From the forests to the fields -- Grade school days -- Carlisle school -- Sports -- An up-and-coming prospect -- A new ace -- The learning curve: Inventing the slider -- Racism and redemption -- Aww, shoot! -- The world series -- The king of the dynasty -- Jumping the fence -- Life after the pros -- Retirement -- Charles Bender career statistics -- Ideas for writing and discussion -- Ideas for visual projects -- Ideas for further learning -- Timeline -- About the author -- About the illustrator -- About the series editors.