Johnny Long Legs (4 page)

Two inches,
thought Johnny.
He had a lot to go to outjump Jim Sain and Oscar Hill.

The White Cats played the Astro Jets in the school gym on Tuesday, December 28.
Johnny laid in a basket within the first thirty seconds. He still had trouble with his pivot foot. He couldn't pivot without
dragging it across the floor a few inches, drawing a whistle from the referee for a traveling violation.

He remembered not to lose his temper though. He wouldn't forget the ref's warning when he had deliberately bounced the ball
hard against the floor.

He was still unable to grab a rebound from the Astro Jets' tall center. He was hearing a name more often too. A name someone
had tacked onto him several games back.

“Come on, Johnny Long Legs! Jump!”

He and Stogy Giles caught a rebound at the same time when the score was 7 to 4 in the White Cats' favor. The referee tossed
the ball up between them and Johnny tried to put all the spring he could into his legs
to outjump the boy who was more than six inches shorter than he. Stogy still outjumped him.

Other than Stogy, however, the Jets had no one with a sharp eye for the basket. One of them tried a shot from the center line
and made it. The fans for both teams cheered for him. But apparently his shot was just lucky. It was the only one he made
that first half.

The White Cats went into the second half leading 31 to 18. Stogy had made twelve of the eighteen points. He was small but
fast. Twice he had stolen the ball from Johnny, leaving Johnny stunned for a second. And embarrassed.

Nat Newton played the last two minutes of the third quarter in place of Johnny and also started the fourth quarter. Johnny
didn't mind. He hoped Coach Dates would keep him on the bench the rest of the game.
He was tired of people calling him Johnny Long Legs and making fun of his poor jumping.

There were four minutes left in the quarter when the coach sent him back in. “Two things to remember, Johnny,” he said. “Watch
your pivot foot, and put all the spring into your legs that you can when you jump.” Then he added, “You don't like the fans
calling you Johnny Long Legs, do you? Ignore them. Know what fans used to call me when I played ball? Mucilage. It means glue.
What do you think of
that
name?”

Johnny laughed. He agreed that it was certainly worse than Johnny Long Legs.

He fouled Stogy when the little guy tried to dribble by him and Stogy was given a shot. He made it. Then Johnny scored a set.
A few seconds later he intercepted a pass, dribbled fast upcourt, and laid the ball against the boards for another two points.
The game ended with the White Cats winning, 64 to 49.

“Good game, Johnny,” said Toby as they headed for the locker room. “You were high scorer.”

“How many?” asked Johnny.

“Twenty-seven points. Not bad, huh?”

They took their showers and began dressing when Nat Newton said something that was news to Johnny. “Did you hear that Coach
Smith kicked Jim Sain off the Hornets because of what he had done to Stitch Buttons' horses?”

Johnny stared at him. “Are you sure?”

“Sure, I'm sure.”

“He deserves it,” said Rick. “Jim's always horsing around. Wising it up. It's about time somebody did something with him.”

“I don't know,” said Johnny thoughtfully as he and Toby walked home after the game. “Do you think the coach should have kicked
Jim off the team just because he yelled and scared the horses?”

Toby shrugged. “Don't you?”

“No. Maybe benching him for a while would be okay. But kicking him off the team… Man!”

“Yeah,” said Toby. “That is pretty rough.”

“And did you see that look on his face? He looked scared. Real scared.”

“He sure did,” admitted Toby.

They walked the rest of the way home in silence.

Toby told Mom and Dad about Coach Smith's tossing Jim Sain off the Hornets for what Jim had done, and also told them how Johnny
felt about it. Dad smiled at Johnny. “This interests me, son. After the trouble Jim Sain has caused you and Toby, you think
that his coach is giving him a raw deal. Both of you could've been badly hurt if it weren't for that snowbank, you know.”

“I know,” said Johnny. Then he looked at Mom.
You understand, don't you, Mom? You've seen kids like Jim Sain in New York City. They do things to hurt you, then are sorry
afterwards.

Mom put an arm around his shoulders and gave him a hug. “I think I know why Johnny feels the way he does about Jim,” she said.
“We both have seen boys like Jim in New York. I don't know this boy Jim. But if Johnny wants to help him I don't see anything
wrong in that. Do you?” she asked her husband.

