"Everybody needs to play catcher at least one time this season." That's what my peewee baseball coach told the team when I was 8 years old. I had never caught in my life. I thought all you did was sit in an uncomfortable crouch and let the ball smack your hand until it throbbed. The black pads bake you in the hot sun. And your nose sits inches away from a dangerous metal bat. SMACK! Stuck behind the plate, there's no chance to snag a line drive. No hanging a glove over the outfield fence until the ball drops into it, robbing a hitter of a home run. That season I did the minimum and caught exactly once.