Baseball

Mrs. Myrtle Standich attended the Little League baseball game of her grandson, Mr. Kenneth Johnston Jr., age twelve. Mr. Walter Collier and Mrs. Iris Fountain were also in attendance, as was Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Johnston Sr., the son in law and daugher (respectively) of Mrs. Myrtle Standich. Mr. Kenneth Johnston Jr. was currently playing the right field for the Kalesburg Rangers, managed by Mr. Walter "Skip" Pane.

Conversation was begun in regard to Mr. Kenneth Johnston Jr.'s athletic abilities. Mr. Kenneth Johnston Sr. stated that Mr. Kenneth Johnston Jr. had displayed great improvement as of late and that he was learning not to be afraid of the baseball whilst batting. This led Mrs. Iris Fountain to comment that young children should play with a larger. This, she surmised, would put a drastic dent in the rate of children with blackened eyes. Mr. Kenneth Johnston Sr. remarked that they could not use a bigger ball because then they might as well play softball. Mrs. Iris Fountain and Mrs. Myrtle Standich, beyond the size of the ball, could not understand the difference between playing either.

There was little to talk for some time and little to watch, as the Kalesburg Rangers trudged through eight innings of decidedly mundane baseball. Mr. Kenneth Johnston Jr. was observed playing with dandelions until Mr. Kenneth Johnston Sr. shouted from the bleachers that Mr. Kenneth Johnston Jr. was not a gardener, he was "a right fielder". Mrs. Myrtle Standich, on the contrary, believed it to be positive that her grandson took an interest in the local vegetation. Mrs. Iris Fountain agreed. Said Mr. Kenneth Johnston Sr, "If we had a proper groundskeeper there wouldn't be any dandelions to distract these kids."

Mr. Walter Collier remembered when the baseball field was a corn field and, in an openly blunt manner, admitted that he wished it still was. Mrs. Iris Fountain suggested that Mr. Walter Collier write to the local politicians and ask that there be a comprise and the field be shared, "half corn and half baseball". Conversation ended just before the game when Mr. Walter Collier said that he would look into whom he had to contact for this compromise. Mrs. Myrtle Standich and Mrs. Iris Fountain did not believe that Mr. Walter Collier would ever actually take the initiative, whilst Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Johnston Jr. could not predict whether Mr. Walter Collier would take action or not because they did not know him well enough.

*Mr. Kenneth Johnston Jr. and the entire Kalesburg Rangers baseball team lost to the Pendelton Blue Jays with a score of twelve to one.