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The Night You Became a Baseball Superstar - A Bedtime Visualization · Dad’s Bedtime Stories

• 0:04
  Speaker 1: He Hello, friends from across the nation and around the world.
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: I'm Martin, and you are listening to Dad's Bedtime Stories.
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: Tonight We're going to be headed into a standalone episode,
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: a bit of a baseball fantasy thing, because I got
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: a suggestion from Miles to do a baseball planet and
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: I decided instead to just do a baseball fantasy episode.
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: And hopefully Miles will like that just as much and
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: other people will too. Now, if you don't know this,
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: I am Canadian. So this particular baseball one is going
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: to take place in Toronto, but you, wherever you are,
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: are still the main character, and I really hope you
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: enjoy it. Aside from that, the biggest news I have
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: for everyone is that I just launched another stories podcast
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: called Dad's Anytime Story. Now. The design of that one
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: is for me to take some of my best Dad's
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: Bedtime Stories stories, particularly the ones I've turned into novels
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: and that sort of thing, and read them on that podcast.
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: So if you really like the Cards of Power series,
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: the very first Cards of Power novel about Carter is
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: currently being read on Dad's Anytime Stories, which you can
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: find anywhere you get your podcasts. And if I could
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: ask for a huge favor from everyone if you can
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: subscribe to that, especially if you're interested and do a
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: rating and review. It would be really great to get
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: that thing moving right out of the gate, and the
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: more reviews and follows and that sort of thing has,
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: the better off it is. So please, please, if you
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: can take a second to go over there right now
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: and follow it, that would be amazing. And I believe
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: you should already have the first three episodes uploaded there,
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: chapters one to two and three from Cards of Power.
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: Chapter four is coming on Wednesday, and then I'll be
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: releasing a new chapter every Monday and Wednesday until we're
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: done all seventeen chapters of Cards of Power, at which
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: point I'll go on to the next book, which will
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: be wizard Craft two point zero. But now I should
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: probably get on with this podcast. Close your eyes, get
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: as comfy as you can in that bed, and imagine
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: yourself doing what the kid in the story does. Imagine
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: yourself hanging out in your very own home when a
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: phone call comes in. It's for you, your parents says,
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: handing you their phone. Hello, You say a cheerful voice answer,
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: is it once? Good afternoon? A am I speaking to
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: the grand prize winner of the Canadian Baseball Experience Contest.
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: You sit up straighter. Wait what, the voice laughs, that's
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: a yes, then, congratulations, You've won a private trip to
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: Toronto for the grand opening of the brand new Canadian
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: Baseball Hall of Fame at the Rogers Center. You blink
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: a few times. Are you Are you serious? You say,
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: very serious. The man says, my name is mister Donnelly.
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: I represent Major League Baseball Special Events and I will
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: be arriving personally to escort you. Escort me, yes, he
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: says in style. You're still trying to figure out what
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: that means. When a few minutes later you hear something
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: thumping outside. You run to the window. A helicopter is
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: lowering towards a nearby field. Your mouth falls open. No
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: one in your neighborhood has ever had a helicopter arrived
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: for them before. As far as you know, it's not
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: really a normal thing. The helicopter settles onto the grass
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: with a dramatic swirl of wind. A man in a
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: sharp jacket steps out, holding a paper coffee cup and
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: wearing sunglasses. He smiles you, he says, pointing at you
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: with a grin you must be my all star. Are
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: you really here for me? You ask as you walk
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: up towards the helicopter. I would never bring a helicopter
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: for anyone else Today, you stare at the aircraft. This
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: is amazing. It gets better, he says, Come on, Toronto awaits.
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: A few minutes later, you're strapped into the seat beside him.
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: As the helicopter lifts off into the air, the ground
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: falls away beneath you. Your stomach flips, but not in
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: the bad way, in a sort of awesome way. You
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: look down at the roads, the trees, the houses shrinking
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: smaller and smaller. Cars look like toys below you, Rivers
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: turn into little ribbons. The whole world suddenly seems bigger
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: and now smaller at the same time. Mister Donnelly SIPs
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: coffee as if flying over Ontario in a helicopter is
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: the most normal thing in the world. You ever flown
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: in one of these? Before he asks, no, he nods, excellent,
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: first helicopter rides should be memorable. It already is. You reply,
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: You're about to visit the greatest baseball museum in Canada.
