Winners Take All (Allstar Sportstory)

The newest title in the best-selling AllStar SportStory series features fast-paced sports action, off-the-field drama...and a glimpse into baseball's rich history! In order to win an important baseball game, twelve-year-old Kyle claims to have made a difficult catch that he actually dropped. He thus sets in motion a chain of events that he feels powerless to stop. The unearned win gives his team, the Reds, an unfair advantage in the championship series against the Cubs. Everyone-from his teammate to his parents-consider him the hero of the game. But the heady excitement of the praise and attention he receives is not enough to silence his conscience, which starts getting to get the better of him. He is afraid of embarrassing himself and disappointing his family and teammates if he tells the truth, but he is increasingly uneasy in his deception. He even considers deliberating throwing the next game in the series to try to offset the damage. It isn't until his sports-crazed grandmother tells him about Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson, a pitcher whose reputation for honesty was so great that umpires would ask him to make calls during games. Mathewson made the calls-and sometimes against his own team! In the end Kyle learns a valuable lesson about sportsmanship, and realizes that being a hero is only worthwhile if you have earned it. The final playoff game between the Reds and the Cubs provides exciting and nail-biting action that will have young readers on the edge of their seats.