THE UNLIKELY MASCOT by Rolleen

As Joey sprinted through the front door of his home, he bellowed out a loud, "I'm home, Mom!" The exhaustion from a long day of school was evident in his voice as he rushed up the stairs, taking two steps at a time. All he could think about was finally being able to head to the park and play baseball with his friends.

He had worked tirelessly around the house that week, mowing the lawn, washing the car, and even emptying the trash. His parents had paid him for his hard work and he had saved every penny to buy his new baseball glove. As he entered his bedroom, there it was, sitting on his dresser, shining in all its glory. He picked it up and slipped it onto his hand, admiring the way it fit like a glove. He felt like a real baseball player now.

However, as he changed into his old clothes and tennis shoes, a sadness washed over him as he thought of Skipper, the little brown and white puppy that the team had chosen to be its mascot. Skipper lived with a family near the park and always seemed to show up at their practices. But last week, Skipper hadn't shown up to any of their games. The team had decided to go see the family that owned Skipper and find out what had happened. Joey felt a pang of sadness as he remembered the words of Skipper's owner, "Skipper got hit by a car this week, boys. He died at the animal hospital. I'm sorry. I know you will miss him." Joey couldn't help but think that Skipper would've loved to see his new glove.

Maybe we'll find another mascot soon, Joey thought, as he glanced at himself in the full-length mirror and then headed down the stairs. As he reached the bottom stair, his little brother, Tommy, came running up to him, "Joey, can I go with you? Can I, please?"

"You're too little," Joey answered, trying not to sound too harsh.

"I am not," Tommy said, starting to cry.

Just then, their mother walked in, "What's the matter?" she asked, looking concerned.

"Tommy wants to go to the park with me and play baseball," Joey said, trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice.

"Yea, but Joey says I'm too little," Tommy cried, wiping away his tears.

"Now, Joey," his mother began. "I think it would be nice if you take Tommy with you."

"But, what will the other guys think?" Joey argued.

"What's more important - what others think or your brother's feelings?" his mother retorted, giving him a stern look.

"Well..." Joey hesitated, feeling guilty for not wanting to take his little brother.

"Shame on you, Joey," his mother scolded.

"Okay, Mom. Come on, Tommy," Joey said, feeling a mix of anger and guilt as he walked out the door with his little brother in tow. All the way to the park, Joey couldn't help but wish that he didn't have a little brother to take care of.

As Joey and his brother Tommy arrived at the park, Joey scanned the area for any sign of his friends. But, to his disappointment, they were nowhere to be found. With a shrug, he turned to his younger brother and suggested, "Hey Tommy, why don't we practice a bit while we wait for the guys to show up?”

Tommy, who had been admiring Joey's new baseball glove, eagerly agreed. Joey called out, "Come on Tommy, throw me the ball." Tommy eagerly complied, tossing the ball to his brother. Joey caught it easily with his new glove, and threw it back to Tommy. But, to Tommy's dismay, the ball landed on the grass.

Feeling discouraged, Tommy said, "I wish I could play as well as you, Joey." Joey, sensing his brother's disappointment, offered some advice. "Keep your eyes on the ball and don't be afraid of it." And with that, he threw the ball back to Tommy. This time, to Tommy's delight, he caught the ball. His face lit up with excitement as he exclaimed, "I caught it! I caught it, Joey!"

Joey felt a sense of satisfaction knowing he had helped his brother improve. Maybe Tommy wouldn't be such a pain to have around at the park after all. Just as he had that thought, a couple of Joey's friends came running up to them. "Hey Joey! Is this your brother?"

Joey, a bit embarrassed, quietly replied, "Yeah, his name is Tommy. He just came to watch." One of his friends, Robert, complimented Joey on his glove and soon, all the boys had arrived and the game began.

As the game progressed, Tommy sat on the grass and watched. To everyone's surprise, one of the new boys on the team, Jack, hit his first home-run of the season. And, Robert even found a missing ball in the bushes.

As the game came to an end, Robert jokingly suggested that Tommy must have brought the team good luck. Jack, taking the idea further, suggested making Tommy the team's new mascot. To Joey's surprise, all the boys agreed. He couldn't believe it, his little brother, the team mascot.

Feeling proud of his brother, Joey turned to him and said, "Hey Tommy, how would you like to carry my new glove home?" Tommy, with a big smile on his face, happily accepted. And so it became a regular thing, Tommy, the team mascot, going to all the games, practicing with his brother and learning to be a great baseball player. And Joey couldn't be happier, having his brother by his side made him feel special too.