Lob & Kritik » r the Olympics, every time you fell during practice and

WALDORF, Maryland -- The first thing Courtney Knichel typically does when she arrives in her office on a Saturday afternoon is change into a pair of Converse sneakers. Saturdays with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs involve manual labor, even for the general manager.But today, thats not the first thing Knichel does when she arrives for work at Regency Furniture Stadium in Waldorf, Maryland. Before she can lace up her chucks, marketing manager Austin Gore is waddling up to her. His head is poking out of a bulbous, furry, blue mascot suit; his huge, red clown shoes are awkwardly scuffing along the hallway; and in his giant, blue hands, hes carrying papers for her to look over.Hes dressed as Pinch, the Blue Crabs mascot, for the team photo later in the afternoon -- but he also needs to make sure all the names are spelled correctly in the in-game videos. In between lacing up her shoes, Knichel corrects the spelling of McCullough to McCawley.Welcome to the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, an independent league baseball team in Waldorf, Maryland. While theyre based about 30 miles from Nationals Park and 60 miles from the Baltimore Orioles Camden Yards, theyre a world away from both. In baseballs backwater, Knichel is breaking ground as the only woman general manager in the Atlantic League.***Knichel, 29, started at the bottom of the Blue Crabs organization. A native of Charles County, Maryland, Knichel became a marketing intern for the Blue Crabs in 2008, when the organization formed; she was fresh out of college when her mom signed her up for a summer internship. During a year-end sorority party, Knichel received a call from the then-nascent Blue Crabs, offering her an internship. She wrote the details down on a nearby napkin.Unsure of what her job really entailed, Knichel showed up on her first day in heels to look professional. She spent the evening picking up trash in the stadium, because in 2008, for a fledgling independent baseball team, marketing intern really meant grunt laborer.Knichel was quickly introduced to a job with long hours, but it turned out to be much more than that. When the original marketing manager was fired in May of the first season, Knichel took over. She had been with the team for just a few months. It was mayhem.I had no idea what I was doing, Knichel said. That whole first summer I taught myself everything.For the next eight years, she steadily worked her way up the ladder for the Blue Crabs -- marketing assistant, then marketing manager for four years, then assistant GM for three after that. When Patrick Day, the previous GM, left to take over the New Britain (Connecticut) Bees in December 2015, Knichel was the natural successor.Its not like it was, [Courtney] hasnt been around the game, but lets give her a shot, manager Jeremy Owens said. Shes been here. Shes seen.The Blue Crabs released a short statement about the management change in March, but there was little fanfare.***Its four hours from game time, and the issue is tables.The Blue Crabs sell tables along the stadiums concourse for local vendors during games. But folding tables, as it turns out, are worth their weight in gold: the players need them for the clubhouse, concessions needs them to set up, the front office needs them in the main office.But right now, the game-day staff needs 25-odd tables for the vendors, and corporate sales manager Jason Sproesser protests, saying they dont have enough. Knichel tells him simply: Figure it out.At first glance, Knichel appears part-stereotype: Her hair is perfectly curled and she wears a large, monogramed necklace. Her office is not only decorated with nine years worth of Blue Crabs momentos, but also with a pink base from a breast cancer awareness event and a mug scrawled with Worlds best lady boss in pink script. On the wall behind her desk, theres a framed picture of the Blue Crabs opening pitch.If that clashes with the summer boys culture of baseball, Knichel does not care -- she has a vision for what she wants, and shes quick to respond if she sees something out of place.Earlier this year, Knichel was visiting the locker room after a game to talk to Owens. As she usually does, she called out before entering to make sure all the players were at least decently dressed. As Knichel walked in, a first-year player made a crack, miming her peering through her fingers to see the supposedly naked studs in the locker room. Knichel stopped.I was like, Dude, Ive worked here nine years, she said. If I wanted to look at d--ks, Id have looked at d--ks, you know?The locker room fell silent, and the player was so subdued he later worried if he was going to get released. Knichel went on with her meeting.People say stupid stuff, said Brian Bures, a three-year veteran among the pitching staff. Shes handled it as well as she can, I think. Youre going to get a reaction, because thats just how it is.Baseball as a whole -- and most especially the major leagues -- has long had a diversity problem. The all-womens league of the WWII era is long gone, and with the advent of softball, its rare that a woman makes her way onto a professional baseball team.The path to broadening executive and front-office positions beyond men has been tortuously slow. Some major league teams employ women at senior levels, particularly in marketing. But there are only a few women in player personnel or baseball operation roles. Linda Smith of the Kansas City Royals is one of a handful of women with direct input into player personnel decisions at the major league level.Kim Ng made waves after getting hired as an assistant GM by the Yankees and Dodgers, and she has been mentioned in several GM openings. She has been rumored to be the best candidate for the first female MLB GM.Minor league teams have seen a number of women as general managers -- though they typically dont make player personnel