Outfielder Tommy Knox is said to "own" pitcher Wayne Kerley because he always hits well when Wayne is on the mound. What the public doesn't know is that the two men have long been involved in a committed, loving relationship. They met and fell in love while playing in the minor leagues, but were called up to the majors and now play for opposing teams.<br><br>Tommy and Wayne have managed to stay together through twelve closeted years. Being on different teams means they have to spend most of the baseball season apart.<br><br>In the final year of his contract, Wayne considers retirement as his career begins to wind down. The thought of life without baseball seems nearly impossible, but he keeps his fears and dread to himself. Tommy still has two years left of his contract, and all the successes, defeats, and injuries that entails. Can the two reconcile their love of each other and the game?

Ownage

New York pulls out a win in the bottom of the ninth on an Angel Santos homer. I watch Tommy as he celebrates the win on the field with his teammates. It’s okay for me to look now because I can appear to be digesting the loss. I’m alone in the dugout when Tommy and the team leave the field. As he walks off, he passes me a long look. I nod.


He’s surprisingly upbeat when I reach him near midnight. Drinking a beer, he’s all over me about my hitting. “You looked great up there,” he says. “Whole body into it. Good thing nobody knew what I was thinking.”


“And what was that?” I ask as I take the beer he offers. We’re in the kitchen and he’s glowing.


“I was thinking, hit? You should see him fuck.’”


This breaks me up. I sweep him into my arms and hold on. “Damnedest thing. I never expect to connect.”


“Maybe you should start. I mean, put your size to use beyond throwing.”


What makes me most happy about my hit is it sparing him from his own performance.


Chapter 11