 As a young man, I saw myself diving to my left, graceful as a toppling tree, fielding high grounders like a cat leaping for butterflies, bracing my right foot and tossing to first the throw true as if a steel ribbon connected my hand and the first baseman's glove. I dreamed of leading the American League in hitting, being inducted into the Hall of Fame. I batted .217 in my senior year of high school.