The Squeeze is On

By Brian Madigan

Life for Harry St. Croix has been paired down to its most basic elements, in some ways by choice, in some ways by fate, but for Harry who has become far advanced in years, a simple life can still be a good life, especially having the things closest to him he loves the most—his daughter and baseball.

There’s a certain satisfaction to be found as we follow Harry living life to its fullest even as it ebbs away ever so surely, and a joy in witnessing the care with which his daughter sustains him.

You don’t have to be a lover of baseball to easily follow the action—end of the season—a shot at the playoffs—smell the popcorn, hear the roar of the crowd—it’s great just to be in the stands with Harry.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brian Madigan
• Release date: May 4, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310690693

Brian Madigan

I came about in the era of plaid suits, bell-bottoms, long shirt collars and dandy moustaches, also, love was free.Times have changed.People and their personalities and behaviors may not, but instead revolve, perhaps tumble, on through space and time from their point of manifestation to their end and back again, cosmically recycled, sometimes improved, "value-added" having evolved from the traits grab-bag into something stronger, more elaborate, smarter; other times a flawed amalgam, rusty, weak, angry, greedy.I’m fascinated by all who dip their bits in the human gene pool for their lap or splash-about, whether by choice or by chance.I write about them, my interpretation, striving to hit the sweet-spot of perspicacity. Many have found my stories to be entertaining and insightful.Dad came from a newspaper man, and himself was a writer; I stand on their shoulders. Also, the ones still alive who afford me their encouragement, loyalty and love; I stand on their shoulders and I'm grateful for their support.I reside in Midwest America, where I grow grapes and make wine on a small scale when I am not writing or working.Thanks for reading!Brianbrianrmadigan.com

Book preview

The Squeeze Is On

By Brian Madigan

Copyright © 2014 Brian Madigan

Smashwords Edition

Cover Artist: Karen Swanson

Formatting: Polgarus Studio

Table of Contents

Story Summary

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Author Bio

Story Summary

Life for Harry St. Croix has been paired down to its most basic elements, in some ways by choice, in some ways by fate, but for Harry who has become far advanced in years, a simple life can still be a good life, especially having the things closest to him he loves the most—his daughter and baseball.

There’s a certain satisfaction to be found as we follow Harry living life to its fullest even as it ebbs away ever so surely, and a joy in witnessing the care with which his daughter sustains him.

You don’t have to be a lover of baseball to easily follow the action—end of the season—a shot at the playoffs—smell the popcorn, hear the roar of the crowd—it’s great just to be in the stands with Harry.

Chapter 1

Harry used baseball terms to describe his life. Seventh inning stretch: that time of the game when you stand up out of your seat and sing Take Me Out to the Ballgame. Also, time to take stock, nine more outs for the home team to make the most of the remaining opportunity, or, and not necessarily something you can control, get run over, watch powerlessly from the dugout, from the bullpen, from the field, from his seat, as a much stronger foe dominates and all you can muster is to lay down and die without much dignity. There were parallels between his life and the stretch. Not only because he was in his season ticket seat, at the game, at that moment, standing and singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame, but also because, when he stood, with some effort, his vision had blinkered, again, gone off-air like TV used to do, vertical rainbow stripes then black and gray speckles on the screen, fuzz for audio. But the blinkering only lasted for a second or two and he was able to shake it off. He tried to stay in key and in the moment, and he thought while he sang, it’s one, two, three strikes, I’m out, portending, for him, the inevitability of nature to reclaim and recycle, at the old ball game. Play would resume, yes, but for only a short duration. And he knew it, everyone around him knew, his final plate appearance and curtain call was nigh.

But he did not fear. His eyes wandered to the few children ushered along by their parents down the aisles and into their seats. The stretch for them was fun, their parents saying it’s almost over, just a little bit longer, was good news, while simultaneously they received indoctrination in a big-time stadium setting to polka dancing in place while Roll out the Barrel played over the PA and energetic handsome home-teamers paraded their moves on top of the dugouts. And Harry thought, if the kids only knew how fast time goes, they wouldn’t be in such a hurry to leave, but they did not nor could they and if they did they’d be dangerously precocious, and so it went. So went the cycle. Hits to all bases—a diamond—a pointed circle really. Like real life, with the highs and lows, a pointed circle. Life and Death. Rolling along lumpily. But he tried not to think about the end of the game, as it were, because his team was listless, phoning it in, wanting to win, but after a hundred and thirty games during a record hot summer, only now temperatures receding to bearable, they could not, individually nor collectively, muster the focus necessary to strike the ball and get the job done. They were down 3-0 in the game, in third place in their division, wildcard chances their only hope and those chances little better than a white Christmas in Hades.

And it was sure to be his last season. No way he would make it to spring training. There were signs. Rumors. Murmuring. Team was going to send him down. Down to the minors? Release him to the free-agent market? Would he get picked up? Who