Baseball

 The game of baseball seems simple enough until you come across someone who is more than just a casual observer of the game, and you learn how much you don’t know. It’s not just the lingo, there’s also the “inside baseball” stuff, the details of a specific subject not commonly known to outsiders, which requires a level of knowledge to comfortably participate in the activity or discussion.

But that’s with most anything I suppose; we are constantly interacting with people who know more or less than we do about any given subject, and we try and find an understanding between us. I recently joined the board of directors for the Scott County Fair, and once again, I found out how much I had to learn.

I am fortunate to be on the board during this time, because I believe with our new manager, Norm Pint, we are beginning a new ERA. With any manager, especially a new one, it’s a good idea to watch them for direction, for signs of their managerial style. Norm is not a micro manager – instead he has created an environment where thinking outside the box is encouraged; new ideas are regularly pitched by the directors.

The fair really hit it out of the park this year with its new Miracle of Birth center. The center was so popular it attracted the attention of newspapers as well as officers and scouts from other county fairs and organizations. Many parents brought their children into the barn to see the new animal babies. I enjoyed being a spectator and watching the little children interact with the baby chickens, lambs, calves and kids.

My daughter brought her son to the fair every day; this is something that will be part of his life as much as it was, and is, part of hers. The farm team of 4H kids will someday be asked to be on the board of directors for the fair, and these kids already know how to work hard. The barns at the fair do not smell foul because those kids are on the ball keeping them clean; I am sure they learned that at home.

I had been at the fair many times over the years – but my perspective was sharpened this last weekend. There are lots of things that need to be done in the weeks and days before the fair is open and every hour of every day during the fair. Some may balk at these tasks, but I was anxious to get into the game.

For instance, a group of musicians waited patiently on deck in the gazebo while I and another director moved some benches so the audience could sit and enjoy the music.  One time I had to run to the hardware store to pick up some supplies, another time I was out in left field parking cars. Some of the tasks threw me a curve, but I was always able to turn to the other directors and office staff for help and coaching. Of course, because I was one of the rookies on the team, I expected to get a poke in the RBIs when I made a mistake.

Before the fair opened I had showed up on a Saturday to do some work clearing trees with some other directors. I noticed that my Stihl chain saw was not cutting well, which I thought odd, as I had recently replaced the chain. I asked one of the guys if it needed to be sharpened. It turns out a saw will not cut well if the chain has been put on backwards.

The things I don’t know could fill a baseball staidi…or at least a fairground.