During my boyhood years when I was playing Little League baseball at Milan, Tennessee, one of the people I came to appreciate was Gus Whitfield, the grounds keeper at Otis Carter Memorial Stadium, the baseball field where our games were played.  The stadium was named in memory of Mr. Otis Carter who played an important role in organizing Little League baseball at Milan.
     Gus spent endless hours, working long and hard to maintain the surface of that playing field.  He was a small and quiet man, a very gentle and kind person.  I can still see him clenching that old cigar between his teeth and smiling while he worked.  He watered and mowed the grass, kept the playing surface smooth, and cleaned the trash out of the dugouts and stands.
     After the teams had gone through pre-game batting practice and warm-ups, Gus would water and rake the infield, the pitcher’s mound, and the area around home plate.  Then he would carefully line off the baselines, coaches’ boxes, and batters’ boxes.  Next, he would measure the exact distance to each of the three bases and securely fasten them to the ground.  And, before leaving the field, he would always take one last look to make sure that everything was right and ready for the game.  One could rest assured that Gus had made all the right preparations!  The aesthetic appearance of that field would have made an ideal photograph for a calendar or picture postcard.
     Gus was one of those vital “people behind the scenes” who worked hard to have everything prepared so that when the umpire yelled, “Play Ball!” the Home Team could take the field and the game could begin.
     Life has taught me to appreciate people like Gus--these little people behind the scenes--who work hard and play such an important role.  They keep things moving, and they take care of the countless little things which must be done in order for life to move on.  They always have things ready so that the game can begin and be played.
     The camera and spotlight are usually focused on the stars and celebrities.  Little time or coverage is given to the ground crew. There are no baseball picture cards of the folks behind the scenes. They receive few trophies or awards.  You will not see them sitting at the "head table" during the annual sports banquet or the awards ceremony, nor will you see their photograph them in the Hall of Fame.  They are always in the background, behind the scenes.
     Coming to appreciate the significance of the “ground crews of life”--and how they keep the “field of life” prepared so that we can play the “game of life”--is one of the important discoveries I have made during my lifetime.
     Thanks, Gus, for all your hard work, and for teaching a boy in Milan many years ago one of the great lessons of life.  You were a special person! (DHL)