Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 122219 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 611(@200wpm)___ 489(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122219 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 611(@200wpm)___ 489(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
“This place still blows my mind,” I remarked as we entered the indoor space.
“Get a student who goes off to win two World Series, and the school makes it their whole personality,” Avery mumbled. “They call it the Nathan Pierce effect.”
“They did this because of me?”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t be so shocked. It’s like when Taylor Swift wins a Grammy and acts like it’s such a surprise.”
She was so snappy, and I didn’t know if she knew it, but it made me oddly more intrigued to break through that wall she had built up. The ruder she grew, the kinder I’d become. Though I was almost certain that made her angry, too.
As we approached the guys, who were all talking to each other, laughing and joking around, Avery clapped her hands together as she held her clipboard under her arm. “All right, boys, listen up. We have some changes coming on. I want to introduce you to Coach Pierce. He’s going to be helping us out a bit.” Avery gestured toward me, giving me the sign to take it from there.
I cleared my throat and slid my hands into the pockets of my black joggers. “Hey there. I’m Nathan Pierce, and I’m excited to join the team as the assistant coach to Coach K. You can call me Coach P. I’m excited to be back at Honey Creek to help take this already strong team to a stronger level under Coach Kingsley’s leadership. If I’m honest, I learned my best baseball traits from her back when we were young, and it’s an honor to be able to work beside her again.”
I saw the somberness on Avery’s face as I spoke, but I tried not to take it in too much. The surprise on her face from the announcement that I was taking the assistant coach as opposed to the head coach seemed to lift a weight off her shoulders.
“So before we get started, I want you all to know this first week, I’m just here to observe. I want to see how you all move, how you all work, and I want to get to know you each on a personal level. Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask me any questions. A coach is only as strong as the safe place that they make for their team, and I want you all to feel comfortable coming to me with anything and everything. Does anyone have any questions off the bat? Nothing’s off-limits.”
“You’re going to regret saying that,” Avery muttered.
I arched an eyebrow at her, but before I could ask why, a bunch of hands shot up.
I gestured to one of the guys. “Yeah? What’s your name and question?”
“Yeah, hi, Coach P. I’m Ryan. I’m a right fielder. I was wondering, is it true you were found on the Vegas Strip wasted out of your mind and on drugs?”
Well.
They sure didn’t pull any punches.
I looked back over at Avery, searching for a bit of help.
She didn’t look as if she felt bad for me at all as she shrugged. “You should never say to teenage boys that nothing is off-limits.”
Fair enough.
I cleared my throat and crossed my arms. “Being in the spotlight as a famous figure brought me a lot of highs. It also brought some low moments. Yet I like to think we aren’t our best or worst moments. We are the moments in-between.”
Another player raised his hand. I called on him.
“Hey, Coach. I’m Caleb. Third baseman.”
“Nice to meet you, Caleb,” I said. “And your question?”
“So yeah, uh, is that a yes to Ryan’s question?” he asked.
I cleared my throat and looked around. “Any more questions?”
More hands shot back up.
Avery stepped forward and slid her hands into the pockets of her joggers. “Any questions that aren’t about Coach P being famous, about his past partying behavior, about who he may or may not have dated, about how much money is in his account, or about his injury?”
All the hands slowly went down.
Avery smirked a little. It was clear she knew the guys inside and out. It would take me a little time to catch up to her level of knowledge, but I was ready to take it all in and play catch-up.
“All right, then. Let’s get to work. We’re going to split up into teams.” She used her hand to split the guys down the middle. “Caleb, you’re leading your team on hitting drills. I want to see pepper work, soft toss, and tee work. Cameron, you’re team leader for pitching drills. Start with bullpen sessions, then toss in some towel drills. Let’s go! Move, move, move.”
The guys responded to Avery’s orders with haste.
One thing was clear—the team respected her. That was a good thing. A coach with no respect from their team was no coach at all.