The Workhorse, Chapter 1, Part 3

Caleb and Cody practiced timing their throws and the rest of the team began running drills. Cody and Caleb both became the first players in the team to see the new set up. They were using a computer to show everyone exactly how fast the hits and runs were. The teams were all gone over. They were ready to beat the Matchsticks once again, who were this years MLB odds-on favorites to play against, as they were 3-0 all year long. They only needed one more win to advance to the major leagues. They got it, and the Black Rocks were shut out. They needed 5-0, and got it, and soon enough, no one else was seriously considering anybody else would be playing against the Orioles. The Orioles were a tough team to match up against. Everyone in the team was a veteran baseball player. They all had 15-year careers going on. No one could except them to lose except for the Matchsticks' biggest fans, they hoped. During a stage conference, Caleb asked if they had any questions for the coach and Cody, who were also there and doing a lot of hard work that he believed wasn't being noticed. They said they had questions for them. The two were happy. Caleb had gotten them the positive energy they needed to open up a question-and-answer session that got them a lot of screen time. The team was ready to rumble come Dec. 2005. It was the last time that Caleb would play for the Orioles, and for major league baseball ever again.

He asked the coach to let him relieve Cody for the first quarter. He was slated to play second. The coach agreed after speaking with the team, but Caleb was chosen to go second, as planned. Cody got 3 outs and 2 managed to hit 1st base, but the third one was struck out and Cody knew why. He was meaner than the rest. Caleb had to watch as Cody knocked him out as well. Caleb and Cody shook hands as Cody switched with Caleb and Caleb strode out onto the playing field. He was chewing bubblegum. He had given up tobacco but no one actually knew he was using it. He had decided it was time to quit playing games and show them how baseball was really played from the pitchers point of view.

He threw it fast and long into the catchers mitt.

Then two more were sailed through the air towards the batter, who connected with each one, but one was a pop fly, and the other went into the outfield, where it was thrown to second base, missing the batter by a mile. They had two on, two off, and Caleb needed to strike out one to be sure they wouldn't be going to home base any time soon. He struck the first stone and it was a strike. The second was hit. Caleb was stunned. The ball went into the audience. A player caught it and they called it a home run. That was the last time Caleb remembered spitting. He told the coach to have Cody relieve him. Cody ran out and they exchanged gloves. Cody used a right-handed mitt, and Caleb used a left-handed mitt, so they exchanged gloves and Cody used his own to win the game for them. From the stands, the players saw Cody and Caleb exchanging gloves. Cody had two of them. He took Caleb's left handed glove and handed him his left handed one for safe keeping. This meant he had two on him, one, the right one he kept, was still on his right hand, and the left one, which he wore at his side, which was Caleb's, was with him for this stretch of the match, an MLB game, and the cup finals.

If they secured this victory, it would mean they would be all set to win once again, whenever that may be. Cody struck out nine times out of ten. The first at-batter was fouled. The second was struck out, no sense in trying, and the third managed to hit no foul balls. He was on first, then second, and now on to home base. Cody couldn't stand the wait. The game was won by the Orioles!

They won it, just as planned.

Cody and Caleb celebrated with the rest of the team. They sat with the coach and other players as Caleb and Cody recited the American anthem with everyone else at the game. The ref's got into position. It was round 2! The ball was in play. Cody was pitching. They hadn't the time to choose. He threw lefty. The batter connected, and ran to first base. This got them to third and almost to home base. But Cody had not planned for this game to be the Matchsticks' after all. He switched out with Caleb and struck gold with the new lineup. They had to play fairly. The teams were evenly matched.

But Cody and Caleb were on the winning side! The Matchstick's had lost the game!

The play-by-play the announcers on CNSCN put on was astounding to watch, because Caleb's ball was clocked at going 425 miles per hour! This was simply out of the question. The real pitching speed, the other was just a suggestion, was actually only a world record spinning death ball. It was out of this world! The batter connected with it, sending it deep into the stands, where it disappeared. People ran to collect it. A fan gave it to another fan and the play was called. It was a home run for the Matchsticks! The Orioles were up at bat. Lee Ellis, the coach, told the team there was nothing they needed to fear, as they were going to win this game, no two ways about it. His mind was on coaching the best game of his life, once again, and he had it all planned out. The batter was amazing. He shot the ball right up the left side of the playing field and ran to first. The next one got him to second base. But then they struck gold once again. They got it into the outfielders gloved hand! He used his free hand to throw the ball righty into the short stops gloved right hand and the left-handed player, Caleb, had to watch as all this was going on. His team was on first and third. They needed to get 4 points to win. This meant a home run with all bases loaded, or four individual runs. They had 23 minutes and chances flying past. They got their 4 runs and the other team got 5. This meant they were down now by more than they needed before! This was, however, not enough to beat the Orioles, who got their 4 more and some chances flying past at being called losers were done and gone with by the games end! The play clock ended and they had won it! They got the new trophy, and left the field as stars once again.

Caleb retired after this match and returned to Virginia to become a sports announcer. He was on CNSNBC and Fox News 25 and also ESPN 5 as a host and sports announcer and color commentator. He was their baseball professional and talked about his days with the Orioles long into his days. He retired from that as well but kept on going and even played some amazing games as a solo player recruited to test the fans' knowledge of who the Orioles' best pitcher was. Cody had a good stat roster, but Caleb had all 5 stars and some gold to his name as well.

Caleb and Cody were also race car drivers. Caleb met Cody once at Speedway 95 in Lewiston, MI and they had a rough time of it in the heat and night where they battled dehydration and lonely, miserable scores with top names like John Gordon, Jeff Rosterberg and Imelden Typogranham III. Imelden told them he was proud of their new racing skills, but he was also insinuating he had a rough time of it as well. He was gunning for 5th place when Caleb lost a tire and had to be escorted back to home base once again by his teammates. They fixed his tire and he finished in 12th place on that day at Speedway 95 in Lewiston, MI at NASCAR Conquest 95. They had raced 200 miles and some said he even made it all the way to 295 miles, as he had to drive all the way from Georgia, where Speedway 95 was, and to Alabama, where he had to race at Conquest in the Desert 95 as well. He was there and won the match-up against John Gordon and his team, but it was just a qualifier to him. The real NASCAR race he would be a part of was International 40's, they called it, and it was a real hoot to hear him say he was going there to all of the NASCAR and fans he had doted on in his youth. Now he was a race car driver, baseball player, veteran announcer, and even sometimes a charity worker. He told a news crew that he was campaigning for Funds for America, a children's health packet that contained a cancer and homeless mother's against cancer fanfare packet, where he was the contracted spokesman for it all. He told the news, Channel 41 Fox News, that he was against cutting costs for the sake of just lower taxes because the Government needed them for Medicare and Medicaid, looking foolish. He said this and later flip-flopped and said he supported children with cancer aid packages in further charity organizations like PeacePAC 2021 and Peacer's for Justice, a common-goal SuperPAC that allowed him to vent his stress.

He went on to die at Die Hard! Festival for a Cause, that is, he played dice in a room as he pitched for the Orioles one last time, so they thought, and once again he was amazing to see!