The temperament in the clubhouse is somber. Everyone is quiet and a few of the guys are already gone. I don’t blame them for bailing after the game. It’s what I wanted to do. No one wants to hang out right now because we’re all feeling the same. We’re all tired of getting so close, only to lose.
I throw my shit into my locker and kick my stool across the room, lucky that only a few of my teammates are still here and I didn’t hit anyone with it.
“You’re not the only one who’s pissed,” Jasper Jacobson, our catcher, says as he starts getting dressed. “We’re on the same team here, Davenport. Sure, you brought in the runs, but it’s a fucking team effort.”
He’s slamming shit around and muttering under his breath. I realize in this moment that I need to keep my mouth shut because bringing up his stats probably wouldn’t be a good idea right now. One of the runs tonight was on a pass ball that he let go through his legs and I felt that the effort put in on his part was lacking.
Unfortunately, he sees me smirk and is now in my face.
“You have a problem, rookie?” he spits out, going chest to chest with me.
“I’m not a rookie,” I say, stepping forward, showing him that I’m not going to back down from him or anyone else who wants a piece of me.
“You’re a cocky son of a bitch, that’s what you are. You think your shit don’t stink, but let me tell you something sophomore, punks like you are a dime a dozen.”
I’m not even sure what his problem is. I kicked my stool across an empty room and it landed nowhere near him. He plays a different position, so it’s not like he’s backing me up. My batting average is better than his and maybe that’s why he’s jealous. He could want to be in the third spot in the rotation and if that’s the case, he needs to speak to Diamond about that.
“If we’re a dime a dozen, you’d think we’d be all over the place. I don’t know what your problem is, Jacobson, but it’s not me.”
“What the fuck is going on in here?” Diamond says, as he walks in.
“Just talking, Skip,” Jacobson says, waiting for Diamond to walk into his office. Once the door slams shut, his attention is back on me.
“You’re my fucking problem.” He puffs his chest out before storming away.
“What was that about?” Bainbridge asks after coming out of the bathroom.
I shake my head and grab my clothes. At this point, I’ll change when I get home. I need to go pick up Daisy. I need Daisy.
“I kicked my stool across the floor and he jumped on my shit.”
“I know you’re frustrated and you expect us to win, but sometimes teams have to take some lumps. We’re going to bounce back. We’ll dominate. We’ll be on top again.” Bainbridge squeezes my shoulder as he passes by. I hear a faint knock on Diamond’s door and wonder if Bainbridge will be around for when we bounce back.
Aside from being well under five hundred, I’m doing remarkably well. The batting title is within my reach but I know that unless we make the post season, I’ll be an afterthought. At this point, we’re not even close to making the post season because the teams from Texas are fucking killing everyone right now. We can’t even put together a winning streak, but we can sure as hell lose multiple games in a row.
The only bright spot right now is Daisy, who I wish was living at my house. Even though I say that, I don’t really want her to move in, at least not yet. It’s far too soon to take a giant step like that. What sucks is having her in my arms, almost falling asleep, only to have to take her home to relieve the night nurse. I’ve offered to pay for a full-time live in nurse but she balked at the idea, saying her grandfather is her problem, not mine. She doesn’t understand that I want more time with her. My schedule really limits our quality time together. I suppose in the long run it doesn’t really matter since she’s still taking classes - one more semester and then she’ll graduate.