Rereading My Childhood: The Baby-Sitters Club

#20: Kristy and the Walking Disaster

I do not come from a sports family. I had no interest and actively hated (and still hate) physical activity. My mother climbed our cherry trees to get the best fruits, but that's about it. My father, the stereotypical member of the family to love sports, had even less interest than myself. My sister was the closest to a sports fan. And by sports, I mean sports entertainment. She even wanted to be a wrestler when she grew up. She's a standup comedian, so she just made a lateral move. Luckily for me, because my family doesn't care much for sports or forcing children into activities, I never joined a Little League team. My parents never made my sister or me join anything, and for that, I am grateful.

Kristy starts a Little League team in Kristy and the Walking Disaster, and this book dives into a world I never experienced. It also affirms why I don't like sports, so this book is both an exploration and an affirmation! It's like a self-help book for people who don't like sports, but like Scholastic Book Fairs.

The book starts a BSC meeting and the usual description of each and every BSC member. Kristy even tells the reader, "I am the president and I must look like I mean business." After four years of the indignity of the Tr*mp Crime Family, I don't think that's true anymore.

We get our lengthy explanation on club procedures, Kid-Kits, and the BSC notebook. All standard opening chapter stuff. Finally, the BSC starts their meeting and they get a call from the Radowsky family. Kristy takes the job while calling Jackie a "walking disaster." Honestly, it's a bit harsh, and even if the kid is accident-prone, he's still one of the more interesting kids in Stoneybrook.

That Saturday, Kristy is watching a few of the neighborhood kids play softball.

Hannie really couldn't hit. She never connected with the ball. Max dropped or missed every ball he tried to catch. David Michael was simply a klutz. He tripped over his feet, the bat, even the ball, and no matter how he concentrated, he somehow never did anything right, except pitch. Karen wasn't a bad hitter. And Andrew might have been a good catcher if he weren't so little, but he's only four, so balls went sailing over him right and left, even when he stretched for him. Amanda and Linnie were no better than the others.

Yeah, how dare these kids play softball if they're so terrible! Who cares if they're four, when Joe DiMaggio was four, he had two World Series wins and had married and divorced Marilyn Monroe!

She gathers up the kids and gives them some pointers because these kids will never get to Koshien if they don't get their shit together. Some of the kids express an interest in joining a team and David Michael informs Kristy of a kid in the neighborhood named Bart Taylor who coaches Bart's Bashers. For those of you familiar with the BSC, that name should ring a bell.

Anyway, Kristy goes to talk to Bart Taylor and she freaks.

Why did I feel so nervous? I've talked to boys before. I've been to dances with boys. I've been to parties with boys. But none of them looked at me the way Bart was looking at me just then - as if standing on the sidewalk was a glamorous movie star instead of plain old me, Kristy Thomas. And, to be honest, none of them had been quite as cute as Bart. They didn't have his crooked smile or his deep, deep brown eyes, or his even, straight perfect nose, or his hair that looked like it might have been styled at one of those hair places for guys - or not. I think it's a good sign if you can't tell.

Do you mean a "barbershop," Kristy? Since this is the eighth grade, I'm assuming she means "Fantastic Sams."

Anyway, she tries to get six kids on Bart's team, but he won't because he can't handle that many kids. It will become apparent that he can't even handle the kids he currently has, but for right now, Kristy walks away having made two decisions - she's going to start a softball team and she has a crush on Bart Taylor.