I do not own any of the characters except Sally.

As soon as we reached the sandlot, Wings, DP, Timber, and Two-Ton raced to the center of the field. They crowded around some guy dressed in a baseball uniform. Dodger, I think. I stood next to Tommy, looking around the field. The diamond was completed with old mats for bases and faded white lines from base to base. Signs hung everywhere, even some from a decade ago. I looked at Tommy, who looked like he was experiencing déjà vu.

"Are you okay?" I ask, sounding concerned.

"Yeah, fine…" He said. We walked a little bit, looking around some more. Then he walked right up to the pro. "Hey Benny, it's pretty weird, right? I mean it's like the twilight zone or somethin'." He put a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe you can tell me how we got-" The man turned around and smiled. Tommy's mouth dropped. "here." He finishes.

"You asking me how I got here?" The one called 'Benny' asks. "Same way these kids are gonna get there. 'Cause they love to play ball. That's the key, kid." He says, swinging the bat around.

Tommy circles around Benny. "You look so… so…"

"Young?" I add. I was just trying to save him before he said something stupid. Fortunately, Tommy nodded his head in agreement.

"Maybe I should be lookin' in the same mirror you are, kids."

"I wouldn't really recommend that." Tommy says.

"Come on hot shot. Let's see what you got." DP says, hitting Tommy lightly with his glove.

"You know what? I think I'm just going to watch."

"Okay… how about you little lady?" Benny asks me.

"I don't know how to play." I say. I receive odd looks from the rest of the boys, making me feel like I'm some odd alien. "I'll just… watch my brother." I follow him to the stands. I overhear some of the boys' conversation.

"Some all-star." Wings says. "And how does someone not know anything about baseball?"

"All star? As in, 'All-star LATER'. Just full of it." Timber says. "And as for the girl-"

"I think you mean, Sarah Santorelli, sister of Santa. Call her Sally or Sal." Two-Ton says, imitating Tommy's voice. The boys all laughed. I rolled my eyes. Stupid boys. "I tell ya, try to do some weirdos a favor and they just get weirdower!"

I glance at Tommy wondering if he heard that too, but I couldn't help but also look at the man next to him. He wore a backwards cap and a pair of thick black glasses…

It's that guy! He gave me directions to the sandlot!

The man looks up, and smiles at us. "Hey. I remember you."

I laugh. "Yeah! Thanks for the directions!"

"Are you guys new to town?"

"Not really-" Tommy begins to say, but I cut him off.

"Yes we are."

"I'm Squints Palledorous." He says, shaking both of our hands.

"You're a baseball commissioner, right?" Tommy asks.

"Yeah, that's right." We all turn our heads to watch them practice.

Benny hits the ball, and Wings races to catch it. And man, can that boy run.

"Wings!" Tommy says.

"You know Wings McKay?" Squints asks.

"Sure."

"You can never forget that kind of speed." Tommy and I say in unison.

"He's got no second gear, that's for sure." Squints says, laughing at how we said the same thing at the same time.

"It's gonna catch up to him though." Tommy adds.

"Oh, I don't think anyone can catch him."

Tommy turns to me, whispering. "Except the cops." I smirk. The cops, huh? What is he, an evil genius? I watched as Wings threw the ball back to Timber, then he turns and makes a face at me. I roll my eyes. Not likely.

Then Benny hits another, and lands towards another boy on the team.

"Come on, Q." Two-Ton addresses him. "Just pick up the ball, Q."

"In a minute!" He shouts back. I like Q already.

"That's Q, short for IQ. He's wicked smart. Not really that great an outfielder though." Squints says.

"I'm using the probability calculation of wind speed velocity, versus the angle of the descent of the ball." Q says. Two-Ton looked clueless, but I knew exactly what that was. Hey, it helps to read.

"Well I'm going to descent upon your head if you don't pick up that ball and throw it in."

"Take it all a part, and breaks everything down to a science." I add.

"That's right." He looks at Tommy. "You got yourself your own Q at home."

"You could say that." Tommy says. I smile.

"Did you ever notice how the wind speed velocity changes when you speak Two-Ton?" Q asks.

"Pick up the ball, NOW." Two-Ton says. Both of their attention switches to the thing in Q's hand. That must calculate it, because it changes as soon as he said something, just like Q said.

"It's paid off, he's only one of the biggest grain surgeons-" Squints and I look at him, confused. "I mean, brains, in the world." Nice save, Tommy. Way to not be weird.

"You okay, kid. You might want to get out of the sun."

"It's not the sun. It's just him." I smirk, which results in a glare from Tommy.

"I just can't believe what I'm seeing…" Tommy says, scratching the back of his head.

"Well that's not good. Here," Squints takes out a business card with 'Squints Pharmacy' on the front. "you give this card to your mom and come in; I'll set you up with some quality shades. Both of you, if you want. Speaking of the shade… come on kids, follow me." He leads us to the dugout, but I stop.

"I want to play now." I turn around, and walk up to Benny. "Will you… help me?"

He smirks. "Another Smalls." He mutters to himself. "Sure thing. What's your name?"

"Sal." I say, grinning.

"Hey guys! We're gonna teach Sal how to play, okay?" I hear several groans from the boys, but I try to be optimistic. I can do this.

He lines me up at the base and hands me a bat. "Just watch me, okay?" He demonstrates how to stand and swing. I'm actually excited to learn this!

"Alright, give it a go." He says. "Timber, now."

