Page 5 of Rounding Third

Everyone’s gaze bounces from Cord to Danny, and then to each other. No one knows who we should listen to.

Leo’s the first to make a move. He marches past Danny, making sure to keep a decent amount of distance from him. That’s probably a good move on his part because he looks seconds away from smashing his fist into something.

I trail after him, more than done today. No matter what we do, practice isn't going to improve our game right now. We need some time to get our heads on straight and I only know one way to do that. I need Liliana.

I'm packing up my stuff, planning to ask Owen if I can slip out early. There’s no way I'm asking Danny. He’s already a hothead today and if he sets that attitude on me, things will get heated.

As soon as Cord and Danny step foot inside the locker room, he pounces. “Powell, my office!”

Cord lets out a loud groan. Danny likes to pretend Cord isn't good at his job, but the man’s amazing. One of the best first basemen in the league. Danny thinks everything traces back to his last name, but he’s wrong. He doesn’t get special treatment because his dad owns the team. Owen’s fair and doesn’t play favorites.

I'm sure Cord doesn’t want to deal with Danny’s wrath. There’s been so much of it since spring training started. I swear it’s because Danny has blue balls from getting turned down by Charlie and Macy, but that’s not our fault.

“Nah, let’s go to my office.” Owen’s leaning against the threshold of his door. His arms are folded across his chest and he’s not happy.

I swallow hard as I watch them. I'm not scared of Danny or anything he can do to me, but a pissed off Owen Powell? Yeah, I'm terrified of him. I’ve heard stories of what he does when he gets pissed and I’ve made it my mission to never be on the receiving end of it. I'm fairly certain if I ever was, I’d probably cry.

As soon as Owen’s office door shuts, we all glance around at each other and stay silent. There’s no telling what will happen next. Normal team owners aren’t involved in the day-to-day operations, but Owen is different. He loves to be in the middle of it all. He likes to get his hands dirty and he isn't afraid to check in with his players on a personal level and make sure things are good.

Danny’s voice raises enough for us to hear him, but we can't make out what he’s saying. Wyatt rolls his eyes and turns his attention towards us. He takes his job as captain seriously and he’ll make sure we’re in the right headspace.

“We need to keep our heads focused on baseball, guys.” Wyatt stands and wobbles slightly on his crutches. He’s still struggling with his knee and tries to stay off of it for the most part. “We’re getting close to the season starting. One bad practice isn't a big deal. We can go home and brush this off, but if this becomes a normal thing, it will be a bad season. We don’t want that. If you need help, talk to your teammates. We’re a family. We’re here to help and support each other.”

The door to Owen’s office opens and a hush falls over the room as we all watch Danny stomp into his office and slam the door. He’s in there for less than a minute before he’s stomping through the locker room, glaring at us as he goes.

“What do you think happened?” I murmur quietly as I stare at the door Danny just left through.

He rarely works late, but normally he tells us goodbye or that we can leave before he goes. This was… different. Strange.

“Do you think Owen fired him?” Leo asks quietly enough only I can hear him.

“Why would he fire him?” I frown, thinking over what happened during practice.

Sure, Danny got heated during practice and took it out on Cord, but Owen doesn’t give his son any special treatments.

“He didn’t pay attention to either one of you. I saw how tense Leo was and how stuck in your head you were, Smithy. Cord just stopped the game to get to the bottom of it.” Wyatt shrugs. “All the other coaches noticed and made comments to Danny, but he brushed it off. He should’ve taken their concerns and done something about it. Owen won't take that lightly.”

I nod my head as what Wyatt said sinks in. Owen cares about us as individuals. I’ve known that since I started on the Pit Bulls. He cares less about us winning and more about making sure we’re ok. That’s what makes him an amazing boss.

“Do you really think he’d fire him though?”

“Not for this. My guess is Danny’s taking a few forced days off. That being said, he’s screwed up a lot recently. If he doesn’t get his shit together, there’s no telling what Owen might do.”

Owen’s office door opens and Cord exits, followed by Owen. Their expressions are serious and neither one seems happy.

“Alright, men. I'm sure you’re all whispering amongst yourselves like a bunch of little girls.” He folds his arms across his chest and meets each of our gazes before he continues. “Danny will be out for the next week. If his attitude towards me and this franchise changes, he’ll be back. If not, I expect I’ll receive a resignation letter soon.”

He lets his words settle over us like a thick cloud. The thought of going into a new season without a head coach is overwhelming.

“I won't put up with a coach saying each and every one of you don’t belong here. You guys have worked your asses off to play on my field and I don’t take that lightly. I’ve watched the hours and effort you put in. I’ve seen many of you skip things you wanted to attend for this team and your dedication to this game. I want you all to know I see it. I notice you and the sacrifices you’ve made to get here.”

I swallow hard and drop my gaze to the floor. Most people don’t think about the hours we put in. They think our entire job is played out on TV, but that isn't true.

Sure, we’re paid a lot to play a game, just like every other athlete. For us, we’re on the road most of the season and miss our families. We can play a longer number of years on a field than a football player or hockey player can, but at the end of the day, our career will end before the typical person retires. We’re risking our entire career every time we take that field or practice.

If Leo’s rotator cuff tears, he might never be able to pitch again. Wyatt’s facing the very real possibility of not being able to play again after tearing a ligament.

It’s easy to look in from the outside and criticize us, but until you’ve done it, you don’t know the reality of our situation.

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