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Faf du Plessis didnt know it then but as this decade was beginning, his cricketing future had been decided. He would be a captain.Not just any captain, a long-serving franchise captain, a la Justin Ontong or Morne van Wyk. Except that du Plessis would be at Titans. Pierre Joubert was reaching his twilight years and du Plessis had been earmarked as his successor.The idea seemed perfect. Du Plessis was a solid performer; not outstanding but consistent. In the 2007-08 season, he was the eighth highest run scorer in the first-class competition, averaging 39.33, and the following summer he was 15th, with 536 runs at 41.33. He was seen as more of a limited-overs player then, and he played a big role in Titans victory in the List A competition in the 2008-09 season. He was also something of an allrounder: He bowled decent legspin and was outstanding in the field. He spent winters at Lancashire, rubbing shoulders with players of a similar ilk. He was so competitive that the team had to stop playing pre-match football for fear he would try to turn it into a premier league.But the real reason Titans wanted du Plessis to take over from Joubert is one that no one is willing to be quoted on these days: they did not think du Plessis would become an international regular. They knew he had talent, but with the likes of Rilee Rossouw and Dean Elgar scoring more than 1000 runs apiece in first-class seasons, du Plessis was quite far down the queue.Titans didnt know it then but du Plessis would leapfrog everyone, becoming not just a must-have in South Africas international line-up but also the captain.In April 2013, he was made South Africas full-time T20 captain after having stood in for four matches (and also in two ODIs). In October 2016, three and a half years later, du Plessis has led South Africa to a historic 5-0 ODI whitewash over Australia, and will take them down under in an attempt to win a third successive Test series there. Whatever the outcome, the debate has already begun: should du Plessis lead South Africa in all formats, permanently?There are no clear yes-and-no camps yet, perhaps because du Plessis is standing in for a close friend and a man widely considered the best batsman in the world, AB de Villiers. Suggesting de Villiers is not up to leadership is akin to saying Roger Federer may never win another Grand Slam. Even if people believe it, no one wants to be the first to say it. Instead, all there is to go on is evidence, so lets go back a bit.In 2011, when Graeme Smith stood down as captain in limited-overs formats, South Africa were headed for a major overhaul. That winter they signed Gary Kirsten on as national coach, and appointed de Villiers as captain in the shorter formats, with Hashim Amla as his deputy. Du Plessis was still new in the set-up, having only debuted earlier that year.When de Villiers was not available to captain his first series in charge, against Australia later that year, Amla had to step in. He also took a T20 squad to play in unofficial series in Zimbabwe in 2012, but in early 2013, when de Villiers was banned for a slow over rate - a problem that has plagued his captaincy - Amla asked to not be made to take over. Instead, du Plessis did the job, and in the aftermath Amla stepped down as vice-captain.Three months later du Plessis was made permanent T20 captain. AB has expressed that sometimes he feels that he is not sure about T20 cricket, so we have decided to give Faf the leadership, Kirsten said at the time.De Villiers, who had never led at any level before being thrust into the job at the highest one, always looked a frantic captain. He made decisions by committee, which often included du Plessis, Amla and a clutch of bowlers. By de Villiers own admission, captaincy was a role he needed to learn about. By contrast, it was something that had always come to du Plessis naturally.At school Faf was always the leader, Joubert said. He took longer to develop from the superstar schoolkid, but as a captain he was a natural and people would follow him. He had a wonderful cricket brain.All through that, Smith continued captaining, de Villiers had moved to permanent wicketkeeper, and du Plessis stepped up to bat at No. 3 because he wanted a more senior role. He does not hide himself from responsibility. When Jacques Kallis retired, Faf said he wanted to bat No. 3, Joubert said.Du Plessis acceptance of duty was evident from debut, when he stonewalled and exhausted the Australian attack to force a draw in Adelaide. He did it again, in Johannesburg against India at the end of 2013. Both times de Villiers was by his side. As a pair, they were perfect to take South Africa forward, but they may not have expected how soon they would need to.In March 2014, Smith announced what seemed a premature retirement. He gave South African three months to decide on a successor before they toured Sri Lanka in July that year. The obvious candidates were the leaders in the two other formats, de