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: I didn't even know there was one Inside the Roger Center.
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: You say. He lowers his sunglasses just enough to look
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: at you over the top of them. Very few people do.
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: Today is a preview opening, very exclusive, exclusive. How you
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: ask you won the contest, he says, that makes you
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: one of the lucky ones. You grin and look back
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: out the window as the helicopter races onward. Soon, the
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: sky line of Toronto rises ahead of you, tall towers,
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: glittering windows, busy streets, and beyond it all the unmistakable
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: shape of the Rogers Center, formerly known as the sky Dome.
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: There it is, says mister Donnelly. You press closer to
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: the glass. From above, the stadium looks enormous. As the
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: helicopter circles lower, you feel like you're arriving for the
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: biggest moment of your life. You land on a private
• 7:46
  Speaker 1: area near the stadium, and a small group of staff
• 7:50
  Speaker 1: greet you. Everything moves quickly after that. Doors open, hallways,
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: pass by, security waves you through elevators, hum upwards and
• 7:59
  Speaker 1: then downwards again, and finally, mister Donnelly spreads his arms dramatically. Welcome,
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: he says, to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame experience.
• 8:15
  Speaker 1: You step through the doors and stop. The place is incredible.
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: There are giant, glowing displays showing famous baseball moments. Glass
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: cases hold bats, gloves, jerseys, balls, helmets and trophies. Screens
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: play clips of impossible catches, towering home runs, stolen bases,
• 8:38
  Speaker 1: and crowd eruptions. One wall is covered in signatures. Another
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: shows a timeline of baseball in Canada. You walk slowly,
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: trying to take it all in. Oh, you whisper, mister
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: Donnelly smiles proudly. That is the correct reaction. He leads
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: you from exhibit to exhibit. At the Velocity Cage, you
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: stand on a marked spot and watch a screen simulate
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: blazing pitches from famous players. At the Wall of Gloves,
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: you see old worn mits that look as if they
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: still remember the shape of the hands that used them.
• 9:20
  Speaker 1: At the Bad Vault, there are legendary bats resting under glass.
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: Did someone really hit a home run with that one?
• 9:30
  Speaker 1: You ask? Oh? Yes, says mister Donnelly, more than one. Actually.
• 9:38
  Speaker 1: You move on to an audio chamber where famous calls
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: echo around the room. Back goes the outfielder, the pitch,
• 9:46
  Speaker 1: It's gone. Mister Donnelly checks his watch. Well, he says,
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: that was the public tour you turn to him public
• 9:59
  Speaker 1: He glances left and right, lowers his voice, and says,
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: now for the pot almost no one knows about. He
• 10:08
  Speaker 1: leads you down a quieter hallway. The lights here are dimmer,
• 10:13
  Speaker 1: the walls are smooth and silver. At the end stands
• 10:16
  Speaker 1: a heavy looking door with a security scanner beside it.
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: Mister Donley takes one more sip of coffee, balances the
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: cup in one hand, and places the other on the scanner.
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: The door slides open. Inside the room glows blue. You
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: step in and immediately stop. The walls are lined with
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: tall glass cylinders filled with some sort of softly lit liquid.
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: Wires and cables run from them into a huge central
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: machine covered in screens, flickering cymbals, and glowing tubes. You stare,
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: and then you stare hard, and then you point, are
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: those brains? Mister Donley clears his throat. We prefer not
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: to get too barked down in the details. You keep
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: staring and definitely looks like a room full of brains.