“Not at all. Tell you what, son. Why don't you telephone Mr. Smith and ask him to give Jim another chance? He just might do
it.”

Johnny thought about the suggestion.
It's not that easy,
he wanted to say.

“Can I wait till tomorrow?” he asked.

“Sure,” said Dad, patting him on the shoulder. “Take time to think about it.”

Johnny thought about it most of the next day. That evening he gathered all the courage he could and telephoned Mr. Smith.

“Mr. Smith,” he began, “this is Johnny Reese. My brother and I were on the toboggan that spilled over after Jim Sain had…”
He wet his lips. His heart was pounding. “…after he had scared those horses.”

“Yes. I know who you are,” said Mr. Smith. “What do you want, Johnny?”

“Well, I heard you took Jim off the team because of what he'd done. I just thought—well, when we lived in New York City I
knew a lot of guys. Some of them were like Jim Sain. They did mean things but, really, the guys weren't bad. I mean they were
unhappy because their mothers and fathers never looked after them. I hardly know Jim, but the way he comes to school and the
way he acts… I don't know, Mr. Smith. I think
he's just unhappy and does things to… well… It's hard to explain, Mr. Smith.”

“I think I know what you mean, Johnny,” said Mr. Smith.

“Well, the reason I called is to ask if you'd give him another chance.” A lump rose in Johnny's throat.

“I see,” said Mr. Smith. “Okay, Johnny. I appreciate your telling me this. I'll think about it and decide what to do. Okay?”

“Okay. Thanks, Mr. Smith.”

“You're very welcome, Johnny.”

Johnny hung up. Sweat was rolling down his face.

The White Cats played the Hornets in the Community Hall on Thursday. Johnny looked anxiously for Jim Sain as the Hornets trotted
in from the locker room. There he was!

“He's playing,” Toby said beside him.
“Talking to Coach Smith did it, Johnny. I hope he knows it was you who helped put him back on the team.”

Johnny didn't get in the game until the first quarter was half over. As before Coach Dates played him opposite Jim Sain. Jim
was the first to put out his hand as Johnny came across the floor.

“Johnny, thanks for talking to the coach,” he said.

Johnny smiled. “Forget it.”

Toby tossed the ball to Rick from out of bounds. Rick dribbled it a few steps and passed to Stitch. Stitch's guard almost
took the ball from him. He stumbled backwards and rolled the ball across the floor to Johnny. Both Johnny and Jim Sain raced
after it. They got it at the same time and struggled for its possession.

Shreeek!
“Jump!” yelled the ref.

Johnny and Jim faced each other. The ref stood before them.

From the stands came a fan's yell. The voice of the man Johnny had heard too often already. “Don't let Leadfoot outjump you,
Jim!”

Up went the ball. And up went the boys, Johnny leaping as high as he could. But it wasn't high enough. Jim's fingers soared
a couple of inches higher. It was close. Closer than ever before.

A
Hornet dribbled the ball cautiously across the center line then passed it to a teammate in the left corner. The player tried
to take a shot but Toby leaped in front of him and forced him to toss the ball to another teammate.

The ball passed from one Hornet to another. Then Jim had it, took a shot, and scored.

Johnny shook his head disgustedly, turned, and ran upcourt. He had to keep Jim Sain from making baskets. At least keep him
from making as many as he was accustomed
to. It would be something if Jim was a star today and won the game for the Hornets.
I'd be the goat,
thought Johnny,
for I'm the one who pleaded with Coach Smith to let Jim play.

The game was tied at the end of the first quarter, 11 to 11. In the second quarter the Hornets broke the tie when a little
redheaded boy sank a corner shot. The ball struck the net without touching the rim.

The White Cats tossed the ball in from out of bounds. Cotton Cornish dribbled it across the center line, then whipped it to
Stitch Buttons. A fiery Hornet went after Stitch and Stitch passed to Johnny.

Johnny considered taking a shot. He was just outside of the foul-shooting lane and not far from the basket. But in a wink
Jim was there in front of him, his arms beating up and down like the wings of a hummingbird. Johnny passed to Rick.

Rick dribbled toward the basket, went up, and shot. At the same time a Hornet struck his wrist.
Shreeeek!
went the whistle. The ball swiveled through the net.

The ref signaled that the basket counted and that Rick was entitled to one shot. Rick made it, putting the Cats ahead, 14
to 13.

