Chapter 2

The Scout

This week: The World of Sports.

With the boys overseas and off to war, baseball pitches for the war effort. Trading bats for bullets,Yankees star Joe DiMaggio promises to give to Nazis a jolt. Ace fire baller Bob feller has traded Cleveland gray for Nazy blue. Baseball biggest stars say "Look out Mr. Hitler. The Yanks are coming." Not to mention the Indians, Red Sox, and Tigers, and they won't come back till it's over over there.

Meanwhile, Chicago club owner Walter Harvey, the candy bar king, met with other team owners at the famous Harvey Mansion as rumors persisr that baseball may be shut down for the duration of the war. Harvey's promotional whiz kid Ira Lowenstein has been given the job of figuring out how to keep baeball going. Good luck Mr. Lowenstein

Then the black and white movie clip ended.


Spokane, Washington 1943

Joon was in her apartment working on a portrait. Sam was sitting on the couch listening to the radio. He was dressed up like Buster Keaton as always and wore a hat like Charlie Chaplin and carried a cane with him just like he does.

Then they both heard a knock at the door. Sam got up and answered it. It was their apartment manager Ruthie.

"Hey don't forget, we have a game at one," she reminded them.

"Okay," said Sam.

Ruthie and Joon both played softball. They played on the same team for Peaceful Valley, the name of the neighborhood Benny lives in.

"We're playing against Eric's wife," said Ruthie.

"Okay," said Joon.

"I'll be back at noon to get you," said Ruthie and she went back to her apartment.

Eric was a friend of Benny's, Joon's brother, and his wife played softball too.

Sometimes he and Benny would hold a booth there where people go and play for keeps. Anything they didn't want, they bet and Benny or Eric would have the person pick a card and they shuffle them and they had to find the same card by picking a card. They even did poker at Eric's house where they all played for keeps. They have beer and pop and all play on the back porch. Their other poker buddy Thomas would come and play. They used have another one named Mike but he went off to war to help their country. No one was sure if he was still alive or not because he never wrote to them. Even he didn't write to his own cousin Sam.


When it was time to go, Joon was dressed in her uniform and had her mitt ready. Ruthie came by and knocked on their door again. Sam answered it. Ruthie stood there in her uniform carrying her bat and mitt.

"Are ya ready?" she said.

"Yeah," said Joon.

"Okay, lets go," said Ruthie.

They left and headed out to her car. Sam and Joon had to squeeze in but luckily they were both thin enough to fit in her 1924 Dodge.

They arrived at the game. Ruthie parked her car on the side of the street and got out. They walked to Glover field that was along Spokane River. Joon and Ruthie met up with their team to warm up.

The other team arrived too. Eric came with his wife Claudia and a strange man who was overweight and husky. He had a mustache and wore a hat.

He sat down in the bleachers.

Claudia met with her team and started to warm up.

People from the neighborhood came and sat in the bleachers. Two little girls set up their lemonade stand and put up the sign.

Eric set up his little table and set his cards down. He put up the sign. It said, "Play for keeps" and below the words, it said "play for items."

Then Benny arrived and met up with Eric.

"Money is worth more than items," the strange man told them.

"Oh Benny, this is my cousin Ernie," Eric introduced him.

"Hi," said Benny as he held his hand out.

"Are you the mechanic guy?" Ernie asked as he shook his hand.

"Yeah, he must have told you," said Benny.

"He tried to get me to come to work with him but I said no because what do I look like? A Mechanic?" Ernie said in a sarcastic tone.

Benny laughed.

"Do you ever get covered in grease?"

"Yeah sometimes."

"I wouldn't want your job. I'd rather shower than getting cleaned up with grease."

Benny froze.

"Oh don't mind him," Eric told him. "It's the way he is, but he's funny."

"Lemonade, only one cent," one of the little girls called from their stand.

"Since when do kiddies make money?" Ernie said sarcastically.

Then a guy came up to Eric. "Hey I'll bet my pocket watch."

"All right," said Eric. "Pick a card."

"Man, since when did poker get to be about items?" said Ernie being sarcastic again.

Ernie was a very sarcastic man who was not very nice. He insulted lot of people and made fun of them. Eric just ignored it knowing it was part of who he is and he does it to everyone.

The team kept warming up until game started. The coach gave his team the line up. Then they got in their positions.

Ruthie was playing short stop and Joon was playing left field.

The players threw the balls to each other. The pitcher was practicing her pitching.

"Balls in," the umpire called.

The players threw their balls in except for the pitcher.

Claudia's team was getting ready to bat. One of the players was swinging her bat warming up.

"Batter up," said the umpire.


Three innings went by, Ernie watched the game. He was impressed how well Ruthie could play and how well Claudia could hit the ball and play too despite being deaf. He was impressed how fast Joon could run.

"Claudia sure can play despite living in a silent world," said Ernie.

Eric ignored his comment.

Then Joon was up to bat. She got three strikes but the catcher missed the ball.

"Joon! run!" Benny shouted. "She missed the ball."

"Go! Go! Go" people in the bleachers shouted.

Joon looked and ran to first base. The catcher got the ball and threw it to first base but the first base player also missed the ball.

"Run to second," her team mate shouted who was standing next to first base.

Joon ran to second base.

The first base person got the ball and threw it to second.

"Slide," her team mates were shouting.

Joon slid into second.

"Safe," said the umpire.

Joon's team cheered.

Joon got up.

"She sure runs like super woman," said Ernie.

When the team got all three out, The Peaceful Vallies went to their dugout to get ready to bat.

Ruthie was up first. She practiced swinging.

The other team went out in the field and got in their positions and practiced their throwing while the pitcher practiced her pitching.

