It was not the third base that every high school boy brags to his friends about arriving to on a Friday night. It is a position on the baseball diamond and my most feared position on that field. I have a healthy fear of line dives, broken teeth and a discomfort for the left line of white chalk.
I did alright, not exactly well but satisfactory nonetheless. It felt like every ball was hit to my side. Admittedly, my nerves allowed a few more to get pass than my skill level would have allowed. A couple of practices may have helped but there is nothing like the rush of being tossed into the deep end without ever having swam before. I liked the responsibility, the effort that was needed to push the ball over to first, and the comfort of the closeness to home plate.
We lost. We have lost all games. In many ways, I am good at losing—able to appreciate the successes that we did have and supporting the concept of a developmental season. The funny thing about leadership is and will always be, the many different leadership styles.