The Hornets took the ball down to their basket, tried to move in close with it, but couldn't. The Cats had formed a human
wall to defend the basket. Only a daring player would try to break through it.

A daring player did. Jim Sain. He broke through the wall, with his right shoulder striking Cotton so hard that Cotton fell.
The whistle shrilled as Jim leaped under the basket, laid the ball up against the boards, and sank it.

The ref shook his head sideways and yelled, “No basket!” Then he pointed a finger
at Jim. “Charging!” he said, and gave the ball to the White Cats.

Jim made a face then ran downcourt to help defend his basket. Johnny and Toby exchanged grins. That time Jim's daring charge
had backfired.

Toby took out the ball and passed it to Johnny. Johnny tossed it to Cotton, who he figured was a better dribbler than himself.
Cotton dribbled to the center line where a Hornet buzzed at him and made a stab for the ball. Cotton stopped on a dime, pivoted
on his right foot, and passed to Rick. Rick faked a shot and then passed to Toby, who was running down the right sideline.
Toby caught the ball, stopped to shoot, but two players swarmed upon him instantly. One clamped his hand on the ball, trapping
it.

Jump ball.

Toby outjumped his opponent but a Hornet
caught the tap and started upcourt in a fast sprint. There was no White Cat within yards of him. He leaped, laid the ball
nicely against the boards, and scored two points.

Again Toby took out the ball. He wasn't grinning now. Neither was Johnny. Johnny caught the pass from Toby and bounced it
to Rick. Rick passed to Cotton, who again dribbled the ball to the center line, then across it, where a Hornet stopped him.

Cotton passed to Nat Newton who was in for Stitch. Nat dribbled to the left sideline then passed to Huck, who was running
in toward the basket. Huck caught the pass and laid it up. Two points.

The game moved along swiftly, both teams playing equally well. The score remained close with the lead changing from one team
to the other and back again.

At the midway point of the second quarter Coach Dates put in Ken Addison in place of
Rick and Dale Michaels in place of Toby. A couple of minutes later he sent in Buzz Elliot in place of Cotton. Johnny noticed
that Coach Smith had put in substitutes too.

The fresh new players made little difference with the score. It was a tie seconds before the half ended. Ken sank one from
the corner to break it, putting the Cats in the lead, 31 to 29, when the whistle blew.

Johnny was glad for the intermission. He was tired and the rest would do him good. He had played the entire first half.

He started the second half too. Hardly half a minute passed when Jim had the ball, dribbling toward the Cats basket. Johnny
sprang after him.
I'm going to stop this shot,
he promised himself,
even if I foul him.

He brushed past a Hornet and put his hand flat against the ball as Jim started to leap. Jim scarcely got off the floor. He
looked from the basket to the player who
had stopped him and Johnny thought he had never seen a more surprised look on anybody's face than was on Jim's.

“Jump!” yelled the ref.

The two boys faced each other. The ref stood ready to toss the ball up between them.

“Outjump him, Jim!” yelled that familiar voice again.

Johnny waited anxiously for the ref to toss up the ball. He was determined to jump higher than Jim this time.

The ball went up. The boys jumped. Johnny saw Jim's hand rise up past his, saw the hand tap the ball to a Hornet teammate.

“That-a-boy, Jim!” yelled the fan.

The Hornet tried a long shot. This time Johnny caught the ball as it bounced off the boards. He tossed it to Dale. Dale dribbled
it a few steps then passed to Buzz. Buzz passed to Ken, who dribbled down the right
sideline and took a set from the corner. A basket!

Johnny glanced at the scoreboard. The Cats were ahead by four points, 33 to 29.

The game remained close to the very end. The Cats led 54 to 53 with ten seconds left to play. The ball was in their possession.

“Hold that ball!” shouted Coach Dates. “Don't lose it!”

Johnny had the ball. He started to pass it to Rick but Jim got to it and tried to yank it away. Jump ball.

Now,
thought Johnny.
I've got to outjump him now.

He didn't. Jim tapped the ball to a teammate. Seconds later the Hornets scored. Two seconds later the horn blew. The game
was over. 55 to 54, Hornets.

The Hornet fans roared their heads off. Both teams shook hands with each other. “Nice game, Jim,” said Johnny.