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: He nods once. Yes, all right, fine, it is a
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: room full of brains. What you say, the greatest baseball
• 11:32
  Speaker 1: minds ever archived into a super computer, he says, proudly
• 11:39
  Speaker 1: past legends, modern stars, strategic geniuses, pitchers, hitters, fielders. We
• 11:47
  Speaker 1: call it the cognitive legacy archive. You slowly look around
• 11:53
  Speaker 1: the room again. That is the weirdest thing I've ever seen, baseball,
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: says mister Donneley, is a game of innovation. To demonstrate,
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: he says, tapping a control panel, let us call up
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: one of the all time greats. A holographic figure forms
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: above the central console, big, confident, grinning. You recognize him
• 12:26
  Speaker 1: at once from old photos and highlights, Babe Ruth, you say,
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: the figure taps his cap. That's right, kid, You jump
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: a little. He's not just recording. He talks like a
• 12:42
  Speaker 1: real person. You play ball, Babe Ruth, asks A little?
• 12:49
  Speaker 1: A little's enough to start? He says, you keep your
• 12:53
  Speaker 1: eye on the ball, swing hard, and don't let anybody
• 12:57
  Speaker 1: tell you can't. You grin. Did that work for you?
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: He laughs most of the time. Mister Donney beams and
• 13:07
  Speaker 1: takes another sip of his coffee. This, he says, is
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: the future of baseball education. And that is when everything
• 13:18
  Speaker 1: goes wrong. He turns a bit too fast, his elbow
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: bumps a panel, his coffee slips. No, no, no, no,
• 13:27
  Speaker 1: the cup falls, It hits the edge of the console
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: and explodes in a splash of hot coffee across the controls.
• 13:36
  Speaker 1: The machine sparks instantly, lights flash red, an alarm blairs.
• 13:42
  Speaker 1: Babe Ruth vanishes. Oh dear, says mister Donnelly. The central
• 13:49
  Speaker 1: supercomputer crackles with wild electricity. A bolt of blue white
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: energy shoots outward, right at you. You barely have time
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: to gasp before it blasts into you like a lightning strike,
• 14:05
  Speaker 1: only it doesn't hurt. Suddenly, you simply find yourself not
• 14:12
  Speaker 1: standing in the room anymore. You're standing on a mound,
• 14:16
  Speaker 1: then at a plate, then sprinting for a second, then
• 14:21
  Speaker 1: diving for a line drive, then crouched behind the catcher's mask,
• 14:27
  Speaker 1: then firing a ball from deep in the outfield. You
• 14:31
  Speaker 1: feel the grip of a four seam fastball, the snap
• 14:35
  Speaker 1: of a curveball, the sharp cut of a slider, the
• 14:39
  Speaker 1: late drop of a splitter, the strange, floating wobble of
• 14:43
  Speaker 1: a knuckleball. You feel hundreds of swings, thousands, the timing,
• 14:50
  Speaker 1: the balance, the power, the crowd, noise, the pressure, the focus.
• 14:56
  Speaker 1: Baseball memories flood through your mind from every redirection at once,
• 15:02
  Speaker 1: but not just memories, muscles, instincts, reflexes. It feels as
• 15:10
  Speaker 1: though you've had years and years of practice instantly downloaded
• 15:17
  Speaker 1: into your brain, into your arms, your legs, your hand,
• 15:21
  Speaker 1: your eyes. When you open your eyes again, bright lights
• 15:27
  Speaker 1: are shining above you. A face leans over yours, and
• 15:31
  Speaker 1: then another. Ah can you hear me? Someone asks you. Blink, Yeah,
• 15:40
  Speaker 1: do you know your name? You tell them your name?
• 15:45
  Speaker 1: Do you know where you are? In the baseball brain room?
• 15:51
  Speaker 1: You mumble. There's a short silence, and then one of
• 15:56
  Speaker 1: the medics says, all right, good, I think he's oriented.
• 16:00
  Speaker 1: Another one shines a light in your eye, Eh, any dizziness, nausey,
• 16:05
  Speaker 1: a double vision? You sit up slowly. Mister Donnelly's standing
• 16:10
  Speaker 1: near by, looking horrified and embarrassed and well kind of
• 16:14
  Speaker 1: worried about a lawsuit all at the same time. I
• 16:18
  Speaker 1: am so sorry. He says, this is not how the
• 16:23
  Speaker 1: tour is usually meant to go. Ah, you mean the
• 16:28
  Speaker 1: whole electrocution part, you ask. He winces, yes, uh exactly.
