When I was young, my father taught me how to throw and catch with small, Fischer-Price blue and red plastic balls in the backyard. As time progressed, year after year, we graduated from plastic, to cushioned, to Major League regulation balls. He went from catching bare-handed to needing a glove. I pitched for three seasons in Little League, participated in the All-Star game, and even made it to the second round of the annual Hit Pitch Run competition that is held nationwide.
Despite these (albeit small) successes, in the eyes of baseball, I am, first and foremost, a girl.