Hickory's Little Short Stop
Summary: A very short story about a young Gary's impressive batting
average in little league.
Disclaimer: Early Edition characters belong to their creators. No
copyright infringement intended. No profit is being made.
Author's Notes: A recent review of the episode "Christmas"
where "Santa" mentioned Gary's batting average in little league was
the catalyst for this story. But special thanks goes to Sharon Pucci
who wrote the review and who continues to be one of my most creative,
generous, humorous, and enthusiastic Muses. Sharon, you're aces in
my book g!
I dedicate this story to the Kyle Chandler fans at the
garrettjeffreyhobson group.
Author: Tracy Diane Miller
E-mail address: tdmiller82@hotmail.com
Hickory's Little Short Stop
Chapter One
Hickory, Indiana: May, 1974
Little mud green eyes looked intently at the ball. Tiny hands
clutched the bat.
Despite a busy and tiring work schedule, Bernie Hobson never missed
these Saturday practice sessions with his son. Eight-year-old Gary
loved the game. And the coach of the Hickory Baby Cardinals had told
Bernie that Gary had a special, God-given talent and predicted a
professional baseball career for the shy youngster. Although very
small in comparison to his teammates, Gary was fast around the bases
(he had been dubbed "the little tornado") and had a powerful swing.
The Baby Cardinals were the favorites expected to seize the state
championship.
The Hobsons were doting, and arguably overprotective, parents to
their only child. Their smothering had an interesting affect on
Gary. He seemed painfully shy around people; yet, he was a very
stubborn and determined little boy. He was a polite child adored by
most adults who came into contact with him. And Gary's sensitivity
and sincerity helped him make friends very easy. Gary Hobson was
quite an anomaly.
"Come on Gar, eyes on the ball. Hit a home run for daddy." Bernie
said encouragingly.
Gary nodded.
The elder Hobson released the ball, but Gary hadn't released his
death grip on the bat. The ball flew through the air towards the
little boy with all the speed of an eagle. Gary swung the bat with
all of his might. The powerful swing sent the ball flying helplessly
through the air in the opposite direction. Gary ran as fast as could
around the bases as Bernie scrambled to catch the ball. A moment
later, Gary slid into home plate, scraping his knee in the process.
Bernie hurried to his son. "You okay, kiddo?" The concerned father
asked.
Gary nodded again.
"Let me see." Bernie surveyed the damage to Gary's knee. It was a
bad scrape, but the brave little boy refused to cry.
"We better get you fixed up before your mother gets home and sees
this."
Lois Hobson had gone to the cleaners to pick up Gary's little league
uniform. The Hobson men knew that if she got wind of Gary's injury,
she would play mother hen for the rest of the day. They agreed that
Lois wasn't going to find out about Gary's accident.
Father and son walked towards the house, an unspoken conspiracy
forged between them.
Summary: A very short story about a young Gary's impressive batting
average in little league.
Disclaimer: Early Edition characters belong to their creators. No
copyright infringement intended. No profit is being made.
Author's Notes: A recent review of the episode "Christmas"
where "Santa" mentioned Gary's batting average in little league was
the catalyst for this story. But special thanks goes to Sharon Pucci
who wrote the review and who continues to be one of my most creative,
generous, humorous, and enthusiastic Muses. Sharon, you're aces in
my book g!
I dedicate this story to the Kyle Chandler fans at the
garrettjeffreyhobson group.
Author: Tracy Diane Miller
E-mail address: tdmiller82@hotmail.com
Hickory's Little Short Stop
Chapter One
Hickory, Indiana: May, 1974
Little mud green eyes looked intently at the ball. Tiny hands
clutched the bat.
Despite a busy and tiring work schedule, Bernie Hobson never missed
these Saturday practice sessions with his son. Eight-year-old Gary
loved the game. And the coach of the Hickory Baby Cardinals had told
Bernie that Gary had a special, God-given talent and predicted a
professional baseball career for the shy youngster. Although very
small in comparison to his teammates, Gary was fast around the bases
(he had been dubbed "the little tornado") and had a powerful swing.
The Baby Cardinals were the favorites expected to seize the state
championship.
The Hobsons were doting, and arguably overprotective, parents to
their only child. Their smothering had an interesting affect on
Gary. He seemed painfully shy around people; yet, he was a very
stubborn and determined little boy. He was a polite child adored by
most adults who came into contact with him. And Gary's sensitivity
and sincerity helped him make friends very easy. Gary Hobson was
quite an anomaly.
"Come on Gar, eyes on the ball. Hit a home run for daddy." Bernie
said encouragingly.
Gary nodded.
The elder Hobson released the ball, but Gary hadn't released his
death grip on the bat. The ball flew through the air towards the
little boy with all the speed of an eagle. Gary swung the bat with
all of his might. The powerful swing sent the ball flying helplessly
through the air in the opposite direction. Gary ran as fast as could
around the bases as Bernie scrambled to catch the ball. A moment
later, Gary slid into home plate, scraping his knee in the process.
Bernie hurried to his son. "You okay, kiddo?" The concerned father
asked.
Gary nodded again.
"Let me see." Bernie surveyed the damage to Gary's knee. It was a
bad scrape, but the brave little boy refused to cry.
"We better get you fixed up before your mother gets home and sees
this."
Lois Hobson had gone to the cleaners to pick up Gary's little league
uniform. The Hobson men knew that if she got wind of Gary's injury,
she would play mother hen for the rest of the day. They agreed that
Lois wasn't going to find out about Gary's accident.
Father and son walked towards the house, an unspoken conspiracy
forged between them.