• 16:34
  Speaker 1: That You move your arms, then your legs, then your fingers. Strangely,
• 16:41
  Speaker 1: you feel fine, Actually you kind of feel more than fine.
• 16:47
  Speaker 1: Your body feels loose, and sharp and ready, as if
• 16:51
  Speaker 1: every joint knows exactly what to do before you even
• 16:54
  Speaker 1: think about it. The doctor checks a tablet. Ah, vinyls
• 16:59
  Speaker 1: are stable, pupils look fine. No obvious sign of injury.
• 17:05
  Speaker 1: No obvious signs says mister Donnelly. Ah, I'm trying to
• 17:10
  Speaker 1: help you out here. The doctor says, how do you feel.
• 17:15
  Speaker 1: One of the medics asks, I feel normal? You say,
• 17:21
  Speaker 1: Then you pause, but also sort of not normal? Now
• 17:27
  Speaker 1: not normal, asks the doctor. You hesitate. It's hard to explain,
• 17:35
  Speaker 1: mister Donnelly leaves in nervously. Please say it in a
• 17:39
  Speaker 1: way that will not ruin my career. You close your
• 17:44
  Speaker 1: eyes for a second. In your mind you can suddenly
• 17:48
  Speaker 1: feel the memories from well, the baseball machine, the throws,
• 17:55
  Speaker 1: the hits, the catches. You open your eyes again, and
• 18:00
  Speaker 1: I think I know a lot more about baseball than
• 18:05
  Speaker 1: I used to. Mister Donnelly exhales. That is somehow the
• 18:11
  Speaker 1: best possible answer. The medics help you to your feet. Ah,
• 18:16
  Speaker 1: you should probably rest, the doctor says, and probably avoid
• 18:23
  Speaker 1: any more experimental supercomputers today. The other one asks, yes,
• 18:29
  Speaker 1: says mister Donnelly, absolutely, no more brain rooms. He then
• 18:35
  Speaker 1: straightens his jacket and forces a cheerful smile. Well, he says,
• 18:40
  Speaker 1: clapping his hands once, to make up for this very
• 18:44
  Speaker 1: unusual incident, I think we should probably upgrade the rest
• 18:50
  Speaker 1: of your day. How you ask, he grins, How would
• 18:56
  Speaker 1: you like to see the Blue Jays on the field?
• 19:01
  Speaker 1: Your eyes widen? Really batting practice, he says, private access.
• 19:10
  Speaker 1: You forget all about the medics instantly. A few minutes later,
• 19:16
  Speaker 1: you're walking through a tunnel toward the field at the
• 19:19
  Speaker 1: Rogers Center. The sound reaches you first thwack, thump, shouts, laughter,
• 19:27
  Speaker 1: the hum of a stadium getting ready for a game.
• 19:31
  Speaker 1: Then you step out and see it. The field stretches
• 19:36
  Speaker 1: out in front of you, bright green and perfect. The
• 19:42
  Speaker 1: seats rise high all around you. Giant screens glow overhead.
• 19:48
  Speaker 1: Players move across the grass like the people from your
• 19:51
  Speaker 1: baseball cards have suddenly stepped into real life. You stop walking.
• 19:59
  Speaker 1: Whoa you whisper? Mister Donnelly smiles. That, he says, is
• 20:06
  Speaker 1: also the correct reaction. A ball cracks off a bat
• 20:11
  Speaker 1: and sails high across the stadium. Another one follows. You
• 20:16
  Speaker 1: can smell the grass and dirt. You can hear gloves
• 20:20
  Speaker 1: popping and cleat scraping and coaches calling out instructions. For
• 20:25
  Speaker 1: a moment, you just stare. This is amazing, you say.
• 20:33
  Speaker 1: It is so amazing that you probably don't feel any
• 20:38
  Speaker 1: need to sue me or anything. Mister Donnley adds, you
• 20:44
  Speaker 1: just stare at him. And that's when someone on the
• 20:47
  Speaker 1: field takes a huge swing. The ball rockets fowl straight
• 20:52
  Speaker 1: toward the tunnel, straight toward your head. Mister Donnelly yelps
• 20:58
  Speaker 1: and ducks. You, on the other hand, do knock duck.
