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Speaker 1: He Hello, friends from across the nation and around the world.

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I'm Martin, and you are listening to Dad's Bedtime Stories.

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Tonight We're going to be headed into a standalone episode,

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a bit of a baseball fantasy thing, because I got

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a suggestion from Miles to do a baseball planet and

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I decided instead to just do a baseball fantasy episode.

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And hopefully Miles will like that just as much and

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other people will too. Now, if you don't know this,

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I am Canadian. So this particular baseball one is going

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to take place in Toronto, but you, wherever you are,

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are still the main character, and I really hope you

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enjoy it. Aside from that, the biggest news I have

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for everyone is that I just launched another stories podcast

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called Dad's Anytime Story. Now. The design of that one

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is for me to take some of my best Dad's

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Bedtime Stories stories, particularly the ones I've turned into novels

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and that sort of thing, and read them on that podcast.

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So if you really like the Cards of Power series,

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the very first Cards of Power novel about Carter is

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currently being read on Dad's Anytime Stories, which you can

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find anywhere you get your podcasts. And if I could

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ask for a huge favor from everyone if you can

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subscribe to that, especially if you're interested and do a

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rating and review. It would be really great to get

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that thing moving right out of the gate, and the

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more reviews and follows and that sort of thing has,

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the better off it is. So please, please, if you

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can take a second to go over there right now

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and follow it, that would be amazing. And I believe

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you should already have the first three episodes uploaded there,

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chapters one to two and three from Cards of Power.

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Chapter four is coming on Wednesday, and then I'll be

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releasing a new chapter every Monday and Wednesday until we're

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done all seventeen chapters of Cards of Power, at which

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point I'll go on to the next book, which will

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be wizard Craft two point zero. But now I should

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probably get on with this podcast. Close your eyes, get

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as comfy as you can in that bed, and imagine

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yourself doing what the kid in the story does. Imagine

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yourself hanging out in your very own home when a

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phone call comes in. It's for you, your parents says,

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handing you their phone. Hello, You say a cheerful voice answer,

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is it once? Good afternoon? A am I speaking to

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the grand prize winner of the Canadian Baseball Experience Contest.

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You sit up straighter. Wait what, the voice laughs, that's

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a yes, then, congratulations, You've won a private trip to

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Toronto for the grand opening of the brand new Canadian

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Baseball Hall of Fame at the Rogers Center. You blink

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a few times. Are you Are you serious? You say,

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very serious. The man says, my name is mister Donnelly.

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I represent Major League Baseball Special Events and I will

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be arriving personally to escort you. Escort me, yes, he

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says in style. You're still trying to figure out what

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that means. When a few minutes later you hear something

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thumping outside. You run to the window. A helicopter is

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lowering towards a nearby field. Your mouth falls open. No

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one in your neighborhood has ever had a helicopter arrived

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for them before. As far as you know, it's not

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really a normal thing. The helicopter settles onto the grass

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with a dramatic swirl of wind. A man in a

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sharp jacket steps out, holding a paper coffee cup and

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wearing sunglasses. He smiles you, he says, pointing at you

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with a grin you must be my all star. Are

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you really here for me? You ask as you walk

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up towards the helicopter. I would never bring a helicopter

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for anyone else Today, you stare at the aircraft. This

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is amazing. It gets better, he says, Come on, Toronto awaits.

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A few minutes later, you're strapped into the seat beside him.

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As the helicopter lifts off into the air, the ground

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falls away beneath you. Your stomach flips, but not in

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the bad way, in a sort of awesome way. You

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look down at the roads, the trees, the houses shrinking

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smaller and smaller. Cars look like toys below you, Rivers

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turn into little ribbons. The whole world suddenly seems bigger

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and now smaller at the same time. Mister Donnelly SIPs

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coffee as if flying over Ontario in a helicopter is

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the most normal thing in the world. You ever flown

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in one of these? Before he asks, no, he nods, excellent,

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first helicopter rides should be memorable. It already is. You reply,

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You're about to visit the greatest baseball museum in Canada.

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I didn't even know there was one Inside the Roger Center.

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You say. He lowers his sunglasses just enough to look

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at you over the top of them. Very few people do.

