““ Crack! I covered my head, ducked down. Bird didn’t laugh. She likened me to a survivor of some traumatic event who is always spooked by certain noises. She just touched my shoulder and said, “It went the other way.” I straightened up. “But it was a foul ball.” “Yeah.” I hated that I kept flinching. I wondered how long it was going to take before I could totally relax at a game.””