He stood in the dirt, staring at the third base coach.
Had the coach considered the priesthood, or were those signs meaningful?
Didn’t he talk about it one time while playing cards on the charter?
Or, does that hand motion mean a fake bunt, or a hit and run for the man at first?
Ought the batter swing, or take this pitch?
The hit might fall gently into the hands of a child along the third base line.
Changeup. So it could be.
Or the ball might wind up:
Well, it could wind up anywhere.
But it started with the pitcher as he leaned forward, sweat sparkling in his eyes as he asked the catcher for the next move.
The batter squinted, too.
There’s the sign of the cross again from the man standing by third base.
That means take, the batter recalled.
No, it means swing if it’s close, he decided.
He stepped out of the box again.
No one needs signs to know that.
It must mean something else coming from the coach.
Couldn’t he just yell at the man standing at the plate?
Of course, the catcher, pitcher and a bunch of players standing in the dugouts would hear.
But they might need help reading signs, too.
(Never mind: they’d have to look for something else from their own third base coach.)
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