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Today is a preview opening, very exclusive, exclusive. How you

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ask you won the contest, he says, that makes you

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one of the lucky ones. You grin and look back

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out the window as the helicopter races onward. Soon, the

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sky line of Toronto rises ahead of you, tall towers,

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glittering windows, busy streets, and beyond it all the unmistakable

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shape of the Rogers Center, formerly known as the sky Dome.

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There it is, says mister Donnelly. You press closer to

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the glass. From above, the stadium looks enormous. As the

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helicopter circles lower, you feel like you're arriving for the

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biggest moment of your life. You land on a private

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area near the stadium, and a small group of staff

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greet you. Everything moves quickly after that. Doors open, hallways,

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pass by, security waves you through elevators, hum upwards and

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then downwards again, and finally, mister Donnelly spreads his arms dramatically. Welcome,

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he says, to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame experience.

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You step through the doors and stop. The place is incredible.

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There are giant, glowing displays showing famous baseball moments. Glass

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cases hold bats, gloves, jerseys, balls, helmets and trophies. Screens

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play clips of impossible catches, towering home runs, stolen bases,

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and crowd eruptions. One wall is covered in signatures. Another

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shows a timeline of baseball in Canada. You walk slowly,

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trying to take it all in. Oh, you whisper, mister

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Donnelly smiles proudly. That is the correct reaction. He leads

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you from exhibit to exhibit. At the Velocity Cage, you

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stand on a marked spot and watch a screen simulate

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blazing pitches from famous players. At the Wall of Gloves,

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you see old worn mits that look as if they

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still remember the shape of the hands that used them.

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At the Bad Vault, there are legendary bats resting under glass.

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Did someone really hit a home run with that one?

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You ask? Oh? Yes, says mister Donnelly, more than one. Actually.

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You move on to an audio chamber where famous calls

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echo around the room. Back goes the outfielder, the pitch,

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It's gone. Mister Donnelly checks his watch. Well, he says,

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that was the public tour you turn to him public

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He glances left and right, lowers his voice, and says,

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now for the pot almost no one knows about. He

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leads you down a quieter hallway. The lights here are dimmer,

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the walls are smooth and silver. At the end stands

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a heavy looking door with a security scanner beside it.

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Mister Donley takes one more sip of coffee, balances the

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cup in one hand, and places the other on the scanner.

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The door slides open. Inside the room glows blue. You

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step in and immediately stop. The walls are lined with

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tall glass cylinders filled with some sort of softly lit liquid.

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Wires and cables run from them into a huge central

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machine covered in screens, flickering cymbals, and glowing tubes. You stare,

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and then you stare hard, and then you point, are

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those brains? Mister Donley clears his throat. We prefer not

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to get too barked down in the details. You keep

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staring and definitely looks like a room full of brains.

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He nods once. Yes, all right, fine, it is a

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room full of brains. What you say, the greatest baseball

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minds ever archived into a super computer, he says, proudly

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past legends, modern stars, strategic geniuses, pitchers, hitters, fielders. We

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call it the cognitive legacy archive. You slowly look around

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the room again. That is the weirdest thing I've ever seen, baseball,

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says mister Donneley, is a game of innovation. To demonstrate,

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he says, tapping a control panel, let us call up

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one of the all time greats. A holographic figure forms

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above the central console, big, confident, grinning. You recognize him

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at once from old photos and highlights, Babe Ruth, you say,

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the figure taps his cap. That's right, kid, You jump

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a little. He's not just recording. He talks like a

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real person. You play ball, Babe Ruth, asks A little?

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A little's enough to start? He says, you keep your

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eye on the ball, swing hard, and don't let anybody

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tell you can't. You grin. Did that work for you?

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He laughs most of the time. Mister Donney beams and

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takes another sip of his coffee. This, he says, is

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the future of baseball education. And that is when everything

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goes wrong. He turns a bit too fast, his elbow

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bumps a panel, his coffee slips. No, no, no, no,

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the cup falls, It hits the edge of the console

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and explodes in a splash of hot coffee across the controls.

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The machine sparks instantly, lights flash red, an alarm blairs.

