Contents

Introduction

A Face in the Crowd

Stephen King and Stewart O'Nan

The Further Adventures of the Invisible Man

Karen Joy Fowler

The Hector Quesadilla Story

T. Coraghessan Boyle

Arthur Sternbach Brings the Curveball to Mars

Kim Stanley Robinson

Ronnie on the Mound

Jack Kerouac

My Kingdom for Jones

Wilbur Schramm

Diamond Girls

Louise Marley

How to Read a Man

Valerie Sayers

The Hanging Curve

Gardner Dozois

The Franchise

John Kessel

Understanding Alvarado

Max Apple

The Southpaw

Bruce McAllister

Ahab at the Helm

Ray Bradbury

McDuff on the Mound

Robert Coover

The Mighty Casey

Rod Serling

The House that George Built

Harry Turtledove

Baseball

Ray Gonzalez

My Last Season with the Owls

Ron Carlson

Pitchers and Catchers

Cecilia Tan

Baseball Memories

Edo van Belkom

Lost October

David Sandner and Jacob Weisman

Stephen to Cora to Joe

Rick Wilber

How I Got My Nickname

W. P. Kinsella

Acknowledgments

Permissions