spoke, just stared at the wall as if there were a
window there instead of empty shelves. “They
were all going to be good players on a good
team. That earns college acceptance letters and
scholarships.”
“And what would have happened when
Derrick went off to college and his batting
average took a dramatic drop?” Justin asked.
After a beat of silence, Savino said,
“Doesn’t matter now.”
“It matters to the guys who got suspended
for cheating,” Justin said quietly. “And the other
players who trusted you and got let down. It
matters to Matt, whom you manipulated into
helping you. And it matters to all the fans of the
team. It matters a lot. Just not to you, I guess.”
He walked away without waiting for a response.
/////
With the team “in transition,” the Lions
forfeited their next three games. The teams
they would have played were credited
with victories even though those games
never happened.
91
