The L.E.A.D. Jr. Ambassadors team played at LakePoint Sports Complex for the first time today and it was a memorable experience. Four turf fields with great baseball being played on them.

The first pitch is at noon and 2:30PM on Tuesday’s and Thursday each week for our Jr. Ambassadors (grades 6th-8th) this summer at Booker T. Washington High School (Atlanta Public Schools) but the next game actually starts after each game played.

Developing the raw baseball talent of inner city Atlanta African-American males requires vision, intuition, patience and persistence to name a few.

To be clear, I view “raw” as a good thing. Take a raw potato for instance. A master chef can do a lot with a raw potato. He can’t do much with potatoes that are already mashed except to serve them.

I’ve never been afraid of raw talent because I am a master chef. That doesn’t mean that I don’t shake my head in disbelief after they do some things on the baseball field that I have never seen before.

My vision is simple. L.E.A.D. is empowering an at risk generation to lead and transform their city of Atlanta so that our Ambassadors can lead their city to lead the world. Our Ambassadors don’t have to play in the majors. However I do expect one of them to be a U.S. Senator by 2040. One of our current U.S. Senators representing the state of Georgia is Johnny Isakson who is an Atlanta Public School alum.

Intuition is a must have skill while developing raw baseball talent. I plan for the best each day while expecting the worst until I can get them further along with necessary things like arriving on time and being engaged while at practice. These are the skills that matter the most for their lives beyond baseball. They love baseball and I use the game 12 months per year to help them develop these skills.

L.E.A.D. has helped me develop so much patience. I avoided working with raw talent for years prior to L.E.A.D. because I didn’t have the patience for it. This is hard stuff. It seems like I’m coaching everything from picking up trash to respecting others to wearing your uniform the right way to not using profanity on the field. Constant reminders to make eye contact and on and on. If I don’t do it, it doesn’t get done. I’m blessed to have several of our college Ambassador alums here this summer help me coach the Jr. Ambassadors along with the help of our high school Ambassadors.

I woke up this morning feeling so blessed and inspired to do more for Atlanta through our L.E.A.D. Ambassadors. L.E.A.D.’s mission is to empower an at risk generation to lead and transform their city of Atlanta. Here is a glance at L.E.A.D. from January 2014.

L.E.A.D.’s Core Value for January was Stewardship

Several Ambassadors and I attended Mayor Kasim Reed’s Service Day Community Cleanup at the historic Washington Park followed by his inauguration at the Atlanta Civic Center. This was important for our Ambassadors to experience so that they are empowered to lead and transform their city of Atlanta.

Major League Baseball scout Lincoln Martin provided detailed scouting information to the Ambassadors so that they understand how they are being evaluated. They were also exposed to career opportunities as a professional scouts. This was important for our Ambassadors to experience so that they are empowered to lead and transform their city of Atlanta.

We served as Grand Marshals for the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. March on Peachtree Street to Ebenezer Baptist Church. This was important for our Ambassadors to experience so that they are empowered to lead and transform their city of Atlanta.

The trip destination was wonderful and the flight was fantastic.

What was the purpose of the trip?

The purpose of this trip was to do a documentary on how we use the app called Dartfish Express and also to show how we as black males are making a difference for our Atlanta community.

What did you discover about yourself while on this trip?

I discovered how life is viewed in so many different ways and how sometimes things that are overwhelming can impact you at any time.

Describe the people that you interacted with while on the trip?

The people I interacted with were so much fun because they made me laugh and smile and showed me how I should relax and just be myself through anything.

What surprised you the most while on the trip?

I would have to say the thing that surprised me the most was the weather. I was prepared to work in hot dry weather but it ways cold and windy but it did not stop me from working good and doing well at it.

What was your most memorable moment on the trip?

My most memorable moment on the trip would have to be when I was hitting and they were filming me. That made all eyes on me and it felt good to see what I was doing while I was hitting. Having all eyes on me helps me in school because it makes sure that I stay focus and on task at the work at hand.

Who was the most memorable person from the trip?

The most memorable person from the trip would have to be the Oscar Award producer Emmanuel “Chivo” Lubezki because we both share the same first name. He was very serious about what he does and made sure he had the perfect shot for everything. He was extremely professional and he is a good new friend.

Left to right: Ambassador Ryan Martin (B.E. Mays HS, Atlanta Public Schools), CJ Stewart, Oscar Producer Emmanuel “Chivo” Lubezki, Ambassador D’Anthony Morrow (B.E. Mays HS, Atlanta Public Schools), Ambassador Carlos Twine (New Schools at Carver, Atlanta Public Schools), and Ambassador Emanuel Wilson (Drew Charter HS, Atlanta Public Schools)

Describe the trip destination.

The first hotel that we stayed at was at Sheraton Universal in Los Angeles and we checked out Universal Studios. We then left to go to our filming spot, which was in Lancaster, California.

Left to right: Ambassador Emanuel Wilson (Drew Charter), D’Anthony Morrow (Mays HS), Carlos Twine (New Schools at Carver) and Ryan Martin (Mays HS)