"You're right, I suppose I should explain myself." The coach said, fixing his posture.
"I'm fine with you being dissatisfied with some of my decisions, that is entirely your right. Many coach's have certain ways of coaching, I'm no exception to this fact." He said, casually.
"However, this ties into my earlier point of you becoming a pillar. With you setting the standard and culture of the team in the future, your actions will have a direct effect on the other players perception of me and the staff."
The coach leaned forward, "If you're dissatisfied, I need you to not show it, at least in front of the others. You can always come to me afterwards and we can work things out personally, but we need to work together."
'Ah… That makes sense.' Suddenly the penny dropped. He had thought that the two topics were different, but it seemed he was wrong.
Ken nodded. It seemed that the coach was far more reasonable than he had initially expected. Despite being a first year Head Coach, he had a lot of foresight and planned on turning the team into a single unit.
"I can do that." Ken stated. He didn't mind doing such a thing, as long as it would help the team. However, that didn't mean he would pull his punches in his meetings with the coach.
"Excellent. It seems we've come to an agreement then." Coach Brown said with a grin.
"Oh, also what would you rather? Playing in the outfield or as a designated hitter?"
"Hmm?" Ken raised his eyebrow. He had never thought about being a designated hitter before. If he became a DH, then he wouldn't have to go into the outfield.
However, Ken shrugged. "I don't mind where I go, as long as I get to play." He admitted.
Coach Brown nodded in satisfaction, "Good. I like flexible players the most." He said, getting to his feet in the next moment.
Ken did the same, not wanting to be rude.
"Well, I'm sure you knew this, but you'll be a starting pitcher this upcoming season. On your off days we'll rotate you between designated hitter and the outfield, just so your arm doesn't get too tired." He stated.
Ken's eyes widened, feeling a sense of elation. While he had heard some words from Coach Reynolds about his starting pitcher status, hearing it confirmed by the coach made it more concrete.
The addition of the outfield and DH positions were just a bonus for him.
"Thank you coach." Ken said, bowing slightly.
"Mmm, thank you as well. I hope we can work together and bring this team towards the top of the nation." Coach Brown said, holding out his hand.
"Sounds good." Ken responded, grasping the hand firmly.
With that, Ken was led out of the office before Coach Brown walked back to his desk and sat down, letting out a sigh of relief.
"Things went better than expected…" The coach muttered.
He had been worried that Ken might be one of those egotistical players who only thought about themselves. In fact, he had been secretly dreading Ken coming to Columbia, particularly because he was a newly appointed Head Coach.
After finding out that Ken didn't have any ulterior motives and was rather flexible, he could let down his guard a little. But that wasn't the end of it.
With the number 1 High School recruit, the school board had very high expectations for the team. So essentially, Ken was a double-edged sword. If they still failed to breach the top 25 in the nation, then his job would be on the chopping block.
But after not only seeing Ken's work ethic, but also his abilities, Coach Brown had gained a lot of confidence. With this guy at the forefront of the team, it would only have positive benefits both within the team and in the media.
"It should be a fun season…" He muttered with a grin.
Meanwhile, Ken made his way back to the dorm, his footsteps light. Now that everything was out in the open, he felt a lot better. Not only did he learn he was on the main squad as a starting pitcher, he was also guaranteed playing time on the days he wasn't pitching.
This was the best case scenario.
As he opened the door to his room, he saw the figure of Steve pacing back and forth with an anxious expression on his face.
"Ken! What happened man? Did they take you off the team?" He asked worriedly.
"Dude, calm down." Ken said, moving past him.
Ken took a seat on his bed and got comfortable before answering. "Coach confirmed my position on the main squad."
"Eh? Is that all?" Steve asked in confusion, "Why did he have to act all serious if that was the case?"
Ken shook his head and quickly explained things. There was no real reason to keep it from Steve, especially since he trusted the guy.
After hearing the explanation, Steve let out a sigh of relief. "I guess it makes sense why he wanted to speak to you alone. Even I could see the frown on your face while you were in the outfield."
"Really?" Ken was surprised.
'So that's why he singled me out…' He thought.
"Mmm, it's weird. Sometimes you wear your emotions vividly, but other times its like I'm staring at a blank slate."
'Crap, I really need to make use of my poker face skill more often from now on.' Ken said in his heart. Now that he had promised the coach to keep his dissatisfaction to himself, it would be useless if his face gave his thoughts away.
"I'll have to work on my poker face." Ken remarked with a grin.
"You play poker? I thought all you cared about was baseball." Steve asked curiously.
"…That's not what I mean."
Steve shrugged, "So what are you doing on our rest day for tomorrow? Wanna go bowling or something?"
Ken shook his head, "I'm meeting up with Ai tomorrow. Why don't you hang out with our neighbor Tara instead?" He replied with a wink.
"…"