(The following account is entirely fictitious. All names, statistics, & quotations are purely fabricated).
Chapter One: The ROOKIE
Chet Baxter learned to play baseball before he could hold a Popsicle, which came as a surprise to no one. His granddad helped build the St. Louis Cardinal’s dynasty in the 1920’s. His father, and two of his four uncles played farm league for West Texas in the early/mid 50’s. His Aunt Nikki fell in love with Ted Williams watching him play for Boston, and from that point forward, only wore red socks. Growing up in a family like his, Chet was destined to play ball.
When he was a sophomore in High School, Baxter could throw a 96 mph fastball. By the time he graduated he’d racked up more base-hits, RBI’s, and home-runs than anyone in conference history. With a .315 batting average through 52 games, he turned heads at the collegiate level. In 1973 he moved to Rhode Island to play shortstop for the minor-league Pawtucket Red Sox.
In December of 1974 Chet Baxter signed a rookie contract with their major league affiliate in Boston. Beantown was talking, the Baxter family was proud, and Aunt Nikki got a team-issued pair of red socks for Christmas that year. With the minor leagues behind him, and the major leagues in front, Baxter was in route to a future place in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Chapter Two: The INCIDENT
In the fifth week of spring training, however, everything came to a screeching halt. During a routine team practice, Baxter was hit with a knuckleball from teammate Jerry Billingham Jr.
A veteran “southpaw” from Indiana, Billingham thought little of the incident. When it struck him in the thigh, Baxter hardly reacted. A quick tip of the hat asking for pardon, and Billingham was ready to keep practicing. Baxter, however, couldn’t shake the thought of it. Though it had left a visible welt on his leg, it was the mental sting that hurt more than anything.
It wasn’t the first time Baxter had been hit by a pitch in practice. This was now the fourth instance since February, and that didn’t even include the times he’d been ‘grazed’. “Baseball isn’t supposed to be a contact sport” he kept telling himself, “Nobody in the major leagues deserves to be treated like this”. Baxter couldn’t help but to wonder whether these injuries were intentional. Was Billingham doing this on purpose? Did Coach Jackson tell Billingham to do it? Is the whole team in on this? Chet Baxter no longer felt welcome in Boston.
Chapter Three: The DECISION
Finally convinced that the entire franchise was against him, Baxter walked out on his team that day. He not only broke the contract he’d signed with the league, but the hearts of the people who loved him in Boston as well. When he left the field, he altogether left the game. In a single moment he erased everything he’d ever accomplished as an athlete since before he could hold a Popsicle. All because of a knuckleball.
With her authentic red socks, even Aunt Nikki shows more love for the sport than her forlorn nephew.
Kevin Wilhelm, mayor of Boston said, “Boy, we all thought this kid was going to win us a few games. This is a big disappointment for us all. Big disappointment”.
Brian Campbell, a columnist for Sports Illustrated wrote about it. “I don’t know how he (Baxter) got this far in the sport with that kind of attitude. Who in the world doesn’t get hit by an occasional pitch? Whether it’s your boss or your brother, your coach or your colleague, your priest, your wife, or your dog, somewhere along the way, you’re going to get hurt. Again and again at that. But for God’s sake, you don’t just walk away from the game”.
Red Sox Head Coach Darrel Jackson said, “Well, it’s his career to flush if that’s what he wants to do. But if you don’t want guys like Fisk (Carlton) or Yaz (Carl Yastrzemski) on your team, I don’t know what the hell you’re thinking”.
Chapter Four: The END
Finishing first in the American League East that year, Boston ended their season by squaring off against the Cincinnati Reds in the World Series. By winning the pennant, his former teammates proved that the Red Sox didn’t need Chet Baxter at all. It was Chet Baxter who needed the Red Sox.
And although this account was purely fabricated, it’s based upon true story after story after story. Unfortunately, there are real “Chet Baxter’s” out there, and the church has seen plenty of them. They’re the ones who got swept away in a game they never really wanted to play. People who broke their contract and walked off the field. People who abandoned their team and disappointed their family. All because of a stray “knuckleball”.
What would make you break your contract, give up on your team, and leave this stadium?
“I actually called him about a week after that. He wouldn’t answer the phone. None of us knew what happened. I found out later that it had something to do with that knuckleball, but none of us can say for sure. It didn’t make sense to any of us. I’ve hit all the guys. Some of them have even taken it in the head, but we still like each other. I guess some people are just cut out for the game and others aren’t”
–Jerry Billingham Jr.