Cheat (Socks CCCLXXI)

Basketball knew different names for the people, but by now was calling them the names that the twins used.
"I remember when Grunter taught Pretty how to throw me."
"She has smooth hands."
"Yes she does. At first she could hardly hit the basket, but before long she beat him at Pig almost every time. He tried to get her to play One-on-one, but she said it wasn't fair because he was taller and stronger. She didn't know that he cheated, too."
"He did?"
"Yea, he said that he could hit her hand, as long as she had the ball."

Free Throw (Socks CCCLXX)

Basketball's favorite activity was the free throw contest, "Once, I got tossed through the hoop fifty three times in a row."
"Grunter did that?"
"No, a guy named Greg. He was good. Grunter's best was nine in a row."
The conversation moved on, it seemed as if Basketball had seen Grunter in action for quite a while. Apparently Grunter used to like to keep Basketball with him while watching games on TV, bouncing him between his feet when someone stepped up to the line. This practice had stopped when Pretty came into Basketball's life.
"She can hit a free throw."

Air Ball (Socks CCCLXIX)

The boys described Grunter to Basketball.
"I think that's him, but he didn't have any hair on his face when I first saw him, and he was shorter. He could barely hit the basket."
Basketball said that a few times he got to bounce on a wooden floor, "It's not as hard on my surface as concrete."
Basketball said that people said mean things to each other while they played almost any game, "They call it trash talk." He didn't understand some of it.
"One guy called Grunter, Shack when he would free throw. Another guy called him Air Ball."

Passes (Socks CCCLXVIII)

Basketball next told of the bounce pass, the behind the back pass, and the no-look pass.
Then Basketball started telling a story, "When I first came out of the box my surface was much rougher, and I could hold air for a long time. I used to bounce on the concrete, then fly through the air, but most of the time I'd bounce off the rim."
"I thought that the idea was to go through the hoop."
"It is, but the guy that bounced me most of the time, didn't start out very good."
"Who was it? Was it Grunter?"

Basketball (Socks CCCLXVII)

The boys were hanging over the bench, talking with Basketball, "That looked like fun."
"I don't know how many times I've heard a speech like that one before I got tossed."
"I didn't that understand speech."
Basketball explained the game to the boys, then he told of other games that he had played.
"Horse sounds the same as Pig, only longer."
"Another game is 21. You get 2 points for a free throw, and 1point for a lay-up."
"What's a lay-up?"
The explanation about the lay-up led to other shots: the jumper, the fade-away, the sky hook, and the dunk.

From the Line (Socks CCCLXVI)

Pink Shirt carried Lar and Rar to the bench. She set them aside while she sorted items.
She held the basketball, "Too worn." She put the deflated ball next to her face, her elbow shoulder high, pointing in the direction of a large grey barrel at the opposite end of the bench.
"Mazzante is six for six at the line tonight. Here's the release."
The twins watched the ball arching through the air toward them, ending in the barrel, "The crowd goes wild," pink shirt turned back to the bench.
"That was fun, I just wish I wasn't so deflated."

More Nice Hands (Socks CCCLXV)

"I'll need directions."
"Right. Come over here."
Black shirt walked over to the pink shirt. She put her arm around his shoulders, pointing out the window, "See that green house down the street?"
"OK."
"My house is around the corner, steel grey, you'll see my Bug in front."
"Good, see you Sunday," He walked out the door.
The girl continued to sort. She finished the pile on the bench, took care of the items, and came for more boxes. She carried the sports equipment, and a large white bag to the bench, "One more"
She picked up the twins, "Nice."