controling the game part 2

[WindyCityBlue]

I once had a JUCO coach come out after I punched out his stud shortstop at second on a pick off. I'm prepared for a battle, since he was coaching 3rd base and looking right at it. The guys gets two feet from me and I start, "No way coach, I saw it and he was dead." He puts his head down, looks up and with his head shaking back and forth, arms flailing up and down says, "I saw it too, but the kid's being scouted by Iowa today and I've gotta do something to make him look good." He stayed out there, looked angry, shook his head as he walked away and let me take three more innings of his fan's best one liners.

I saw him two days later and he apologized for how bad it made me look while endearing him to his players and fans. Now some of you would probably take offense at this and on a bad day I might, as well. But I know that some day I will kick a call on his field and will be glad to have that mulligan sitting there.

If I would have dumped this yahoo before I knew what he was doing, I would have lost some respect and a terrific advantage when my "A" game fails me. Sometimes listening is good.