Baseball Blowup


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 CHAPTER 1 SCIENCE AT PLAY
 Malcolm Morgan crouched in right field during his team’s practice.
 PING!
 He watched as Coach Fitz hit a long drive to left field. Malcolm’s teammate Walter Brill hesitated and then made his way to the ball. But the wind carried it away from him. It plopped down just inside the foul line.
 “Keep your eye on the ball,” Coach shouted.
 Malcolm quickly tapped his smartwatch. He wore it during practice so he could monitor the weather conditions.
 Sure enough, the watch said the wind was blowing at fourteen miles per hour across the field. The wind was strong enough to move any ball in the air.
 Malcolm loved baseball. But he also loved science. He tried to combine the two as much as he could now that he was a Little City Lion. This wind gave him the perfect opportunity!
 “Time out!” Malcolm yelled. He waved his hands to bring the outfield together.
 “Guys, it’s really windy out here,” he said. “That’s why you couldn’t catch that fly ball, Walter. We should all take three steps to the right. That will put us in better positions.”
 “Okay, thanks!” Walter said. He trotted back to left field.
 “Whatever,” said Matt Staats. He was the team’s best player, and he wasn’t very interested in Malcolm’s approach to baseball.
 “But—” Malcolm began.
 
 
 
 
 “You worry about yourself,” Matt said, cutting him off. “I can catch any ball that comes my way.”
 “I’m just trying to help,” Malcolm said. He shrugged as Matt stomped back to center field.
 Coach Fitz cracked another fly ball, this time to center field. Matt stepped back, then forward. He sprinted to his right and… dove for the ball to make a spectacular catch. He threw the ball in and looked at Malcolm.
 Now Coach pointed at Malcolm and hit a fly ball.
 PING!
 Malcolm was positioned perfectly to understand the effects of the wind. He didn’t have to take a step as the ball zipped into his glove.
 For the rest of practice, Malcolm was always in the right position. He didn’t have any trouble, even with the trickiest fly balls.
 At the end of practice, Coach Fitz called the Lions together. The whole team gathered near the pitcher’s mound.
 “Good work out there today,” he said. “Malcolm, nice job noticing the wind conditions and adjusting. It is important to pay attention to your surroundings in a game. It could be the difference between winning and losing.”
 Malcolm smiled. His best friend, Sanjay Patel, walked over and clapped him on the back with his glove.
 “Way to go!” Sanjay whispered as he nudged Malcolm with his elbow.
 “We’ve got a big game coming up against 
 CHAPTER 2 EYES ON THE PRIZE
 The next day, Malcolm opened the large overhead door to his family’s garage. His parents had let him take over part of the space for a workstation. He used it to conduct his science experiments and track baseball statistics on his computer.
 Malcolm was so engrossed with his latest advanced stats, he didn’t notice Sanjay stroll into the garage.
 “Think fast,” Sanjay said as he tossed a baseball to Malcolm.
 Malcolm looked up, but the light from the lamp on his garage workstation was in his eyes. He couldn’t see the ball! It bonked his face and knocked off his glasses.
 “Oh, man, I’m sorry,” Sanjay said. “I didn’t mean to do that!”
 “Don’t worry about it,” Malcolm said, grabbing his glasses off the table. “This actually gives me an idea! We should make eye black for the game on Saturday!”
 Sanjay looked confused. “What do we need eye black for? Just to look cool?”
 Malcolm stood up and turned the garage light toward Sanjay. He instantly squinted.
 “When you have light in your eyes, it’s hard to see, right?” Malcolm said. “Well, eye black helps cut down on the glare. When you look up for a fly ball, you’ve got a better chance of catching it if you wear eye black under your eyes.”
 “Well, why don’t we go downtown to Swanson’s Sports?” Sanjay asked. “I’m sure we could buy some there.”
 “That’s no fun,” Malcolm said. “We can make it ourselves!”
 Malcolm logged onto his computer. In seconds, he and Sanjay found instructions online for how to make do-it-yourself eye black. They just needed a cork and a lighter.
 “Hang on a second,” Malcolm said. “I’ll be right back.” Then he ran into the house to ask his dad to help.
 “What are you guys up to now?” Malcolm’s dad asked.
 “Will you help us make homemade eye black?” Malcolm asked. Then he quickly explained what he needed.
 “Okay, Malcolm,” his dad replied. “Give me a sec to grab the things you need, and I’ll be out to help.”
 When they got back to the garage, Malcolm’s dad lit the bottom of the cork. After it cooled, Malcolm wiped two short, straight lines of eye black just below Sanjay’s eyes. Sanjay did the same for Malcolm.
 “Wow, it worked!” Sanjay shouted.
 The boys ran outside to test the results. They practiced throwing the ball straight up toward the sun. The eye black made the sun seem a little less bright, and the ball seemed easier to catch.
 Malcolm felt a zing of excitement. “Do you think the team will want to wear our creation?” he asked Sanjay. “It’s supposed to be sunny Saturday, and there aren’t many