On a hot dusty diamond in rural Indiana, I faced the fastest pitcher in the Russiaville Little League. He was a big kid for 13 and I was a small kid for 12. I kicked my cleats into the silty sand a couple of times, and went through the motions of a practice swing. The big pitcher was staring right at me, looking for a sign of fear. And he found it.
When the first fast ball came down the pipe I couldn’t help but lean way back as I completed a half-hearted swing. “Strike one!!” Yeah… no kidding, ump.
My coach yelled from the dugout, “Stay in the box!” He was referring to the batter’s box, a chalk outline barely visible in the dirt. It was his way of telling me to lean into the swing, not away from it… especially if I wanted any hope of hitting one of those fast balls.
The next pitch was high and inside, which essentially meant it came close to hitting me in the jaw. I backed away again, hoping to keep all my teeth. “Ball one!!”
“Stay in the box, Goad! You got this!!” I know the coach meant well, but come on… he was safely behind a chain link fence. I dug in my cleats, hiked my elbow up into position and leaned in. The big pitcher spit in the dirt and smiled, as if to say “Alright I’ll give you something you can swing at.”
He threw a sinker right down the middle and I could see it coming as clear as the blue sky on that July afternoon. I held my ground, leaned in and brought the bat around to meet the ball. I topped it a bit, hitting a grounder down the third base line. I may not have had a strong bat for my size, but I could run. The third baseman bobbled the ball and I beat the throw to first! Take that, big man!
How often do we step up to the plate without really believing we can take the pitches life throws at us? Staying in the box means having the courage to take your best shot. You may not go over the centerfield fence every time, but you’re at least increasing the odds of more base hits. And games can be won on base hits.
I know what you’re going through right now. Stay in the box.
Great post. So funny to read ‘Stay in the box’ when I’ve spent most of my life kicking boxes open, but I understand in this context what it means and how it applies to the game. What we forget is that often in life stepping up to the plate means showing up in life. People get so wrapped up in the game of life they refuse to participate on behalf of ‘The Team.’ They tend to look at showing up or not showing up as only affecting one person. But in both business and life, you have to step up not just on behalf of yourself, but for your team as well. That’s what team sports are for, to do just that and go up to bat. If not, the game is simply all FOUL because individual players are FOWL (chicken) of facing their fears head on… are they really afraid of failure or success? Or both? Or simply not even trying – which means not stepping up to the plate at all.
Regardless, it’s about keeping our eyes on the ball… and not losing sight of what is important about life. Having the courage to make a pitch, or being supportive to catch … if we think about the game of baseball as it equates to the game of life, there’s a lot we can learn from it. If we live life totally from a fear based place, we’re not really truly living – we’re merely existing. And if we’re merely existing, might as well not even be on the bench at all. Best to take a swing – otherwise one never knows if they can hit one out of the ballpark. 🙂
Stacey it’s good to see your comments on the blog again!
You’re amazing, David! It always feels like you’re talking directly to me. Thanks, again, for encouraging and inspiring words via a delightful story! 🙂 I always look forward to these blog entries. You stay in that box, too!
Thanks Connie!!
Good blog post!
Thank you Lisa!