He is afraid of disappointing his family and teammates if he tells the truth, but he is increasingly uneasy in his deception. He even considers deliberately throwing the next game in the series to try to offset the damage. Then his sports-crazed grandmother tells him about Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson, a pitcher whose reputation for honesty was so great that umpires would ask him to make calls during games. In the end Kyle learns a valuable lesson about sportsmanship and realizes that being a hero is only worthwhile if you have earned it. The final playoff game between the Reds and the Cubs provides exciting and nail-biting action which will have young readers on the edges of their seats.
Winners Take All .
A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Bowen received his law degree from George Washington University. A lifelong sports fanatic, he is a youth league baseball, basketball, and soccer coach, in addition to being a U.S. Department of Labor lawyer who spends his lunch hours and subway commutes writing. Bowen lives with his wife and two children, both athletes, in Silver Spring, Maryland. The Adventures of Young Sam Collier . He lives in New Jersey with his family.