Chapter 3

The start of a new season meant one thing to Jason Morgan, a new city. That was the way Jason had played for the last four years. Once he was done with a season he would begin to find a new ball club to play for in a city that was he had never been to before. For the most part this was an easy process since he was a good pitcher and most teams would fight to have them in the bullpen.

Jason also liked moving from city to city because it meant he wouldn't have roots set down. He just couldn't picture himself becoming part of any community, not since the fall out with his family over his career choice. His family had wanted him to finish school and become a doctor like his mother and father, even though it was his father who had pushed him to play and succeed at sports at a young age.

When Jason was a junior in college, playing ball, a scout had come to one of his games and suggested he take his baseball career to the next level. So against his parents' wishes he decided to sign to play minor league ball in order to one day make it to the majors. He loved his job and hoped to play ball for as long as his arm was willing to hold out.

So now here Jason was a new season, with a new team, a new coach and in a new city. He wasn't one to show emotion, but on the inside Jason was thrilled to be in a new city. He had been playing for a ball club just outside of Atlantic City and had somehow let himself get involved with a girl there. Courtney was a nice enough girl, and would make some man a great wife, but Jason was not that man. He felt a little bad that he had snuck out in the middle of the night and left no way for her to get in contact with him, but then again he had said from the beginning of their relationship he was not one to settle.

Jason walked into the locker room that morning to change and get ready to start spring training. He hoped this group of guys could give him the wins he needed so that a major scout would notice him and move him up to the big times. The last couple of teams he had played for had promised him a great season, but all had fallen flat, thereby not getting him noticed by major league scouts.

He looked around for his locker and saw his name wedged between Webber and O'Brien. He knew that Steven Webber was the catcher, and a mighty good one at that. He knew nothing of O'Brien, but he was hoping he was good at his job. Jason walked over to his locker in silence and thought about the choices that had led him to Port Charles.

A big appeal to this team was having the chance to work with Luke Spencer. As a kid Jason had fallowed his career. Luke had been one of the best pitchers to play in the late 90's. Though the Rangers had come nowhere close to winning a World Series, Luke's record stood as a solid pitcher, and Jason was excited to be under his toutaledge.

Another appeal to Port Charles was the Cassadine Corporation that owned the team. Though Jason was not interested in working for a big company in any way, he was drawn to the money they were willing to pay to their players. Jason was a man of very little want and his life style was show to that. His only major asset was his priced 1953 Panhead Harley Davidson motorcycle. Jason was not a stupid man and he knew that the shelf life a pitcher was not very long, so other than living expenses most of his pay would go into the bank and with the Cassadine's willing to pay him good money, he knew that his account would only grow fatter.

Jeff Webber was another reason to come to Port Charles. He was a fair manager and he treated his players with the utmost respect. Jason had met some players through the years that had worked for Jeff and had nothing but good things to say about him. They also had nothing but good things to say about his beautiful daughter.

There was a term in baseball that referred to the coach's daughter. She was known as a Diamond Princess, the name came of course because a baseball field was shaped like a diamond and most little girls were their daddy's princess. Jason had met a few of these girls and so far was not impressed by any of them. They were either just average in both looks and personality or they were very good looking but very shallow. But Jeff's daughter was said to be one of the best looking princesses in this conference and most of the surrounding one's for that matter. Jason wasn't looking for any kind of relationship at all, but while he was here he figured he might as well have some fun with a good looking girl.

"You got an extra pair of socks?" Jason heard someone ask from his right. "Can't believe it's the first day of practice and I can't find my damn socks. You don't think someone would take them do you? You didn't take em, right?"

Jason looked at the overly tall man. He must have been at least six feet five inches tall, had brown hair and blue eyes. Jason couldn't believe that he was actually being accused of stealing socks, of all things. "I didn't…"

"Oh never mind there they are under my glove." He said. The man looked back over at Jason, looking him up and down. "So I hear you're supposed to be like an amazing pitcher or something like that."

"Or something," Jason replied as he tied the laces to his cleats

The man let out a chuckle, "I think I'm going to like you. Johnny O'Brien." The man stuck out his hand.

Jason accepted the man's hand and shook it still not sure what to think about his new teammate. "Jason Morgan."

"Yeah I know. I kinda checked out who I would be playing with, ya know, make sure this team would be worth putting in all my effort on the field. So far we seem like we might have a good crew, well at least on paper. You never really know how people will interact with each other.

"Well we know Webber and Drake get along alright, they've been playing together the last couple of season and Frannie and Me work well alright. We played together down in Macon, Georgia. Not sure about the rest though. I had my doubts about you, you know."

Even though he really didn't want to Jason had to ask, "Why?"

"Really? Jason Morgan, promising pitcher out of Stanford goes and plays club ball for the Giants, but before he can finish his first season, request to be traded to another team far away from California, and has never played for the same team two seasons in a row. Makes a guy wonder where your loyalties lie."

"Thy lie with me." Jason stated matter of factly.

"Like I said, I think I'm gonna like you." Johnny repeated as he grabbed his glove and headed out of the locker room.

After throwing on his practice jersey Jason followed Johnny out of the door. Only problem was it was the wrong door. Somehow Jason had ended up in a hallway with a bunch of doors and he wasn't sure how to get to the field. Jason looked to his left, but saw that that way lead back to the parking lot. He looked to his right and notice a man carrying someone piggy back style on his back.

Jason had heard that the Cassadine's treated their companies like small family businesses. Jason assumed that the little girl in pig tails must have been that man's little kid sister or something. It made Jason miss his sister. One of the down falls of the fall out with his folks. Not only did he not speak to them any longer, but he had lost contact with his little sister.

He looked again at the man and his sister as they rounded the corner. She looked to be maybe 12 or 13, but from this distance Jason couldn't tell. His sister Emily would be around 19, even though in Jason's mind's eye when he thought of her he always thought of her as being that little girl of ten who would fallow him wherever he went.

Jason figured the best way to get to the field would be to fallow the pair down the hall. He watched as they rounded a corner and realized that they were not headed the right way. He had two options, he could wait for them to come back this way, but who knew how long that would take, or he could continue down the hall and hope to either run into the field or someone who could point him in the right direction. He chose the latter of the two.

Jason walked until the hall came to a dead end and had to either pick right or left. "Take a right, fallow it down till you see the door that says locker room, walk straight to through the locker room and you'll run right into the door that will take you onto the field." A young dark European man told Jason.

"Thanks." Jason said and he hustled down the hall. He needed to hurry up and get on the field, he was sure he was going to be the last one there, and the last thing Jason wanted on his first day was to be chewed out by his coach. He may not have been the most disciplined player as a kid, but he was now and he refused to let getting lost in that maze of a hallway get him into trouble.

Jason fallowed the man's directions and finally was faced with the door that would lead to the rest of his life. Here was hoping this door also lead to a winning season. Jason pushed it open.