“Oooowww!” The small, hard projectile punches my thigh with bruising force. I look down, stunned. It’s a baseball. If I’d been watching the game instead of talking the whole time to my friend, I would have seen it coming. The ball, having bounced off my thigh, now rests in my lap. That’s when I notice: Nearby Orioles fans have been tracking the ball, and now the crazier ones, eager to snatch it away, thrust their hands toward my lap. Feeling violated, I clutch the ball, shielding it with my body. A nearby security guard mocks me. “Nice catch,” he says.
Angela Stevens is a retired pharmacist. Besides writing, she enjoys playing piano, pickleball, and traveling. She is actually a Mets fan.