decisions; those are handled by the teams parent organization. A few hours down the road from Knichel and the Blue Crabs, Blair Hoke is GM of the Pulaski Yankees, a Rookie League team.With the Blue Crabs, Knichel decides who gets signed, who gets promoted and who gets released. Shes in charge of the bottom line, and that means when a player has to be acquired or released, shes in on the deal.On this day, Knichel is finalizing the release of high-profile player Fred Lewis, a one-time MLB journeyman. Lewis has been injured most of the season. The Blue Crabs say hes cleared to play. Lewis says he still cant go and is still in pain. He hasnt shown up in a while and didnt show up for the team picture.Thats it, Knichel said after Lewis was a no-show for the team picture, though shed already made the decision to release him. Lewis official release came through the wire after Saturdays game.With that decision and countless other personnel moves, Knichel has already (quietly) broken barriers. She may break more.On the weekly teleconference with other league GMs, Atlantic League president Rick?White called everyone guys or fellas. Knichel is the only person on the call whos not a man.Halfway through this season, White emailed Knichel to apologize -- hed totally forgotten there was a woman on the call.I told him I dont mind, Knichel said. I know Im playing ball with the boys.Knichel is also dead-set to have things her way, and shes single-minded in her standards. If there needs to be 25 tables on the concourse, there are going to be 25 tables on the concourse. If the sales team needs to make 50 calls a day, Knichel says she doesnt expect to hear why its not getting done.Courtney is really strong-willed, said accounting manager Samantha Slovik. Shes on a path, and she knows what shes set out to do.Knichel is one of a few women in senior management at the Blue Crabs front office -- Slovik is in her third year as accounting coordinator, and Alexandra Wohlenhaus is the box office coordinator. Both describe Knichel as approachable but unmistakably headstrong.Wohlenhaus, Slovik and Knichel make the Blue Crabs something unusual: a baseball front office with women in all of the senior management positions. All three started as interns with the Blue Crabs, and each has been promoted within the system. Knichel says it wasnt some grand scheme or vision -- just a result of the most driven and organized rising in responsibility.I didnt bring those girls in because girls are better, Knichel said. But are these girls better? Kind of, yeah.***Knichel may be on baseballs outer rim, but there are still occasional brushes with the big time.Earlier in 2016, the Blue Crabs were involved in a swirl of rumors around minor league moves. The Batavia Muckdogs, operating at a significant loss and struggling with flagging attendance, were for sale.A group of local investors wanted to bring the Batavia Muckdogs to Waldorf as a Nationals affiliate -- but the deal fell through because of a lack of agreement between the Nationals and the Orioles, both of whom had to approve the deal because Waldorf is in the territory of both organizations.What would have happened -- or what still might happen -- is totally up in the air to Knichel. She said she has no idea whether a minor league organization would incorporate some of the Blue Crabs front office or bring in their own people.But Knichel and White both said they were confident that the Blue Crabs would remain in Southern Maryland through the 2017 season and likely through the 2018 season.***During the afternoons leading up to game days, Knichel takes a lap around the stadium. She circles every inch of the place, putting up placards that have fallen down, straightening umbrellas, pulling down signs still up from yesterdays game.I like to do it every day, to make sure everything is good, Knichel said.In her first days and weeks as GM, Knichel struggled with micromanaging. Everything had to be perfect -- and nobody could do it better than she could.Ive learned to relinquish duties, Knichel said. And if something goes wrong, thats okay.Micromanagement is an understandable issue for Knichel, who has worked her way up the ladder in Waldorf. After nine years, this is home -- even at the fringes of a sport that is still struggling with the concept that women are just as qualified to run the show as men.She happily shows off the features shes most proud of: the kiddie wading pool just off the outfield that she had re-filled this year for the price of one outfield sign, the picnic tables along the concourse she had installed, the staff members spaced out along the concourse acting as de facto ushers and concierge.Knichel remembers putting seats together minutes before the gates opened for the first-ever Blue Crabs game.Now, Regency Furniture Stadium, which shares a parking lot with a metro bus stop and whose concrete is chipped and siding is starting to peel, is the place she doesnt want to leave.She knows this ballpark better than everyone, Wohlenhaus said.This, Knichel said, is a place thats very special to me.On this particular Saturday, Knichel is standing along the third-base concourse. People started lining up outside the gates well before they opened, and theres not a rain cloud in sight. Today will be a good day.The Blue Crabs averaged about 3,500 in attendance in 2014 and 2015, good for the top 10 of independent league baseball. On a good Saturday like today, the park might bring in 5,000 or more.The chucks get some good use: just before the gates open, it turns out the Blue Crabs are, as usual, one table short. So Knichel hustles down to the clubhouse and helps haul the final table into position. When another vendor requests some chairs, she ducks into a concourse closet and finds a few for them.Shes not joking when she says she knows everybody -- dozens of people come up to her to say hello and to chat with her for a few minutes during the game. Theres the owner of the local Chick-Fil-A, a