• 21:03
  Speaker 1: You don't even think twice. Your hand snaps up by
• 21:07
  Speaker 1: itself and smack with a bit of a sting. The
• 21:12
  Speaker 1: ball lands perfectly in your gloveless hand. Everything goes still.
• 21:19
  Speaker 1: A nearby coach stares at you. A player near the
• 21:23
  Speaker 1: dugout stares at you. Mister Donneley slowly lifts his head.
• 21:29
  Speaker 1: You caught that. You look down at the ball in
• 21:33
  Speaker 1: your hand, yeah, you say, though honestly it surprised me too.
• 21:41
  Speaker 1: Someone from the field cups his hands around his mouth. Hey,
• 21:45
  Speaker 1: throw it back, you nod, without really trying. You take
• 21:50
  Speaker 1: one step turn and fire the ball. It leaves your
• 21:55
  Speaker 1: hand with a sharp hiss. The catcher by the batting
• 21:58
  Speaker 1: cage barely gets his glove up in time. Crack the
• 22:03
  Speaker 1: ball slams into his mit. Several heads turn at once.
• 22:08
  Speaker 1: A man holding a radar gun looks down at it,
• 22:11
  Speaker 1: and then back up and then down again. What he says?
• 22:19
  Speaker 1: Another coach jogs over. The man with the radar gun
• 22:23
  Speaker 1: turns the screen around one hundred and fifteen mph. There's
• 22:31
  Speaker 1: a moment of total silence. Then everyone starts talking at once. Now,
• 22:37
  Speaker 1: way that has to be wrong. Do it again. Mister
• 22:41
  Speaker 1: Donley points at the radar gun. Is that number good?
• 22:47
  Speaker 1: He asks? A coach slowly turns around. Good. He looks
• 22:53
  Speaker 1: at you, kid, He says, throw another one, just for fun.
• 22:59
  Speaker 1: Someone talks says you a baseball. The instant it lands
• 23:03
  Speaker 1: in your hand. Everything feels simple, natural, easy. You step
• 23:09
  Speaker 1: forward and throw again. Crack the mid snaps back. The
• 23:14
  Speaker 1: radar gun flashes one hundred and fourteen mph. Players begin
• 23:22
  Speaker 1: drifting closer. Another coach says, try something else. So you do.
• 23:31
  Speaker 1: You throw the ball again and again and again. Each
• 23:37
  Speaker 1: time it fires off with incredible speed. And each time
• 23:43
  Speaker 1: you try a different kind of pitch. A breaking ball,
• 23:47
  Speaker 1: a slider, a curveball, a change up, a cutter, a splitter,
• 23:52
  Speaker 1: a sweeper. You can throw every single one without well
• 23:58
  Speaker 1: any hesitation all. The catcher pulls off his mask and
• 24:04
  Speaker 1: shakes his glove hand a little bit, as if it's
• 24:07
  Speaker 1: well kind of sore. Mister Donnley whispers, I may fat.
• 24:15
  Speaker 1: One of the coaches folds his arms. Alright, then, kid,
• 24:20
  Speaker 1: well can you bat too? He hands you a helmet
• 24:25
  Speaker 1: and a bat. The moment your fingers close around it,
• 24:30
  Speaker 1: another flood of memories runs through you. Stands, timing, hip turn, balance,
• 24:36
  Speaker 1: hand speed, tracking spin. You step into the bat and cage.
• 24:43
  Speaker 1: The pitcher behind the screen tosses you the first pitch
• 24:47
  Speaker 1: pretty easily to start off. You swing the bat and crack.
• 24:53
  Speaker 1: The ball flies deep, way deep. It smashes into seats
• 24:59
  Speaker 1: far beyond the outfield wall. Everyone on the field freezes.
• 25:05
  Speaker 1: The next pitch comes, another swing, another blast. The third
• 25:11
  Speaker 1: pitch is outside, You still drive it the other way
• 25:15
  Speaker 1: and send it soaring. One player laughs out loud, what
• 25:21
  Speaker 1: is happening here? Another says, ah, this kid is not normal.