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Babe Ruth vanishes. Oh dear, says mister Donnelly. The central

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supercomputer crackles with wild electricity. A bolt of blue white

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energy shoots outward, right at you. You barely have time

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to gasp before it blasts into you like a lightning strike,

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only it doesn't hurt. Suddenly, you simply find yourself not

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standing in the room anymore. You're standing on a mound,

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then at a plate, then sprinting for a second, then

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diving for a line drive, then crouched behind the catcher's mask,

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then firing a ball from deep in the outfield. You

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feel the grip of a four seam fastball, the snap

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of a curveball, the sharp cut of a slider, the

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late drop of a splitter, the strange, floating wobble of

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a knuckleball. You feel hundreds of swings, thousands, the timing,

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the balance, the power, the crowd, noise, the pressure, the focus.

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Baseball memories flood through your mind from every redirection at once,

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but not just memories, muscles, instincts, reflexes. It feels as

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though you've had years and years of practice instantly downloaded

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into your brain, into your arms, your legs, your hand,

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your eyes. When you open your eyes again, bright lights

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are shining above you. A face leans over yours, and

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then another. Ah can you hear me? Someone asks you. Blink, Yeah,

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do you know your name? You tell them your name?

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Do you know where you are? In the baseball brain room?

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You mumble. There's a short silence, and then one of

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the medics says, all right, good, I think he's oriented.

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Another one shines a light in your eye, Eh, any dizziness, nausey,

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a double vision? You sit up slowly. Mister Donnelly's standing

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near by, looking horrified and embarrassed and well kind of

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worried about a lawsuit all at the same time. I

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am so sorry. He says, this is not how the

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tour is usually meant to go. Ah, you mean the

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whole electrocution part, you ask. He winces, yes, uh exactly.

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That You move your arms, then your legs, then your fingers. Strangely,

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you feel fine, Actually you kind of feel more than fine.

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Your body feels loose, and sharp and ready, as if

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every joint knows exactly what to do before you even

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think about it. The doctor checks a tablet. Ah, vinyls

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are stable, pupils look fine. No obvious sign of injury.

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No obvious signs says mister Donnelly. Ah, I'm trying to

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help you out here. The doctor says, how do you feel.

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One of the medics asks, I feel normal? You say,

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Then you pause, but also sort of not normal? Now

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not normal, asks the doctor. You hesitate. It's hard to explain,

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mister Donnelly leaves in nervously. Please say it in a

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way that will not ruin my career. You close your

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eyes for a second. In your mind you can suddenly

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feel the memories from well, the baseball machine, the throws,

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the hits, the catches. You open your eyes again, and

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I think I know a lot more about baseball than

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I used to. Mister Donnelly exhales. That is somehow the

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best possible answer. The medics help you to your feet. Ah,

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you should probably rest, the doctor says, and probably avoid

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any more experimental supercomputers today. The other one asks, yes,

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says mister Donnelly, absolutely, no more brain rooms. He then

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straightens his jacket and forces a cheerful smile. Well, he says,

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clapping his hands once, to make up for this very

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unusual incident, I think we should probably upgrade the rest

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of your day. How you ask, he grins, How would

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you like to see the Blue Jays on the field?

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Your eyes widen? Really batting practice, he says, private access.

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You forget all about the medics instantly. A few minutes later,

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you're walking through a tunnel toward the field at the

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Rogers Center. The sound reaches you first thwack, thump, shouts, laughter,

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the hum of a stadium getting ready for a game.

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Then you step out and see it. The field stretches

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out in front of you, bright green and perfect. The

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seats rise high all around you. Giant screens glow overhead.

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Players move across the grass like the people from your

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baseball cards have suddenly stepped into real life. You stop walking.

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Whoa you whisper? Mister Donnelly smiles. That, he says, is

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also the correct reaction. A ball cracks off a bat

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and sails high across the stadium. Another one follows. You

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can smell the grass and dirt. You can hear gloves

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popping and cleat scraping and coaches calling out instructions. For

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a moment, you just stare. This is amazing, you say.

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It is so amazing that you probably don't feel any

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need to sue me or anything. Mister Donnley adds, you

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just stare at him. And that's when someone on the

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field takes a huge swing. The ball rockets fowl straight

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toward the tunnel, straight toward your head. Mister Donnelly yelps

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and ducks. You, on the other hand, do knock duck.

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You don't even think twice. Your hand snaps up by

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itself and smack with a bit of a sting. The

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ball lands perfectly in your gloveless hand. Everything goes still.

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A nearby coach stares at you. A player near the

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dugout stares at you. Mister Donneley slowly lifts his head.

