Girls Can`t Play

!”
“G I
C
S
A
L
R
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SCHOLASTIC SCOPE • JANUARY 2015
N’T
MICHAEL KRINKE/ISTOCKPHOTO/GETTY IMAGES (BASEBALL AND GLOVE); ISTOCKPHOTO/GETTY IMAGES (BUTTER); ISTOCKPHOTO/GETTY IMAGES (DOG)
Fiction
PLAY
Can one brave teenager
prove everyone wrong?
BY REBECCA BEHRENS
®
READWRITETHINKCONNECT
TM
®
READWRITETHINKCONNECT
AS YOU READ,
THINK ABOUT:
I
What does this
story reveal about
stereotypes?
shoved my hand into the baseball
mitt, which was buttery soft and
worn at the seams. It had been my
TM
®
READWRITETHINKCONNECT
SHORT
FICTION
TM
®
READWRITETHINKCONNECT
TM
INFERENCE
How does the mitt
seem to make the
narrator feel? How do
you know?
pop’s, and it was too big for me.
Mitts should fit snug on your hand,
but mine would plop to the ground
if I didn’t spread or grip my fingers.
It didn’t matter, though—I could still
catch just fine with it. I loved the feel of a fastball
smacking into my palm.
Pop used to practice with me every night after
he came home from the bottling plant on Fort
Street. But then one day he came home looking all
hangdog and headed straight to the kitchen table,
shoulders slumped. I waited in the doorway, mitt
clutched in my hands, until my mother shooed me out
of the room and shut the door. When I pressed my ear
up against the thin wall, I was able to make out pieces
of what they were saying—the worst piece being that my
father had lost his job.
WORD CHOICE
Hangdog is an oldfashioned word the
author uses to help
create the 1930s
setting. Use context
clues to help you
determine what this
word means. What
other old-fashioned
words are in the
story?
We didn’t practice anymore after that. And a few weeks
later, Pop hopped a train out of town. He’d have better luck
looking for work elsewhere; the Great Depression had hit
Chattanooga, and all of Tennessee, hard.
Thinking about that, I gave my gloved palm a soft punch.
“Thataboy!” came a voice from the lot next door.
Timmy Oglethorpe and his friends were playing ball. It had
been so long since I’d caught a ball, my right arm practically
itched. I stretched my fingers wide inside the glove and wandered
out our back door.
“Need an outfielder?” I called over.
Timmy shaded his eyes and scowled. “You mean . . . you?”
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SCOPE.SCHOLASTIC.COM • JANUARY 2015
27
INFERENCE
How could the game
give Chattanooga
“extra pep”? Why
does Chattanooga
need pep?
“Why not?” I crossed my arms, hugging the mitt to my chest. “I’m a darned good
catcher.”
“Nah. Girls can’t play baseball,” one of Timmy’s friends said with a laugh. They
turned their attention back to their game.
I pulled the glove off my hand and stomped back inside, shivering less at the late
afternoon chill than at the nerve of them.
A
pril 1, 1931: a real April Fool’s joke on us in Chattanooga, as
torrents of rain flooded town and the big baseball game that had been scheduled
was canceled. The Lookouts were supposed to play the New York Yankees. Just the
chance to see our local team battle major-leaguers would have given our city a little
extra pep—but this game was even more special, and it had nothing to do with the
Yankees. The big news was that the Lookouts had a girl pitcher!
Thankfully, the skies cleared, and the game was rescheduled for Thursday. I felt like
just about the luckiest gal in the world as I headed down O’Neal Street toward Engel
Stadium, ticket clutched in my hand.
Of course, it was sheer luck that I had a ticket to the game. Since Pop left, my mother
had been pinching our pennies even tighter. There was barely need to rinse out jars
when they emptied—every last lick of peanut butter or jelly or mustard had already
been scraped out. We weren’t buying anything pricey from the grocer anymore. And
when you can’t afford bacon, you definitely can’t buy baseball tickets.
But after the April Fool’s game got rained out, Mr. Oglethorpe couldn’t afford to miss
work to see it played the next day. Mrs. Oglethorpe came over to ask if we had use for
a ticket. Before anyone could suggest that my little brother go, I blurted, “Could I take
the ticket? You read the papers, right? The Lookouts have hired a girl to pitch! Jackie
Mitchell. Can you believe it? She has real moxie!”
Mrs. Oglethorpe tsked, either at my language or the thought of a girl pitching. “I can’t
imagine how that little stunt will turn out.”
“It’s not a stunt. Jackie’s a crackerjack pitcher—she’s trained with some greats—and
Mr. Engel signed her to a contract to play for the Lookouts.”
That didn’t convince Mrs. Oglethorpe, but she did give me the ticket.
H
alfway to the stadium, I heard a familiar voice calling after
me. “Hazel! I heard you’ve got our extra ticket!”
I whirled around to find myself face-to-face with Timmy Oglethorpe. “Yes, and I am
very grateful for it,” I said, even though I didn’t want to.
