“I am wondering, can I try-out to play on the Mariners,” asked Julie, a star women’s softball player who wants to play baseball. “Um...have you ever played baseball before?” insisted Daren Brown, the Mariners head coach. “I haven’t played baseball, but I have played softball. I was the best player on the best team, and the best in the league. The only thing is, I’m a pitcher. I know that in baseball you have to pitch overhand, not underhand. I also know how to play first base. On the rare occasions of my coach taking me out, he would put me at first base.” explained Julie.

After the coaches talked for a bit, they decided to tell her that they would talk to the head of the MLB to see if he would let her play or not. “Come back in three days, and we will have our decision,” said the head coach. After she left, Daren Brown talked with the assistant coach, and they came up with ideas of why she should play on the team, and why she shouldn’t play on the team. Well they called the head of the MLB and for hours during those three days, they talked and talked. Some of the things they talked about were why they won’t let her on the team, and why they will let her on the team. “I was thinking about letting her on the team, but I wasn’t sure if you would let me let her on the team, so I decided to consult with you first,” said Daren Brown. “Well as I have said, a scrimmage will work fine with me, but before you say yes to her, I want to have a tape of the game, and your answer, and why you think she should be on the team,” answered the MLB head. “Okay, fair enough,” replied Daren Brown. Well on the third day, she came back and Daren told her, “Okay well we decided to let you scrimmage with us, but we need to get a video of the game, to give to the MLB head, and we need to consult with him,” remarked Daren Brown. “Fair enough,” observed Julie, “I will be willing to, and I will play my best. The only thing is, I probably won’t be good at is hitting because I’m not used to hitting ninety mile an hour fastballs or sixty mile an hour curveballs. But on the contrary, I will field my best and hit the best that I can,” shared Julie. Well the game started going and the team Julie was on was fielding well, but they weren’t doing so hot at the plate. It was the opposite with the other team, but the other team was hot on hitting, but just not so hot with getting on base because of the other team’s fielding. Well nine innings passed, and the score was five nothing the other team (somehow). After the game, Daren told Julie, “Come back in about five days, practice hitting and fielding, and come back and we will try to have another scrimmage.”

They called up the MLB head, sent him the tape, and told him that they told her to go practice, and in five days come back for another scrimmage. “Get me another tape, and then after that tell me your final answer,” said the head of the MLB. “Will do,” answered Daren Brown in an energetic voice. After those five days, she came back all prepared. She had practiced hitting at least twenty-four hours. She knows someone who plays AAA ball and she had him pitch to her and have him hit her the ball to field it.

So when she went back, she brought her friend with her to tell the Daren that he helped her a lot! Well they had the second scrimmage and by the end of those nine innings, they had realized that she did three times as better as she had done the first time. Her batting average was .350 and she had no errors and had stole five bases. Her friend didn’t have to tell Daren how hard she practiced because it showed! Well the coaches were happy to send the tape in because they wanted her on the team. Three days later, the MLB head told them that she could play for their team. During the ten seasons she played, the Mariners went to the World Series nine times, and won five times! They were happy to have her on the team!