Despite all their efforts, the Good Guys just could not get it turned around. While everyone waited for them to hit one of their vaunted hot streaks, the team continued to falter severely, hovering at or near the division cellar for most of the first two months, and falling further and further behind the pace set by the Phillies and Atlanta. What was most painful to the Good Guys and their manager, was that the team absolutely lost it's vaunted invincibility at home, and actually began to have a better record on the road. The crowds were getting smaller, and rowdier every night, with people seeming to show up to let out all their frustrations to their troubled team. The team would go from bouts of silent clubhouses after losses, to one or two times exploding and shutting the media from the locker room. The worst came in early June. The Paradise Islanders returned home after what had finally been a decent road trip, and hoped to get it turned around, feeling that there was plenty of time in the season to do so. Unfortunately for the Good Guys, they were hit with a disasterous 8 game losing streak, all at home, that essentially dropped them from contention at all, unless a miracle happened. The team couldnt do anything right. Mitch was in a slump, the starting pitching stank, and Naomi was getting banged around when she came out of the pen. Finally, after a Sunday afternoon loss to the Braves in which the Good Guys blew an 8 run 9th inning lead, and had dropped double digits in the standings behind Atlanta, all before a jeering crowd of over 30,000 on a humid day, Gardner had seen just about enough from his troubled team. As they left the field to a chorus of boos and walked into the clubhouse, heads down in silence, Gardner erupted: "That's it! I have had enough of you fuckers! We absolutely fucking suck! You bastards dont deserve to get paid! We play in a beautiful ballpark in great weather before huge crowds every day, and you bunch of fucks act like you dont even fucking care about baseball or winning! There's no pitching, no offense, our defense sucks! You bunch of fucking primma donnas ! If I could fine all of you every last dimes of your salaries I would! I just wanted to take a bat and beat you all over the heads! Do you hear me! We suck! We fucking suck! What are you all going to do about it!???" Suddenly, in the middle of his tirade, Gardner dropped to the ground and clutched his chest. He was quickly attended to by the trainers, and transported to the hospital. Gardner had suffered a serious heart attack. He was alive, but would need bypass. That night, the entire team, and Jim's family, gathered at Nassau hospital where Jim underwent a quadruple bypass that lasted 6 hours. Gardner was alive, but in very serious condition. His life was hanging in the balance. Fortunately for the Good Guys, they had another five games left on the homestand, followed by a trip to Miami to play the Marlins, followed by another week long homestand. Because Miami was so close, it was decided the team would commute there by plane, play the games, and return to Nassau each day to be with their manager. That Monday, an off day, the team spent time with Gardner, who was resting but not out of the woods, and then went to the stadium for a team meeting and a workout. When they got there, there was an attractive woman waiting for them in the clubhouse: "Hi, I'm Susan Sullivan, no relation to the actress. Iam a counselor and the team has hired me to talk to you guys about your feelings about the season and Jim. You guys have had a rough time. Anyone care to start?" She asked. "I never thought I'd say this, but I love the old guy, Iam very upset about his heart attack. I pray he recovers. He had every right to blast us the way he did. We have been playing horribly. I dont know if we can turn it around this season or not, but for his sake we have to sure as hell try" Mandy said quietly. "This tickle team thing, explain that to me" Susan said. "It's an expression of closeness, a way to release tension. Jim was upset when he heard about it, but he turned the other cheek. We've tickled some this season, but with our awful play and crowds booing us every night, it doesnt seem as fun" Naomi said. "Interesting, a baseball team with a tickle fetish, hmmmm" "Ah, Susan, can I ask you something?" Mitch said. "Sure" She said. "Are you ticklish, I mean, have you ever?" "Well, normally I dont like to get personal, but ah, yes Iam very ticklish. Besides my ex husband, my grown kids, and a few family members, I havent been tickled too much in my adult life" She said. "We are so tense, and playing like crap. Ah maybe we are tense, and need new victims and new avenues to tickle." "I see" Susan said. Gradually, after the session, the team started playing better, winning four out of five at home, and then having a good road trip. They climbed in the standings to around 500, and werent too far behind the leaders. Susan was in their lives, getting them through Gardner's situation. He was home resting, and would rejoin them in 30 to 45 days when he could travel. One night, during a clubhouse session, some of the male players noticed Susan's pretty feet thru her open toe shoes with red polish, and invited her to their Saturday night get together at the hotel. After dinner, members of the team, and Susan went to one of the rooms the team kept in the hotel, and the guys on the team started to try to persaude Susan to become a ticklee and join in. At first she was reluctant: "Ah, that's unprofessional. Iam supposed to be here to counsel you all through your manager's heart attack. You are playing better, much better, and you have a chance to win. If I join in your sex games and tickle fun, it could compromise our good working relationship" She said. "Oh, come on, you get to hear our problems every day. You know us so well, I even tell you if Nai and me have one of our marital spats. What's the matter, Sue, are you afraid?" Mitch taunted. "No, Iam not afraid, Iam just really ticklish, and hate to be tickled, besides, it is unprofessional" She said. "You never know, we might go into another losing streak, and then you wont have done your job, it may be therapeutic" Mitch said, trying to play with Susan's mind. The attractive woman with the short light brown hair couldnt resist a smirk: "Okay, wiseguy, I'll go along with your little tickle scheme. What is it that I have to do?" She asked.
