Junior Year Box Set

“The second step is seeing the ball out of the pitcher’s hand with the timing of the arm. The key is to have your front foot down, which allows you to see what the pitch is and where it is, also known as pitch recognition.

“Third is separation. This requires the hands and front foot to go in opposite directions at the same time. You want to end in a balanced and athletic position. Your weight distribution should be 50/50 in your lower half after separation and as you transfer into the ball.

“The fourth is staying square. Think of it as though you’re facing the plate and you’re standing in a doorway. This position allows you to back the ball up, or let it get deep into the plate, and still be able to hit it soundly. It permits your hands to stay inside the ball for backspin and power.

“The final step is weight shift and transfer. After you separate and stay square with timing, the shift takes place. Learn to control your weight shift or backside through the system. Weight-shifting allows you to transfer your weight into the ball as you make contact. You don’t lunge, you turn your hips, and you end up facing the field. The key is your back leg ends up bent at the knee and looks like an ‘L.’

“Let’s go through the five steps: rhythm, seeing the ball, separation, staying square, and weight shift and transfer,” Coach Revilla said.

He had me bat against the pitching machine to make sure I had the basics in place, and then he brought in a pitcher and catcher.

“David, this is Ray. He’s here to work on pitching with Coach Boyd. Coach Boyd wants to see Ray pitch against a live batter, and I want you to see what you can do,” Coach Revilla said.

Ray was a few years older than I was. The way they worked it out was that Ray would pitch until he gave up a hit, walked me, or struck me out. The coaches would then talk to us about what we’d done right or could improve on, and we would go again. It turned out that Ray was a pitching prospect for the Dodgers and on their Double-A roster for the Tulsa Drillers. He was much better than anyone I’d faced in high school ball, and I quickly found out I had a long way to go.

Ray owned me early, but I began to hit him. I think Ray just started to tire, so I wasn’t putting much stock into any thoughts that I’d made a vast improvement. After all, it was my first day of seeing live pitching in several months. What I did know was that I looked forward to working with Coach Revilla while he was here.

◊◊◊

When we stopped for the day at the studio, I reflected on surviving my first week. Rita suggested we go to the beach house because Trip had said he planned to go out with Craig and Kent tonight and he was crashing at Craig’s place.

Caryn left to go visit her parents. I was happy that Rosy had several bags and got into the car with us. Fritz and Flo joined us. The paparazzi were out in force after my Hollywood Central Live appearance. I was impressed when Rita sent Fritz out to talk to them. He explained that we were going to the beach house and reminded them that other people lived next to them. If they promised to be at least one hundred feet away, and not cause a riot, they were welcome. By the time we left, there were only a handful of photographers who’d stayed to get some shots of us leaving the house.

Halle and I sat in the third row. I was glad that we didn’t have the crazed motorcyclist chasing us.

“This is a big deal for me,” Halle admitted. “Mom has always shielded me from the press. With this being my first significant movie role, she warned me that I’d have to step up and face them.”

“I hope you brought your tiniest bikini,” I teased.

“Did you bring your speedo?” she asked.

“I’m not some German tourist,” I shot back.

“Even if it’s true, you can’t say something like that in public,” Rita admonished me.

“Rosy, do you think I should wear a speedo?” I asked.

“I no speak English,” she said.

That got us all to laugh. Rosy had been raised in East LA and spoke English just fine. When I teased her, she would drop into Spanish and act like she couldn’t understand me. It was a game that Rita and Halle found amusing.

Rita showed me my room, and I changed into a t-shirt and board shorts. I came out to the patio overlooking the ocean and found Rosy had made me a sandwich. She’d raised two boys of her own and understood that we needed plenty to eat.

The waves seemed to be bigger than the last time I’d been here. Several people were surfing. I was disappointed when Flo, Halle, and Rita came out in spring suits, or shorty wet suits. We all walked out to the surf together, with Flo and Fritz on the outside. The paparazzi captured the moment. I think there’s a cottage industry built around catching celebrities at the beach.