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HEATByMike Lupica Garrett Taylor
“The dream had moved, of course, from Pinar del Rio to the Bronx, New York. Papi was no longer his coach and Michael was no longer a little boy. He had grown into the tallest on his All-Star team. It was the All-Star team from the Bronx that Michael’s left arm was supposed to take all the way to Williamsport in a few weeks.”(7,8) This so called great arm is the reason his team will go to the little league world series also known as Williamsport to baseball players. His arm is the reason Ramon the fast kid who stole the purse at the beginning of the story gets caught because of Michael's throw from home plate to the back of Ramon’s head. Too bad Williamsport is just a dream that might not happen.
“Before the season is over, we’ll get two tickets and watch him pitch in person,” Carlos said. “I promise.” “You know we can’t afford them.” “Don’t tell me what we can and can’t afford,” Carlos said, slamming his palm down on the counter, not just snapping now.(10) Michael and Carlos wanted to go to a Yankees baseball game but can’t afford it. But Michael doesn’t understand the concept of money yet so he doesn’t know why they can’t go to the baseball game. Carlos promised him that they will go but Carlos could get fired from one of his many jobs and then he wouldn’t be able to afford the tickets.
“First you don’t want to hit because you say I throw too hard. Now you say I’m throwing too easy. You’re the one with the words” “A mixed message.” “Exactly,” Michael said. “You’re giving me a mixed message.”(21) For Michael to become a better baseball player he needs to get a new batter because throwing slow doesn’t make your fastball better. So playing with his friends is fine but if he wants to make it to Williamsport he’s going to need someone his skill level.
“There is something where they say they would try to keep siblings together. But they can’t guarantee it. If someone finds out about papi, then we go into Family Court. And after that, little brother? Then it’s up to them. The Official Persons. If they can’t place us in a foster home, then we could go into a group home. Maybe even back to Cuba.”(38) Michael father has been gone for a number of days and he fears that he was taken or found and sent back to Cuba. Which means Michael and his brother will have to go to court which will end up splitting the two brothers up or sending them back to their father in Cuba. So they have to make sure no one finds out about papi or their done for.
“Ramon ran now, across the green grass of Macomb's Dam Park, where boys played catch in the July morning, ran toward the fence underneath the overpass. It wasn’t even noon yet, Ramon thought, and I’ve already earned a whole day’s pay. He felt a sharp pain in the back of his head in that moment like a rock hitting him back there.”(4) Ramon was fast so fast that no one could catch him except for Michael’s fastball thrown from home plate of Macomb’s Dam Park showing that baseball is a well known sport in the city known as the Bronx and it shows that Michael is a great baseball player like he says he is.
“There is something where they say they would try to keep siblings together. But they can’t guarantee it. If someone finds out about papi, then we go into Family Court. And after that, little brother? Then it’s up to them. The Official Persons. If they can’t place us in a foster home, then we could go into a group home. Maybe even back to Cuba.”(38) Michael’s father is gone and Michael and his brother might get separated because of family court or worse they might get sent back to where they came from, Cuba. Which separating from the only family you have is not an option.
“El Grande? I thought he just pitched Wednesday in Cleveland.” “Tuesday,” “Today is his scheduled day” “that means another sellout.” “The Yankees sell out every game now.”(10) Baseball is played all over the country like Cleveland or New York. New York is where the Yankees are which they are the top baseball team in the MLB so it’s hard to get a ticket even if you cant afford it. Which Michael cant so the chances of him actually going to a game are slim.
“They must have been tipped that they had the wife and kids of a star Yankee pitcher on board.” “I’m surprised they didn’t let that boat go all the way to Harlem River and drop everybody off a few blocks from the ballpark.”(28) The narrator has no problem with illegal aliens cause he was technically illegal himself not to long ago. The words like “boat” and “Harlem River” are clue’s that the narrator throws in the story for the reader to realize that he is talking about citizens from another country coming to America illegally like in real life. It’s like a sudden realization for the readers of America of what's really going on all over the world.
“Maybe some family could adopt the two of us.:” “One teenaged boy and another about to be a teenager?” “Maybe there is that kind of family on a TV show, in the TV world. But not in the real world.” “No, we just have to find a way to get by until I turn eighteen.”(38) The narrator realizes that this isn't a fantasy world it’s the real world where happily ever after doesn’t happen. Like so many children who have been abandoned were in the same situation that’s what the narrator wants the reader to understand what's really happening in the world.
“Understand, we told the coaches who made the complaint that we’re comfortable with what we already have. But they’ve called the folks at the District Office. And the District Office says that because you’re such a great pitcher, and because your team has such a great chance to make it to the World Series, they don’t want there to be any controversy, the way there was a few years ago.”(98) Michael’s special arm for baseball could be the downfall for him and his brother and that’s the twist the narrator put in the story. To show that good things don’t always happen to good people also known as karma. The reason for the karma is Michael and Carlos father is gone and they try to hide it from any officials so Michael wont be able to be on his all-star team.
