Damn Yankees by Edward Drobinski - HTML preview

Damn Yankees

Page 5

wedge between him and his wife, a Meg—a problem shared by many other wives of Senators supporters. Meg leads them in lamenting their husbands' fixation with the sport.

After seeing his team lose yet again, Joe rashly declares that he would sell his soul to the devil to see his team beat the Yankees.

No sooner has he spoken than the devil appears before him in the guise of a suave conman, Applegate. Applegate claims he can go one better; he can restore Joe's youth, making him the player who wins them the pennant. Joe agrees, but persuades Applegate to give him an escape clause. Applegate declares that Joe can back out, but only the day before the last game of the season. Afterwards, his soul belongs to the devil.

Joe bids an emotional farewell to a sleeping Meg, after which

Applegate transforms him into a dashing young man, now called Joe Hardy.

The next day, the Senators' practice is a fiasco. Their manager, Ben Van Buren, gives the team a rousing pep talk. Applegate arrives and, introducing himself as a scout, presents his new discovery; Joe Hardy from Hannibal, Missouri. Joe promptly hits baseball after baseball out of the park in an impromptu batting practice. As he is signed to a Senators contract, female