I found this short story in Lit eZine, an online magazine posted at the website of writer Mona Soorma.
The story, Ballpark Estimate, intrigued me with its simplicity and relatability.
Length: 5 minutes
Genre: General
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| "The Last Baseball Game at RFK" (pingnews)” by pingnews.com, CC BY-SA 2.0 |
=General Impressions
Q. How's the hook?
A couple is on a date at a baseball game. The woman, Ellen, is clearly not a fan of baseball. The man, Bill, is a baseball fanatic.
This creates conflict right away -- one that I could personally relate to, as I have found myself struggling to find common ground with sports fans.
Q. What made me want to keep reading this short story?
I wanted to see whether Ellen and Bill would make it through their date in one piece.
How would they handle the disparity in their levels of interest in baseball? Would Ellen's disinterest be a deal-breaker for Bill? Would Bill's passion for the game turn Ellen off?
The off-beat dialogue intrigued me as well. Ellen and Bill spoke to each other as if reading from a script. This gave the entire story a quirky air.
Q. What did I think of the plot?
Carried primarily by dialogue, it's not an action-packed plot by any means. Rather, it's an episode in a couple's relationship, a glimpse at a potentially awkward situation and how they handle it.
The primary action occurs when Ellen randomly catches a fly ball. It's a bit fantastical, but it's fun to wonder what's going to happen after Ellen, the baseball noob, performs this feat.
“Baseball Texture” by Filter Forge, CC BY 2.0
Q. How was the writing style?
The style feels like it's from the late 1950s or early 1960s. In fact, I could see this story playing out as a plot in an episode of Leave it to Beaver or The Andy Griffith Show. Even the ending, though slightly risque, would be rated PG at most in a movie theater.
Q. Is the ending satisfying?
The ending satisfies in a quiet way. It's a happy ending to a story with very little conflict. Still, it's fun to see how the author decided to wrap up this cute little conversation.