Ted Smith and Gordon Windhorn grew up together in Phoenix, Arizona. Both were interested in athletics. Ted was a pretty good sandlot outfielder and dreamed of a career in major-league baseball. Gordie was on the high-school track team, and he seldom played baseball. When he did participate in a game, it was usually softball.

One day Ted saw a newspaper story about the New York Giants conducting tryouts in Phoenix. Ted was eager to try out with the Giants, but he was shy about going to the field alone. He asked Gordie to accompany him.

“I’m not a baseball player,” Gordie protested. “I don’t even have a glove or a uniform.”

“I’ll lend you some of my stuff,” Ted Offered. “But please come with me.”

“What position do I play?” asked the hesitant Gordie.

“Tell them you’re an outfielder,” Ted suggested.

“Okay,” Gordie said, sighing. “I’m going to make a fool of myself, and I wouldn’t do it if we weren’t friends.”

Once the boys were suited up, they trotted onto the field. Gordie went into the outfield. One of the coaches lifted a fly ball in his direction.

“Go get it, boy,” called the coach.

Gordie went back, stuck up his glove, and the ball plopped into the pocket. He made several more catches, although sometimes he almost got his feet tangled. Mostly he reached the ball because he was so fast.

When it came time to swing a bat, Gordie surprised even himself. He smacked some line drives and hard grounders. A few of them would have been clean base hits in a real game.

Five youngsters were good enough to be signed by the New York Giants to play in their farm system. Ted Smith was not one of them. Gordie Windhorn received a contract. He was never a star, but he did make the major leagues. The boy who didn’t think of himself as a baseball player went on to play for the Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees, the Kansas City Athletics, and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

From The Giant Book of More Strange But True Sports Stories by Howard Liss. Illustrations by Joe Mathieu.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordie_Windhorn

http://www.chathamstartribune.com/opinion/article_2f0ef176-e58b-11e7-a95f-ff2573eeb3c2.html