115 Days to Opening Day 2008

Opening Day 2008 for the Timber Rattlers is April 3. That is 115 days from today. This off-season, the countdown will be based on books. Each day between now and Opening Day 2008, I will pick a random book out of my library and excerpt a passage off the page number corresponding with the number of days remaining to the first pitch of the new season. I will try not to repeat a book during the countdown.

It’s X-Files week at Rattler Radio. I freely admit to you and the world that I own seven X-Files novels. These are books based on the series and were not turned into episodes. Well, six of them are like that. One is the novelization of the movie.

Today’s novel is Ground Zero by Kevin J. Anderson. This one is about the investigation into the deaths of people involved in a classified government program. The excerpt actually has some of the fun interplay between Scully and Mulder that made the show fun to watch.

Scully ate another fry. “That all depends on who you ask.”

Mulder sighed. “Scully, you’re an impossible skeptic sometimes – but I like you anyway.”

She rewarded him with a smile. “Somebody’s got to keep you in line.”

Wiping his hands on another napkin, Mulder pulled out their map of New Mexico, “I wonder how far Roswell is from here?” he said. “It might be worth a side trip.”

“Absolutely not,” Scully said. “We’ve got a plane to catch.”

He looked at her with a Gotcha! expression to show that he hadn’t been serious. “Just thought I’d ask.”

Put today’s excerpt in a baseball context.