Softball Team

Joe recognized all our talents in the schoolyard and quickly formed a softball team. He took his little black Volvo and poured in as many as he could to take us around town. We had to play on Saturdays, and Joe was always there for us. Rivalry with Kathy was none-stop. She was a year older than I, but I wanted to pitch. Joe being the Solomon of the schoolyard, worked it out that both of us could pitch. I remember Lenny, who was fast as lightning. Nor can I forget Mary Castro. She was much bigger than us, but what a fielder she was. Nothing got by her.

Well, if you haven't guessed it, our rag-tag team became San Francisco champions. It definitely was a highlight of my young life. We got medals to validate our victory that hung promptly and with great pride with all my other certificates I had earned. Amazingly, some of them were even academic.

Why did I say that. I was just as competitive academically like any other sport.

Once a week there was a writing contest. The winner could lead the Pledge of Allegiance each morning in the schoolyard for a week. I was determined that I was going to do that. So I copied my story from the Encyclopedias my parents bought me every week at Safeway. It was on sea Anemones and was shocked that I won. I did have a sense of guilt that it was not my words. Certainly teachers knew as well. Why did they give it to me? Somehow the victory was not as rewarding. It was too easy.