Tribune Chronicle / R. Michael Semple Jim Devine, right, works with Ronnie Dillon, 7, of Newton Falls on his batting technique. To view or purchase copies of this photo or others, visit cu.tribtoday.com

NILES — Jim Devine must feel like the proverbial kid on Christmas morning every time he crawls out of bed. As the head of player development for the One Through Nine (OTN) performance baseball center near the Eastwood Mall, Devine gets to do what he loves — teach young people of varying ages how to improve their baseball and fastpitch softball skills. “I’m lucky,” Devine said. “You’ll never hear me complain about work. We put in a lot of hours and hard work, and a lot of energy is paid to each kid. I couldn’t go back to normal. I couldn’t go back to 9 to 5. I would have a hard time trying to go back.” Devine, a 1985 Warren John F. Kennedy High School graduate, held other jobs before deciding to make baseball his career. He ran the Swing Lab in downtown Warren for eight years and then formed an association with two investors to open their business in the bubble behind the mall one year ago.