Keystone Kids: The Story of the Carson Twins, Take Two

kailnurah · 06-19-2011, 03:55 AM

All right, the last attempt at this dynasty didn't work out too well (and I ended up losing the original file, anyway) so let's try this again!

This is my first real attempt at writing a dynasty, inspired heavily by writers like Big Six and AZTarHeel. It'll follow the trials and travails of the Carson twins, who grew up playing second and short with each other all through childhood, high school, and college at Fresno State.

Second baseman Tyler Carson is the Bulldogs' three-hole hitter. He's got a little bit of an ego, and he's older by, well, less than an hour. He's always played the big brother role, and he's got some pop, leading the Bulldogs in home runs.

Shortstop Riley Carson is the little brother and the leadoff hitter for the Bulldogs. He's more reserved, and while he'd never admit it, he's got a great baseball instinct and a ton of speed on the basepaths. He's overly humble, having always played second fiddle to his brother.

Where will their individual careers lead? Who knows -- first up for these twins from San Luis Obispo, CA, is the little matter of winning the College World Series....!

kailnurah · 06-19-2011, 04:00 AM

June 14, 2006

Omaha, Nebraska

Riley Carson closed his eyes, wiping the sweat from his brow. The dust of the field stung his tired eyes, making his vision seem blurrier and his helmet that fraction heavier, and with a hefty sigh, he lifted his head up to read the scoreboard. No matter how tired he was, the letters were bright, and clear as day.

Bottom of the tenth inning.

Florida State 4, Fresno State 4.

Nobody out.

In that instant, the on-deck circle seemed like the loneliest place in the world.

Riley lifted his bat, tapping it on the ground and trying to calm his nerves, when a voice from the dugout behind him cut through the roar of the crowd.

"Riley! Hey, Riley!"

The young shortstop glanced back to see the grinning face of his twin brother, Tyler, just behind the railing. A little shorter and a little stockier, Tyler was all muscle where Riley was all speed. Riley shook his head at the wide grin on his brother's face.

"Tyler, I --"

Tyler laughed, his face a mirror of his twin's. "You get out there, you get on base, and just let me handle the rest. Do what you do, bro."

"Hey, sorry to interrupt, but their closer's just about done warming up." Curtis Fung, the Bulldogs' right fielder, popped his head up next to Tyler's, bat already in hand. "You ready?"

Above them, the P.A. blared. Now batting for Fresno, the second baseman, number 14, Riley Carson!

"Enough." Riley wrapped his hands around his bat and held it at arm's length. "Better back me up, guys."

Within seconds, Riley was in the batter's box, bat tightly in hand, looking levelly out at Florida's star reliever. It was a lock that both of the young men would end up with Major League teams by next season, and behind him, Riley could almost hear the click of radar guns as the scouts behind home plate readied their equipment.

The pitcher went into his wind-up. Riley's hands tightened on the bat, his crouch deepening, and as the ball flew towards him at nearly a hundred miles an hour, Riley's hand slid up the bat in a motion he'd practiced time and again, and his wrist flicked down.

With one clang of the bat, Riley dropped a perfect bunt into the third-base line. The momentum completely sucked out of the ball as it bounded towards the hot corner, and as he raced towards first base, he put his head down and never even saw the catcher frantically race to get after the ball.

By the time the ball hit the first baseman's glove, Riley was five feet past the bag as roars came from the Fresno State fans in the crowd. The fans that had watched their boys all year knew what was coming: another Carson special.

Now batting for Fresno, number 65, Curtis Fung!

Curtis dropped a 2-1 bunt of his own up the first base side, getting Riley over to second base. The Fresno State fans were on their feet now, screaming incoherently, and Riley clapped his gloves together with a grin.

He'd gotten on base.

Now batting for Fresno, number 22, Tyler Carson!

The sound of the crowd turned into a dull roar as Riley stared in at his twin brother. Tyler took a wide ball off the outside. Swung through a 99-mph fastball in. Took a close pitch outside.

When the pitcher threw on the 2-1 count, Riley was already moving. He didn't need to look, didn't need to listen to the crack of the ash, didn't even need to watch the screaming line drive that arced just out of reach of the second baseman's glove.

The rest of the Bulldogs were all over him before he'd even hit home plate, carrying him there themselves, screaming and hugging each other, throwing caps in the air and frantically jumping in a mass of bodies as the Bulldog fans in the crowd went absolutely insane.

Through the mass of players, Riley turned back and managed to spot his brother on second base, with the widest grin he'd ever seen, and pointed at him.

Tyler pointed back, with both hands, and raced to join the scrum.

