Chapters 32 through 35 Billy's Victory
Chapter 32
It was the second of July. Two days before the parade and the big Fourth of July celebration, and two days before the big game — the game that would decide the District Little League Championship.
Mayor Ezra Lockhart’s phone was ringing off the hook. The vice-mayor, Claire Thomas, was in the front office handling most of the calls and, at the same time, working with parade coordinator Lilly Thompson to make sense of all the paperwork involving the entrants in the Johnsonville Fourth of July Parade.
“Girls, guess what?” Mayor Lockhart said. “I just hung up the phone with Frank O’Hara. He’s kindly lent us four new trucks for the parade — two for our Tigers and two for the Green River Rats.”
“That’s wonderful,” Claire said. “The team deserves it. They’ll get a kick out of it.”
“Are we all set with the floats?” Claire asked Lilly.
“Let’s see, it looks like twenty floats in all. We just confirmed two more. The Chow House entered a float with a Chinese theme, and the Ramirez family over at Chico’s will have a float with a Mexican theme, complete with mariachis.”
“That sounds very colorful,” Claire said. “Sounds like we’re all set, Lilly. We have four bands that called today and reconfirmed.
“Let’s see. We have the Johnsonville High School band, the Grand Valley High School band, and the local Elks Club, which has entered a twenty-piece Dixieland-style band.
.
I also had a call an hour ago from a John Johnstone up in Green River. He’s a part-time music teacher at the high school up there, and they have a small thirty-piece marching band they want to bring down.”
"Sounds like we’re all set,” Ezra said. “Cyrus Jones and all the business owners along Main Street and down First Street will have their places decorated to the hilt. It’s going to be a great day.”
Claire looked at her watch and grabbed her purse.
“Well, guys. Let’s close up shop. I need to close down the drugstore and get home. Billy and Joan are coming over for dinner. They’re probably there now. Billy is probably having a ball helping George put the finishing touches on Belle.”
Joan Reynolds looked out of her mother’s kitchen window. She had fried chicken sizzling on the stove. Her mother would be home soon. The family would be having dinner tonight and discussing the events unfolding in the next forty-eight hours.
She saw Billy and her dad push Belle out of the carport and into the driveway. Belle had changed from her familiar military green to a beautiful red, white, and blue.
George had explained to the family a few weeks back that Belle would be coming out of retirement for one last parade. She would be the lead car in Johnsonville’s Fourth of July Parade.
She smiled as she watched Billy use a rag to clean Belle’s windshield, headlights, and taillights. It was a good afternoon for Billy. For a few hours anyway, her son had the chance to think about something other than baseball, the big game...and Boomer McPherson.
George had also explained to the family that he would be coming out of retirement.
Roscoe would be making one more appearance. He would hop on Belle and put on a show one more time.
This time, he would let Billy pick out the costume. Out of the hundreds of colorful costumes in the Clown’s Den, it would be Billy’s decision to come up with just the right one. “Billy, I think Belle is ready for the parade,” George said.
“She looks great, Grandpa.”
“Let’s push her back into the carport. We need to keep her nice and clean.”
With Belle safely back in her parking spot, George put his right hand on Billy’s shoulder. “We need to go back into the Clown’s Den. You have a decision to make.”
Billy ran inside and looked up at all the costumes. “Gee, I don’t know, Grandpa. There are so many.”
“I’m sure you’ll find the right one. Just take your time.”
Billy looked and looked. And then he saw it up in the very top left-hand corner of the room. “That is it, Grandpa. That one, right there.”
George grabbed the ladder. He took a few steps and unhooked the costume. It was red, white, and blue.
“That is Uncle Sam. I’ve used this one many, many times,” George recalled. “I'd better have your Grandma look at the pants. They may be tight around the waist, but this costume is the right choice. Belle and I will certainly get the crowd’s attention. We’ll have plenty of red, white, and blue.”
George glanced at the clock on the wall. Claire should be home any second now, and Joan is probably just about ready to call in the troops for dinner.
