Page 57 of Rounding Third

“Because he knows I think highly of you and he still wanted me to take you down. Because he knows Smithy is my best friend and he wants to ruin that relationship. He told me when I quit that he’ll make sure I never work in sports reporting ever again,” I answer honestly.

“What do we do now?” Smithy runs a hand through his hair, more than frustrated.

“I told you, Macy’s already working on damage control. We don’t need to do anything else. She’ll fix this, just give her time.” Owen softens his voice. He can tell Smithy’s upset and feels like this is his fault, but it’s not.

It’s my fault. I never should’ve trusted Bill. I never should’ve let it slip that I was friends with Smithy. I can only imagine how much worse this would’ve been if he knew we were dating or if Smithy had believed I wrote the article.

My entire life could have crumbled into pieces. I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Even though Owen says not to worry, I'm freaking out over here.

My mind strays to how Wheeler looked at me. How disgusted he was to see me. The words he spit in my direction hurt more than I care to acknowledge. Even though he was the one who spoke them, I know the rest of the team thought it too.

Charlie and Macy… their reactions to seeing me make sense now. I can't say I blame them for believing I’d write this crap. They don’t know me that well, and they didn’t exactly trust me to begin with.

Reality slaps me in the face when I realize no reputable news will hire me after my name was attached to something so hateful and full of lies. They’ll see right through that article and assume I was using my work to get revenge on Owen and his team.

“What’s wrong, Sweets?”

“My career is ruined,” I whisper as tears cloud my vision. “No one will hire me after this.”

“Do you have the article you wrote?” Owen asks.

“Yeah.” I pull my phone out of my pocket and press a few buttons before Owen’s computer dings with a new email.

I slip out of his chair and over to the other side of the desk. He takes the seat I was just occupying and begins reading my article out loud.

Smithy tugs me into his lap and wraps his arm around my waist. He lets me cry into his shoulder while he rubs up and down my back.

“Are the Philadelphia Pit Bulls like every other team?

By Liliana Sweets

I’ve spent the last few weeks with the Philadelphia Pit Bulls. I’ve been in their locker room, physical therapy rooms, gym, watching practice, and rooting for them during games. I’ve learned so much about not only the team, but the players and management. I want to share what I’ve learned because this team is truly unique.

Let’s start with the owner, Owen Powell. There’s always been a little bit of negative light on Powell. People think he’s some hotshot businessman and has no business owning a baseball team, but they’d be wrong. Powell is one of the most caring ownersI’ve ever had the pleasure of dealing with. I’ve seen him pull players aside and talk them through something going on in their personal life. I’ve seen him help players repair their relationships with exes and help them find their happily ever after. He’s offered jobs to people he knows are in need and he’s fired people who were set on seeing his team fail.

Powell has a pulse on his team and he pays attention to every heartbeat. If there’s a stutter, he’s investigating to see what caused it. If there’s a skipped beat, he’s on it too. He notices what no one else does and he doesn’t have a problem taking action when others might be too afraid of what could happen to their image.

His ex shortstop, Zachery Stubbs, is a great example of that. Though I’ve been privy to information regarding Stubbs, I’ve stayed quiet for a long time about it. I didn’t want to give him any face time in the news because I don’t think he’s worth it. I’ve seen what he can do and I didn’t really want any part of it.

When Wyatt Everson was injured this pre-season, it was because of Stubbs. Stubbs was jealous the new head physical therapist for the team, Charlie Robinson, was showing Everson more attentionthan she was showing him. He purposely injured Everson during practice and almost ended his career.

Dr. Jesse Chipkin, the team’s orthopedic doctor, commented saying “If any more damage had been done, he might’ve been benched for the entire season, if not forced to walk away from baseball forever.” He continued to tell me what an impact Ms. Robinson had on Everson’s recovery. “Charlie and Wyatt have always been close. They’ve been friends since they were in elementary school and she cares about him so deeply. He’s lucky he got hurt while she was in charge of his care because no one could take care of him better. She’s pushed him to keep going when he wanted to give up and she’s forced him to rest when he doesn’t realize how hard he was working out his knee. He wouldn’t have been behind home plate for the opening game this season without her.”

I tried to contact Stubbs for a comment, but he told me no thanks (in much more colorful language). But it doesn’t matter. I’ve had more than a few personal run-ins with Stubbs. I’ve seen him flirt with women and when they don’t give him what he wants, he gets extremely angry. I’ve been on the receiving end of it too, before he knew I was a reporter. He’s gone after women who are dating, engaged, or married to other players on the team.He truly cares about himself and nothing else. As far as I'm concerned, he’s gotten exactly what he deserved when Powell let him go.

Powell didn’t have a hard time letting go of his lead coach, Danny Bravo, this pre-season either. I’ve been told Bravo wasn’t paying attention to his team. He was pushing them too hard and when they needed a break, he wouldn’t give them one. Powell said “My players are my priority. If we lose a game, oh well. We’ll do better in the next game. But pushing them too hard isn't going to help anyone. They’re not machines, they’re people. Sometimes they need a day off, or they need to walk away from the plate. There are times something is wrong with their technique, but at this stage in their career, it’s normally something in their head. They need time to get their heads in order, just as much as they need to practice. I need a coach who understands that.”

I tried to contact Bravo for a comment, but he wasn’t interested in speaking to me.

The new head coach, Levi Harrison, is well known in Philadelphia. I think a few of you might remember him from when he played for the Pit Bulls. He was one of the best players our city has ever seen and it’s nice to see him back on the team in some capacity. When I asked him what it’s like to coach the team he once played for, he said“It’s so nice to be back. I’ve missed the game and when Owen called me and asked if I was interested in coaching, I jumped at the chance. I know I’ve never coached before, but I’ve been coached for decades. I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t. I’m not afraid to take pointers from my players and learn from them too. I think we’ll have an amazing season because these guys are working so hard and are more dedicated than any team I’ve ever seen. I'm proud to work with them and get to coach them, helping them get even better.”

Then we have the lead physical therapist, Charlie Robinson (Soon to be Charlie Everson). Robinson goes above and beyond for all the players. She stays late if one of them needs extra help and will work with them whenever they need it. I’ve also seen her knock them down a peg or two when they need it. She isn't afraid to call them out when she needs to, but she knows how to be gentle when they need that too. She seems like the perfect fit for the Pit Bulls.

The players are even more unique than anyone else associated with the team. I got to know the starting lineup the best, so let me give you a few details I noticed about them.

Travis Smith, better known as Smithy, always has a smile and is encouraging. He takes responsibility when he screws up and works with other players to help them improve their game. He has away of lightening the situation and getting the guys laughing. He definitely knows how to charm everyone. I think the team would be a lot different without him there to help them laugh things off or encourage them when they need help.

Chase Wheeler looks a little scary sometimes with his thick beard and the hard stare, but he’s a jokester through and through. He’s going to tease you relentlessly and make you blush, but you’ll never laugh more than when Wheeler’s around. He’s a true friend who isn't afraid to call you out and make you see the hard truth.

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