Who's Number One?

By Kenneth L. Montgomery

I was the new coach of a Little League baseball team and had not yet learned the names of my players. At our first game, I called each boy by the number on his uniform. When I yelled, "Number 5, your time to bat," Jeff Smith came to the plate to hit. When I called for "Number7," Steve Heinz jumped up. Then I asked for "Number 1," and no one emerged from the dugout. Again I called for Number 1. Still no one.As the umpire looked on, annoyed at this delay of the game, I shouted,"Who's Number 1?"

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That's when the whole team yelled, "We are, Coach! We are!"

Reprinted by permission of Kenneth L. Montgomery © 1987 from Chicken Soup for the Baseball Fan's Soul by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen,Mark & Chrissy Donnelly and Tommy Lasorda.