[legendsport]

October 4, 1937: Brooklyn, NY:

"I think this might be it," Dan Barrell told his brother.

Fred looked up. He had been busy adjusting the straps on his mask, something he did ritualistically before every game despite it being completely unnecessary. "What are you talking about?" he asked Dan.

Dan took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then he took a quick glance around to make sure no one would overhear him. "I'm going to retire," he said quietly.

"What!?!" Fred blurted, quickly adding a whispered "Sorry" when he saw Dan's eyes widen in alarm.

Dan shook his head. "The knee... I'm just tired of dealing with the pain every day."

Dan watched Fred as his brother processed this information. Dan himself was 33, not a true greybeard in baseball terms, but definitely on the downside of his career. Fred was just a year younger and was barely hitting .210 this season - easily his worst batting performance. Dan suspected Fred was now thinking that he himself was closer to the end of his career than he was from the start of it.

"I'm guessing you talked with Gladys about this?" Fred asked quietly.

Dan quirked an eyebrow in response, saying nothing because he figured Fred should know the answer to that question. Fred did, nodding with a small frown. "What about Pop?" he asked.

Dan shrugged and said, "I haven't told anyone but Gladys... and now you," he replied.

"Wow... well, here I was thinking about dealing with my pitchers and trying to get us to the Series and now you've dropped this on me," he said with a grimace. Then smirked and said, "No pressure, right?"

Dan chuckled but there wasn't any mirth in it. "Yeah, I guess."

The Kings clubhouse was somber. They were about to take the field in the 155th game of the season, a game necessary because they ended the season in a flat-footed tie with the Philadelphia Sailors. The Sailors weren't the team the Kings had figured on being their biggest pennant competition - that role had been ably filled by the Cleveland Foresters who had edged out Brooklyn in both 1934 and '35 by razor-thin margins before the Kings finally claimed the pennant in '36 (only to lose the World Championship Series to Chicago). But the Foresters had stumbled a bit in '37 and finished fourth.

The pressure of that impending Continental Association playoff - a one game, winner-take-all proposition against a hot opponent wasn't something they relished. Fred was, as he typically was, worried about the mental state of the pitchers, ignoring the fact that technically that was pitching coach Bill Libby's job. The staff was, Fred had told Dan, a bit overanxious. The team's top pitcher this season had been Joe Shaffner, whose 20 wins and 2.32 ERA had led the CA and who looked like the likely Allen Award winner. Problem was, he could have sewn up the pennant two days earlier and instead lost a 4-0 decision to the Montreal Saints. So he was pouting. Then there was Tom, who had struggled with a hamstring injury, missed seven weeks and though he'd won in a must-win game the day before, was sulking because the Sailors had also won, forcing this playoff game that Tom would not be able to pitch in, which rankled his uber-competitive brother. The starter was going to be Mike Murphy, a hard-working, blue-collar 29 year old who unfortunately, Fred had confided in Dan, wasn't the brightest bulb in the lamp.

"So call a good game," Dan told Fred matter-of-factly.

"Yeah..." Fred said, then shot up off his stool as Harry, who had snuck up behind him, dumped a bag of ice down the back of his shirt.

Dan shook his head, but was smiling as Fred chased Harry out of the clubhouse. Powell Slocum, the manager, was still in his office, but coach Danny Goff witnessed the whole thing and told Dan, "It's a good thing Harry's a good player, or someone would have knocked his block off by now."

In the end, all the angst leading up to the playoff game was simply fuel as the Kings won by a score of 4-0. The pennant was theirs, now they would square off with the Pittsburgh Miners and their 23-year-old star pitcher Lefty Allen.

After the game, Dan met Gladys outside the clubhouse entrance where she was waiting with the other wives. Beside her was Fred's wife Tillie. Both women were pregnant; this would be just the second child for Fred & Tillie, but the third for Dan & Gladys. Both babies were due in late October and Dan hoped his kid and Fred's would be good friends. He was also hoping for a daughter after two boys. Fred's oldest, Freddy Jr, was seven and he was there fidgeting beside his mother when Dan exited.

"Fred will be out in a minute," he told Tillie after kissing Gladys on the cheek. Their sons, 4-year-old Michael and 18-month-old Steven, were with a sitter. Dan tousled Freddy Jr's hair and asked, "How you doin' sport?"

Normally a quiet kid, Freddy Jr wore a big grin. "Dad said that if you guys won I could go to Pittsburgh for the games there!" he answered. Tillie shook her head, muttering something under her breath about Fred having no sense taking their son out of school. Dan fought back the urge to grin - the kid was in the second grade, missing a few days wasn't going to keep him out of Grafton University.

Fred emerged from the clubhouse, hugged his son, pecked his wife on the cheek and asked her how she was doing. "I'm just dandy, Fred Barrell," she replied.

Fred looked at Dan and said, "I got roped into Tom's campaign to start the first game of the series. He pulled me into Powell's office to help him make his case."

Dan raised an eyebrow. "I'm guessing it didn't go well?"

Fred shook his head, "No, it didn't. Powell pointed out, correctly I must admit, that Shaffner is the team's ace - 'right now' as he put it, and he would be starting in game one. Tom will get the ball in game two."

"Needless to say, Tom didn't take it well..." Dan replied.

Fred tapped his nose. "Right in one," he said.

Dan looked at Gladys, "I told Fred," he admitted.

Gladys nodded and said, "Good. This doesn't need to be a secret, Daniel."

"What doesn't need to be a secret?" Tillie asked.

"Dan's retiring after the Series," Gladys replied before Dan could open his mouth.

Tillie's eyes widened. "Wow, that's a surprise," she blurted.

"Not to me," Gladys said, explaining that she was the one who had to listen to Dan constantly complain about his aching knee.

"Well, now he can complain after doing chores around the house," Tillie suggested with a grin.

"Oh, no..." Dan said, raising a hand. "I plan on asking Pop for a scouting job."

Tillie sniffed and said, "That figures."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Fred asked.

Tillie put her hands on her hips and answered, "It means that you men just want to leave all the domestic stuff to us. You're just as capable as I am of doing laundry, Fred Barrell."

Fred shook his head and told Dan, "This is what I get for marrying a progressive woman."

Tillie slapped Fred on the arm. But she smiled while doing it.

Harry and Tom exited the clubhouse; Harry was beaming, Tom scowling.

"Let's get something to eat, I'm starving!" Harry said.

Dan looked at his watch, "Well... it is after five."

"I wouldn't mind getting off my feet," Gladys said. The she looked at Tom and said, "You give any thought to what we talked about?" she asked her brother-in-law.

Tom shook his head and said, "I appreciate the offer, but I don't know..."

"What's to know? You need to get out there and stop pining after a woman you can't have," Gladys told him.

Dan rolled his eyes. "I told you to leave off with the matchmaking!" he told his wife.

"I agree with Gladys," Tillie threw in.

Now Fred shook his head and told his wife that she shouldn't be butting in either.

Harry's head was turning left and right, following the conversation. Finally he blurted, "Food!"

He clapped his hands and made shooing motions, "Let's go. You gals can pester poor Tommy over a steak just as easily as standing out here on the sidewalk."

"Gals!" Gladys & Tillie barked in unison.

"I... just.... want... to... eat!" Harry shot back.

The look on his face sent Dan and Fred into a bout of laughter and even Tom had to grin.

Dan was suddenly very grateful that his retirement would be postponed just a bit longer.

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