He's been coach, here with the Saints, couple or three years, I understand." Has he helped you any?... As a pitching coach, I mean?" Oh, he knows some...shit," Boots said. "He's smart, and he knows pitchers. He never was one, but, yeah, he can help. He knows about pitch selection. And how hitters think. Most of what he's told me, about game situations -- it seemed right." Pitch selection," I repeated, and laughed. "Carlos said to me, I only got the one signal from the catcher: One finger means,. But this year, something was off. After a selection of the dukes andprinces of Hell had done their bits, a very lowly demon was more or lessshoved in the direction of the throne.This was not a good sign.Satan understood the politics of Hell perfectly. When things were goingwell, the princes and dukes stepped up to take the credit and thepraise. But when there was bad news to be delivered, they made someunderling take the heat.Satan guessed looking at the messenger this time, and knew that the. Lean and lithe in a healthy athletic kind of way. Tall and with longish dark hair, she loved life and was one of those people with an inner glow. We had rooms next to each other and with an old connecting door from when the place was a house rather than shared accommodation.We shared the trip in to lessons and we shared secrets. We probably knew as much about each other as anyone else and I think we both valued the intimacy.One Friday night I decided not to go out as I was up early the next. Smiling, Tom helped the man up and patted him on the shoulders. “You are learning and practicing well. I’m proud of you. Do you know of any man in Rome or Judea that could beat you in a fight?”“Only you, Sir. This fighting style feels so right but no one else uses it. I am practicing hard every day. I want to be the one to protect the man that sent a ship across the sea to save my family. I don’t want to be the soldier that would have to hide behind that man in battle.” He was very sincere with.