Future Stars of America (Home Run Edition)

Chapter 1: Cold-Blooded Courage

Close to the Edge

"Hey Angelo, you better look out!" Four-year-old Patrick grabbed a pile of snow from the ground. He packed it into a ball. Then he took aim at his older cousin. He missed.

With an excited shout, Patrick started to run. He knew that Angelo wouldn't miss. The eleven-year-old all-star first baseman had a great throwing arm. Reaching down, Angelo made a snowball of his own. Then he nailed his cousin in the leg. They both laughed loudly.

Angelo and Patrick were playing outside on a freezing cold February afternoon. They were spending the day with their family in New Jersey. Their aunt's backyard was awesome because it was at the edge of a large bay. At the moment, all the adults were inside. Dressed in warm clothes, the boys braved the 28-degree weather.

As Angelo started building a snowman, Patrick picked up a rock. "Angelo, look how far I can throw this rock!" When he was sure his cousin was watching, he tossed it into the bay. It skipped along the thin sheet of ice covering the water.

"Wow, you've got a strong arm," Angelo said. "We could use you in our outfield." He continued working on his snowman. Meanwhile, Patrick chucked another rock--then another. Each time he tossed one, he moved closer to the water.

Looking up, Angelo called out, "Hey, be careful, Patrick. Don't get too close to the edge." When Angelo spoke these words, he couldn't have imagined what was about to happen. . .