The Hitting Zone

The dining table was surrounded by a group of men, none of which were sitting down. Only Zeke was seated, looking over some papers in front of him. Mrs. Atkins came out of the kitchen with a tray of snacks. Spotting us, she brought it over and handed it to Noah.

"What's Zeke doing?" Noah asked in a low voice, noticing the somewhat quiet atmosphere.

"He's looking over some tentative contracts..." Mrs. Atkins sighed. "I've already called George to see if he can clear up some of the lawyer language."

"It's too soon for contracts." Mr. Atkins frowned.

"They're letting him see what he would get if they pick him early. In exchange, he has to be upfront about his future plans." Mrs. Atkins explained. "No one wants to draft a player that won't play for them so they're all testing the waters."

Zeke stood up, causing the room to grow even more quiet. "Thank you to everyone taking the time to reach out and contact me. I appreciate it. But, my decision has already been made." He glanced our way. "I'm going to Stanford to grow more as a player and as a person. I believe after my time at the college level, I'll be ready for the majors."

"Are you really not thinking about going pro?" Some man asked. "Is there any specific team that you're willing to play for? Are you just threatening to use the college route to scare the rest of us away?"

Zeke shook his head. "I'm not into mind games or anything of the sort. I made a commitment to Coach Leroy, and I plan on honoring that commitment. Now if you'll excuse me, my family is home and would appreciate some privacy."

Some of the men left without saying goodbye, while others chose to express their feelings to Zeke. It was a sight to see...all these men from the major league teams coming by just to see what Zeke's plans are. Mr. and Mrs. Atkins went to the front door to see the group of men off as Noah and I stood around watching Zeke talk to anyone left over. It was mostly him repeating himself that he really plans on attending college and that no team would change his mind.

Noah ate the snacks on the plate and watched the show with great interest. "I hope it's like this for me, during my senior year."

"You're on your way." Someone said from behind us, making me flinch. When I saw the familiar face of Mr. Cameron, I relaxed. He looked apologetically at me. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you."

Noah waved his free hand. "Don't mind. Jake jumps all the time. It's not you specifically. Now go back to what you first said. That I'm on my way..?"

Mr. Cameron nodded. "You're already on the varsity level. Jake, you too. As soon as you're on the varsity level, you're bound to get more attention. Especially with a CIF championship under your belt." He raised an eyebrow. "Have any college coaches reached out to you guys yet?"

I shook my head. I haven't talked to any strangers lately.

Noah mimicked my action. "No. Isn't that too soon? College coaches wouldn't be looking at us this early."

Mr. Cameron explained. "They can't speak to you directly, but I wouldn't be surprised if a few brochures showed up in the mail in the coming weeks. For coaches, it's never too soon to start recruiting. You won't be getting offers or anything just yet, but it's not a bad idea to think about what you want."

Noah shrugged. "I don't see why. Zeke made his decision not even two months ago."

"Yea, very unexpected as you can tell." Mr. Cameron took a glance around the room at the lingering representatives. "Zeke had planned to enter in the draft over a year ago. Then he visited some colleges, made a commitment, and now is sticking to it. This last few months, he probably messed up a few mock drafts. Add in the fact that he won a championship his senior year, and these scouts don't know what to make of him."

Noah snorted. "He didn't even do anything in the championship game. Jake did more than him. Heck, it was me in the semifinals that had the game-winning RBI. What does Zeke even do?"

"If I recall correctly, I had a grand slam in the semifinals." Zeke said.

It was Noah's turn to jump in surprise as he craned his head to the left to see his oldest brother. "Oh, hey Zeke, I was just joking."

Zeke squinted at him. "Sure." He glanced down at the near empty plate of snacks. "Those were for Mr. Cameron and his crew."

"Mom didn't say that." Noah shrugged. He looked to Mr. Cameron. "Do you guys really need snacks?"

Mr. Cameron laughed. "No, we're good. We won't be staying for too long."

Noah nodded, satisfied. "Are you interviewing Zeke again?"

Mr. Cameron nodded with a happy smile. "Yes. A snippet for the news and the rest will be an article on his reasons for picking college ball." He looked at Zeke. "Do you want to start before or after the draft?"

Zeke looked around at the near empty dining room. "You can set up here and we'll start when you're ready. There's no reason to watch the draft."

Mr. Cameron pulled out his phone and started recording. "Why do say that? There's no reason to watch the draft?"

Zeke answered without hesitation. "Because I was clear with the team scouts and representatives. I'll be going to college. Even if chosen, I can only apologize and continue down my own path."

Mr. Cameron paused the recording. "Good. I like that. Well, I'll go get my guys and start setting up." He hurried away.

"You're really doing this?" Kyle asked after him and Dave made their appearance. They must feel better now that the crowd has dwindled. "You're obviously already a top pick. Are you trying to be number one?"

"I already made my decision." Zeke stated firmly.

"Yea, well we thought you made a decision last summer too." Kyle pointed out. "Why did you change your mind then, but won't change it back again?"

Zeke looked at him thoughtfully. "I didn't realize you wanted to be a reporter when you grow up."

Noah and Dave started to laugh. I smiled.

Kyle looked away and crossed his arms over his chest. "Fine. Whatever. It's your life. Don't feel bad when I go pro next summer and overtake you."

Dave stopped laughing and looked at Kyle. "You want to go pro after graduation? No college?"

Kyle shrugged. "You never know. I'm not like Zeke here that will turn down a round one pick. What's wrong with that?"

Dave frowned. "But, we're still looking at colleges?"

Kyle nodded. "Have to keep our options open. We can't just follow Zeke around."

Dave scratched his head under his cap. "Hmmm."

Kyle looked at him. "Are you saying that if you get picked in the first or second round next year, you won't go pro?"

Dave shook his head. "It's not that. I'm not even close to that kind of level or talent yet. You're asking me what I would do if I was a top 100 player out of high school and college players..? If I was that good, I wouldn't be looking at colleges in the first place."

"Things change." Kyle said confidently. "We'll get better."

"Here!" Mr. Cameron showed up again with two people following. They all carried luggage and started to unload in order to set up.