Vote For Left Fielders Not Lawyers

"Baseball is like church. Many attend. Few understand," Leo Durocher.

As a ball player who retired after the eighth grade, about the same time cuts were introduced, I am admittedly the type of fan Durocher described. When I watch our high school baseball team play, I know I don't appreciate fully the game's intricacies. I do, however, recognize one quality of the competition I appreciate a great deal: the opportunity it presents to develop leadership skills.

The character grown inside the chalk and in the dugout serve us well when we find them in our leaders. If given the option between a lawyer and a left fielder in the next election, I would choose the latter.

Responding to Forces Beyond Your Control
To borrow from Yogi Berra, leadership is about ninety percent being proactive, and the other half is reacting. The same is true of baseball. Baseball is a game of initiated strategy, but it is also a game of responses. Ballplayers are constantly required to control how they respond. JV hitters must respond to strike zones that grow as the umpires feel it getting late early (last Berraism...maybe). Fielders must respond to bad hops. Everyone must respond to the weather. Being a high school baseball fan in early spring requires the preparation skills of camping.

High school baseball players learn how to respond with efficiency and poise. If only our elected leaders could do the same.

Mentoring
True leaders know how to mentor. They aren't so afraid of losing their spot in the line up that they won't help a back up. True leaders also know how to allow themselves to be mentored. They're humble enough to learn. I see this in baseball.  This is particularly true for small school high school baseball where underclassmen fill starting varsity positions, and the amount of facial hair seems to have a correlative effect on position in the line up. Older players have no choice but to invest in younger players.  Their success depends on their success. Younger players have no choice but to accept the fact that pressure really is a privilege. This is how leaders are born.

I've watched a lot of baseball this spring. I don't know if I really know the game any better, but I think I understand the value of the game better for watching.

As a wise man once said "You can observe a lot by watching."