“Billy, we’d better wash up. It’s time for dinner.”
Billy was on his second chicken leg and his second helping of mashed potatoes when the conversation turned to Boomer McPherson and the Green River Rats.
“Billy, Grandpa said you got a pretty good look at the competition up at Green River. How do you think you and the Tigers are going to do against the Rats?” Claire asked.
“We’re going to win,” Billy said. “We are going to beat them.”
“George, I thought you said the Rats were undefeated, and they had a pitcher that was a foot-and-a-half taller and outweighed Billy about 120 pounds!”
“I did.”
“I thought you said most of the players had facial hair and looked more like a high school team than a little league team!”
“I did.”
“I thought you said this Boomer McPherson kid had thrown two perfect games this year and has yet to allow a hit!”
“I did,” said George one more time. “And that’s all true, but we have a secret weapon.”
“What secret weapon is that?” Joan quizzed.
“We have Billy Ray Reynolds!” George said.
Joan and Claire smiled and looked across the table at Billy. George put his thumbs up and grinned.
Billy said, “Will someone please pass the mashed potatoes?”
Chapter 33
It was seven o’clock in the morning, the Fourth of July. It turned out to be the most exciting day of Billy Ray Reynolds's young life.
Billy, surprisingly, climbed out of bed refreshed. Coach Perkins had put Billy and the rest of the Tigers through a two-hour workout the day before, the final “tune-up” before the championship game.
Billy had gone to bed early. The first step in preparation for the game was to get a good night’s sleep. He had done that. He had slept straight through, without dreams of black holes and monsters in the outfield. He had faced his dream head-on just days before.
Now, it was time to face the future. The conclusion of his dream was just hours away.
Before he went to sleep, he took his Louisville Slugger from its hiding place and placed it beside his bed. He also took some of his baseball cards out of the boxes and shuffled through them. He had some of the best cards in the world. He had Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris of the Yankees, Duke Snider and Pee Wee Reese of the Dodgers, Willie Mays from the Giants, and Stan Musial from the Cardinals.
Billy thought to himself. All those great players had obstacles to overcome, and they probably faced guys like Boomer McPherson plenty of times.
If Billy’s goal was to make it to the “Big Show” someday, he would need to conquer the likes of Boomer McPherson over and over again.
This was just the beginning. Billy felt he was ready to face the “Rat Pack.” He was prepared to lead his teammates into the game of their young lives.
Chapter 34
It was a beautiful day for a parade...and a lovely day for baseball. It was nine o’clock in the morning, and the parade route was already jam-packed with people.
There were vendors selling cotton candy, peanuts, and popcorn.
There were kids everywhere. Visitors had come from as far away as Denver and Grand Junction.
All the town leaders were out and about. Banker Jonathan Holmes was there. Mayor Ezra Lockhart and Vice-Mayor Claire Thomas were walking the streets and shaking hands with everyone.
Gas station owner Clancy Burnside, barber Ted Carrillo, and café owner Wally Olson — all had ringside seats and were waiting patiently to see the arrival of “Roscoe” and the start of the parade.
The Jameson family, including Robert and Betty and their two daughters, Sheila and Suzanne, squeezed into a spot across from Claire’s drugstore to see Chucky and Jimmy.
Milton Turner and his wife, Elsie, found a nice viewing area just half a block from the hardware store. Corky Calhoun’s parents, Matthew and Corinne, backed their pickup in front of Clancy’s garage, spread out a blanket in the bed of their truck, and waited patiently for Roscoe and Belle to turn the corner.
Frank O’Hara and his wife, Charlene, found a spot on First Street.
The O’Hara‘s, happy parents now that their two boys were free of the mumps and would be back on the ball field today, had their cameras turned on and in the “ready” position.
Parade coordinator Lilly Thompson picked up the microphone and stood atop the temporary bandstand, giving her a bird’s-eye view of Main Street.
