Spring Training Essay

Flashback, 1978, the Los Angeles Dodgers would go on to beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-3 in front of 55,124 fans to take the NLCS 3-1. The lineup used in that historic series was chosen by a young lady. Yes, that's right. A young lady, otherwise known as Jill Baer.

Just picture it, 1978, a young vivacious girl, bright-eyed with stars in her eyes and baseball in her soul moved to Los Angeles. Far removed from the small town she grew up in, Jill had goals and aspirations outside what was the norm for that time.

A baseball lover for as long as she can remember, Jill became a student of the game, studying every pitch, every angle, every play. Her love affair with the game only became stronger when she laid eyes on a handsome pitcher, who would

Then the offer came. The Dodgers had been dealing with negative press for a while, claiming their players were not playing hard enough, afraid to get their uniforms dirty. Jill had an idea, letting her manage a game in Spring Training could be a great PR move, she would even get Cosmopolitan to do a write up on the story.

Jill's invitation came in the mail and she was off to Spring Training. In what would be the ride of her life, Jill became the only female to every manage an MLB game. It was not easy, as to be expected, glaring eyes from some of the players annoyed at the idea of a female managing them. Interaction with a certain player when she changed the lineup to fit what she thought was the optimum order to get runs on the boards. Add in a heated interaction with a grumpy, old umpire resulting in her being thrown out of the game, ultimately gaining the respect of the team, the day was epic.

This was 1978, to be a woman in 1978 making her presence known in a man's sport was brave and fearless. She discovered things about herself in that moment that would shape her into the successful woman she is