A Mile in His Shoes Page #4

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you want to go home, see your mom, your dad, Oscar. Does that sound good? Yes, sir. Okay, I'll make the call. Your mom's going to

be happy to see you. Murph, you coming by? We're grilling up

some steaks tonight in honor of Mick's

first victory. You guys celebrate without me. Steaks are good. Whoa, whoa, whoa,

whoa, whoa, whoa! We need to update

your style, man. You have no chance with

the ladies dressed like that. Stick with me and I'll teach

you how dress like a playa. You'll thank me later. I'm already a player. Just 'cause you play ball

don't make you a playa. PEE WEE:

Playa. You know? Playa? Playa. Playa. Yeah, yeah.

You'll get it. First things first though,

you gotta get rid of that shirt. [Farm animals calling] Mickey, would you

like to say grace? Yeah. Bless us, O Lord,

and these thy gifts... Speak up, boy. Which we are about to receive through Thy bounty

through Christ our Lord. ALL: Amen. Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Tussler,

this smells fantastic. Thank you, Mr. Murphy. We grow the potatoes and

the corn here on the farm. Mickey, remember your manners.

Sit up straight. Mickey... Mickey is doing

a great job with the team. He won his first game

the other day. And, well, we'd like to

offer Mickey a contract for the rest of the season. He's still got a lot

of work to do, but... We think he can be

a great pitcher. No. It's a very fair contract, sir,

generous even. And if I'm not mistaken,

Mickey's 18 years old... Isn't that decision his? Are you telling me

how to raise my son? Of course not. What he needs is

stability and routine. I don't see how any good

is gonna come from Mickey being around a bunch of guys

who play games and call it work. Now, Clarence. It might be good for Mickey.

A new experience. A new experience? Like when we sent him

to public school? Or that camp for special kids? Those didn't work out

so well, Molly. Well, maybe he has a chance

for a life beyond the farm. Yes. What's that, boy? I'll play for the River Rats. Strike 'em out. Right, Mr. Murphy? That's right, Mick. And how do you plan on taking

care of yourself away from home? Away from your mama's

shoulder to cry on. I'm part of a team, Dad.

We take care of each other. Everything will be different,

Mickey. I know, Dad. All right. If Mickey wants to play ball,

we'll let him play. Thank you, Mr. Tussler. Don't make me regret

my decision. Five-eighths.

Five-eighths. One larger than three-eighths,

one smaller than seven-eighths. Sorry about my husband. He gets a little

overprotective of Mickey. Actually, I should be

the one apologizing. I crossed the line. So how is Mickey around

all those baseball players? He's doing really well. He's even got a nickname. Sauce. Sauce? When he first got there, they

started calling him Big Mick, which became Big Mac. Naturally. Okay.

You know, like... Two all-beef patties, special

sauce, lettuce, cheese, and it would sound silly

to call him sesame seed bun, so they called him

Special Sauce which got shortened to Sauce,

so now he's Sauce. It makes perfect sense, really. [Laughs] So he's having fun. Yeah. He's doing very well, and they really

accepted him on the team. And he hasn't had

any of his episodes? You know, when things get a little

too much for him to handle? There's been a couple

of moments, but, no, for the most part

he's been great. In fact, on the mound

the other day he had an issue, but he's really learning how to

focus and block that stuff out. He's doing very well. And of course

he's a whiz with math. Isn't it amazing? He could do those

magic square puzzles when he was, like,

five years old. I still can't do those puzzles. Me neither. [Laughs] Did you ever seek

professional help for Mickey? Um, there were social workers

and counselors. The local school couldn't

handle special-needs students so we got the state

to pay for a tutor. Math came easy of course, but he could never quite grasp

the social sciences. He's working towards

his G.E.D., you know. Well, you've raised a wonderful

young man, Mrs. Tussler. Thank you. It's been challenging,

but I try to teach Mickey to trust God

and be a good Christian. We read the Bible together. Well, he really

takes that to heart. How about you, Mr. Murphy,

do you have any children? We had a wonderful son, who would be about

Mickey's age now. What happened? He died from a very

rare blood disorder when he was 10 years old. Oh, I'm so sorry,

that's so sad. You never really recover

from a loss like that. No, I'm sure you don't. I kinda had a little falling-out

with the man upstairs. So to speak. We're done. Tomato soup is my favorite. How about you, Mr. Murphy? I'm not a real big

soup guy, Mick. Yeah, I mean, I don't like it

when there's anything floating on top, like a cracker

or a piece of tomato. Do you think a tomato

is rounder than an orange? I never gave it

a whole lot of thought. You know what, Mickey,

it's been a really long day. How about we just try to ride

quiet for a little bit? Okay. Potatoes aren't round. [Chuckles] Hello. Anyone here? Hey, Skip! [Chuckles] [Lively chatter] Mick, what's going on? Cleats. I can't move 'em.

Something's wrong. Which one of y'all

did this? Huh? You know the rules. Nothing

permanent to the equipment. Don't sweat it, Mick.

I'll get a claw hammer, okay? Someone here's

got a hammer, right?! Real smooth, guys. I hope the jerk that did

this is having a nice laugh. Shoes. They're broke.

Big... Big trouble. It's a mistake.

It's my fault. No, no, no, it's okay, Mick.

It's a mistake. It's my fault. Whoever did this just has too

much time on their idle hands! What's going on in here? Hey? Sorry, Coach, some jerk just

nailed Mick's cleats to the bench. Hey, Mick, you okay, bud? The guys, they're just playing. That's all.

Right, Mr. Murphy? That's right,

they're just playing. But they're not going

to do that ever again. Understood?! It's okay, Mick.

Mick, it's okay, bud. We'll get you some

new cleats, okay? [Quiet chatter] MAN: Let's get outta here.

Got a game to play. MAN: Let's play ball, boys. 2nd MAN: Stretch it out.

Come on, fellas, let's go. [Knocks] You wanted to see me, Warren?

Yeah. Come in, Murph. Close the door, please. Have a seat. Your kid did it again. Yeah. He's just

a work in progress, too. He's going to get better. Yeah. I must say

I had my doubts. But this whole business

with Mickey has put this team on the map. Wire service picked up

a piece about the... Autistic pitcher from Ohio. A real human-interest story. Yeah. It's nice to see

the stands full, too. You got that right. Let me ask you, Murph. Who are you starting Saturday

against the Bullets? Lefty or the kid? I haven't decided. We got a VIP coming. Is that right?

Governor Harrigan. That's great news. Mmm. Might be real smart for

everybody if you start the kid. He's not up in the rotation,

Warren. I got to think about his arm,

I don't want him hurt. Well, it wouldn't hurt if the

governor got a good look at the boy. Warren, I'm gonna do

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