Disclaimer: i literally know jackshit about baseball, or any sports tbh, i just used it because it would work as good as any other sport.
"just a friendly game of baseball"
one of the first words hitter of the Westspring baseball team the dodgers "jackson mayfield" heard.
jackson came from an economically bankrupt family in an equally economically bankrupt part of town, which has now been long forgotten by any kind of goverment or aid agency. His street was purely the definition of rotten, long streaks of crime ran rampage from kids trying to feed their families by stealing just any loaf of bread they found, gang violence was in an all time high and just getting out of the house was a constant struggle for survival.
The mayfield family lived in nothing more than a low-income housing,the roof crackled like the hungry belly of the inhabitants every night by the strong winds threatening to take down the building and the rain which almost floods the house every time it happens, door was barely put together by a cheap lock system that by the rust it has long stopped working, making it a perfect target for burglars, if there was anything of value inside, with a family of 2 kids, his wife and his grandparents who could barely move at their old age, jackson had to support them all a big responsability for one man.
jackson often played baseball in his free time, one of his only talents he managed to develop before having to go back to work and take care of his family, his dream was being able to join the national team and move his family to a decent way of living.
the dodgers were in a winning row thanks to jacksons contribution they would surely get to the finals a prize of a non-described but huge amount of money was waiting for the winners, surely enough to lift his family out of misery.
today was the last game before the finals, against the Aldcoast black hawks, the looked on their faces they looked vicious hungry for victory with a certain retained anger, not at the rival team but something in their lives that they had to discharge on someone, it seemed as if they wanted that price or they would go back to a cruel fate that awaited them, it was not a surprise to jackson, most of the teams here came from equally socioeconiomically depressed areas, it was no surprise either that most of the team members including that of jack were black, seemed almost more than a coincidence most section 8 tenants were that of color. jackson always dwelled about this fact and even thought of trying to fight against this injustice but he had too much to leave behind if he "dissapeared", a sad fact for everyone, it was just too risky, no it was easier to just try to "play their games".
spectators from everywhere were looking, cheering, applauding and eating all sorts of fast foods with big happy smiles painted on all their faces, jackson was often disgruntled by the wall dividing them and the players, for the public these matches were just another entertainment, another game to fill in their time they spended otherwise doing nothing, but for the players it was almost sadistic, a game of life or death, were otherwise a defeat ment the end for every player coming back to their almost destroyed home with empty hands and a sad expression on their kids eyes when they realized food isnt going to be coming home, yes very sadistic how people who had to suffer trough this had to otherwise bring down other equally unlucky mates down to climb up, jackson even thought the crowd always knew about this fact, and this "baseball" game was nothing more than "poverty porn", "just a friendly game of baseball", he remembered those words as these other thoughts came to him.
5-5 was the blinking giant red score that appeared on the billboard, 2 strikes out jackson has wasted almost all chances of this being an easy game, now he is behind the wall and the sword, he knows his teammates would never forgive him if he brings them down so easily, specially after getting this far, jackson started transpiring and his heart was beating faster than it ever did. 2 strikes, was the pitchers taunting words as he tried to throw jackson out of balance, jackson blinked for a second, a second which seemed like minutes, tried to remember all that it took him to get here, all the struggle and all those days of hunger he had to live, as he opened his eyes the pitcher already threw the ball, jackson s heart beat faster than before, he moved his arms as fast as his own body allowed him too, and before he knew the bat hit the ball, and before he could start thinking normally again it was already leaving the stadium, slowly slowly dissapearing in the distance, the look on the rival team was more angry than ever, but that of his teammaters was the happiest they ever felt, they finally did it, it was not the finals but they proved to go against all the odds and get there, thats the biggest step the team ever did in years and years of bad luck, jackson was in tears, but this time tears of joy, he couldnt believe it, it was just to good to be true, he pinched his arm, again and again, but nothing, it was real…
…"just a friendly game of baseball". A man is found in the ground, right next to a baseball ball in the empty parking lot of a stadium, he is battered, Fractured cheek bone, nose crushed, head cracked, broken ribs, Detached retina and swollen eyes, the people who attacked him really did a numbered on the poor guy. "Just a friendly game of ball y'all" his attackers say as they laugh and leave the body bleeding to death, or more or less just bleeding.
"Somebody grab a mop, the floor's bloody" reports the captain of the westsprings dodgers as he sees the mess outside, the body is picked, chopped and bagged for a more easier way to get rid of it, blood is cleaned off and no evidence is left on the scene. "Bring in the next able bodied nigger baby with agency" exclaims the captain to his assistant as they leave.
The next day jackson mayfield is reported missing to the authorities.
based on the song: African dodger.
Locked
