Concretes and Clubs

“Benched?” Andy wailed. “Benched? My dad doesn’t have anything to do with the jokes! It’s not fair! The all-star game is one of the biggest events of his life!”

The players jogged back onto the field. Some of them patted Josh on the shoulder as they went by. After a minute or so, Josh went into the locker room. The Rocket was the last to leave the dugout. On the way, he noticed Mike, Kate, and Andy standing near the infield fence. He nodded at Mike. Then he opened his mouth wide, panted with his tongue hanging out, and gave a big laugh!

Kate gripped the infield railing hard and stamped her foot. “That’s so mean!” she said.

“Come on. Sparky is still in the dugout!” Andy said, opening the gate to the field. “We’ll tell him what the Rocket did to Mike. Then he’ll know who’s playing the jokes!”

Sparky stood in the corner, writing on his clipboard. Andy tapped him on the arm. Sparky spun around.

“Oh, hello,” Sparky said. “You’re Josh’s kid, right?”

Andy nodded. “Yes, I’m Andy. These are my friends Mike and Kate. We have something to tell you.”

“What is it, son?” Sparky growled, looking at his watch. “I’ve got a team to run.”

Mike stepped forward. He explained how the Rocket handed out the spicy gum. He told Sparky what he’d overheard the Rocket and his agent talking about during breakfast, and how the Rocket had taunted Josh during practice.

“See?” Andy said. “The practical joker isn’t my dad. It’s the Rocket!”

Sparky listened patiently, but shook his head. “Sorry, Andy. I don’t believe the Rocket is the joker. Everyone knows that your dad is famous for practical jokes. Of course, you’d love to have someone else to blame, son, but my decision stands. Josh is benched.” Sparky snapped around and strode out to where the team was practicing near the right-field wall.

Mike, Kate, and Andy were speechless for a minute.

Then Andy kicked at the red dirt of the warning track. “Now what?” he asked.

Kate studied the stadium. “We need a break,” she said. “And I’m hungry.”

Mike rubbed his stomach. “Me too!” he said. “I have to get rid of the taste of that gum.” He stuck out his tongue. “It still burns.”

Kate grabbed Andy’s arm and led him up the stairs. “Let’s get something to eat,” she said. “My mom gave me money.”

A wide walkway ran around the edge of the Royals ballpark. Mike, Andy, and Kate headed for the food shops behind the giant scoreboard in center field. Suddenly, music blared over the stadium’s speakers, followed by a loud splashing noise.

“The fountains!” Andy said. He pointed at the long black fountains that ringed the outfield walls. The music kicked up again, and water from the fountains sprayed high into the air. Blue, red, and yellow lights shone up from the bottom of the fountains. Sheets of water cascaded down the front of the black fountain walls.

“They look cool during a game,” Andy said. “Especially night games, when you can really see the colored lights!”

All around them, ballpark workers were getting ready for the all-star game. Vendors were loading up souvenir stands. Food-stand workers were stocking racks full of potato chips, caramel corn, and cotton candy.

Up ahead, a door to one of the shops opened. “Hey, Andy!” a man called. The door opened wider, and the man waved Andy over.

“That’s Mr. Donovan,” Andy said to Mike and Kate. “He owns Donovan’s Custard. It’s the best frozen custard in Kansas City. Maybe the best anywhere!”

“I’m just opening for the day and need some taste testers,” Mr. Donovan said. “You kids up for it?”

“Sounds great!” said Mike. “But what’s frozen custard?”

Mr. Donovan laughed. “You must not be from around here. Frozen custard is like ice cream, but it’s made just a little differently. It has eggs in addition to cream, sugar, and flavorings. I think you’ll like it!”

Inside the store, shiny black-and-white tiles covered the walls. A long counter held all kinds of toppings, from peanuts to gummy bears. Two large silver machines stood behind the counter.

“How about one of our famous concretes?” Mr. Donovan asked.

Mike made a face. “No way. You’ve got candy bars, chocolate chips, and sprinkles. Why would anyone want something you make a sidewalk with?”

Mr. Donovan smiled. “A concrete is a frozen custard loaded with all that stuff! They’re called concretes because they’re packed thick with mix-ins!”

A few minutes later, Mike, Kate, and Andy sat on the stools in the front window of the shop. Mike dug into his dirt-and-worms chocolate concrete. Kate took big bites of her peanut-butter-pretzel concrete. And Andy worked on his cherry-berry-banana concrete.

“This is the best ever!” Mike said in between mouthfuls. “My mouth feels cooler already!” He stuck out his tongue again.

After finishing their treats, they said goodbye to Mr. Donovan. The frozen custard had definitely cheered Andy up. But when he saw the team practicing on the field, he sighed.

“Unless we can think of something soon,” he said, “my dad doesn’t have a chance of playing tonight.”

