The Port Charles Stevedores were a Class A Short Season minor league team. Jeremy Marshall played center field. His batting average was .297, which wasn't nearly as good as it had been in high school. But this was the pros.

He had some vague dreams of playing for the AAA Buffalo Bisons, but didn't think much about the majors. But this was a start, and it was remotely possible.

His girlfriend, Branwyn Delaney, came to whatever games she could. The stands weren't always crowded and it was easy to come for part of a game, just wandering in casually. On the way in between innings, Jeremy saw her sitting on the home team side with her brother Hugh and her brother Matt. Further up, he saw her sister Mary Ellen with another guy.

Chad Breyer had called Mary Ellen at the newspaper office and asked her if she wanted to go to the game. He joked that they need to have a meeting of the Expose Taryn Polk club. Chad and Mary Ellen had met when they happened to stand next to each other at the bar at the London Underground when Taryn Polk was there and had berated both of them for their separate acts which had exposed something she didn't want anyone to know. For Chad it was telling his brother Toby that Taryn was dating both Toby and another guy, Clay (another brother of Branwyn and Mary Ellen's, who was a bartender at the London Underground). For Mary Ellen, a reporter, it had been publishing a piece in the Port Charles Gazette about Taryn's legal troubles.

That little incident started them talking, and Mary Ellen had invited Chad to sit with her sisters and herself, and they had talked.

Mary Ellen was pleased that he had called her for this date. She had not really been expecting it, but had hoped she might run into him again and get another chance to talk to him. So it was great that he was interested.

Naturally, her little sister Branwyn was there, because her boyfriend was on the team. Being from a family in nine in a small town like Port Charles meant you just had to accept running into siblings everywhere. But they were all used to it. Branwyn and the two brothers said hello to Chad and Mary Ellen, understanding that they would sit somewhere else together.

A few rows up and behind third base, Zander was sitting between his Uncle, Mikhail and his cousin, Irina, explaining the game to them in English. Zander's wife was a nurse; she was on the evening shift, so she wasn't there. It was a great opportunity to help his relatives with their English. Zander firmly believed in taking them places and getting them to see things and increasing their vocabulary; favoring that over precision of correct grammar.

"People will understand you even if you get it wrong," Zander said. "It's the words you need."

"I said I comed to America, not right?" Mikhail asked. "Somebody ask me, when you come to America? I said 'I comed' and I know – not right."

"No, but they knew what you meant," Zander said. "You got the word. Don't worry about the variations yet. You know the rule for past tense and you used it. But English has tricky exceptions. Just like Russian. That is 'came.' Past tense of 'come' is 'came.'"

"I came to America," Mikhail said. "Came, came. Come, came, has come? Or has came, or has comed?"

"Has come, I think," Zander said. "Now I'm getting confused."

"Zander," said Irina. "I did that too. I said I putted my skates down. I put my skates down. Why isn't it putted?"

"Because the English were crazy when they made their language," said Zander. "Just like the Russians." He quoted a couple of irregular verbs in Russian.

"I see, like that," Mikhail said.

"You are lucky to know both of them, Zander," Irina said.

"You're going to be that way too, soon," said Zander.

A few rows below them, Skye Quartermaine and Sean Monroe were on a date.

When Skye had gone to see Sean's apartment, the previous week, Sean had surprised her by acting like a gentleman and just showing it to her. The next time she ran into him (in the park, jogging, as Sean walked through it to the courthouse), he had asked her to come over for dinner. On guard but curious, Skye accepted and went. He cooked her a nice dinner and never tried to touch her and only flirted with her a little.

Skye knew he thought that this was a good plan for "working" her and was just following it, but was charmed nevertheless.

And he did seem to want to be involved with her, which was something. True, she belonged to an important family, but if Sean were really into that kind of thing, Skye felt that Sean had his chances with the daughters of people far more important than the family she belonged to.

So when he asked her to the baseball game, she accepted, thinking it was sort of fun to just go on dates and try to figure out what Sean was up to.

"How did you get the tickets?" Skye asked.

"I bought them," he said.

"Not some client gave them to you? How unusual."

"I do unusual things now and then," Sean said.

"Yeah, and they're not always fun."

"Is this?"

"Yeah, I kind of like it."

"You like baseball?"

"Every once in awhile."

"How is your apartment hunting coming?" he asked.

"I haven't had a lot of time for it, lately," she said. "I'll work on that some more next week."

"How's AJ getting along? Or should I say, how is his girlfriend managing?"

"So far, so good. Joanna's practical. She's likable. Nobody's bothered her."

"Yet," said Sean.

"I think the kids help," Skye said. "My folks and even my grandfather aren't going to get high and mighty with kids. It's one of their rare good qualities. Michael loves them, and Joanna, so that has kept the family in pretty good behavior. When they're around, it puts them on better behavior with AJ. Fortunately for AJ, it's more like they want Joanna to think they're cool, you know?"

"I hope it works out," Sean said. "To everyone's satisfaction."

"Yeah, right. Then nobody'll need a lawyer."

He just laughed. He put his arm around the back of her seat. "Second inning," he said. "No runs yet."

Jeremy Marshall hit a line drive single to right field. Skye jumped up and cheered. Sean smiled.

Later, when he took her home, he kissed her good night at the door. Skye was really amused. He was going all out now. Well, she'd just enjoy the ride and see how far he'd go and how long it would be until he returned to his regular obnoxious self.