CHAPTER 1
SCIENCE AT PLAY

Malcolm Morgan crouched in right field during his team’s practice.

PING!

He watched as Coach Fitz hit a long drive to left field. Malcolm’s teammate Walter Brill hesitated and then made his way to the ball. But the wind carried it away from him. It plopped down just inside the foul line.

“Keep your eye on the ball,” Coach shouted.

Malcolm quickly tapped his smartwatch. He wore it during practice so he could monitor the weather conditions.

Sure enough, the watch said the wind was blowing at fourteen miles per hour across the field. The wind was strong enough to move any ball in the air.

Malcolm loved baseball. But he also loved science. He tried to combine the two as much as he could now that he was a Little City Lion. This wind gave him the perfect opportunity!

“Time out!” Malcolm yelled. He waved his hands to bring the outfield together.

“Guys, it’s really windy out here,” he said. “That’s why you couldn’t catch that fly ball, Walter. We should all take three steps to the right. That will put us in better positions.”

“Okay, thanks!” Walter said. He trotted back to left field.

“Whatever,” said Matt Staats. He was the team’s best player, and he wasn’t very interested in Malcolm’s approach to baseball.

“But—” Malcolm began.

“You worry about yourself,” Matt said, cutting him off. “I can catch any ball that comes my way.”

“I’m just trying to help,” Malcolm said. He shrugged as Matt stomped back to center field.

Coach Fitz cracked another fly ball, this time to center field. Matt stepped back, then forward. He sprinted to his right and… dove for the ball to make a spectacular catch. He threw the ball in and looked at Malcolm.

Now Coach pointed at Malcolm and hit a fly ball.

PING!

Malcolm was positioned perfectly to understand the effects of the wind. He didn’t have to take a step as the ball zipped into his glove.

For the rest of practice, Malcolm was always in the right position. He didn’t have any trouble, even with the trickiest fly balls.

At the end of practice, Coach Fitz called the Lions together. The whole team gathered near the pitcher’s mound.

“Good work out there today,” he said. “Malcolm, nice job noticing the wind conditions and adjusting. It is important to pay attention to your surroundings in a game. It could be the difference between winning and losing.”

Malcolm smiled. His best friend, Sanjay Patel, walked over and clapped him on the back with his glove.

“Way to go!” Sanjay whispered as he nudged Malcolm with his elbow.

“We’ve got a big game coming up against the Crunch,” Coach continued. “They’ve got some of the best hitters in the league, so I want everyone ready to play great defense.”

After practice, Malcolm and Sanjay walked home together.

“I’m worried about this game,” Sanjay said. “We struggled against the Crunch last time.”

“I’m going to come up with something to help us beat them,” Malcolm said. “Come over to my garage tomorrow and we’ll work on a plan!”