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You caught that. You look down at the ball in

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your hand, yeah, you say, though honestly it surprised me too.

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Someone from the field cups his hands around his mouth. Hey,

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throw it back, you nod, without really trying. You take

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one step turn and fire the ball. It leaves your

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hand with a sharp hiss. The catcher by the batting

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cage barely gets his glove up in time. Crack the

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ball slams into his mit. Several heads turn at once.

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A man holding a radar gun looks down at it,

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and then back up and then down again. What he says?

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Another coach jogs over. The man with the radar gun

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turns the screen around one hundred and fifteen mph. There's

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a moment of total silence. Then everyone starts talking at once. Now,

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way that has to be wrong. Do it again. Mister

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Donley points at the radar gun. Is that number good?

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He asks? A coach slowly turns around. Good. He looks

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at you, kid, He says, throw another one, just for fun.

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Someone talks says you a baseball. The instant it lands

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in your hand. Everything feels simple, natural, easy. You step

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00:23:09,200 --> 00:23:14,599
forward and throw again. Crack the mid snaps back. The

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radar gun flashes one hundred and fourteen mph. Players begin

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drifting closer. Another coach says, try something else. So you do.

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You throw the ball again and again and again. Each

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time it fires off with incredible speed. And each time

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you try a different kind of pitch. A breaking ball,

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a slider, a curveball, a change up, a cutter, a splitter,

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a sweeper. You can throw every single one without well

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any hesitation all. The catcher pulls off his mask and

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shakes his glove hand a little bit, as if it's

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well kind of sore. Mister Donnley whispers, I may fat.

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One of the coaches folds his arms. Alright, then, kid,

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00:24:20,839 --> 00:24:25,400
well can you bat too? He hands you a helmet

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and a bat. The moment your fingers close around it,

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another flood of memories runs through you. Stands, timing, hip turn, balance,

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hand speed, tracking spin. You step into the bat and cage.

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The pitcher behind the screen tosses you the first pitch

283
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pretty easily to start off. You swing the bat and crack.

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The ball flies deep, way deep. It smashes into seats

285
00:24:59,160 --> 00:25:04,359
far beyond the outfield wall. Everyone on the field freezes.

286
00:25:05,279 --> 00:25:10,960
The next pitch comes, another swing, another blast. The third

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00:25:11,079 --> 00:25:15,680
pitch is outside, You still drive it the other way

288
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and send it soaring. One player laughs out loud, what

289
00:25:21,400 --> 00:25:27,279
is happening here? Another says, ah, this kid is not normal.

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00:25:28,200 --> 00:25:33,279
Mister Donnelly raises one finger. Technically, I feel I should

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00:25:33,359 --> 00:25:39,400
say that I agree. Pitch after pitch comes in fastball,

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00:25:39,759 --> 00:25:46,559
home run, curveball, home run, change up, home run. You

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00:25:46,680 --> 00:25:52,799
are barely even trying. Finally, the Blue Jays coach walks over.

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He's been watching the whole time, and he looks at

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00:25:56,680 --> 00:26:02,920
you and then mister Donnelly, how old are you? He asks?

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00:26:03,599 --> 00:26:08,079
And you tell him. The coach rubs his chin. Ah.

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00:26:09,079 --> 00:26:13,240
He gestures to an assistant, get me the rule book,

298
00:26:13,640 --> 00:26:17,839
he says, uh the roll bucks, Sir asks the assistant

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00:26:18,640 --> 00:26:22,759
the full one. A few minutes later, three adults are

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00:26:22,799 --> 00:26:27,640
standing around with a tablet scrolling furiously. You can hear

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00:26:27,720 --> 00:26:32,359
bits of the conversation. No, man of my age, that

302
00:26:32,440 --> 00:26:38,440
can't be right. Check again, I'm checking. Afterward, the coach

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00:26:38,559 --> 00:26:44,079
walks over, kid, He says, how would you feel about

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00:26:44,200 --> 00:26:50,359
joining us for tonight's game? You blink? What you mean

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00:26:50,480 --> 00:26:52,920
like I can watch from the dugout?

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00:26:54,079 --> 00:26:54,240
Speaker 2: Uh?

