanted to thwart that, but some days he was too disruptive.â
âHeâs a motor-mouth.â
âUnlike someone we know.â She put her hand on top of Eddieâs head, then leaned over and kissed the back of his neck. âIâll leave you alone so you can work.â
âThanks, Mom. See you later.â
Hudson City grabbed the fourth and final spot in the East Hudson League baseball playoffs with Fridayâs win over Weehawken. The Hornets will travel to Jersey City for a rematch with top-seeded Liberty in Thursdayâs opening round of the tournament.
Coach Wimmer sent David Choi out to pitch against Weehawken, and the righty responded with another outstanding performance. Plus, the Hornetsâ best hitters had big games, with Spencer Lewis and Miguel Rivera getting two extra-base hits apiece in the 6â1 victory.
Two days earlier, Liberty had edged Hudson City, 3â2, in a tense pitchersâ duel. That loss had made the game with Weehawken a must-win situation for the Hornets.
âIt was an all-or-nothing game for us,â Coach Wimmer said after Fridayâs victory. âWe win and weâre in the playoffs; we lose and itâs over. This is a tough league. Thereâs not much margin for error.â
Union City and Memorial also qualified for the league playoffs and will meet on Thursday. The two winners will decide the champion on Friday.
10
No Fear
âW e beat them once, then they beat us,â Spencer said, standing at the front of the bus before leading his teammates off. âI donât think thereâs any question about whose turn it is to win. Ours!â
âYou heard him,â Coach Wimmer added. âAssistant Coach Spencer says itâs a done deal. I donât know why weâre even bothering to play. They should probably just hand us the trophy.â
âJust to prove it,â Spencer said, âletâs get out there.â
The atmosphere was different than it had been last time the Hornets visited Jersey City just eight days beforeâtotally charged with excitement. The Liberty bleachers were full this time, and a huge banner on the side of their dugout said LIBERTY IS WORTH FIGHTING FOR . The grass had been freshly mowed, and small flags were everywhere.
The two pitchers Hudson City had faced in earlier games were on the infield grass, tossing a ball back and forth. There were a few playful boos from the bleachers as the Hornets approached the field. They threw their sweatshirts
Matt Witten
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