Sure, in a couple months it would be time for the amateur draft. Riley would probably be split from a brother whom he had spent his life playing across second base with, and had the rest of an uncertain life ahead of him.

But in that moment, with the crowd roaring its approval, no one could take that away from them.

kailnurah · 06-19-2011, 04:53 AM

June 30, 2006

San Luis Obispo, CA

The front lawn was quiet, with only a soft wind blowing through the blades of grass at the front of the Carson household. Overhead, the sun was crossing through the heavens; in the distance, the sound of cars whistling down Broad Street; the rustling of trees softly filling in the silences.

It was enough, though Riley Carson, to make one feel very, very small. Somehow, he found this almost comforting.

The Carson household was abuzz with activity; it was the first day of the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft. Tyler had been crowing all day that the twins were bound to go in the first round; their father, Roger, had been watching mock drafts all week, and one Carson or the other kept popping up after opening all sorts of eyes in the lead-up to the College World Series.

Now the big day was here, and all Riley wanted was to hide outside of the house and close his eyes until it was all over.

Not that Tyler would let him.

"Riley! Listen what --"

"I don't wanna hear it!" Riley covered his eyes. "I can't do this, I'm going to Mother's to get a drink."

"Mother's Tavern? Guess what, bro...everyone's gonna be watching this." Tyler grinned. "We're local celebrities!"

Riley held the bridge of his nose and groaned. "I'd rather just be a baseball player."

"Oh, good!" The twins' dad Roger burst out the door of their house, grinning from ear to ear. "You wanna be a baseball player, Riley? How about in Cincinnati? Because they just picked you in the first round!"

-----

The Cincinnati Reds drafted Riley with the 8th pick of the draft; they're currently 31-35, 9.5 games behind the division leader.

Tyler, on the other hand, was drafted by the Washington Nationals with the 16th overall pick, suffering a hard-luck season at 24-44, 13.5 games back from the division leaders. Currently, the Nats' second baseman is Jose Vidro, which could prove to be a good sign for Tyler in the long run...

Curtis Fung, Riley and Tyler's two-hole hitting buddy from Fresno, was drafted by the Florida Marlins with the 19th pick in the draft.

06-19-2011, 03:55 AM	#1
kailnurah Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 22	Keystone Kids: The Story of the Carson Twins, Take Two All right, the last attempt at this dynasty didn't work out too well (and I ended up losing the original file, anyway) so let's try this again! This is my first real attempt at writing a dynasty, inspired heavily by writers like Big Six and AZTarHeel. It'll follow the trials and travails of the Carson twins, who grew up playing second and short with each other all through childhood, high school, and college at Fresno State. Second baseman Tyler Carson is the Bulldogs' three-hole hitter. He's got a little bit of an ego, and he's older by, well, less than an hour. He's always played the big brother role, and he's got some pop, leading the Bulldogs in home runs. Shortstop Riley Carson is the little brother and the leadoff hitter for the Bulldogs. He's more reserved, and while he'd never admit it, he's got a great baseball instinct and a ton of speed on the basepaths. He's overly humble, having always played second fiddle to his brother. Where will their individual careers lead? Who knows -- first up for these twins from San Luis Obispo, CA, is the little matter of winning the College World Series....!