307
00:26:54,559 --> 00:27:01,079
Speaker 1: Well, not helping. I was thinking you could play. You've

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00:27:01,279 --> 00:27:04,240
never played before, so the most I could offer you

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00:27:04,319 --> 00:27:08,839
for the season is probably, you know, one million if

310
00:27:08,880 --> 00:27:17,559
that'll do? What million? One million dollars? You repeat, Yeah,

311
00:27:17,720 --> 00:27:22,000
I know it's not a lot in baseball terms, but well,

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00:27:22,359 --> 00:27:25,960
if you can throw and hit like that, you're worth

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00:27:26,119 --> 00:27:33,240
way more. That's a lot. You say. You quickly call

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00:27:33,279 --> 00:27:36,599
your parents, of course, who contact a lawyer, go through

315
00:27:36,640 --> 00:27:40,920
all of the paperwork, and eventually agree to allow you

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00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:43,880
to play as long as you wear a helmet. Of course,

317
00:27:44,680 --> 00:27:47,599
they weren't convinced at first, but the whole million dollar

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00:27:47,680 --> 00:27:52,079
thing probably well put them over the line. Before you

319
00:27:52,279 --> 00:27:55,720
know it, you're giving a jersey with your name on

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00:27:55,799 --> 00:28:01,240
the back. You're showing the clubhouse. You shake hands with

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00:28:01,359 --> 00:28:04,359
players who keep glancing with you as if they can't

322
00:28:04,440 --> 00:28:10,359
really believe that they've just hired well you. Then, because

323
00:28:10,400 --> 00:28:13,720
the team wants you well rested for the game, you're

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00:28:13,799 --> 00:28:19,200
taken to a hotel. Your room is incredible. There's a

325
00:28:19,319 --> 00:28:24,319
huge bed, a giant window overlooking the city, Snacks on

326
00:28:24,400 --> 00:28:28,920
the table, a fresh blue Jay's uniform hanging neatly near

327
00:28:28,960 --> 00:28:35,160
the closet, cleats below it in your size, a glove

328
00:28:35,279 --> 00:28:40,640
on the dresser, a note that says welcome to the team.

329
00:28:41,359 --> 00:28:45,640
You walk to the window and look out on Toronto.

330
00:28:45,799 --> 00:28:50,119
You eat some snacks, watch some TV, and before you

331
00:28:50,279 --> 00:28:56,400
know it, it's nighttime. The Rogers Center is packed, the

332
00:28:56,519 --> 00:29:01,039
lights are bright, the music's loud, and there's a huge

333
00:29:01,359 --> 00:29:06,279
crowd watching You walk out into the dugout wearing your

334
00:29:06,559 --> 00:29:10,960
brand new uniform, and you try to act calm, even

335
00:29:11,000 --> 00:29:16,960
though you're not calm. You're definitely not calm. Tonight's game

336
00:29:17,279 --> 00:29:22,279
is against the Dodgers. Every hit gets a roar, every

337
00:29:22,319 --> 00:29:26,720
close call gets people on their feet, and every time

338
00:29:26,799 --> 00:29:30,200
the Blue Jays come close to a rally, the whole

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00:29:30,319 --> 00:29:36,200
stadium shakes with noise. You hold your glove tighter. One

340
00:29:36,200 --> 00:29:40,920
of the pitchers beside you smiles. The first game, he says,

341
00:29:41,759 --> 00:29:46,920
you nod. He laughs, yeah, kind of figured at first.

342
00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:50,759
The coach keeps you on the bench. You watch innings pass,

343
00:29:51,279 --> 00:29:54,759
You watch the pitchers work, You watch the batter's bat,

344
00:29:55,359 --> 00:30:00,400
you watch the scoreboard, and slowly the game starts slipping away.

345
00:30:01,319 --> 00:30:05,720
By the final inning, the Blue Jays are down by three.

346
00:30:06,799 --> 00:30:10,960
The crowd is still loud, but now there's a worry

347
00:30:11,000 --> 00:30:15,720
in it too. The coach stands at the dugout rail, thinking,

348
00:30:16,359 --> 00:30:22,680
and then he turns to you. He says, get loose.

349
00:30:23,880 --> 00:30:30,799
Your whole body goes electric me you, he says, He

350
00:30:30,920 --> 00:30:34,599
hands you a ball and pushes you out onto the field.

