The Magic Ball

By Steve Trout and Rick Telander

As he walked toward the edge of the woods, he tripped
over a tractor tire embedded in the dirt. He looked down
and saw a baseball half covered by the tire. He wiggled
it out of the dirt. The ball was old and worn with its
seams torn, but Billy felt a strange attraction to it, like it
had a personality. Like it had a story to it. He couldn’t
explain the feeling, but he decided this old ball was going
home with him. He looked at it.

“I’m going to call you ‘Buddy,’” he declared.

--from The Magic Ball

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jan 1, 2024
• ISBN: 9781669875673

Book preview

Copyright © 2024 by Steve Trout and Rick Telander.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 02/23/2024

Xlibris

844-714-8691

www.Xlibris.com

797672

These stories are for all the kids who play baseball and all the ones who do not, that your lives may be filled with friendship, adventure, and the joy of being your best.

- Steve and Rick

CONTENTS

Inning 1   Into The Woods

Inning 2   The Magic Voice

Inning 3   Believing In Yourself

Inning 4   The Close Call

Inning 5   What Buddy Would Tell Me

GAME 2

Inning 1   Hitting The Ball Like A Pro

Inning 2   Tony Finds His Magic

Inning 3   Buddy Makes A Comeback

Inning 4   Getting Healthy

Inning 5   Feeling Like A Tiger

GAME 3

Inning 1   Getting Stronger

Inning 2   Standing Up To A Bully

Inning 3   Knowing Who You Are

Inning 4   Making The Change

About The Authors

INNING 1

INTO THE WOODS

Billy normally sat on the bench, but today’s baseball game was different. Only nine players showed up for the game, so coach Doolittle called Billy over and told him he would be batting first and playing right field. Usually, Billy rode the bench and maybe played only in a blowout. Billy was excited, but also a little nervous. If only Dad could be here, he thought. His father had been away for almost a year, serving in the military overseas, but Billy didn’t know in what country or even in what part of the world.

The coach had him leading off, since Billy was the shortest of all the players, and short kids are usually fast. That’s what you need in a leadoff man. But nobody even knew if Billy was fast, because he hardly ever played. The coach told Billy not to swing no matter how good the pitch looked because Billy had a better chance of reaching base with a walk than a hit. Billy pushed up his black-framed glasses after the first pitch was called a strike. When the count reached two and two, he took a step out of the batter’s box, adjusted his helmet, and pushed his glasses up again. The ball came in a little high and Billy took a swing.

Strike three! the umpire yelled.

Coach Doolittle stomped his foot. What did I tell you? I told you not to swing! Billy lowered his head.

After the third out in the inning Billy sprinted out to his right field position. When there were two men out and two men on base, the next batter hit the ball high in the air. With the sun in his eyes, Billy shielded the