Dear Baseball Gods,

It took me a long time, but doing things the right way, over time, eventually made me into a respected athlete who led by example. A handful of stories illustrate how I grew into my sport, and developed an improved ability to lead. Developing leadership qualities took time, and it took me rising to challenges, sometimes getting into heated arguments, and occasionally almost coming to blows with teammates. Taking a stand for your beliefs and for proper conduct isn’t easy.