Villiers and du Plessis, but shortly before the announcement, Amla made himself available as well.Amla said he felt ready to contribute, and with increased focus on transformation, and the glaring absence of a leader of colour, he was the perfect fit. De Villiers admitted being disappointed but promised to support Amla. Du Plessis was never asked how he felt.In the beginning things went well. South Africa won in Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, and against West Indies in Amlas first season in charge, and were rained out in Bangladesh at the start of his second.With minimal long-form cricket behind them, they went to India to begin the toughest challenge of Amlas career. Du Plessis was the man to say they were expecting the worst on the eve of the first Test, and that is what they got. Pitches designed for Indias spinners; serious injuries to their two opening bowlers, Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander; a washout in de Villiers 100th Test, in Bangalore. Those and general all-round misery saw South Africa lose 3-0 and Amla become increasingly uncomfortable with his job. He kept it for the first match at home to England, which South Africa lost, and then decided hed had enough. Not even a double-hundred at Newlands in a drawn game could make him change his mind. After the New Years Test this year, Amla stood down.His time in charge coincided with a period of great stress for South African cricket. Apart from the results and the injuries, there were also threats from de Villiers of premature retirement, the loss of form of du Plessis and JP Duminy, and increasing talk of strict implementation of transformation targets. Few would have wanted to take over then.But de Villiers had long wanted to captain South Africa and accepted the job for the remaining two Tests against England, although he continued to discuss managing his workload through them. When South Africa lost that series, de Villiers was appointed permanent Test captain, but he inherited a South African side deep in depression.They bombed out of the World T20, there was overall unhappiness and uncertainty over the coming targets - with white players considering their options overseas and black players writing a letter to CSA to complain about being used as tokens - and there was an axe hanging over the coachs head, which dropped ever lower on a winter tour to the Caribbean, where South Africa failed to get to the final of a triangular series. Luckily, before everything imploded, there was a break and there was the CPL.All three of South Africas leaders were there. Amla played for Trinbago Knight Riders, de Villiers for Barbados Tridents, and du Plessis captained St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. Amla finished as the fourth highest run scorer but as (bad) luck would have it, neither de Villiers nor du Plessis had any great success. Du Plessis copped it particularly badly.His team finished bottom of the table, with just two wins from ten games, but as the tournament was coming to an end he had a chance to escape their gloom. On July 7, all of South Africas nationally contracted players were summoned home for CSAs annual awards. By the time du Plessis was done in South Africa, Patriots had two games left to play and were out of contention for the playoffs. He could easily have stayed at home but he insisted on returning. There was never even a hint of not finishing the job he started, Eric Simons, Patriots coach said. That more than anything defined his personality as the leader.Simons remembers du Plessis taking the results in his stride, even when they continued to not go his way. He remained calm, analytical and always tried to find solutions. Those are important characteristics of any leader.He always had good thinking in the field and sound reasoning for the decisions he made. He read the opposition well and made plans with this insight. He has very good awareness on the field.In South African colours, du Plessis had only showcased those skills in small doses, until now. At the CPL, de Villiers aggravated an elbow injury sustained through overuse. When he got back home, it was decided to first treat it conservatively with rest and cortisone, sitting out the New Zealand Tests but aiming to be back for the home ODIs and away Tests against Australia. But the healing did not proceed as hoped and instead required surgery that will sideline him until December.Over to du Plessis. He was brought back into the Test XI after being dropped for the final fixture against England in January, and brought back as captain. He scored a century in Centurion to help South Africa to a series win against New Zealand. He scored another hundred in the second ODI, in Johannesburg earlier this month, on South Africas way to a 5-0 whitewash of the No. 1-ranked ODI team. What happens if du Plessis makes a series-winning contribution in the Tests? Where does that leave him and de Villiers? To say they are rivals may be going too far, because they