“Here they come...ladies and gentlemen...welcome to the 1962 Johnsonville Independence Day Parade.”
Belle rolled down the street in her glory. Roscoe waved to the crowd. He then pulled back a tarp and let loose hundreds of red, white, and blue balloons that sailed into the bright blue sky.
Roscoe pulled Belle to a stop. He got out and danced around the jeep — showing off his oversized shoes and a bright, red curly-top wig.
He shook hands with every kid on the block, threw kisses to the crowd, jumped back into Belle, honked her horn a few times, and rolled on down the street.
The Johnsonville High School band followed. The bandleader, high school senior Travis Johnson, gave his signal, and the band bellowed out the Star Spangled Banner.
The colorful floats followed, including the Ramirez family on an eight-wheeled flatbed truck. Three teenage couples performed the Mexican hat dance while eight mariachis, with their guitars blazing, kept in step as they made their way down the street.
The Chow family turned the corner, and the O’Haras quickly took pictures. The Chows had gone all out to give the parade onlookers a quick view of their Chinese heritage.
On the six-wheeled trailer were Timmy’s three sisters — Jenny, Gwen, and Gloria — decked out in beautiful costumes. At the far end of the float stood Timmy’s grandfather, Henry, holding a giant drum and keeping time to the music as they rolled down the street.
Moments later, Frank O’Hara’s trucks turned the corner. Carl Perkins was driving the first truck, and Cyrus Jones was at the wheel of the second.
Billy, Willie, Lenny, Carlos, and Timmy were sitting in the bed of the first truck, waving and acknowledging the cheers from the crowd. The Jameson twins, the O’Hara twins, and Corky and Clayton smiled at the crowd and waved their Tigers’ hats as Cyrus maneuvered the second vehicle slowly down the street.
Green River’s thirty-piece marching band, playing a catchy blues tune, separated the two teams as the next two trucks followed — driven by Frank’s top two salesmen of the year, Lawrence Smith and Bill Boyles.
Sitting next to Lawrence Smith was the Green River Rats’ coach, Filo Hamilton, giving the crowd a “thumbs up” as they passed by. In the back of the truck were Boomer, Booker T, Bumper, Bugs, Filo’s son, Ronnie, and Woodrow Harrington, the Rats’ other starting pitcher.
Frank O’Hara removed the camera from his eyes and looked over at his wife. “Honey, is it my imagination? It looks like the tires are flat on that third truck?”
“No,” she said. “But there are some big boys in the bed of that truck!”
Bill Boyles followed closely behind his buddy, Lawrence. He thought to himself and then said aloud: “It looks like Larry’s carrying a lot of cargo!”
In the back of Bill’s truck sat the remaining players from the Green River Rats. They included outfielders Niles Horton, Reggie Robertson, Silky Sullivan, Manny Polanco, and infielders Tubs McGraw, Danny Stanton, and Cory Williamson.
“I know one thing,” Frank said, watching his last two trucks continue down Main Street. “Those kids from Green River look like a confident bunch.”
Frank couldn’t quite understand why he felt that way as he watched the Rats’ players wave to the crowd up ahead. It was an attitude all the Green River kids seemed to have, as if they were saying, “Come on over to the park and watch the Rats devour the Tigers.”
The parade continued down Main Street. Float after float passed by. The Elks Club’s Dixieland band passed by, as did the hundred-piece band from Grand Valley High School.
The Old-Timers Car Club of Johnsonville passed by the bandstand with six Model-T automobiles, each polished to a high shine and carrying couples dressed in 1920s attire. The women wore colorful hats, and the men were sporting Johnsonville hats.
The final entrant, of course, was none other than Johnny Hayes himself. Bringing up the rear was his bright red fire engine.
On the back end of the fire engine were two streamers.
One said, “God Bless America,” and the other said, “Go Tigers.”
Chapter 35
It was now six o’clock in the evening, and the baseball fans were already filling up the bleachers at Johnson Park. The additional bleachers, up and down the third base lines, constructed earlier in the year, would come in handy, but still wouldn’t be enough.
