INTRODUCTION From the moment he first laid eyes on him Luis knew he wasn't going to like Jimmie Luis was the new kid on the team and it was the first day of baseball practice Hey boys everybody say hi to Luis said their coach He's a terrific baseball player and I'm thrilled to have him on our team I don't think he said terrific said Luis's friend I think he said average Haha said Luis I'm not going to tell the story if you keep interrupting Fine He's a terrific baseball player and I'm thrilled to have him on our team Luis stopped for a second and looked at his 1
friend Luis's friend shrugged his shoulders as if to say whatever Most of the players on Luis's new team were nice to him Especially Gary I like this part Gary whispered to Aliyah But not Jimmie Luis and Jimmie could not have been more different Luis was skinny but fast Jimmie was strong but slow Luis was shy and quiet Jimmie was loud and obnoxious Loud and obnoxious laughed Luis's friend Well you are said Luis Jimmie loved to hear Luis tell this story Which was kind of weird because it was a story about him And it was about Luis too And Gary And Aliyah and Roberto And all their other teammates At the other end of the dugout a handful of players started collecting their gear The ones who took care to keep their stuff organized batting gloves fielding mitts and the most important 2
ees M M piece of gear of them all bubble gum were ready in no time The rest were going to need just a few more minutes They were the McIntyre Manatees named after one of the most unusual animals in the world McIntyre was the name of the neighborhood where they all lived Manatees are aquatic animals that are kind of weird and funny looking but also smart and capable of learning from their mistakes Seriously It was the perfect mascot for this team M M Manatees 3
