1
A light breeze blew past him, carrying a mixture of scents that were practically imprinted on his brain by this point. He was surrounded by the smell of just-mowed sweet grass, new earth, and fresh hot dogs, and he breathed in deeply through his nose, relishing the moment.
It was that time of year again. His favorite. Caleb’s heartbeat sped up and he smiled. There was nothing in the world like Opening Day. He was torn between his desire to enjoy the moment a little longer or taking the field and starting the game.
Caleb’s gaze scanned the dugout and he grinned, knowing his teammates were sharing the same excitement. The same last-minute jitters. It was normal for a ball player to have varying emotions on Opening Day, but today was a big day for the team in more ways than one. They were not only getting readyto play their first game of the season, but were also in their newly built stadium. So new, in fact, thatCaleb was willing to bet money there were a few spots where the paint was still wet. Add their hideous new uniforms to that, and they all had a right to be nervous.
Caleb gazed from teammate to teammate, trying to scrutinize the new uniforms with an objective eye, butit was useless. He bit back the laugh bubbling up in his chest and shook his head. Who the hell thought it would be a good idea to plaster a large, cartoonish rabbit across the front of their jerseys? So what if their team name was the Rain Valley Rabbits? There had been nothing wrong with the small embroidered bunny on the upper left side of their old uniforms. At least it had been tasteful. But this new bunny covered almost the entire front of their jerseys and looked a little like that animated rabbit from those cereal commercials. Thank God they were white jerseys. The team had complained loud enough about the first prototype until the owner had finally nixed the purple jerseys. His wife’s favorite color, apparently.
He groaned inwardly as he glanced across home plate and saw the other team lining up. Their uniforms were classic—white with a red-scripted L in the middle of their shirt. Great, the Lions were going to go apeshit over the Rabbits’ new uniforms. They were a pretty tough team, and the Rabbits generally lost more games than not against them each year already. The uniforms would only be another jab added tothe Lions’ repartee.
Caleb shook his head and tried not to psyche himself out as he joined his team, lining up in their own dugout. He needed to get past the disastrous uniforms and put his head in the game.
“All right, everybody,” the announcer’s voice boomed over the field, “thanks for coming out to the Rain Valley Rabbits inaugural game in their new stadium!”
Loud cheers passed through the crowd. The stadium wasn’t full, but there were definitely more attendees than in the past two years he had called Rain Valley his home.
“I’ve got your starting line-ups here, beginning with our visitors, the Belton Lions.”
Curious, Caleb flicked his gaze to the press box. The announcer was definitely not Al, but nobody had mentioned Al leaving the job. This guy’s voice was definitely several steps up, though. Al’s sounded like he had been chain-smoking for more than half a century, which, given that Al was probably in his late seventies, was entirely possible.
He craned his head, but he couldn’t see into the press box.
“Now the lineup for the Rabbits,” the smooth voice sailed across the field as if melting into the air.
A shiver ran down Caleb’s spine. Weird. He shook it off as he and his teammates filed out on the field. Both teams lined up, shoulder to shoulder, and faced the large flag.
“Please give a warm welcome to the Rain Valley High School Choir!”
Applause sounded as teenagers in red choir robes paraded onto the center of the infield.
“Everyone please stand for the National Anthem.”
Caleb removed his hat and, holding it in his right hand, placed it over his heart.
The choir began to sing and he smiled. They’re pretty good. Better than that awful women’s group that came out last year. He shuddered at the memory. His ears had rung for hours after that blistering rendition of the National Anthem.
The moment the song finished, that polished voice floated through the speaker again. “Play ball!”
He jogged to third base and nodded to Sean Newberry, the third base coach for the last several years. Caleb liked him. He was good at his job and he had played in the majors for a few years.
“Ready, Caleb?” Coach Newberry called.