Some fans brought chairs and blankets and found a viewing area behind the left field fence and in front of the tall oak trees.
Johnny Treehorn, the assistant manager at the local supermarket, had just left in a van after dropping off another load of hot dogs, hamburgers, and plenty of buns.
“I hope this will get us through,” Mildred Robertson said to her co-workers, four teenage girls who were already looking out the snack bar window, wondering how they would accommodate all the people.
Gabriel Martinez, the head maintenance man at Johnsonville High, was busy putting the finishing touches on the infield, chalking up perfect lines all the way up and down the first and third base lines.
He finished by rolling out perfect ovals to act as on-deck circles for both the visiting and home teams.
Usually, Gabriel would stick to taking care of the baseball field at Johnson High, but he knew his friend, Carl Perkins, would have his hands full today.
After all, Gabriel loved baseball, too. His family was already camped out in a nice spot beyond the center field fence.
They had a big blanket, plenty of fried chicken, and soft drinks to keep them happy for the entire game.
Both teams had stopped by the high school and completed batting practice, followed by a quick infield practice.
The players were just now gathering in the outfield — the Tigers were out in right field, the Rats in left.
Filo Hamilton was giving his final pep talk to the Green River Rats.
His assistant coach, Flavio Hamilton, Filo’s father, stood beside him. Flavio was a big man. He stood 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighed about 300 pounds.
The Rats stood up and began stretching. Billy, listening to last-minute instructions from Coach Perkins, glanced toward left field. He saw Flavio talking to another big man. No! It wasn’t a man. It was Boomer McPherson.
“My goodness,” said Lenny, eyeballing the Rats. “Those guys are twice our size. Look at that number 11. Billy, is that Boomer? Is that the kid nobody can get a hit off of?”
“That’s him,” Billy said, looking up at his coach.
“Now, listen, guys,” Carl said. “They put their pants on just like you do. They like baseball. They enjoy going to movies, roller skating, riding bikes, and going on picnics, just like you do. They’re kids. Just like you.”
“Let’s stay focused. They are undefeated. We are undefeated. We have one more game to win. Now, let’s go out and do it.”
The Tigers headed for their dugout on the first-base side of the diamond; the Rats entered their dugout on the third-base side.
The four umpires gathered at home plate and were joined moments later by the two head coaches, Carl Perkins and Filo Hamilton.
The head umpire, Ross Burkhart, went over the ground rules and then tossed the coin to see which team would get the last at-bats. Carl called “heads” as the coin landed squarely on home plate. “Heads it is,” Burkhart said. “Mr. Perkins, have your team take the field.”
It was time to play ball.
Behind home plate sat George, Claire, and Joan. Right next to them sat the Turners and the O’Hara’s.
In the bleachers, behind the first base dugout, were Ezra Lockhart, his wife, Agnes, his daughter-in-law, Joanne, and his son, Leonard. Next to the Lockharts were the Chow family, the Ramirez family, and the Jameson family.
Out in left field, Clancy Burnside was joined by his wife, Betty, who had just finished her shift at the supermarket. She sat down on the blanket, curled up in her husband’s arms, gave him a big smile, and said, “Honey, this is the game we’ve been waiting for.”
The Calhouns, who were forced to rush back to their ranch to care for an injured calf, were late arrivals but managed to find a spot right next to the Burnsides.
Matthew shook hands with Clancy. “Let’s play ball,” he said.
The announcer, Jimmy Smith, who had recently graduated from Johnsonville High and was to enroll at Colorado State in the fall, majoring in radio broadcasting, introduced the teams. The Wilkinson sisters, Rita Mae, Sandra, and Barbara, who had recently won Grand Valley's high school talent contest, sang the Star Spangled Banner.
The umpires took their positions. The home plate umpire brushed off the plate. He fastened his chest protector and yelled, “Play ball!”
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