Summary
The Championship Game
The Crazy Horse Electric Game by Chris Crutcher opens with Willie Weaver, the star pitcher for Coho, Montana's local baseball team, gearing up for the most crucial match of his life. Willie is gifted with an exceptional pitching arm, earning him a legendary reputation among his peers and family. He understands that leading his team, Samson Floral, to victory hinges entirely on him. Confident in his abilities, Willie knows that when he's at his best, no one can hit his fastball. The entire town of Coho is relying on Willie to secure their first championship trophy, especially his father, Big Will, who seems to live through his son's sporting successes and setbacks. Big Will's own claim to fame was playing football in the 1960s for the University of Washington, where he won the Rose Bowl. Although Willie knows his father is proud of him, they have never managed to form a significant emotional bond.
On the day of the big game, Willie is in peak form; no batter has reached second base, and Samson Floral leads 1–0 in the seventh inning. However, by the bottom of the ninth, Willie makes his first error, allowing the tying run on first base just before the opposing team's power hitter comes up to bat. As the next pitch is thrown, Willie loses his balance while the ball is hit sharply toward third base. Miraculously, he catches the line drive on pure instinct, "etching the Crazy Horse Electric game in the mind of every citizen and ball player and coach—maybe even dog and cat—in Coho, Montana."
The Accident
After securing the championship, Willie enjoys a high all summer long. During a weekend trip with his parents, girlfriend Jenny, and best friend Johnny, Willie suffers a tragic water-skiing accident that leaves him physically disabled. The body he once had complete control over is now damaged and beyond his command. Willie feels ashamed, embarrassed, and frustrated by his condition. Although he wishes to avoid everyone, Jenny and his friends insist on bringing him back into their circle. Despite their efforts to make him feel at ease, their actions have the opposite effect. Willie cannot bear the pity and begins to withdraw into his own world, which is filled with depression and thoughts of suicide.
Willie's parents send him to a therapist to help him process his emotions about the accident. After a few sessions, Willie seems to be improving, but then he has a major argument with Big Will, who believes Willie isn't trying hard enough to heal. Willie feels like he's disappointed his father, while Big Will's harsh attitude frustrates Willie's mom, causing a significant strain in their marriage. On top of his family issues, Willie discovers Jenny with another classmate, realizing she has betrayed him. That evening, Willie overhears a heated argument between his parents, partly fueled by unresolved grief over the loss of Willie's baby sister years ago. He concludes that running away is the only solution to free his loved ones from the burden he believes he has become.
The Escape
Willie packs his belongings, gathers all the money he can find, and boards a Greyhound bus heading to San Francisco. He makes it as far as Oakland but gets stranded late at night when the bus breaks down. Alone, he is approached by a local gang who notice his cane and consider him an easy target. Despite his attempts to flee, the gang attacks him, steals all his money, and leaves him injured in the street. A local bus driver named Lacey finds Willie and takes him home,...
(This entire section contains 1208 words.)
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offering him a place to stay for the night.
Although Lacey initially insists Willie can only stay one night, they come to an arrangement where Willie agrees to help around the house in exchange for room and board. Willie soon learns that Lacey is involved in a questionable line of work, which Lacey refers to as "human relations." Although Willie realizes Lacey is a pimp, he knows he's in no position to judge. Lacey calls in a favor to get Willie enrolled in a local school for disadvantaged and troubled teens, known as OMLC (One More Last Chance) High School.
OMLC
At OMLC, Willie connects with Lisa, the physical education teacher who takes an interest in him as part of her physical therapy studies. Initially hesitant to trust her, Willie soon finds that she helps him feel less self-conscious about his physical condition. He also forms a bond with Andre, the school principal, who looks out for Willie like an older brother. However, life with Lacey is not as smooth. Late one night, Willie is awakened by a violent argument between Lacey and one of his girls, who turns out to be a classmate of Willie's. When Willie steps in to defend her and leaves Lacey unconscious, he fears for his life. Although he plans to move into the school’s basement, for some unknown reason, Lacey insists that Willie stay.
Willie soon discovers that he is allowed to stay because Lacey is seeking redemption for a past mistake. It turns out that Lacey had once beaten his own son so severely that the son suffered permanent brain damage and now resides in a hospital. Lacey is prohibited from visiting his son and hopes to ease his guilty conscience by helping Willie.
Burning Down the OMLC
With Lisa's assistance and some tai chi classes, Willie finds his balance and makes significant progress on the basketball court. This also allows him to befriend two classmates, Hawk and Kato. Meanwhile, Andre is putting in effort to beautify the school. Unfortunately, these improvements are short-lived when the gang that attacked Willie months earlier begins vandalizing the school with graffiti. Kato decides it's time to teach the gang a lesson. With access to the school keys, he devises a plan with Hawk and Willie to confront the gang during their next attack. On the night of the confrontation, Willie ends up facing the gang alone. The gang sets the school on fire, and Willie narrowly escapes, managing to save both his life and that of the gang leader.
Going Home
Despite the disaster, Andre commits to restoring the school to its former glory. Inspired by Andre's determination, Willie works diligently with Lisa, and his physical disabilities become nearly unnoticeable. On graduation day, Willie delivers an emotional speech, expressing gratitude to everyone who supported his recovery, including Lacey. Feeling his journey at OMLC is complete, Willie boards a bus back to Coho, intending to reconcile with his friends and family. Upon his return, Willie discovers that much has changed in the two years he's been away. His parents are divorced, his mother has remarried, and his father is unemployed and battling alcoholism. Additionally, his reunion with Jenny is tense, as she struggles to cope with Willie's abrupt disappearance and return. After having long, individual conversations with each parent, Willie realizes Coho no longer feels like home. He understands it will take time to rebuild relationships with his parents and that he will return someday, but in Coho, he still feels limited, as he did before leaving. As the novel concludes, Willie takes his father's motorcycle, bids farewell, and heads back to Oakland.
