Page 8 - Way Out to the Old Ballgame

World Series

witnessed clenched teeth smash into a glistening spherical forehead,
heard the umpires shout:
“Safe!”
“Yer out!”
The scene froze at that instant, like a paused videotape. The
tableau presented itself to Bosconi for inspection in all its gruesome
detail: the runner, hyper-extending his necks, had managed to slide
into both bases at the same time. The first baseman lay sprawled
across the neck touching first, his gaping steam shovel mouth empty;
the wide-bending neck had tripped the top-heavy fielder as it
straightened out in its desperate attempt to beat him to the bag. The
pitcher, who had the ball and was planted squarely in front of second
base, took the shock of two Writher heads speeding toward his
position; his teeth buckled like ten-pins, but the tag was made. Out at
second, safe at first.
Bosconi shifted in his seat nervously. “Well, what happened? How
did the umpires rule?”
“They conferred,” said Manager Korok, clacking a few molars in
satisfaction, “and the crew chief ruled that the runner was out. Split
second play, you know; runner is always out on that sort of thing.
Ball gets there at the same time as the runner.”
“But that rule only applies to a ball and a runner getting to the
same base at the same time,” the Writher whined.
“Says nothing about that in my copy of the rules,” replied the
Arthrodont, and snapped his jaws plangently.
“Unfair!” cried Lussessi. “Commissioner, I demand redress. The
next batter hit a double and we would have scored a run.”
“Hmm.” Bosconi stroked his chin. The umpires undoubtedly knew
the rule book better than he did. Probably had better vision, too. And
totally unflappable, incorruptible, and unbudgeable as automatons.
The managers seemed to him quite sincere in their applications for
relief; he felt he should hear both sides before coming to a decision.
“Now, what about the other protest? Let me hear that one, too.”
Manager Korok twitched a tooth angrily and the scene swirled into
a new configuration. Now it was the bottom of the ninth in a
scoreless tie. The Arthrodonts were down to their last out with
runners on second and third; their clean-up hitter was at the plate, an
7