Mike tossed Andy his baseball. “Don’t worry,” he said. “We’ll figure it out.”

Andy rolled Mike’s baseball from hand to hand. Finally, he shrugged. “I hope so.” Then he smiled. “Hey, you guys want to see something really cool?”

Andy led Mike and Kate past Donovan’s Custard to the area behind the outfield shops. It looked as if they had stepped into an amusement park! In front of them was a giant merry-go-round with colorful animals and bright lights. Nearby were batting cages, a miniature baseball field, and even a playground.

“Wow!” Kate said.

On the side was an area filled with curvy brick paths and swaths of green Astroturf. “They’ve got a minigolf course here?” Mike asked.

“Yup. The Kansas City Royals wanted fun things for kids to do,” Andy said. “So they added this outdoor adventure area. The minigolf is my favorite. It only has five holes, but they’re all baseball-related.”

Andy grabbed three golf clubs and a brightly colored ball from a box nearby. “I’m taking blue, for the Royals,” he said.

Mike grabbed a green ball. Kate thought for a moment, then picked a shiny red ball. Andy passed out the clubs. “Lowest score for five holes wins!”

“I’ll go first!” Mike said as he ran to the first hole. A huge white baseball stood in the middle of the fairway. To score, Mike needed to hit his ball through the small tunnel at the bottom of the baseball and into the hole at the far end of the green. He dropped his ball and swung away.

PLUNK!

The golf ball bounced off the side of the giant baseball and wedged against the stones on the edge of the course. Now the only way to get the ball in the hole was over a hump on the side of the baseball.

Kate shook her head. “Mike, you need to line up your shot first!” she said.

Mike grimaced. “I didn’t want you two to feel bad when you miss the shot,” he said. “But watch. I’m going to get a hole in one next.”

It took Mike three more putts before his ball made it into the hole. Andy made it through the tunnel on the first try. He finished in one more hit. Kate took three. She went first on the next hole. A big brown pitcher’s mound stood between the tee and a home plate with a hole at the end.

Kate took her time and lined up her shot. THUMP. A solid hit sent her red ball up and over the pitcher’s mound. CLUNK! The ball dropped neatly into the cup. Hole in one!

“Woo-hoo! I guess that’s what you call sliding into home,” she said.

Andy scored in only two putts. Mike went next. He hit his ball so hard that it flew over the pitcher’s mound and off the course!

After two holes, Andy and Kate were tied at four strokes. Mike had seven.

For the next shot, they had to hit the ball through a baseball bat fence. There were only narrow holes between the bats. As Andy got ready to putt, Kate nudged Mike.

“Good idea back there,” she whispered. “If we let Andy win, it might cheer him up. I’ll do it, too.”

Mike raised his eyebrows. “Uh, yeah. Right. Letting Andy win,” he said, nodding. “I’ll make sure not to do too well. That was my plan all along.”

“And you’re just the guy to do it!” Kate said with a wink.

Andy finished in just two shots, while Kate and Mike took three. On the fourth hole, they all got two.

The last hole was set up like an outfield wall. Three bright white jerseys of retired Royals players were painted on the wall. The golf ball had to go over a jump and into a small hole in the wall. Otherwise, it fell into a trap.

Mike went first. He chopped at the ball. It flew off the jump and sailed into the wall. TWAP! Straight into the trap. Kate hit hers too softly. It dribbled off the end of the jump into the pit.

“Nice shot, cuz,” Mike said. He held out his hand and fist-bumped Kate. “Good job lining it up!”

Kate shook her head. “Your turn, Andy,” she said.

“Watch this,” Andy said. He placed his blue ball on the pad. He studied the wall and then swung neatly. The ball raced off the end of the ramp, straight into the hole in the wall. Andy won!

“Not bad,” Kate said. “I guess you’re the master!”

“Great shot, Andy,” Mike added. “Maybe you should be telling both of us how to line up shots!”

Andy smiled wide for a moment. But then the smile faded. He pointed at the painted jerseys on the wall. “Those remind me of my dad. What if he doesn’t play tonight?” Andy scuffed the ground with his sneaker.

Kate studied the jerseys. “Andy! That’s it!” she said. “I know what we have to do! We need to search the clubhouse for evidence.”

Mike snapped his fingers. “You’re right,” he said. “I’ll bet there are clues in the Rocket’s locker!”

Andy brightened up. “Great idea!” he said.

Kate, Mike, and Andy ran past the food stands to the main walkway. The team was still down on the field. But instead of running sprints or doing exercises, the players were standing in a large group. They had all dropped their equipment.

“That doesn’t look right,” Mike said. “Why aren’t they practicing? What are they doing?”

Kate gulped. She couldn’t believe her eyes. “I—I don’t know,” she stammered. “But they’re pointing right at us!”