Then the umpire yelled "Balls in."

They threw their balls to the dugout except for the pitcher.

"Batter up," said the umpire.

Ruthie went up to bat.

"Right here Annie," said the catcher.

Annie pitched the ball and Ruthie was about to swing but didn't.

"Strike," said the umpire.

The catcher threw the ball back to Annie.

Ruthie got ready to bat again.

"Come on Ruthie, keep you eye on the ball," her team mate named Lorraine shouted.

Annie pitched the ball again and Ruthie swung hitting the ball hard. It went way out in the field.

"Whoa, that's the best hit she's ever done," Eric shouted. "Did you see that?"

Benny cheered as Ruthie ran around the bases. The ball landed out in the field and it bounced on the ground. The two out fielders ran after it and it went into the river.

"It went in the river," Benny shouted. "It's a home run."

The whole team was cheering.

Joon was cheering. "All right Ruthie."

Sam was clapping too and also cheering.

"Hey what's with the cane?" Ernie asked. "What are you? Crippled?"

Sam ignored him.

"Home run," shouted the umpire.

One of the players climbed down into the river for the ball.

Ruthie ran to home plate. She jumped in the air waving her arms. Her team mates ran up to her and hugged her and patted her. Joon was jumping up and down too clapping her hands.

Everyone waited a few minutes for the other team to get the ball.

"Girls! Forget the ball. We have another one," their coach shouted from the dugout.

But the girls wouldn't give up.

"That was a good hit," Ernie told Eric. "You know, Joon and your wife aren't bad either. How about I take them to Chicago with me so they can tryout?"

"What?" Eric asked.

"Yeah, it be my treat. Everyone needs a nice guy once in a while."

"I would miss her," said Eric.

"You can come with too so you can be with her."

"Really?" said Eric.

"Yeah sure. You're my cousin."

Ernie took out his cigar and lit it.

"Hey, Joon is mentally ill so I don't know if she be okay on her own," Benny told Ernie.

"I'll go with," said Sam.

"Mentally ill?" Ernie asked.

"She sometimes hears voices in her head," Benny explained. "She can run hot and cold on you, she does her routine and it's everything to her. If you interrupt it, well, it's not a pretty sight-"

"Hold it hold it," Ernie interrupted. "This is professional baseball, not a mental league. We don't need any mental patients so I'm sorry."

Sam was speechless.

"Hey, just a minute here," said Benny. "Joon may be sick but just as long as she keeps taking her medication, she is fine. Now if I tag along, you won't have to worry about her. In fact she has done well since Sam has walked into her life so maybe he can come along instead and she might just be fine without me."

"Oh all right, she can come," said Ernie. "At least there are mental hospitals in Chicago when she needs them."

"I'll go Benny," said Sam. "If it's alright with my boss. If not, then you will go."

"Someone needs to stay here and run your shop," Eric told Benny.

"I know," said Benny. "This is getting complicated."

"You know, I can always write to Claudia if she goes," said Eric. "I can just stay here and hold down the fort if you're so worried about Joon. Just have her bring plenty of medication or get her a doctor's prescription so she can get her pills out there."

"Okay," said Benny. "I can always write to Ruthie if she goes."

The girls finally got the ball and went back to the field and threw it to Annie. The ball was covered in mud.

"Eeeeeeee," Annie said in disgust staring at the ball.

"Annie, throw it here," said their couch. He had a clean softball.

Annie tossed the ball in and the coach threw the ball to her. She caught it in her mitt.

"Batter up," said the umpire.

The next batter went up to bat.


When halftime came, Ernie introduced himself to Joon and Ruthie.

"Hey," he said. "I'm Ernie Capadoino, Eric's cousin. I saw you two playing, you're not bad."

"Thanks," said Ruthie as she blushed.

"I'm a baseball scout and Walter Harvey is starting a girl's baseball league. You know him?"

"Who's he?" Ruthie asked.

"Who is he?" Ernie asked stunned. "Who is he? You don't know him? What kind of world are you living in? Don't tell me you have never heard of the chocolate bars. You know, the Harvey Bars."

"Oh I know the candy but didn't know the person," said Ruthie.

"That's the guy. He's starting a girl's baseball league while the men are over seas. I will be heading for Oregon to look at a few girls and then head for Colorado to look at another girl and then head for Chicago where the tryouts are. You three wanna come and play?"

"What?" Joon asked.

"Three?" Ruthie asked.

"Ah wake up, this isn't a dream," said Ernie. "They will pay you seventy five dollars a week."

Joon's eyes widened.

"I make twenty at the diner," said Ruthie. "And thirty five managing the building."

"This would be more wouldn't it? You look like a dolly," Ernie told her. "So, are you three coming?" Then he pointed to Joon, "She'd look like a dolly too if she wore make up."

"I hate make up," said Joon. "Too fake."

"Three?" Ruthie asked again.

"Eric's wife, the deaf lady." Then he shouted, "Eric?"

"What?" said Eric as he gave a person one of his items he had lost in the game.

"Bring your deaf wife over here, I have something to tell her."

"You have legs, you go get her and tell her. She can read lips and hear a little."

"Oh so she can hear. So what is it, you two coming or not?" Ernie asked Ruthie and Joon.

"The man of chocolate bars is starting a womens' baseball league?" said Joon. "But we play softball."

"Oh relax, this is no different. The field is bigger and the ball is smaller and you be pitching over hand instead of under so nothing much different," said Ernie.

"How much time do we have to think about this?" Ruthie asked.

"I am leaving tomorrow for Oregon so you have that long to think about it. Come on down to the train station if you're coming. The train leaves at five o clock. Not morning."

Ruthie stood there and thought.

Ernie headed over to Claudia to speak to her.