"Soft Landings," by Jay Baruch

There’s something common and almost flat in this story- baseball, dreams, mowing lawns, dying parents, Alzheimer disease- but written with the pen of a master this story is woven with depth and feeling. Cape is in his mid-twenties with a liberal arts degree under his belt. And he has a passion for playing baseball. He won’t let go of the dream: “Without this particular slant of light, I’m like everybody else groping through the draft.” The story title is just right and the surprise element around that title offers a very satisfying read, here in Eclectica.