Timmy fell into step with me. I tried to walk as fast as I could without running,
just to make his short legs have to work harder. Unfortunately, he was pretty good at
CHARACTER
What does this line
reveal about Hazel’s
attitude toward
Timmy?
28
keeping up. “I hope you’re ready to see just why you can’t play ball with us boys.”
I shot him a look. “And why is that?”
“That girl’s gonna make a fool out of herself.”
“Jackie Mitchell? Nah. With that sinking curveball of hers, she’s going to strike ’em out.”
He snorted. “You really think a 17-year-old girl pitcher is going to strike out Babe
SCHOLASTIC SCOPE • JANUARY 2015
COURTESY OF THE CHATTANOOGA LOOKOUTS (CHATTANOOGA LOOKOUTS); EVERETT COLLECTION/NEWSCOM (JACKIE MITCHELL)
GENRE
In historical fiction,
an author combines
real people and
events from history
with fictional
characters and
events. In this case,
Jackie Mitchell is real
and Hazel is fictional.
What does hearing
Jackie’s story from
Hazel’s point of view
help you understand
about Jackie?
Ruth? Babe Ruth?”
I straightened my shoulders. “I really do.”
“All right, Hazel, let me wager this: If you’re right, then you can play with us after all.”
“I’m going to make you shake on that, just so you can’t weasel out of this after Jackie
blows them away.”
Timmy and I stopped on the sidewalk, and I shook his grimy hand. Then we raced
the rest of the distance to join the crowds streaming into the stadium. I didn’t doubt that
Jackie could do it, but I still found myself wishing real hard, as I held out my ticket to
enter, that she would do me—and all of Chattanooga—proud.
T
CHARACTERIZATION
What does this
line tell you about
Timmy’s personality?
What other details in
the story help create
his character?
o get a good view, I had to sit on the very edge of my seat
and press my fingertips into the wood, pushing myself to sit up as straight and
tall as possible. If I craned my neck and the man in front of me bent down to study his
program, I could just glimpse the pitcher’s mound. But even though my view wasn’t
perfect, the happy noises from the crowd and the smells of popcorn and frankfurters
were.
Next to me, Timmy waved his arms madly to get the attention of a vendor. He
hemmed and hawed about whether to spend his nickel on peanuts or Cracker Jack,
eventually picking the colorful striped box.
“I wonder what I’ll get for the prize,” he said.
I licked my lips and thought about the last time I’d gotten to fish around in a box of
Cracker Jack for a baseball card or trinket. I didn’t have a nickel. The game would have to
be treat enough. I turned away and squinted down at the field.
WORD CHOICE
Think about what the
word flanked means.
Why might the
author have chosen
this word instead
of another word
or phrase, such as
walking between?
What I saw made me gasp.
“What?” Timmy sprayed a mouthful of molasses and crumbs dangerously close to
COURTESY OF NUTTY MADS (CRACKERJACKS); BETTMANN/CORBIS (LOU GEHRIG AND BABE RUTH)
my face.
I pointed at the field, where a tall man and a round man, both in unmistakable
Yankee pinstripes, were warming up. “That’s Babe Ruth! And over there, Lou Gehrig!”
I thought fleetingly about how excited Pop would have been to see these great players.
Moments later, I gasped again as the girl of the hour emerged onto the field. Her
entrance triggered hoots and hollers from the crowd, and people jumped up and down
INFERENCE
Babe Ruth and Lou
Gehrig are two of
the all-time greatest
players in baseball.
How does seeing
them affect Hazel?
like popcorn as they tried to get a better look. Scrambling to my
feet, I struggled to get a decent vantage point. Then I spotted
her: slim, dwarfed by her baggy baseball uniform. Under a
cap with a big Chattanooga “C” on it, her cropped hair was
nearly as short as a boy’s. Yet Jackie was all girl, with a
pretty smile that she flashed at the roaring crowd as
Lou Gehrig
(left) and
Babe Ruth
(right)
she waved.
Flanked by important-looking men, she made her
way to the mound to warm up. She paused to pose
for the cameras, even pulling out a makeup compact
and daintily powdering her nose. That made
Timmy go into hysterics. Gehrig and Ruth,
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SCOPE.SCHOLASTIC.COM • JANUARY 2015
29
along with everyone else, watched as Jackie tested out her fastball.
I couldn’t read their faces from so far away. But I imagine they
were worried—because, boy oh boy, could Jackie pitch.
F
COMPARE AND
CONTRAST
How does Jackie’s
behavior compare
with that of the two
baseball stars she
struck out?
inally, the game started. I stayed at the edge of
Watch our
Time Machine
video about
the 1930s at
Scope Online!
my seat. The stands grew quiet; the loudest noise in my ears
was the sound of Timmy gnawing on his Cracker Jack next to me.
First up was Babe Ruth. I peered down at Jackie, standing tall on the mound. How she
hadn’t melted into a puddle of nerves, standing there and facing the legend, I couldn’t
understand.
I crossed my fingers for her.
