One Strike You're Out!

How many years must a person regret and pay for their mistakes? The likes of President Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton . . . are among them. In 1919, Charlie Fader also slipped when as a young pitching phenom, he joined seven others to throw the World Series. One Strike You're Out picks up Charlie's life, 50 years later. He is now a 70 year old recluse, working as a janitor in an old laundry. He meets a blind teen-ager at the laundry, and a bond is set. Ty, a baseball fan, has acquired a photographic memory on everything he hears, including box scores and plays, read to him from newspapers and what he heard on the radio. In mid-season, the local team, the Isles, are in last place and heading deeper into the cellar. Charlie and Ty figure batting and pitching orders as a diversion, and realize that if the Isles had them, they would be in first place and heading for the World Series. Since the Isle's uniforms are cleaned at the laundry, Charlie and Ty decide to plant line-ups in the manager's back pocket. The Isles win the pennant. A leading sportswriter is brought in on the secret and hires a private detective to find out where the notes came from. Ty and Charlie are discovered, and the latter is finally forgiven for his youthful digression. Everyone loves a 'Rocky' . . . and it's a wonderful life story. One Strike You're Out is another.