"You need to strip to your bra and panties, and let us tie you to the bed" Mitch said. "Iam doing this to be a good sport, and show you all I support you" Susan said. With that, Susan was tied hands and feet to the bed: "Okay, ready,Sue?" Mitch asked. "Lay it on me, give it your best shot" Susan said. With much of the team standing around giggling, Mitch began the tickle on Susan's neck as she began to squirm and giggle: Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha! NO! Then, Mitch moved down, tickling the attractive fortysomething woman on her sides, belly, and underarms as she thrashed and howled some more: Hahahahahahahahahaahahahaha! NO! NO! Then, Mitch tickled Susan on her inner thighs, causing her to buck. Finally, he got to Susan's pretty bare feet. He picked up one of Susan's bare feet and ran his fingers over her sole. She laughed very hard, erupting with howls: Hahahahahahahahahahahaa! NO! Then, he moved to the other foot, tickling again as she laughed hysterically, this time getting under her toes with his fingers: Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaa! NO! NO! She said as she wiggled her toes. Then, for the finale, she received the same tortorous instrument tickle that all other teammates received. She was tickled on her soles and over and under her toes with feathers, ice and electric toothbrush. This made Susan beserk! She flexed, pointed, and wiggled her toes frantically as she filled the room with hysterical laughter, and begged Mitch to stop: Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! I Give up! I'm very ticklish! NO!NO! NO! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! After that, Susan was out of breath and rested on the bed. "I cant believe you guys do that to each other on a regular basis. Wow what a workout!" She said. "Is it sick, normal?" Mitch asked. "It's unusual. I'm not saying it's sick. Therapists arent supposed to use that word. If it helps you win, then it's okay" She said. "I dont think we should tell Jim about this, the old guy would have "The Big One" as Redd Foxx used to say. "I wont say a word, my sessions are confidential, ah even if they are sex torture ones" She smiled. Naomi came over: "Now you see what we go through every night. Being a woman, its rough, I get it from the team and my husband" The tickle therapist was helping. The Good Guys were climbing higher and higher in the standings, now winning on a consistent basis. Gardner was recovering from his bypass and was very pleased with his team's recent play, and their "heart". Now the team had a tickle therapist as part of it's orginization. What would happen next? Stay tuned in the continuing tickle tales of the team from Paradise Island.
The end.
"You need to strip to your bra and panties, and let us tie you to the bed" Mitch said. "Iam doing this to be a good sport, and show you all I support you" Susan said. With that, Susan was tied hands and feet to the bed: "Okay, ready,Sue?" Mitch asked. "Lay it on me, give it your best shot" Susan said. With much of the team standing around giggling, Mitch began the tickle on Susan's neck as she began to squirm and giggle: Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha! NO! Then, Mitch moved down, tickling the attractive fortysomething woman on her sides, belly, and underarms as she thrashed and howled some more: Hahahahahahahahahaahahahaha! NO! NO! Then, Mitch tickled Susan on her inner thighs, causing her to buck. Finally, he got to Susan's pretty bare feet. He picked up one of Susan's bare feet and ran his fingers over her sole. She laughed very hard, erupting with howls: Hahahahahahahahahahahaa! NO! Then, he moved to the other foot, tickling again as she laughed hysterically, this time getting under her toes with his fingers: Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaa! NO! NO! She said as she wiggled her toes. Then, for the finale, she received the same tortorous instrument tickle that all other teammates received. She was tickled on her soles and over and under her toes with feathers, ice and electric toothbrush. This made Susan beserk! She flexed, pointed, and wiggled her toes frantically as she filled the room with hysterical laughter, and begged Mitch to stop: Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! I Give up! I'm very ticklish! NO!NO! NO! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! After that, Susan was out of breath and rested on the bed. "I cant believe you guys do that to each other on a regular basis. Wow what a workout!" She said. "Is it sick, normal?" Mitch asked. "It's unusual. I'm not saying it's sick. Therapists arent supposed to use that word. If it helps you win, then it's okay" She said. "I dont think we should tell Jim about this, the old guy would have "The Big One" as Redd Foxx used to say. "I wont say a word, my sessions are confidential, ah even if they are sex torture ones" She smiled. Naomi came over: "Now you see what we go through every night. Being a woman, its rough, I get it from the team and my husband" The tickle therapist was helping. The Good Guys were climbing higher and higher in the standings, now winning on a consistent basis. Gardner was recovering from his bypass and was very pleased with his team's recent play, and their "heart". Now the team had a tickle therapist as part of it's orginization. What would happen next? Stay tuned in the continuing tickle tales of the team from Paradise Island.
The end.
