The Molly Chronicles - Play Ball

            And seemingly out of nowhere, Shadow was there. He lunged at the ball, still in the air,  and caught it just before it passed by second base. He snapped around for the throw to home plate for the final out, but there was no one to throw to. Our catcher was down. Dan Butler was lying in a daze just behind home plate. In spite of the padding, Yadier Molina's bat had struck him in the back of the head, knocking him out cold.  Meanwhile Matt Holliday had tagged third base, and was now barreling toward home plate.

"Holliday's tagged the base. Holliday has gone back and tagged the base; he can score."

  "And that's the game right there folks.  Holliday will score. The Cardinals will  win it all, the inning, the game and World Series,  four games  to three. A shame folks. You hate to see a game won by because of an injury. But wait. It's not over yet. Here's Shadow running for home plate."

            Now the announcer was screaming into the mike - one beat shy of a heart attack.  

" Impossible! Bats and baseballs, look at that canine run! Folks, he's pouring everything he has into it. But can he possibly get there in time? The Red Sox's only hope rests on the back of that brave Labrador Retriever running the race of his life."

            My heart was in my mouth as Shadow raced towards home plate,  the ball clutched fast in his teeth.  He was lighting fast, but he had so much ground to cover. Could he make it?

"And it looks like that's the game, folks. Shadow gave it his all, but there's just too much ground to cover. Holliday will score."

            But I had faith in Shadow. Faster still, he ran. Now he was just a furry blur racing towards home plate. With a final supercanine lunge, he pawed the plate a nose ahead of Matt Holliday and tagged him out.

"He's done it! Shadow's run has put the Red Sox back in business. And so the game goes into overtime."

            The tenth inning was scoreless.            In the eleventh inning, Shadow hit a double, then scored on a  David Ortiz sacrifice fly. Burke Badenhop, our pitcher, threw the kinds of curves and fast balls that legends are made of, and kept the Cardinals without a base hit in that final inning.

"That's the game folks. Congratulations to the Boston Red Sox, the 2013 World Series Champions! And the stadium has exploded. Red Sox fans are screaming and hugging each other!

            "Meanwhile the Red Sox's dugout looks like an erupting volcano. Players are pouring out onto the field, shouting and barking. Champagne corks and liver snacks are flying everywhere. What an experience!"

            Shadow often recounts that game saving catch of the low line drive and his race to home plate. Of course such inhuman feats are quite possible for him!