by Stephen Jones
During a game, a commentator —
an ex-ball player — once said:
a manager’s job is hard.
“OK, so you’ve got twenty-five
children in a dugout …
and each one wants to be
treated just so different.
“I mean, it’s hard … I mean,
they all love to play the game,
right? But when you got children,
I mean, grown men who mebbe
“don’t wanna grow up, well,
then the manager’s got to be
part teacher, part mentor …
and also some kind of juggler.
“And all this while skating on thin ice —
dealing with egos and tantrums
and you-name-it?… No, no thank you.
Hey, believe me, I’m glad I got the
“chance to play in big league games —
that’ll never go away — but dealin’
with all that other stuff? No way.”