Max
Max loves being a baseball player for The Rockford Peaches of the Rockford University.
They love the sport, the games and her teammates. They love their uniform colors, their laughs, how they compete between them and how even despite the rivalry they become a safe place because most of them are queers. Also and very important to them, they share the team and her love of baseball with her girlfriend Esther.
But Max is tired. They are tired of the team always being in the last place, of the way they keep losing games because they can’t agree on how to play, because they care more about who is the one that plays better than actually playing, because their coach in asshole who doesn’t make them train enough, is most of the time drank and takes the wrong choices about the moves they should during a game.
At least they have a valid fan base. Apparently the players being openly queer and having this underdog attitude, makes them win a group of loyal fans that come to see their games. They love their foolishness and how they party after a game and celebrate after every defeat. It's actually heartwarming that their fans love them when they are losers.
Last year was their first year as a team. This is their second and Max wants it to be different. They want them to at least classify for the local and the regional championships. They want them to play real baseball and not use it only as a hobby and extra money to help them pay their scholarships.
That’s how after they lost their first game of classifications, Max came up with an idea. They need a new catcher. Anna is doing okay on it, but that’s not her actual position. None of them play in that position. So maybe that’s what the team needs this year, they need to fill the missing place and Max thinks they know who would be the right person for it.
Carson Shaw.
Carson is the baseball teacher —or coach? they are not sure what to call it— of the Harlem Community center. She gives free classes to kids and teens of the neighborhood two days a week.
Max knows this because her friend Clance has told her about it. Clance gives art classes in the same community center and she had been very impressed on how the kids had loved Carson’s classes since the beginning.
On the summer vacations, when Max went to the center to visit Clance, had taken the opportunity to observe some of the Carson’s and had liked the dynamic of them. For what they saw Carson is a good teacher and a good player. She is a catcher, but she can also bat and has a special way to read the development of the game. She is kinda awkward and rumbles a lot when she talks, but is patient, kind and extremely passionate about baseball. They need someone like her on the team.
After they lost their first game, Max thinks it is finally time to announce her idea.
“Dove, can I make a proposal?”, Max asks when the training of the day ends.
“Of course. Girls listen, your team mate wants to talk to you”, he calls the attention of the team. Max rolls her eyes, she hates when he calls them girls.
“Well I was thinking that we still have one free place for another player, so we should get a catcher”, Max explains her idea in the simplest possible way.
“Really? A new player?” Lupe is definitely not impressed.
“Why?” Shirley actually sounds kinda curious about the idea.
“We have Anna”, Jess points at their present catcher.
“Anna is not a catcher, she deserves to play in her position like the rest of us”, Max reminds them.
“Yes, it’s unfair, why do i have to be the only one to take the catcher's place?” Anna complains. “If we don’t get a new catcher at least we should rotate that position”, she suggests.
They all start talking at the same time and complaining. Max had thought that this was going to be easy, but guess she was wrong. Dove shuts them up and informs them that he will agree to take a new player if they find someone. Then he leaves. As he does they all can see how he takes out a hip flask from his jacket and drinks of it.
“Well maybe it is better that the money he is keeping from that player's place goes actually to a player and not to his alcohol bill”, Jo says, disgusted by the man’s attitude. That is definitely something the whole team can agree about.
“So, you have someone in mind or are you going to make us work Chapman?” Greta wonders.
“Oh, they have someone and for the way they talk about her i feel like maybe i should be jealous”, Esther teases Max and all the team laughs.
Max takes the woman she loves in her arms and gives her a soft kiss on the cheek. They love this woman, even when she teases her and makes them feel like a fool in front of their team.
“Nothing to worry about, i just think she is a good player and we need one”, They say sincerely. There is nothing that they want more for this idea to work.
The team keeps teasing them and making jokes as they take showers and change into clean clothes, but they agree for Carson to join them in their next training to prove her.
Now they have to find out if Carson really studies at Rockford University or if she just wears their cap because she likes it. And most importantly, they have to convince her to want to come to the team’s training to try to win the missing spot.
Max takes a deep breath and closes her locker. They are going to convince Carson to join the team. They have faith that the team is gonna play better this year and make it to the championship. They will achieve everything step by step. They can do this.
This is gonna be the Peaches' year.