351
00:30:35,480 --> 00:30:41,160
It's showtime. The stadium announcer says your name. There's a

352
00:30:41,240 --> 00:30:46,759
strange pause as The crowd begins to react, at first

353
00:30:47,039 --> 00:30:55,039
confusion and then surprise and then amazement, because well, someone

354
00:30:55,160 --> 00:30:57,480
who doesn't look old enough to be playing for the

355
00:30:57,519 --> 00:31:02,599
Blue Jays is marching out of the dugout and headed

356
00:31:02,680 --> 00:31:07,599
straight for the mound. The noise swells and swells until

357
00:31:07,640 --> 00:31:15,839
it becomes a huge, well rolling roar. People are standing, pointing, cheering, shouting.

358
00:31:16,559 --> 00:31:20,759
Phones are up everywhere. You climb to the mound and

359
00:31:20,839 --> 00:31:24,920
look around. The whole stadium seems to spin for a second,

360
00:31:25,640 --> 00:31:29,480
and then you feel the ball in your hand and

361
00:31:29,559 --> 00:31:35,359
everything steadies. The catcher gives you the sign. You nod.

362
00:31:36,359 --> 00:31:41,359
The batter steps in, looking almost amused. You set your feet,

363
00:31:41,880 --> 00:31:47,240
take a breath, and throw. The pitch explodes across the plate.

364
00:31:47,920 --> 00:31:53,200
The batter doesn't even move. Strike one. The crowd erupts.

365
00:31:54,119 --> 00:31:59,119
The batter steps back, startled. Now he'd assumed this whole

366
00:31:59,160 --> 00:32:02,559
thing was just all sit He's stunned, but after seeing

367
00:32:02,640 --> 00:32:08,519
that pitch, he decides to take things seriously. He adjusts

368
00:32:08,519 --> 00:32:12,720
his gloves and stares at you. You throw again, this

369
00:32:12,839 --> 00:32:16,920
time a slider. It starts middle and cuts away so

370
00:32:17,200 --> 00:32:22,200
hard the batter swings at empty air. Strike two. Now

371
00:32:22,599 --> 00:32:26,440
the whole stadium is alive. You hear your name rolling

372
00:32:26,480 --> 00:32:30,519
through the seats. The batter looks nervous, and so to

373
00:32:30,559 --> 00:32:35,640
the next two fastball, curveball, cutter, splitter. You strike it

374
00:32:35,799 --> 00:32:41,799
the first batter, then the second, then the third, Three up,

375
00:32:42,480 --> 00:32:47,160
three down. The crowd screams as you make your way

376
00:32:47,279 --> 00:32:50,400
off of the field and back over to the dugout.

377
00:32:50,759 --> 00:32:55,920
Great work, the coach says. Now it's time to see if, well,

378
00:32:56,519 --> 00:33:00,880
if you can bat too. It's the boss of the ninth,

379
00:33:01,519 --> 00:33:07,400
the last chance. The j's come out fighting single, a walk,

380
00:33:07,960 --> 00:33:14,039
another single. The crowd starts building again, and now the

381
00:33:14,119 --> 00:33:20,319
bases are loaded, but there's already two outs. The dugout

382
00:33:20,359 --> 00:33:25,359
is tense, the stadium's tense. Everyone's standing, and the coach

383
00:33:25,440 --> 00:33:30,920
looks down the bench. You're up, he says, handing you

384
00:33:31,079 --> 00:33:35,839
a bad For a second, your brain goes completely blank.

385
00:33:36,680 --> 00:33:41,759
Then your legs carry you toward the plate. The crowd

386
00:33:41,839 --> 00:33:45,920
is making a sound you've never heard before, part cheer,

387
00:33:46,039 --> 00:33:51,480
part disbelieve, part pure hope. You step into the batter's box.

388
00:33:52,119 --> 00:33:56,599
The pitcher stares at you. He looks almost annoyed about

389
00:33:56,640 --> 00:33:59,799
the whole thing, probably because he just got struck out.

