Once Upon a Fastball
Chapter One
Ball
THE BRAIN OF A BASEBALL FANATIC consists of ten basic
structures, each with unique responsibilities: medulla (breathing,
heartbeat), pons (dreaming), reticular formation (brain's
sentinel), thalamus (sensory information), cerebellum (bodily
movements, equilibrium), hippocampus (long-term storage
of information), amygdala (aggression, sexual behavior),
hypothalamus (internal equilibrium), cerebral cortex (higher
cognitive and emotional functions). And, perhaps most important,
the little-known triviata minor, a tiny compartment
that stores information of no seemingly earthly value, like
Ted Lepcio's lifetime slugging percentage, what Don Mueller
and Donn Clendenon had in common, Bucky Dent's real
name, and who pinch-ran for midget Eddie Gaedel.
* * *
Baseball nut Seth Stein slouches in his La-Z-Boy and
looks right into the man's eyes.
The man stares back at him with a look that is vacant
and listless, gazing at a point six inches ... read full excerpt from Once Upon A Fastball ebook
