Sam was destined for pro sports, if only he’d have a growth spurt.

(from The Paris Review, Fall 2008)

There was a hard edge to his look of careless happiness; you didn’t want to run into it.

This is an interesting story about a certain kind of coming of age. I don’t believe I’ve ever read something about this very recognizable phenomenon, the young sports star left behind by his genes, his natural talents eventually getting stunted by his natural, invisible limitations.