Page 58 of Rounding Third

Jamie Schmidt’s a little more difficult to describe. He’s secretive and sometimes I wonder if he’s really a superhero in disguise. He’s always been overly kind to me and has an easy smile for anyone who comes in contact with him.

Ronald Covey is the team’s teddy bear. He’s a big guy, but a total softy. He’s the guy everyone wants to hang out with. The one who will twerk when he gets on base, just to get you to smile. He has this ability to become friends with everyone, even members of opposing teams. You just can't help but love him.

Leo Jackson’s the guy you want to hang out with. The one who’s easy to talk to. You expect small talk, but soon you’re spilling all of your secrets to him. He doesn’t judge you no matter what and makes you feel at ease almost instantly.

Jackson McLaren is newer to the team so I didn’t get to spend a lot of time with him. He’s encouraging to the entire team and helps them when he can. He’s such a huge asset to the team and is already showing that.

William Holden is also newer to the team. He was welcoming instantly. He went out of his way to explain things to me and ask if I needed help with anything. He should definitely be on the welcoming committee for the Pit Bulls. Maybe he should be at the gates when fans come into the stadium, everyone would want season tickets then.

Then there are Wyatt Everson and Cord Powell. They seem to coach and manage the team even more than the actual coach or manager. The players know they can talk to them and most of them look up to Everson and Powell (Cord). I’ve seen men go to them with concerns or questions, and they’re happy to help however they can.

When they’ve had an especially hard practice, Everson will give them a pep talk before they call it a day. He points out where each man can improve, but also tells them where they did good. He definitely knows how to lead a team.

Powell (Cord) on the other hand, picks up on the little things, just like his father does. I’ve witnessed him ending a practice without permission from the coaches. He’s taken a stand against the coaches when he knows his team needs it. He watches and sees when his team needs something and he’ll fight for them every time.

Some people think Powell (Cord) gets special treatment because his father, Powell (Owen), owns the team. I’ve seen the exact opposite. Powell (Cord) works just as hard, if not harder, than every other player on the Pit Bulls. He’s in the clubhouse earlier than anyone else, including coaches and the physical therapy team. He pushes himself hard and doesn’t give up. He isn't afraid of working and putting the time in to be the best. Most of the time, he’s the last man out of the locker room too. The hours he puts in are shocking, when he could possibly skate by, barely putting in any effort.

When I spoke to Powell (Cord) he said “My dad is a generous man, but he doesn’t give handouts to people who don’t deserve it. He values hard workers and is happy to reward them, but ifI started slacking off, he’d happily bench me. Sometimes I think he’d actually be excited if that happened. He’s always been a hard worker and he expects everyone else to do the same. When some of us struggle in the gym, he isn't afraid to get on a weight bench and show us how to do it better. He’s more than willing to encourage us and will challenge us because that’s who he is.”

I’ve met more than a few people who are anti-Powell (Owen), but I'm not sure why. They make it their mission to ruin his name and make people hate him. From what I’ve seen and heard, Powell is pretty great. If I was given the opportunity to work for him, I’d jump at the chance. He’s a fair boss and cares about each of his employees. I hope one day, people stop trying to take down Owen Powell because they’re jealous of everything he’s accomplished. The man works hard for what he has and I don’t see why he should be villainized for it.”

As he finishes reading, the room goes silent. I hold my breath, waiting for someone to say something. Anything would be great.

“Damn, you really know how to put someone in their place, Lils.” Levi chuckles and shakes his head. “You called Bill out in your article without naming him, yet made it graceful and innocent.”

“Liliana, I'm honored by what you wrote,” Owen says softly. “You’re an amazing reporter and this makes me so happy to know this is what you’ve witnessed hanging around my team for a few weeks.”

“It’s all the truth,” I murmur.

“Yes, but when so many people try to tear me down, it’s nice to know someone is seeing the good I'm trying to do… Would you mind if I gave this to Macy?”

“I don’t mind, but don’t think she’ll want it. She seemed livid with me when I saw her on my way in.”

“Oh, don’t worry about her.” He waves off my concern. “She’s a little firecracker, but she’s not stupid. You have to let her explode, but once she does and she cools off, she’ll realize you never wrote the published article. She’ll apologize to you and feel terrible for assuming it was you, just wait and see.”

“Thank you for believing me. I didn’t know about the article when I got here. I was coming to ask Smithy if I could move in since I'm now jobless.”

“That shouldn’t even be a question in your head, baby. Obviously, you’re welcome in my home. I was going to ask you to move in after the season was over. I wanted to give you time to get used to this.” He motions between us.

“Why don’t the two of you get out of here. I think I have enough damage control to deal with when it comes to the team. I think it’s better if you’re not here, Smithy.” Owen smiles sadly at us.

“I'm sorry, Owen,” I whisper as the first tear trickles down my cheek.

“Don’t go crying on me, darling. None of this is on you. I did a little digging on Bill and know why he’s doing this. Bill’s the father of a man who used to work for Scott Powell and Coleman. His son was a little asshole who flirted too much with my other employees. He spent more time trying to find someone to screw than he worked. Hell, he flirted with my wife, Logan, and my sister. I don’t get it. Why would you flirt with the bosses’ significant others? That’s just stupid. We got a ton of complaints about him not understanding what no meant, so I fired him. Hehad been warned multiple times. Bill’s tried to go after Parker and Lucas, but they have nothing to do with the sports world and no one cared about what he had to say. He saw a chance to take one of us down and he’s taking it. I guarantee he slapped your name on this, hoping I wouldn’t realize it came from him. Either way, it has nothing to do with you.”

I nod my head, unable to find my words. I appreciate Owen’s viewpoint on this and I'm more than happy he isn't blaming me for it.

“Thank you. I’ll be in tomorrow unless I hear from you.” Smithy stands and places me on my feet. He intertwines our fingers and leads me to the door.

“They’re not going to be easy on you, Smithy. Not right away. You have to let it roll off your back,” Levi says right before we open the door and step out into the locker room.

Chatter stops as every player turns in our direction and glares. I glance around at the familiar faces and my heart sinks.

Wyatt and Cord almost look like they pity me. I'm sure they assume I wrote the article too and the tears in my eyes are from Smithy rejecting me. Leo watches me carefully, but there isn't any sort of judgment in his expression.

Covey’s eyes are full of sadness, but he doesn’t say a word to me. I'm sure he’s disappointed in me. I swallow hard and remind myself this will blow over sooner or later. They’ll learn the truth and all of this hatred will go away.

I follow Smithy to his cubby as he grabs his bag. He stuffs a few things inside and his back is to me as Wheeler strolls over.

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