• 25:28
  Speaker 1: Mister Donnelly raises one finger. Technically, I feel I should
• 25:33
  Speaker 1: say that I agree. Pitch after pitch comes in fastball,
• 25:39
  Speaker 1: home run, curveball, home run, change up, home run. You
• 25:46
  Speaker 1: are barely even trying. Finally, the Blue Jays coach walks over.
• 25:53
  Speaker 1: He's been watching the whole time, and he looks at
• 25:56
  Speaker 1: you and then mister Donnelly, how old are you? He asks?
• 26:03
  Speaker 1: And you tell him. The coach rubs his chin. Ah.
• 26:09
  Speaker 1: He gestures to an assistant, get me the rule book,
• 26:13
  Speaker 1: he says, uh the roll bucks, Sir asks the assistant
• 26:18
  Speaker 1: the full one. A few minutes later, three adults are
• 26:22
  Speaker 1: standing around with a tablet scrolling furiously. You can hear
• 26:27
  Speaker 1: bits of the conversation. No, man of my age, that
• 26:32
  Speaker 1: can't be right. Check again, I'm checking. Afterward, the coach
• 26:38
  Speaker 1: walks over, kid, He says, how would you feel about
• 26:44
  Speaker 1: joining us for tonight's game? You blink? What you mean
• 26:50
  Speaker 1: like I can watch from the dugout?
• 26:54
  Speaker 2: Uh?
• 26:54
  Speaker 1: Well, not helping. I was thinking you could play. You've
• 27:01
  Speaker 1: never played before, so the most I could offer you
• 27:04
  Speaker 1: for the season is probably, you know, one million if
• 27:08
  Speaker 1: that'll do? What million? One million dollars? You repeat, Yeah,
• 27:17
  Speaker 1: I know it's not a lot in baseball terms, but well,
• 27:22
  Speaker 1: if you can throw and hit like that, you're worth
• 27:26
  Speaker 1: way more. That's a lot. You say. You quickly call
• 27:33
  Speaker 1: your parents, of course, who contact a lawyer, go through
• 27:36
  Speaker 1: all of the paperwork, and eventually agree to allow you
• 27:41
  Speaker 1: to play as long as you wear a helmet. Of course,
• 27:44
  Speaker 1: they weren't convinced at first, but the whole million dollar
• 27:47
  Speaker 1: thing probably well put them over the line. Before you
• 27:52
  Speaker 1: know it, you're giving a jersey with your name on
• 27:55
  Speaker 1: the back. You're showing the clubhouse. You shake hands with
• 28:01
  Speaker 1: players who keep glancing with you as if they can't
• 28:04
  Speaker 1: really believe that they've just hired well you. Then, because
• 28:10
  Speaker 1: the team wants you well rested for the game, you're
• 28:13
  Speaker 1: taken to a hotel. Your room is incredible. There's a
• 28:19
  Speaker 1: huge bed, a giant window overlooking the city, Snacks on
• 28:24
  Speaker 1: the table, a fresh blue Jay's uniform hanging neatly near
• 28:28
  Speaker 1: the closet, cleats below it in your size, a glove
• 28:35
  Speaker 1: on the dresser, a note that says welcome to the team.
• 28:41
  Speaker 1: You walk to the window and look out on Toronto.
• 28:45
  Speaker 1: You eat some snacks, watch some TV, and before you
• 28:50
  Speaker 1: know it, it's nighttime. The Rogers Center is packed, the
• 28:56
  Speaker 1: lights are bright, the music's loud, and there's a huge
• 29:01
  Speaker 1: crowd watching You walk out into the dugout wearing your
• 29:06
  Speaker 1: brand new uniform, and you try to act calm, even
• 29:11
  Speaker 1: though you're not calm. You're definitely not calm. Tonight's game
• 29:17
  Speaker 1: is against the Dodgers. Every hit gets a roar, every
• 29:22
  Speaker 1: close call gets people on their feet, and every time
• 29:26
  Speaker 1: the Blue Jays come close to a rally, the whole
• 29:30
  Speaker 1: stadium shakes with noise. You hold your glove tighter. One
• 29:36
  Speaker 1: of the pitchers beside you smiles. The first game, he says,
• 29:41
  Speaker 1: you nod. He laughs, yeah, kind of figured at first.
