O.B. Benson knows that, as a gay baseball player, his only chance to keep from being shut out of the Major Leagues is to stay as far from the public eye as possible. His low profile is threatened when the team manager insists O.B. take part in a TV interview to help boost lagging fan support.<br><br>Avery Turner, TV reporter, is handsome, fit, and definitely pushes O.B.'s libido into high gear. He’s also out -- something O.B.'s situation doesn’t allow. And Avery believes in monogamous commitment -- something O.B. cannot identify with. But when Avery delivers a curveball to the catcher, O.B. doesn’t know how to handle it.<br><br>When O.B.'s interview is aired, he’s forced to evaluate his life of meaningless one night stands. Can O.B. and Avery work out their differences and build a winning team, or will O.B. strike out?

Major League Shutout

“I…uh…I guess I’ll get dressed then,” O.B. stammered.


“Okay,” Avery said, still grinning.


O.B. self-consciously dropped the towel and began dressing. He could feel Avery’s eyes on him. As the reporter continued to watch, he went over his plan for the interview. The situation was becoming more and more ludicrous. Here O.B. was, about to be interviewed by a gay man who was apparently not too deep in the closet. When it aired on television the interview would make him recognizable—something he had worked hard to hide for the sake of his secret lifestyle. O.B.’s head was spinning.


O.B. paced the floor in his apartment. After the events of the past twenty-four hours he felt like a caged lion. It was bound to happen sooner or later, he thought. You can’t be gay in a high-profile professional sport and expect to live the life you want. Somebody’s gonna find out.


Chapter 9