Page 44 of The Yips

“I know, sometimes those nosy fucks catch something good.”

“Are you okay with this?” I asked, realizing that it might be too soon for Sam for this relationship to be so public.

“Why wouldn’t I be? I can usually move around townwithout the press or fans noticing, but sometimes they catch me in a moment. Are you okay with this?”

“I guess so? I think it’s strange that they would be interested in photos of my baby.”

“Fair warning, New York might be a little more intense. My mother and father’s marriage was tabloid fodder in the nineties. To some extent, they still garner a lot of attention. I became an outsider when I signed with Boston instead of New York. I expect to be booed, and you might not want to wear my jersey in the stadium.”

“I’d heard that about New York, and it was the same way when they were in town.”

“Even when the two teams are battling for last place, every game feels like game seven of the World Series.”

“Not to sound stupid, but did you ever play in the World Series?”

“Not yet. I don’t know if it will happen this year, but the wild card might still be in play even if we don’t overtake Baltimore.”

“And your dad?”

“He has four rings.”

“Do you ever feel like you need to be better than him?”

“I’m hoping that I have a longer career than he did. I think I'll have a shot at that by keeping healthy, not drinking my weight in bourbon, and working to stay in condition. A perfect game was more than most pitchers would get.”

“Who taught you to be such a good man?” I asked, wanting to withdraw the words when they came out of my mouth. His father seemed like an asshole, but Sam was amazing not only to me but also to Crew. His thoughtfulness had removed every bit of hesitancy I had and was why I’d dropped myinhibitions.

“My Gramps, he’s the one who taught me what I needed to know. If I am half the man he is, I’ll know I made it.”

“Where does he live?”

“New Jersey, but he’s just outside the city. You’ll meet him when we get dinner with my father. He usually balances out my father. He’s going to love you.”

“Do you need to train today?” I asked, enjoying the relaxing morning but not wanting to interrupt his recovery plan.

“Yeah, I like to do a long shakeout run the day after I pitch. If we got your jogging stroller, would you want to come?”

“How fast? With the stroller, I can’t do more than an 8-minute mile. I haven’t had a chance to try faster either.”

“I can push the stroller. Then you can go as fast as you want.”

“Really? I didn’t tell you, but I ran cross-country in college. I had a full scholarship, thankfully. Otherwise, I’d be paying back loans now, too.”

“Let’s head to your place; you can grab your sneakers and get Crew’s stroller. After we run, we can grab brunch somewhere.”

“Sounds like the perfect morning.”

“And when we get back here, maybe Crew can nap, and we can entertain ourselves?”

“Can anyone see us up here?” I asked.

“They can’t see us, but they might hear us.”

“Then I’ll have to be very quiet,” I said.

CHAPTER 40

Sam

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