• 29:47
  Speaker 1: The coach keeps you on the bench. You watch innings pass,
• 29:51
  Speaker 1: You watch the pitchers work, You watch the batter's bat,
• 29:55
  Speaker 1: you watch the scoreboard, and slowly the game starts slipping away.
• 30:01
  Speaker 1: By the final inning, the Blue Jays are down by three.
• 30:06
  Speaker 1: The crowd is still loud, but now there's a worry
• 30:11
  Speaker 1: in it too. The coach stands at the dugout rail, thinking,
• 30:16
  Speaker 1: and then he turns to you. He says, get loose.
• 30:23
  Speaker 1: Your whole body goes electric me you, he says, He
• 30:30
  Speaker 1: hands you a ball and pushes you out onto the field.
• 30:35
  Speaker 1: It's showtime. The stadium announcer says your name. There's a
• 30:41
  Speaker 1: strange pause as The crowd begins to react, at first
• 30:47
  Speaker 1: confusion and then surprise and then amazement, because well, someone
• 30:55
  Speaker 1: who doesn't look old enough to be playing for the
• 30:57
  Speaker 1: Blue Jays is marching out of the dugout and headed
• 31:02
  Speaker 1: straight for the mound. The noise swells and swells until
• 31:07
  Speaker 1: it becomes a huge, well rolling roar. People are standing, pointing, cheering, shouting.
• 31:16
  Speaker 1: Phones are up everywhere. You climb to the mound and
• 31:20
  Speaker 1: look around. The whole stadium seems to spin for a second,
• 31:25
  Speaker 1: and then you feel the ball in your hand and
• 31:29
  Speaker 1: everything steadies. The catcher gives you the sign. You nod.
• 31:36
  Speaker 1: The batter steps in, looking almost amused. You set your feet,
• 31:41
  Speaker 1: take a breath, and throw. The pitch explodes across the plate.
• 31:47
  Speaker 1: The batter doesn't even move. Strike one. The crowd erupts.
• 31:54
  Speaker 1: The batter steps back, startled. Now he'd assumed this whole
• 31:59
  Speaker 1: thing was just all sit He's stunned, but after seeing
• 32:02
  Speaker 1: that pitch, he decides to take things seriously. He adjusts
• 32:08
  Speaker 1: his gloves and stares at you. You throw again, this
• 32:12
  Speaker 1: time a slider. It starts middle and cuts away so
• 32:17
  Speaker 1: hard the batter swings at empty air. Strike two. Now
• 32:22
  Speaker 1: the whole stadium is alive. You hear your name rolling
• 32:26
  Speaker 1: through the seats. The batter looks nervous, and so to
• 32:30
  Speaker 1: the next two fastball, curveball, cutter, splitter. You strike it
• 32:35
  Speaker 1: the first batter, then the second, then the third, Three up,
• 32:42
  Speaker 1: three down. The crowd screams as you make your way
• 32:47
  Speaker 1: off of the field and back over to the dugout.
• 32:50
  Speaker 1: Great work, the coach says. Now it's time to see if, well,
• 32:56
  Speaker 1: if you can bat too. It's the boss of the ninth,
• 33:01
  Speaker 1: the last chance. The j's come out fighting single, a walk,
• 33:07
  Speaker 1: another single. The crowd starts building again, and now the
• 33:14
  Speaker 1: bases are loaded, but there's already two outs. The dugout
• 33:20
  Speaker 1: is tense, the stadium's tense. Everyone's standing, and the coach
• 33:25
  Speaker 1: looks down the bench. You're up, he says, handing you
• 33:31
  Speaker 1: a bad For a second, your brain goes completely blank.