big sponsor; theres the guy who runs a local haunted house; and Knichels mom scolding her for missing church two Sundays in a row.Tonight is a good night, though. The stadium is full, and Knichel is able to present a local charity with a check for more than $5,000. Whats more, the Blue Crabs win 5-3. After the game, there are fireworks and a party on the field. But its already 10 p.m. and most of the young families head home.Knichel is still on the field, and good thing she wore her chucks. Some of the fireworks from the postgame show blew onto the field, and somebody has to pick them up. Dawson Knox Jersey . -- Lou Brocks shoulder-to-shoulder collision with Bill Freehan during the 1968 World Series and Pete Roses bruising hit on Ray Fosse in the 1970 All-Star game could become relics of baseball history, like the dead-ball era. TreDavious White Bills Jersey . LOUIS -- The New Orleans Saints looked like a team playing out the string. http://www.shoptheofficialbills.com/Elite-Tremaine-Edmunds-Bills-Jersey/ .B. - Sebastien Auger made 44 saves as the Saint John Sea Dogs edged the visiting Acadie-Bathurst Titan 2-1 on Saturday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Custom Buffalo Bills Jerseys . -- Bryant McKinnie came out of his stance and lowered his shoulder into a practice squad player, causing a crisp thud to reverberate in the Miami Dolphins practice bubble. Buffalo Bills Jerseys . Reigning world champion Eve Muirhead of Scotland opened with a 12-2 rout of Winnipegs Jennifer Jones in a battle of teams bound for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. DANA POINT, Calif. -- There was serious Olympic hardware on display Friday night at the 2016 espnW: Women + Sports Summit, with a panel of seven Olympic stars. Not surprisingly, these women were incredibly motivating. Some of their best, hard-earned advice:Make the decision -- in every moment -- to be positive.April Ross, beach volleyball (two-time Olympic medalist): Im one of the best beach volleyball players in the world but I was still, up until a few years ago, really insecure, and always asking myself, Am I really good enough?Those doubts always seep in if you let them. Its a conscious decision to not let them ... and choose a good thought over a bad thought every second of the day. It does add up and it does help. Its gotten me to a place where Im not afraid to be great.Remember what you want to represent.Maggie Steffens, water polo (two-time gold medalist): As a kid, every time we walked out the door, stepped out on the soccer field, basketball court or in the pool, [my dad would] tell us, Remember your last name. ... At first, I was a kid, and I was like, yeah obviously. Cool, Dad.But slowly, but surely, after going through this process, the day in, day out grind and trying to achieve your dream, [I realized] what that meant to represent your last name ... Being an Olympian is not about the title, its about what you do with it. Its about the name that youre representing and its no longer about just your last name ... its your entire teams last name, and now your last name is the United States of America.Know how influential you may already be.Ashleigh Johnson, water polo (gold medalist in 2016): We went to the Netherlands and this little girl and her mom came up to me and they were so happy to see me play. They told me, We dont have any black women that play at high levels in water polo in the Netherlands. ... We have no one to look up to in the sport. Weve been following your team because youre here. It was so amazing to me because Id never thought of myself in that role -- as someone little boys and little girls look up to.Bring balance to your training.Kayla Harrison, judo (two-time gold medalist): For me, the balance really is this: I use this [sport] as a platform. This is great, and winning gold medals is awwesome, but its a very selfish thing.dddddddddddd Judo is amazing and I love it and I love to beat people up -- but I do it for me. I dont do it for anybody else. So the balance is having something outside that that I care about and I pursue for other people.Harrison founded the Fearless Foundation, a non-profit aimed at helping prevent child sexual abuse.Enjoy the process, and measure your success by that.Maya DiRado, swimming (four-time medalist in 2016): Its great to come out of this journey with these [medals] and with this really obvious expression of success, but the joy was in the 15 years leading up to it, and growing as a person and learning how to work hard, to keep going, keep going, keep going and be the best version of [myself].Dalilah Muhammad, 400-meter hurdles (first-ever gold U.S. gold medalist in her event): Its only after the race and after the fact that you realize that [finishing second] isnt even close to failure. The true success happened ... at the beginning when you started training for the Olympics, every time you fell during practice and got back up, every time you wanted to play, but didnt. Winning the medal happens in a moment, but its really that process that you took to get there.Have role models -- but dont compare yourself to them.Helen Maroulis, wrestling (first-ever U.S. gold medalist in womens wrestling): I never felt like I had the mindset that it took to be a champion. If you told me I cant, Id probably just be like, OK, I guess so. But wrestling was truly my passion so I stuck with it. ... When wrestling became an Olympic sport it was the best thing ever because I had females to look up to, but then I compared myself to them. ... I would think, What if I cant ever do that, what if I cant achieve that? So my advice is -- and its from my pastor: Dont compare your behind-the-scenes to someone elses highlight reel. And that made a huge difference for me.And never be afraid to laugh at yourself.Even these Olympic stars have their moments. They also shared their most embarrassing experiences -- which include President Obama and Aly Raismans socks, among others: ' ' '