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"A touching story about where imaginary friends go after we’ve left them behind."
Writertopia
"Not only is this story wonderful because it addresses the common fears of loneliness that come with age, but also because it shows that true friendship, no matter the distance or time that separates the companions, can last a lifetime."
Melissa Dalton
A story by Mike Resnick with Lezli Robin
«He’d been sitting on the sidelines, warming the bench, waiting, for almost seventy years. The winds of Time chilled him to the bone, and all he had to keep him warm were his memories, which got a little older and a little colder each day.
He wasn’t an imposing figure. There were days he looked like Humpty Dumpty before the fall, and days he looked more like a Teddy Bear. It didn’t make any difference to him. ! He had never seen a mirror, nor did he care to.
He could have chosen any name he wanted, but he stuck with Mr. Paloobi, for reasons only one other person would understand.
[...]
It happened on the last day that he was called forth from the limbo where he was born, where he existed now until he was needed again. It was a day filled with the same promise as the day before, the same exciting horizon to be approached, the same challenges, and the same goals. But there was one thing that was not the same».
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Michael Diamond Resnick (born 5 March 1942), currently stands first on the Locus list of all-time award winners, living of dead, for short fiction, and 4th on the all-time list of award winners for all lengths.
Lezli Robyn is an Aussie Lass who has very recently discovered a love for writing fiction. She has sold 9 stories since October 2008 to professional markets in America, such as Asimov's and Analog; six o! f them appearing in print before the close of 2009 to qualify ! for the Campbell Award.
"Benchwarmer" is a novelette. 6500 words."A touching story about where imaginary friends go after we’ve left them behind."
Writertopia
"Not only is this story wonderful because it addresses the common fears of loneliness that come with age, but also because it shows that true friendship, no matter the distance or time that separates the companions, can last a lifetime."
Melissa Dalton
A story by Mike Resnick with Lezli Robin
«He’d been sitting on the sidelines, warming the bench, waiting, for almost seventy years. The winds of Time chilled him to the bone, and all he had to keep him warm were his memories, which got a little older and a little colder each day.
He wasn’t an imposing figure. There were days he looked like Humpty Dumpty before the fall, and days he looked more like a Teddy Bear. It didn’t make any difference to him. He had never seen a mirror, nor did he care to.
He could have chosen any name ! he wanted, but he stuck with Mr. Paloobi, for reasons only one other person would understand.
[...]
It happened on the last day that he was called forth from the limbo where he was born, where he existed now until he was needed again. It was a day filled with the same promise as the day before, the same exciting horizon to be approached, the same challenges, and the same goals. But there was one thing that was not the same».
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Michael Diamond Resnick (born 5 March 1942), currently stands first on the Locus list of all-time award winners, living of dead, for short fiction, and 4th on the all-time list of award winners for all lengths.
Lezli Robyn is an Aussie Lass who has very recently discovered a love for writing fiction. She has sold 9 stories since October 2008 to professional markets in America, such as Asimov's and Analog; six of them appearing in print before the close of 2009 to qualify for the Campbell Award.
"Bench! warmer" is a novelette. 6500 words.When Toby Wheeler has a cha! nce to j oin the junior high basketball team, he’s eager to prove he can keep up with his best friend, JJ. But practice doesn’t go quite as Toby has planned, and when the coach announces the lineup, Toby’s hopes of playing ball with JJ are history: he’s an eighth-grade benchwarmer!Benchwarmer is a story about an Arkansas youngster who grows up to become a nationally recognized sports editor and the numberone authority on the Arkansas Razorback football program. It is a suspense novel with many layers built around colorful characters who weave in and out of Taylor Prescott's roller-coaster life. The main character faces many hurdles and lands a job in scenic Fayetteville, Arkansas, where he overcomes personal tragedy to witness the greatest college football game of all time between the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Texas Longhorns.What leads this intrepid reporter to the final big stage on the day of the championship game and where does he fit in with President Reagan and the cr! azy Cuban exile? Is it another practical joke from his boyhood friend Winky, and will the wicked newspaper war in Little Rock play a pivotal role in the dramatic conclusion?