• 33:36
  Speaker 1: Then your legs carry you toward the plate. The crowd
• 33:41
  Speaker 1: is making a sound you've never heard before, part cheer,
• 33:46
  Speaker 1: part disbelieve, part pure hope. You step into the batter's box.
• 33:52
  Speaker 1: The pitcher stares at you. He looks almost annoyed about
• 33:56
  Speaker 1: the whole thing, probably because he just got struck out.
• 33:59
  Speaker 1: By child sized pitcher and is now being asked to
• 34:02
  Speaker 1: face the same child size problem at the plate. The
• 34:06
  Speaker 1: catcher gives the signed The pitcher winds up, and the
• 34:10
  Speaker 1: first pitch comes in fast, too fast. You freeze. It
• 34:16
  Speaker 1: zips right past strike one. The crowd groans. You step
• 34:22
  Speaker 1: back and swallow. Okay, you whisper, all right. You step
• 34:27
  Speaker 1: in again. The second pitch comes, you hesitate, and again
• 34:33
  Speaker 1: strike to. The huge groan rolls through the stadium and
• 34:38
  Speaker 1: the pitcher smirks. The catcher tosses the ball back. You
• 34:43
  Speaker 1: grip the bat tighter. You close your eyes for a second,
• 34:49
  Speaker 1: just one, and you breathe. You think about the field,
• 34:53
  Speaker 1: the ball, the moment, and when you open your eyes again,
• 34:58
  Speaker 1: everything changes. The noise fades back, not gone, but it
• 35:04
  Speaker 1: sort of feels further away. The pitcher lifts the ball.
• 35:10
  Speaker 1: You can see the seams, you can see the angle
• 35:13
  Speaker 1: of his wrist, you can feel the timing. Before he
• 35:16
  Speaker 1: even starts moving, he throws, and suddenly the ball seems
• 35:23
  Speaker 1: to travel in slow motion. You watch it the whole
• 35:27
  Speaker 1: way in. You step, turn, swing, and crack. The sound
• 35:34
  Speaker 1: is enormous, the kind of sound that tells everyone instantly
• 35:39
  Speaker 1: that the ball is gone. It shoots off your bat
• 35:43
  Speaker 1: like a rocket. The left fielder turns and runs back,
• 35:47
  Speaker 1: and then stops. The center fielder stops too. The crowd
• 35:54
  Speaker 1: lifts in one giant wave as the ball climbs higher
• 35:59
  Speaker 1: and higher and then disappears into the stands. For half
• 36:04
  Speaker 1: a second, nobody can believe it, and then the entire
• 36:09
  Speaker 1: stadium explodes grand slam. You drop the bat and run
• 36:16
  Speaker 1: first base, second, third, Home. Your teammates are already waiting
• 36:22
  Speaker 1: at the plate, jumping, shouting, laughing. The second your foot
• 36:27
  Speaker 1: touches home, they mob you. Helmets fly, gloves fly, People
• 36:32
  Speaker 1: are yelling your name. Somebody lifts you up off of
• 36:35
  Speaker 1: the ground, and somebody else does too. You're raised over
• 36:40
  Speaker 1: a pile of cheering Blue Jays, and while the stadium
• 36:45
  Speaker 1: roars around you. The whole thing is surreal. After interviews
• 36:52
  Speaker 1: and cheers and a celebration that doesn't even feel real,
• 36:57
  Speaker 1: you return to your hotel room, still in a bit
• 37:02
  Speaker 1: of a days, you put on your pajamas and lay
• 37:06
  Speaker 1: down in the bed. The bed is very, very soft
• 37:12
  Speaker 1: and very very comfortable. You pull the covers up to
• 37:17
  Speaker 1: your chin. You close your eyes, and with each breath
• 37:24
  Speaker 1: you allow your body to sink down deeper and deeper
• 37:29
  Speaker 1: into the mattress, and as you breathe, your mind begins
• 37:35
  Speaker 1: to wander off to thoughts of new dreams, new games,
• 37:42
  Speaker 1: and new adventures to come. Good night everyone in New York.
• 40:49
  Speaker 2: Nion, no mothing.
• 43:06
  Speaker 3: No mon mome m
• 46:39
  Speaker 1: M m