Mitch Maier Writes Home From Baseball Summer Camp: Letter Four

Deer Mom & Dad,

I don't know if you never got my last leter or not but I wanted to write home real fast tonight. I have a real cool story that I wanted to share with you even though I bet you won't believe it. Last night the coach put me in a game AND it was so that I could be the pitcher! After the game two or three people came up to me and talked to me. Usually I just roam around by myself and wait in the bus for everyone to get dresed.

Man, doing what they told me to do must really be working. Three days ago I got to play a hole game in the outfield against The Tampe Rays (but we lost) and now this. I am just going to keep talking to Jeff and laughing at his jokes, keep listening to coach Kevin and try to hit ground balls and all that. They are fun guys and I no someday they will except me. Do you think you could let me go hunting with them this winter? They talk about it alot and I would try to do my best but it would also be scary and I wouldn't want to shoot a baby animal and I know I would. They talk about hunting and living in the South sometimes at night when I hear players talking in the hall when I am in my room trying to go to sleep. It sounds fun. They are nice gys.

I just cant believe Coach let me pitch! The whole time I was on the mound I was thinking, "here's Mitch the next Nolen Ryen!!' hah aha. I dont know why I was out there through - it was just the 8th inning but it was still fun. You would not believe this other team we were playing. The Red Sox they're called. Oh man. They were good. Mostly older guys but I guess we still had to play them.I was throwing some of my special pitches that I had used back here and I don't know if these guys had scene that before.

I pitched to this one guy who was like very good. Everyone at the field was watching and taling about how he was the best and was going to hit a homer from me. But i just belived in myself and tried my best and guess what I was right! So none of them scored on me! I was throwing so fast. 80 miles per an hour! Can you believe it!

NO RUNS

After I got the last out I just thought ha ha "you couldn't hit me!" It was fun but also not because them we just lost'd the game. In baseball we have this stat called ERA (you say it E-R-A not era) and I dont kow much about it but its how you tell who is good and its better to be low. Mine is a Zero now.

When I got the last hitter out I looked into the dugout right away to see if the coach saw it. But I dont think they did. They were all in a corner doing something else. Oh well. I know what I did was good and they will notice me evenshally.

MITCH