In chapter 25, Grayson tells Maniac about his first day in the minors, when he was due to play for the Bluefield Bullets. When Grayson arrived in Bluefield, West Virginia, he asked a gas station attendant for directions to the ballpark. The attendant discerned that Grayson was a new ballplayer and then told him that all new ballplayers were treated to a free meal at the restaurant across the street. He encouraged Grayson to ask for "the biggest steak on the menu. And anything else you want, too, because it's all on the house." Grayson duly went to the restaurant and ordered "a sixteen-ounce steak, half a broiled chicken, and two pieces of rhubarb pie." When he got up to leave, the restaurant owner "came running after him . . . all mad." This is when Grayson learned that the gas station attendant was "a real card and liked to...
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welcome dumb rookies with his little practical joke."
As a result of the gas station attendant's joke, Grayson spent his first day in the minors washing dishes to work off his meal, while his team was taking the field. He should have been playing with them, as their new pitcher.
What trick was pulled on Grayson during his first professional baseball game?
Grayson told Maniac Magee a story about when he was very young and a new minor league baseball player. He arrived in the new town where he would be playing with the Bluefield Bullets. Grayson approached the "gas station attendant... [and asked] which way to the ballpark." The man recognized Grayson as a new baseball player for the Bluefield Bullets. The attendant suggested that Grayson first stop to eat at the Blue Star restaurant across the street. He told him to "tell the waitress [he wanted] the biggest steak on the menu." He then went on to explain that every time a new baseball player arrived to join the team, the Blue Star gave him a free dinner. He also added that "they [wanted his] business."
A naive Grayson followed the man's advice. He ordered an expensive meal, which consisted of a "sixteen-ounce steak, half a broiled chicken, and two pieces of rhubarb pie." Then he left without paying. The restaurant owner angrily chased after Grayson. Grayson told him what the gas station man had said, which made the man more angry. This was not the first time the attendant had tried that trick on a new player.
While his new team played, Grayson was stuck at the Blue Star restaurant. He was washing dishes to pay for his expensive meal.