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thought.
    T.V. turned back to the game and saw Alfie strike out. Then Bus walked, and Rudy flied out, ending the top half of the fourth
     inning.
    Neither team got a runner on base again until the last inning when, with two outs, Chuck drew a walk.
    “Keep it going!” Coach Parker cried from the third-base coaching box.
    T.V. glanced at the scoreboard on top of the fence in left field. It was still Mudders 3, Dragons 6.1 wonder what it would
     have been if I hadn’t figured out where the Dragons were going to hit the ball, T.V. thought. Probably Mudders 3, Dragons
     12.
    But the Mudders had to get hits, too, he told himself. Without hits you don’t get runs.
    He could read those Dragons like a book. They could still be beaten. He was sure of it.
    It was up to him.
    He put on his helmet, picked up his bat, and stepped to the on-deck circle. José was leading off.
    “Come on, José!” T.V. called to him. “Belt it!”
    José grounded out to short. Then T.V. stepped to the plate.
    “Where you going to hit it, T.V.?” the short kid in the bleachers yelled at him. “Over the fence? Ha! Ha!”
    Oh, pipe down! T.V. wanted to say to him.
    He took three balls and a strike, then flied out to center field.
    “Tough luck, T.V.!” cried the man in the red sweatshirt as T.V. walked sadly back to the dugout.
    Chuck drew another walk, Alfie singled, and the Peach Street Mudders began to roll. The bases were loaded when Zero came to
     the plate. The lefty already had a single to his credit. T.V. felt sure that Zero had done his share for the day.
    He began to reach for his glove when
crack!
came the solid sound of bat meeting ball, and T.V. saw the white pill soaring to deep right field! His heart soared, too,
     as the ball sailed over the fence for a home run!
    The Mudders fans went crazy. Zero was the last kid on earth anyone would dream would hit a grand slammer!
    “Keep it going, Barry!” T.V. shouted, as Barry McGee came to bat.
    He didn’t. He flied out. Mudders 7, Dragons 6.

    The Dragons came to bat for their last chance, and T.V. studied the leadoff batter, Lefty Cash. Lefty had already gotten a
     single,and had struck out his second time up. But T.V. didn’t think that Lefty was a weak hitter because he batted eighth in the
     lineup. He could still be dangerous.
    “Play deep, you guys!” he yelled to José and Alfie.
    José moved back, but Alfie didn’t.
    He resents my telling him where to play, T.V. thought, a little hurt.
    Zero stepped on the mound, got the sign from Rudy, then pitched.
Smack!
Lefty met the ball head on, driving it to deep right field. It missed being fair by inches!
    “Back up, will you, Alfie?” T.V. shouted again.
    This time Alfie moved back closer to the fence.
    Smack!
Another long drive to right field! This one was fair!
    Alfie, his back against the fence, jumped and caught it.
    “Good catch, Alfie!” T.V. shouted.
    The fans gave Alfie a lusty cheer.
    One out.
    T.V. had Barry play close to the foul line on Bucky Neal, and Bucky nailed one directly at him for the second out. Then Dale
     grounded out, and the game was over. Mudders 7, Dragons 6.
    T.V. leaped with joy as he ran in toward the dugout.
    “Nice game, you guys!” he cried, slapping Chuck on the back and then Alfie. “Great catch, man! Like a big leaguer!”
    Alfie’s eyes narrowed. “You the coach or something?” he said, his face straight as a ruler.
    “Yeah,” Chuck cut in, eyeing T.V. as if he’d done something dirty. “You act as if you’re the only one with brains. The only
     one who counts.”

4

    T.V. stared at them.
    He couldn’t believe it! His best friends — Chuck and Alfie — saying those awful things? Had he sounded so bad?
    “I didn’t mean …” he started, but stopped short. He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t think it would make any difference
     to them. They had made up their minds, and nothing he could say would change them.
    Heck, he thought. I didn’t mean to
boss
them. I wanted