Plunking Reggie Jackson

His brother dead, a baseball star struggles to fill his footsteps

Coley Burke's brother, Patrick, taught him how to throw a baseball, how to get girls, and how to keep their overbearing father off his back. Everything came easily to Patrick, whose natural talent on the baseball diamond had him set up for a career in the major leagues -- right until the drunk-driving accident that ended his life. With Patrick gone, Coley is lost. His grades are slipping, and if he doesn't get them back up, he won't be allowed to play baseball this season. No baseball means no scholarship, and no scholarship means he will never play in the majors. For Coley's father, that kind of failure is unacceptable. As the pressure overwhelms him, Coley looks for a way out. With his girlfriend, Bree, by his side, he runs away from home. Coley has the potential to be a great ballplayer -- but first he'll have to learn who he is off the diamond.