06-19-2011, 04:00 AM	#2
kailnurah Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 22	1: The College World Series June 14, 2006 Omaha, Nebraska Riley Carson closed his eyes, wiping the sweat from his brow. The dust of the field stung his tired eyes, making his vision seem blurrier and his helmet that fraction heavier, and with a hefty sigh, he lifted his head up to read the scoreboard. No matter how tired he was, the letters were bright, and clear as day. Bottom of the tenth inning. Florida State 4, Fresno State 4. Nobody out. In that instant, the on-deck circle seemed like the loneliest place in the world. Riley lifted his bat, tapping it on the ground and trying to calm his nerves, when a voice from the dugout behind him cut through the roar of the crowd. "Riley! Hey, Riley!" The young shortstop glanced back to see the grinning face of his twin brother, Tyler, just behind the railing. A little shorter and a little stockier, Tyler was all muscle where Riley was all speed. Riley shook his head at the wide grin on his brother's face. "Tyler, I --" Tyler laughed, his face a mirror of his twin's. "You get out there, you get on base, and just let me handle the rest. Do what you do, bro." "Hey, sorry to interrupt, but their closer's just about done warming up." Curtis Fung, the Bulldogs' right fielder, popped his head up next to Tyler's, bat already in hand. "You ready?" Above them, the P.A. blared. Now batting for Fresno, the second baseman, number 14, Riley Carson! "Enough." Riley wrapped his hands around his bat and held it at arm's length. "Better back me up, guys." Within seconds, Riley was in the batter's box, bat tightly in hand, looking levelly out at Florida's star reliever. It was a lock that both of the young men would end up with Major League teams by next season, and behind him, Riley could almost hear the click of radar guns as the scouts behind home plate readied their equipment. The pitcher went into his wind-up. Riley's hands tightened on the bat, his crouch deepening, and as the ball flew towards him at nearly a hundred miles an hour, Riley's hand slid up the bat in a motion he'd practiced time and again, and his wrist flicked down. With one clang of the bat, Riley dropped a perfect bunt into the third-base line. The momentum completely sucked out of the ball as it bounded towards the hot corner, and as he raced towards first base, he put his head down and never even saw the catcher frantically race to get after the ball. By the time the ball hit the first baseman's glove, Riley was five feet past the bag as roars came from the Fresno State fans in the crowd. The fans that had watched their boys all year knew what was coming: another Carson special. Now batting for Fresno, number 65, Curtis Fung! Curtis dropped a 2-1 bunt of his own up the first base side, getting Riley over to second base. The Fresno State fans were on their feet now, screaming incoherently, and Riley clapped his gloves together with a grin. He'd gotten on base. Now batting for Fresno, number 22, Tyler Carson! The sound of the crowd turned into a dull roar as Riley stared in at his twin brother. Tyler took a wide ball off the outside. Swung through a 99-mph fastball in. Took a close pitch outside. When the pitcher threw on the 2-1 count, Riley was already moving. He didn't need to look, didn't need to listen to the crack of the ash, didn't even need to watch the screaming line drive that arced just out of reach of the second baseman's glove. The rest of the Bulldogs were all over him before he'd even hit home plate, carrying him there themselves, screaming and hugging each other, throwing caps in the air and frantically jumping in a mass of bodies as the Bulldog fans in the crowd went absolutely insane. Through the mass of players, Riley turned back and managed to spot his brother on second base, with the widest grin he'd ever seen, and pointed at him. Tyler pointed back, with both hands, and raced to join the scrum. Sure, in a couple months it would be time for the amateur draft. Riley would probably be split from a brother whom he had spent his life playing across second base with, and had the rest of an uncertain life ahead of him. But in that moment, with the crowd roaring its approval, no one could take that away from them. __________________ Check out my new dynasty: Keystone Kids: The Tale of the Carson Twins Last edited by kailnurah; 06-19-2011 at 04:07 AM.

06-19-2011, 04:53 AM	#3
kailnurah Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 22	2 - Draft Day Afternoon June 30, 2006 San Luis Obispo, CA The front lawn was quiet, with only a soft wind blowing through the blades of grass at the front of the Carson household. Overhead, the sun was crossing through the heavens; in the distance, the sound of cars whistling down Broad Street; the rustling of trees softly filling in the silences. It was enough, though Riley Carson, to make one feel very, very small. Somehow, he found this almost comforting. The Carson household was abuzz with activity; it was the first day of the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft. Tyler had been crowing all day that the twins were bound to go in the first round; their father, Roger, had been watching mock drafts all week, and one Carson or the other kept popping up after opening all sorts of eyes in the lead-up to the College World Series. Now the big day was here, and all Riley wanted was to hide outside of the house and close his eyes until it was all over. Not that Tyler would let him. "Riley! Listen what --" "I don't wanna hear it!" Riley covered his eyes. "I can't do this, I'm going to Mother's to get a drink." "Mother's Tavern? Guess what, bro...everyone's gonna be watching this." Tyler grinned. "We're local celebrities!" Riley held the bridge of his nose and groaned. "I'd rather just be a baseball player." "Oh, good!" The twins' dad Roger burst out the door of their house, grinning from ear to ear. "You wanna be a baseball player, Riley? How about in Cincinnati? Because they just picked you in the first round!" ----- The Cincinnati Reds drafted Riley with the 8th pick of the draft; they're currently 31-35, 9.5 games behind the division leader. Tyler, on the other hand, was drafted by the Washington Nationals with the 16th overall pick, suffering a hard-luck season at 24-44, 13.5 games back from the division leaders. Currently, the Nats' second baseman is Jose Vidro, which could prove to be a good sign for Tyler in the long run... Curtis Fung, Riley and Tyler's two-hole hitting buddy from Fresno, was drafted by the Florida Marlins with the 19th pick in the draft. __________________ Check out my new dynasty: Keystone Kids: The Tale of the Carson Twins Last edited by kailnurah; 06-19-2011 at 05:07 AM.