Mitch Maier Writes Home from Baseball Summer Camp

Dear Mom an Dad,

Thanks for asking me about my birthday. I don't know what I want this year. I think maybe some knew batting gloves or maybe a fishing poll would be great. But if I can find some change I will call you soon and let you know. I am so glad that my birthday is in the summer. I know one day I will have a big party and invite lots of friends to it and it will be a pool party with pizza and coke and we will swim.

For a awhile coach was doing this thing where he played me for a little during the game. We were playing this other camp and they had different rules. Or maybe the coaches just talked about it. I don't know. But for just about every game I would be on the bench and then I would get to play later. So it was pretty good. I even got to be on the field at the end of the game a few times, which is really cool. I think in my mind, "OK Mitch, this is the end, you will make the winning catch and win the WORLD SERIES". That is what I think about.

But I haven't gotten a hit in soooooooo long. At practice I really try, but it is getting harder. Some of the other kids were making fun of me, but then coach made them stop. So I'm glad. I still think I shuold be let pitch more. There have been lots of people leaving the camp. I think some of them got sick. But I don't now. I think a bunch of kids went on this Dave & Busters but then ate too much.

I think I will get in trouble soon if they read this letter. Instead of playing in the last game, I stayed here. I heard Jeff talking about this really great creak around here where he and a bunch of guys had fished. I wanted to see it and a knew I wasn't going to hit unless Jared got hurt. So when they went to the fields I walked past the mess hall and pavilion and down this hill where there is water. I eventually found the creek, but the water wasn't very deep.

Actually, I don't want a fishing pole. I will tell you why. When I found the water I was surprised to see that there where fish in there. Not many. But some. And they looked like baby fish. The water is not big and there are lots of rocks in it. So I stepped onto 1 of them and then walked further into the water. I watched the fish swim for along time. I couldn't tell what they were doing, but they must have been minews. It was fun watching them swim around. I remembered Billy talking about this guy named Gill and that made me laugh. I think he was from Louisiana and liked crawdads. He had to leave the camp because he got hurt though.

I couldn't tell what they ate in the water. It was only a few feet deep and seemed just like it was dirt and rocks on the bottom. No plants or seaweeds. I tried to catch some in the water. It was real nice down by the water. When the team had gone it was quite and it seemed nice that they were gone. I think those fish were happy swimming there, and I hoped that Jeff woudn't catch them. I stayed on that rock along time.

Can you ask the camp if I can come home?

MITCH