Armando Galarraga is a baseball pitcher by trade. But he is also an accomplished magician.
        At least he fooled me.
        “Sit down on the couch,” the least-known but so far most successful member of this year’s Tigers’ starting rotation ordered.
        The show was about to begin.
        Galarraga, a mystery man in more ways than one, riffled through a deck of cards and removed three aces --  the ace of clubs, the ace of diamonds,  and the ace of spades. He tossed the three cards on the clubhouse floor between us and handed me the rest of the deck.
        “Shuffle,” he said.
        I gave the cards a good shuffle and then, one by one, Galarraga slid the three aces randomly back into the deck, which was still in my hand.
        “Now show me the three aces I took out,” the Tigers pitcher said.
        I searched through the deck. I found the ace of clubs. I found the ace of spades. But I could find no ace of diamonds.
        More slowly this time, I went through the deck again. The ace of diamonds still wasn’t there.
        Galarraga took back the deck.
        “Put your hands behind your back like you’re looking for something,” he said.
        I reached back and felt something on the couch behind me.
        I smiled. Without even looking, I knew what I had “found.” 
        It was the ace of diamonds _ the same card I had watched Galarraga, moments earlier, slip into the middle of the deck.
        Galarraga grinned, got up, and walked away.