McAndrew rears back, and the ball comes rushing in. My swing is very late. He pulls another ball from the basket then throws sidearm. For an instant, I think it will be way inside. It curves and drops into the strike zone.
Advice comes from every corner.
I ease back in, digging my right foot firmly in place as I re-grip the bat. McAndrew winds up. The ball comes slower, and it seems to hang in the air. I glance over at Hurdle, who is smiling like Howdy Doody as he mimics a golf swing. At the end of the drills and an evaluation game, I am drafted by the team coached by former Mets catcher Steve Swisher and 1986 World Series pitcher Randy Niemann.