390
00:33:59,799 --> 00:34:02,240
By child sized pitcher and is now being asked to

391
00:34:02,279 --> 00:34:06,720
face the same child size problem at the plate. The

392
00:34:06,799 --> 00:34:10,800
catcher gives the signed The pitcher winds up, and the

393
00:34:10,840 --> 00:34:16,440
first pitch comes in fast, too fast. You freeze. It

394
00:34:16,599 --> 00:34:22,079
zips right past strike one. The crowd groans. You step

395
00:34:22,159 --> 00:34:27,519
back and swallow. Okay, you whisper, all right. You step

396
00:34:27,559 --> 00:34:32,320
in again. The second pitch comes, you hesitate, and again

397
00:34:33,119 --> 00:34:38,760
strike to. The huge groan rolls through the stadium and

398
00:34:38,840 --> 00:34:43,639
the pitcher smirks. The catcher tosses the ball back. You

399
00:34:43,679 --> 00:34:48,320
grip the bat tighter. You close your eyes for a second,

400
00:34:49,039 --> 00:34:53,480
just one, and you breathe. You think about the field,

401
00:34:53,559 --> 00:34:57,599
the ball, the moment, and when you open your eyes again,

402
00:34:58,519 --> 00:35:04,760
everything changes. The noise fades back, not gone, but it

403
00:35:04,880 --> 00:35:09,360
sort of feels further away. The pitcher lifts the ball.

404
00:35:10,039 --> 00:35:13,280
You can see the seams, you can see the angle

405
00:35:13,360 --> 00:35:16,880
of his wrist, you can feel the timing. Before he

406
00:35:16,920 --> 00:35:23,239
even starts moving, he throws, and suddenly the ball seems

407
00:35:23,280 --> 00:35:27,480
to travel in slow motion. You watch it the whole

408
00:35:27,519 --> 00:35:34,559
way in. You step, turn, swing, and crack. The sound

409
00:35:34,639 --> 00:35:38,719
is enormous, the kind of sound that tells everyone instantly

410
00:35:39,480 --> 00:35:43,599
that the ball is gone. It shoots off your bat

411
00:35:43,639 --> 00:35:47,719
like a rocket. The left fielder turns and runs back,

412
00:35:47,800 --> 00:35:54,199
and then stops. The center fielder stops too. The crowd

413
00:35:54,440 --> 00:35:59,039
lifts in one giant wave as the ball climbs higher

414
00:35:59,079 --> 00:36:04,719
and higher and then disappears into the stands. For half

415
00:36:04,760 --> 00:36:09,360
a second, nobody can believe it, and then the entire

416
00:36:09,639 --> 00:36:16,320
stadium explodes grand slam. You drop the bat and run

417
00:36:16,960 --> 00:36:22,719
first base, second, third, Home. Your teammates are already waiting

418
00:36:22,719 --> 00:36:27,519
at the plate, jumping, shouting, laughing. The second your foot

419
00:36:27,599 --> 00:36:32,599
touches home, they mob you. Helmets fly, gloves fly, People

420
00:36:32,639 --> 00:36:35,519
are yelling your name. Somebody lifts you up off of

421
00:36:35,559 --> 00:36:40,119
the ground, and somebody else does too. You're raised over

422
00:36:40,199 --> 00:36:44,960
a pile of cheering Blue Jays, and while the stadium

423
00:36:45,119 --> 00:36:52,239
roars around you. The whole thing is surreal. After interviews

424
00:36:52,320 --> 00:36:56,239
and cheers and a celebration that doesn't even feel real,

425
00:36:57,239 --> 00:37:02,039
you return to your hotel room, still in a bit

426
00:37:02,119 --> 00:37:06,800
of a days, you put on your pajamas and lay

427
00:37:06,960 --> 00:37:12,519
down in the bed. The bed is very, very soft

428
00:37:12,639 --> 00:37:17,880
and very very comfortable. You pull the covers up to

429
00:37:17,960 --> 00:37:23,920
your chin. You close your eyes, and with each breath

430
00:37:24,559 --> 00:37:29,000
you allow your body to sink down deeper and deeper

431
00:37:29,079 --> 00:37:35,760
into the mattress, and as you breathe, your mind begins

432
00:37:35,800 --> 00:37:42,000
to wander off to thoughts of new dreams, new games,

433
00:37:42,880 --> 00:39:25,639
and new adventures to come. Good night everyone in New York.

434
00:40:49,199 --> 00:44:12,280
Speaker 2: Nion, no mothing.

435
00:43:06,280 --> 00:45:23,079
Speaker 3: No mon mome m

436
00:46:39,960 --> 00:50:05,079
Speaker 1: M m