“Ethan, care to give us a few words?” Yes! I’d love to talk about my homerun or the outs that I made, but I’m not allowed, not yet at least. I want to talk about how well we play together as a team and how I support our pitching staff. I know I can answer simple questions with canned answers.
I smile my normal half grin, half grimace and wave. Media training starts tomorrow at the University of Boston, with a ten a.m. class. I thought about complaining, but it means I can see Daisy earlier and maybe even eat lunch with her while I’m there. That thought, alone, makes me turn in my man card. It should be the other way around. She should be asking me for time, and yet here I am mapping out when I can see her, eat with her and just be near. I’m turning into such a girl.
When we are traveling, I’ll take the class via live feed. It’s not ideal, but I want to be able to give interviews and this is what the GM thinks is best. I only have to take the course for two weeks and let the class interview me before I’m cleared for press interviews.
The vibe in the clubhouse is subdued. No one is talking and the only noise being made is by us when we undress. I suppose there isn’t much to say. We lost, yet again, and have to face the Tampa Bay Devil Rays tomorrow and the following two days before we have an off day and fly to Toronto.
“Do you have plans tonight?” Kidd asks, as he stands next to me in nothing but a towel around his waist, which he is holding together with his thumb and forefinger.
I shake my head and pull off my shirt, tossing it in the laundry bucket. “Sleep.”
“With your girl?” he waggles his eyebrows, and steps away before I can punch him in the shoulder.
“No. I have class tomorrow. I thought it’d be best if I showed up without any bags under my eyes.”
“Man, I can’t believe Stone is making you take media classes.”
“Yeah well, when you tweet out your address like a fool, management starts to wonder how fucking smart you are. Clearly, I’m an idiot.”
“You said it, not me.” He says as he slaps my back. “What are you going to do about your girl back home?” he asks as he waits for me to head to the showers.
“What do you mean?” Truth is, I haven’t even thought about Sarah for a few days, especially after my epic date with Daisy. She’s been the only one on my mind and between the phone calls, texts and seeing her for a few minutes after the game; she’s all I’ve had time to think about.
“Don’t you have, like, a standing hook-up deal?”
His words cause me to freeze. My mother knows about Daisy, but I’m sure Sarah hasn’t read up on it, or saw us online because she’s busy training to become a doctor. Sarah will be expecting to hang out. I’m now in a situation where I don’t know what to do. Any other time, it didn’t matter because I haven’t had a girlfriend since Sarah. Do I call Daisy my girlfriend? Do I give her that label?
If it were anyone but Kidd asking me the question, I’d dodge it, but he’s my best friend. “I don’t know,” I say as I head toward the showers, hoping that the hot water will provide the answer to my upcoming conundrum.
Even after a valiant effort by Preston Meyers and Ethan Davenport, the Renegades came up short against the Yankees, dropping all three of their home games to them with a cumulative nine to fifteen in the runs category. It wasn’t until Sunday’s game that the Renegades were able to get their bats swinging and break out of the two run hold the Yankees had them in by putting five up on the board.
Branch Singleton tried to make the Yankees pay, going deep each time at bat, but the acrobatic skills of the Yankees’ outfielders proved to be too much for Singleton’s long ball game. Better luck next time.
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays are in town for three games followed by an off day.