Will the beloved Hogs finally win the big one for Coach Wimberly, and will Taylor's sweetheart and young son be left alone at the hospital? The Secret Service must react swiftly as the drama unfolds on national TV, bombastic broadcaster Howard Bizell at the microphone. Everyone is watching and history is being made as violence erupts in Razorback land.TOBY WHEELER LOVES basketball and playing pickup games at the local rec center. No coaches, no practices, just nonstop action with his best friend, JJ, at his side. But lately JJ's been acting like he's too busy for Toby, and Toby knows it will only get worse once basketball season begins at their junior high. That's because JJ is the star of their school team, while Toby is just an ordinary gym rat.
When Coach Applewhite offers Toby a ch! ance to join the team, Toby's eager to prove he can keep up wi! th JJ. B ut then the coach announces the lineup, and Toby's hopes of playing ball with JJ are history: he's an eighthgrade benchwarmer! Befriending the coach's daughter only makes matters worse. Now the only way Toby will get in the game is if he starts thinking like a team player, on and off the court.
From the Hardcover edition.TOBY WHEELER LOVES basketball and playing pickup games at the local rec center. No coaches, no practices, just nonstop action with his best friend, JJ, at his side. But lately JJ's been acting like he's too busy for Toby, and Toby knows it will only get worse once basketball season begins at their junior high. That's because JJ is the star of their school team, while Toby is just an ordinary gym rat.
When Coach Applewhite offers Toby a chance to join the team, Toby's eager to prove he can keep up with JJ. But then the coach announces the lineup, and Toby's hopes of playing ball with JJ are history: he's an eighthgrade benchwarm! er! Befriending the coach's daughter only makes matters worse. Now the only way Toby will get in the game is if he starts thinking like a team player, on and off the court.
From the Hardcover edition.Features include:
•MPAA Rating: PG-13
•Format: DVD
•Runtime: 80 minutes
Credit
The Benchwarmers for achieving the impossible: It makes the 2005 remake of
The Bad News Bears look like a masterpiece. They're essentially the same film, with the same lowbrow PG-13 humor (mostly involving bodily functions, broad slapstick, little people, nerds, geeks, and nose-picking), but this baseball comedy earns a few brownie points for its heart-warming message about including non-athletic kids (i.e. "benchwarmers") in Little League baseball, if only to boost their confidence and give them a moment of ball-field glory. It's a pleasant sentiment intended to encourage under-achievers to feel good about themselves, and t! hat makes this loose-and-goofy vehicle for Rob Schneider, Davi! d Spade, and
Napoleon Dynamite's Jon Heder an easygoing time-killer. Parents with good taste should be warned that his movie has no taste at all (it's hopelessly mired in the swamp of fart jokes and juvenile sight-gags), and is there really a need for mild profanity in a movie like this? That said, there are a few laughs in the efforts of Schneider and his ultra-nerdy pals as they form a team of rejects and go to bat against an enemy squad of current and former school-bullies, led by former late-night talk-show host Craig Kilborn. In addition to Schneider and Spade,
Saturday Night Live alumni Jon Lovitz and Tim Meadows show up for an easy paycheck, and director Dennis Dugan handles the dumb-and-dumber shtick as if he were on vacation, sipping margaritas and shamelessly going for the easy laughs. If that's what you're looking for, you've come to the right place.
--Jeff ShannonThis exciting release contains ONE Bench Warmer sealed box from over 15 different past pr! oduct releases PLUS SIX HITS PER BOX including 1 swatch or kiss card, 1 VAULT Autograph with Parallel Colors, 1 VAULT Racer Girl Autograph Card, 1 Commemorative VAULT Autograph Card and 2 Regular Autograph Cards from past products! Look for all new exclusive Daizy DSukez swatch cards! Only 199 cases made!
Viggo Mortensen (left) and Naomi Watts (right) star in David Cronenberg’s EASTERN PROMISES, a Focus Features release. 
