Roberto & Me by Dan Gutman Page B

forehead. This girl had a lot to learn.
    Alou took ball one. One and one.
    Sunrise admitted that she had never played baseball in her life, had never been to a game, and nevereven watched one on TV. I told her that she had a deprived childhood. No wonder she hated her parents.
    Matty Alou swung and missed the next pitch. One and two.
    â€œSo, how do you score a goal?” she asked. “I mean, a point.”
    â€œIt’s not a goal or a point,” I told her. “It’s a run . Are you new to this country or something?”
    â€œOkay, a run,” she said. “Same difference.”
    I explained that Alou would score a run if he advanced all the way around from home to first to second to third and back to home again.
    â€œSo all he wants to do is get back to where he is right now?” Sunrise said. “That seems pointless.”
    Alou slapped a single up the middle and made a wide turn at first base.
    â€œWhy did he run to that base?” Sunrise asked me.
    â€œBecause you’re supposed to,” I told her. “You run to first base.”
    â€œWhat if he wants to run to third base instead?”
    â€œWhy would he want to do that?” I asked her.
    â€œFor the novelty of it,” Sunrise replied.
    â€œWell, he can’t,” I told her.
    â€œWhy not?”
    â€œBecause they’ve been running to first base for a hundred years!” I said. “That’s the rule.”
    Sunrise sighed and told me that rules are made to be broken.
    â€œNow batting for Pittsburgh…” said the publicaddress announcer, “…the third baseman…Jose Pagan!”
    â€œBooooooooooooo!” yelled the Cincinnati fans.
    â€œMore booing,” said Sunrise, shaking her head.
    On the first pitch to Pagan, Alou took off from first, made a mad dash, and slid headfirst into second base. The Cincinnati catcher whipped the ball to second and threw him out.
    â€œOoh, that guy tripped and fell down!” Sunrise yelled excitedly.
    â€œHe didn’t fall down!” I told her. “He slid into second base!”
    The Cincinnati fans erupted into cheers when the umpire signaled that Alou was out.
    â€œWhat happened?” asked Sunrise as Alou walked dejectedly back to the Pirate dugout.
    â€œThey caught him trying to steal second base,” I told her.
    â€œIs he going to get in trouble?”
    I tried to explain the fundamentals of baseball to Sunrise, but she didn’t quite grasp them. It was like me trying to learn Spanish.
    â€œIn baseball,” I explained, “the number three is very important. “There are three outs to an inning. Three strikes and you’re out. There are three bases. There are nine innings, which is three squared, and also nine players on the field.”
    â€œOkay,” Sunrise said. “I think I’m starting to get it.”
    When Pagan took the next pitch out of the strike zone, I told Sunrise it was a ball.
    â€œWhat’s a ball?” she asked.
    â€œThat pitch,” I said. “It was a ball.”
    â€œWell, of course it was a ball,” she said, looking at me like I was a total idiot. “What else could it possibly be?”
    â€œNo, you don’t understand,” I explained. “A pitch that’s out of the strike zone is a ball. Unless you swing at it.”
    â€œSo if you swing at it, it’s not a ball anymore?”
    â€œNow you’re catching on,” I said.
    â€œI take it back. I don’t get it,” said Sunrise. “This is a very confusing game!”
    I was just glad I didn’t have to explain the infield fly rule to her. Pagan walked on four pitches.
    â€œHow come that guy is running to first?” Sunrise asked. “He didn’t even hit the ball.”
    â€œThe pitcher walked him,” I said.
    â€œSo why doesn’t he walk to first?”
    I tried to explain to Sunrise that there was now a force play at second base, so Pagan