Jackie wound up her left arm like the crank on an ice cream churn, then finally let
loose with her sinker. Ball. She wound up again and pitched. This time, Ruth swung and
missed. The third time, he missed again—and, looking huffy, called the umpire over to
inspect the ball. Jackie stood on the mound, cool as a cucumber. My heart fluttered. The
umpire walked away, and Jackie wound up her slender arm to pitch one more time. I
glanced out of the corner of my eye at Timmy. He wasn’t eating anymore, just watching
the action on the field, slack-jawed.
Jackie’s fourth pitch painted the outside corner—strike!
The stands erupted.
Ruth flung his bat in anger and disgust, then stomped off the field in a snit.
I have never been prouder of someone in my whole life than I was of Jackie Mitchell
at that moment.
Next to me, a shocked Timmy dropped his Cracker Jack box on the sticky stadium
floor, spilling popcorn and peanuts along with his misplaced pride.
Up next was Lou Gehrig, who swung and missed three pitches. He left the field with a
Jackie off the field. Waving, she blew a kiss to the delighted crowd as she was led away,
and my heart soared.
PLOT
How has Timmy
changed? How has
Hazel’s problem been
resolved?
Triumphant, I turned to Timmy. “Thatagirl!”
A
fter school the next day, I heard “Batter up!” echo from
the lot next door. I ran to the closet and grabbed my mitt. I slid my fingers
in, closing my eyes and picturing Jackie standing tall on the field the day before. I stepped
out into the backyard with my shoulders thrown back and head held high.
“Hey, girlie, go home,” that same nitwitted friend of Timmy from the other day called
out to me. He sounded a lot less confident than before, however.
Timmy shook his head, though. “Nope—after that killer-diller Lookouts game, she
can join us.”
To that scowling boy, I smiled and waved, just like Jackie Mitchell had to the crowd.
“I’m ready to play ball.”
30
SCHOLASTIC SCOPE • JANUARY 2015
•
JONATHAN SLOANE/E+/GETTY IMAGES (BASEBALL AND BAT); ISTOCKPHOTO.COM (HANDSHAKE)
little more dignity. The third batter, Tony Lazzeri, walked, and then the manager yanked
INFORMATIONAL ESSAY
Why Women
Should Play
have been allowed to play. Little League was
boys-only until 1974, when the family of a
14-year-old girl won a lawsuit against the
league for its policy.
No woman has played on a Major League
Baseball team—ever. Is that about to
change? By Jennifer Shotz
T
law known as Title IX, which says that schools
receiving money from the federal government
must provide equal access to sports for male
hirty-thousand voices rose in
and female athletes.
a chorus of cheers. Moms and
dads clutched each other in
Too Late
Title IX came along too late to help girls like
excitement. Players bit their
lips in the dugout.
But Mo’ne Davis blocked it all out. On
the pitcher’s mound, the 13-year-old
focused on doing what she had come to
do: pitch a winning game.
It was the opening round of the
2014 Little League World Series,
and Mo’ne was about to make
history. Not only was she the
18th girl out of about 9,000 kids
Jackie Mitchell, a minor league player who
made headlines when she struck out Babe Ruth
Baseball
star Mo’ne
Davis, 13
and Lou Gehrig during an exhibition game
in 1931. Shortly afterward, the baseball
commissioner reportedly voided Jackie’s
contract, claiming that baseball was
too strenuous for women.
To date, no woman has played
on a Major League team, but some
experts predict that a woman will
to ever participate in the series—but
do so one day soon. Maybe it
that day, she also became the first
will be Mo’ne Davis—or Chelsea
girl in series history to throw a
shutout. (A shutout is a game
Baker, a Florida teen with a
wicked knuckleball. Maybe it will
in which the losing team doesn’t
be you, or one of your friends.
score a single run.)
Whoever she is, her achievement
Mo’ne’s team, Philadelphia’s
GENE J. PUSKAR/AP PHOTO (MO’NE DAVIS)
The ruling came on the heels of a famous
will have far-reaching effects—far
Taney Dragons, was eliminated
beyond the team she plays for; far beyond,
from the series a few days
even, the sport of baseball. As Justine Siegal,
later, but Mo’ne was already
who made history in 2011 as the first woman
a star. She appeared on the
to pitch during batting practice for a Major
national cover of Sports Illustrated,
League Baseball team, puts it on her blog, “If
the first Little Leaguer to do so.
you tell a girl she can’t play baseball, what
Forty-five years ago, Mo’ne wouldn’t
•
else will she believe she can’t do?”
WRITING CONTEST
A stereotype is an unfair but widely held belief about a certain group—such as all boys love
sports. In an essay, explain the stereotype that Hazel faces. How is that stereotype disproved
in both the story and the essay? How can that stereotype be harmful? Send your essay to
BASEBALL CONTEST. Five winners will get When Audrey Met Alice by Rebecca Behrens.
GET THIS
ACTIVITY
ONLINE
SCOPE.SCHOLASTIC.COM • JANUARY 2015
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