are close as friends and have shared too much on the cricket field to view each other that way. But Simons is of the opinion only one of them should lead, although having not worked with de Villiers he cannot say who that should be. I do not believe that the system of multiple captains is the correct one. A team needs a leader, and subconsciously it is confusing when that person changes from one format to the other. I am sure all the candidates have good credentials, so I would encourage a decision to be made to appoint a single leader, he said.If South Africa agree, they will need to consider what Simons believes is the most important quality for a leader. A captain of an national cricket team has got to want to do the job and be prepared to make the tough calls, he said.De Villiers had long said he wants the job, even when Amla was given it ahead of him. Du Plessis also enjoys captaincy and has said it spurs on his performances and other aspects of his personality. Captaincy brings the best out of me. I feel that I can drive the team and that I need to live everything I say every day and be the best me every day - on the field or off the field. I am a guy that likes to lead from the front. Mentally it puts me in a good space, he said.Perhaps the same cannot be said of de Villiers. Although his numbers swell when he is charge - an ODI average of 65.92 as captain compared to 53.63 when not - de Villiers has never looked 100% comfortable in the role.He has been extreme in his assessments, famously claiming he believed he took the best team in the world to the 2015 World Cup, a team he said would win the tournament, and then blaming himself every time South Africa lost. De Villiers idea of being a team man is noble. He gives everything and expects his men to give everything back. He does not leave wriggle room for errors, mishaps or just plain bad luck. He wants to win so badly that he cannot deal with defeat.Du Plessis approach is more nuanced. He has already said he accepts South Africa will not emerge victorious from every series. He wants to see overall growth and he does not expect himself to be the only player who does the growing.I sensed that Faf does not define himself as a person by the success and failure of the team, Simons said. He takes the role very seriously but realises that a bad game or performance does not suddenly make you a bad cricketer. This is very important in the high-profile leadership role of a captain. It allows logical thinking not to be clouded by emotion.Du Plessis clarity has already put him a step above de Villiers. In his public engagements, he tells it like it is. When Amla was left out of the second ODI, though he was recovering from an illness that kept him out of the first, du Plessis said that it was not his decision but that of the selectors and that he himself had wanted Amla to play. Du Plessis also addressed transformation openly - helped by the fact that the policy is now known to all - and said that the team is happier now that CSA has stated what its targets are openly.De Villiers in contrast has often sent mixed messages. His workload/retirement saga was one example. His changing position on whether he wants to keep wicket is another. Even in his biography he did not come clean about what happened in the World Cup semi-final when Vernon Philander was included ahead of Kyle Abbott. It was an open secret that the decision was based on a directive from CSA. None of these things make de Villiers any less of a brilliant cricketer than he is, but they may point to one thing he cannot do as well as someone else: captain. And if South Africa want their best leader for the job, they may have to look to du Plessis. Cheap Custom Penguins Jersey . Rinne played two periods in his first game since left hip surgery in early May. Gabriel Bourque scored 3:07 into the second period and Austin Watson tallied 5:15 later for Nashville. Wholesale Custom Penguins Shirts . Pence singled in the winning run with no outs in the ninth inning to give the Giants a 7-6 victory over the San Diego Padres on Sunday. http://www.custompenguinsjersey.com/custom-paul-martin-jersey-large-72c.html . As he recorded his 23rd and 24th points of the evening, a segment of the sellout Air Canada Centre crowd expressed their appreciation for the Raptors point guard with a smattering of MVP chants. Penguins Jerseys China . A knee to the thigh might have stung him the most, but his sixth straight double-double made up for the brief burst of pain. Authentic Custom Penguins Jersey . General manager Jarmo Kekalainen told Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch on Friday that he wants to see Gaboriks contributions go beyond the scoresheet before considering a long-term deal for the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent. 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 reelease of high-profile player Fred Lewis, a one-time MLB journeyman.dddddddddddd 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. ' ' '