Timber winds up, but his arm turns to spaghetti. He whips the ball in the direction of my face, but I dodge it at the last moment.

"Sorry." He says, scratching the back of his head.

"It's alright, just keep going. Throw 'em a little lower." Benny says.

"Wait, wait, wait. We don't want Timber to kill her." DP says. "Just have us show her together. WITHOUT Timber pitching." Timber sighs, then we all gather in the center of the field.

"Here, like this." Wings says, wrapping his arms around me. I'm a little embarrassed, because he of all people is touching me. "And swing like this." He grasps my hands around the bat, imitating a swinging motion. "Just like that."

"Well, you can get off her now." Q says.

Wings does as he's told, and makes a sound… like he's throwing up. The guys laugh.

"Don't touch me ever again." I say, looking at the ground.

"Like I'd want to!" Wings shouts, now all the guys are laughing except Benny.

"Okay, okay, something productive now?" He asks.

DP shows me how to catch and three of the guys, Ryan, Wok and Roll show me how to throw. So far, I'd say I had a successful lesson.

"Okay guys, bring it in!" Benny says. We all do as we're told. "Okay, now, do any of you guys…" He nods at me. "or girl, have the guts to hit off a major leaguer?" A bunch of 'no's follow.

"Right here, partner, right here!" Tommy shouts. They all turn to face him, but I hide my face in my shirt sleeve, embarrassed. We move to the dugout, and watch as Tommy lines up at the base, bat in hand.

I guess I should try to be supportive…

"Tommy, get a touchdown!" I yell, thinking I sound smart. The guys stare at me.

"We need to teach you some baseball…" Wok says, and then turns to Roll. "Slang." They both say.

"Terminology?"

They look confused, but Q nods. "Exactly."

"What's your name, kid?" Benny asks.

"Tommy Santorelli." He says with pride. "And I promise you this; you're not going to forget it, Benny." 'Ooh's soon followed.

"Who does this kid think he is, Hank Aaron?" Two-Ton says. I can't help but laugh, even though I have no idea what he's talking about.

"I like your confidence, kid." Benny says. "Let's see what you got. Now I'm just going to go nice and easy on you at first, okay?"

"You know, Benny, that's always been your problem. You're too nice." He replies.

"Excuse me?"

"You're excused." Again, we stood there with our mouths open. "Now bring it."

"Okay." Benny says, grinning. He pitches a ball, and Tommy hits it perfectly. At least, I think. What's it called when it goes over the fence? Oh yeah, a homerun.

"And Santa takes it to the North Pole." Tommy says.

Benny continues to pitch ball after ball, but Tommy keeps hitting them out of the sandlot.

"I think his swing might be better than Hank Aaron's…" I say. The boys nod in agreement. Good, I said something right. Tommy walks towards us, but stops.

"Hey, your name's Ryan, right?" He asks. Ryan nods.

"Hey, what do ya' say?"

Ryan's smile fades, and then walks away. I look at the other boy's expressions; it's not good.

"Where did you learn to hit like that, kid?" Benny asked, now walking towards us.

"Staring down the lights of Randy Johnson, Roger Clemmons, you learn fast, or you die trying."

"Who are those guys?" I ask.

"Must be," Wok and Roll say. "7th graders."

"Hey, with them on our team, we can enter the all city championship!" DP says.

"Enter? You guys could win it!" Exclaims Squints.

"Very high probability." Q says.

"You guys forgot something: I don't play baseball." I add.

"You can sit the bench and cheer or something…" Two-Ton says, rolling his eyes. Ryan pats my shoulder for reassurance.

"…Fine. But I'm not just a cheerleader. I'm a professional spectator." The boys roll their eyes.

"Guys, who said anything about me playing on your team?" Tommy asked. "I'm not going to be here that long. Look at it this way, I showed you how it's done, that's my little gift to you guys. Hey, they don't call me the Santa for nothing."

"…I can't believe you-" I sneeze. I must be coming down with something…

The boys throw their mitts at the ground. "Stupid Santa." Wings says.

We all went out to the field again, leaving Tommy, Benny, and Squints behind.


Later on, Mr. Needman came by with his son. They were measuring the dimensions of the sandlot. And to make matters worse, I now have a headache and can't stop sneezing.

"Squints, how's it going there, buddy?" He asks.

"Oh, like you really care?" He replies.

"Just bein' polite."

His son looks up at both Tommy and I, giving us a death glare.

"EJ, all the way to the fence now!"

"What're you doing here, Needman?" Squints asks.

"Taking some measurements."

"Measurements? For what?"

"Well didn't you hear? The city's puttin' the sandlot up for sale."

"You can't sell the sandlot!"

"Oh yeah they can." He smirks. "And I'm buyin' it."

"Excuse me?" Squints asks, shocked like the rest of us.

"Face it, Squints. The whole field has run it's course. Besides there's no real talent over her nowadays." Needman says, nodding at us. How could he?

"Well you didn't see what I just saw."

Well I know where I can fetch a nice price tag and some newly developed condos right were we're standing."

"Well as long as I'm baseball commissioner here…" Said Squints, adjusting his glasses. "I don't see that happening."

"Oh yeah? Well fix your glasses," He says, pushing Squints glasses up. "Because you got the future right here, and you don't even see it." He turns to his son. "Slack that off now, E.J! Take it all the way out to the fence!"

The boys shook our heads, but I couldn't. My head felt like it weighed 10 tons. I did NOT feel good at all.