THE BOOK--Playing The Percentages In Baseball

Good point about unique personalities and skills!  Definitely an important thing I learned from team sports.

The biggest thing I learned when playing sports as a kid is that the world is an unfair place. I was smaller than most of the other kids, and I had none of the small man’s virtues, like speed and quickness. Consequently, I wasn’t much good at any sport, though I tried hard.

The rules are predetermined and irrespective of its participants.  I’m not sure that means it is unfair.

The baseball rules could have been even more unfair if there was one-size-fits-all strike zone.  Instead, the strike zone floats.  So, that’s a big concession in terms of looking for balance.  Each position on the field let’s a player’s profile find its own spot.

In football, there is a similar “job for every kind of person”.

Basketball though, is not like that, but then again, where I come from, my friends are not taller than 6’4”.

Hockey is probably the most unfair of the sports.  You can’t hide someone who can’t skate well.  Then again, once you get to a certain level, it may be the most fair since everyone is pretty much in the same boat.  There’s little division of labor.

tango—I see what you mean by instant gratification, but I also think of sports teaching the value of delayed gratification.  For non-naturally gifted, short, slow kids like me, all that practice and hard work paid off when I made the HS baseball team. And all the days I practiced in the off-season, when nobody else wanted to, paid off when I showed up for spring practice an improved player.  I spent less time doing some things I liked so that I could accomplish the one thing I most wanted to do, and it was worth it.

Tom - Speaking of other skills, are you still looking at doing the effort/race poll this year?

I’ve learned good and bad from sports ...

Some random things ...

1. Genetics trump almost everything else.

2. You can’t hard work yourself into the pros. But you can underwork yourself out of it.

3. If you’re going to survive on potential, you better have a boatload of it.

4. If you’re 6’e and left-handed, exceptions will be made for you ... Until they aren’t ... And then reality is a mother.

5. On occassion teamwork does beat talent.

6. Very few dads should coach their kids.

7. Only dads are willing to coach.

8. The change-up really is the great equalizer, even to good hitters.

9. Balks for lefties really don’t exist.

10. Most people seek to place blame elsewhere.

11. Winning really is better than losing. The only thing you really learn from losing is that it sucks.

12. The best thing about sports is befriending others that you might never meet if it weren’t from sports.

13. Wearing a uniform is a special thing that you’ll miss for the rest of your life.

14. Earning respect is where it’s at, and there’s only a few ways to actually do it.

15. Those guys on TV really are very different than everyone else. I learned this when Juan Acevedo shoved 95-mph fastballs down our throats over and over and there was nothing we could do about it. “Man amongst boys” finally had meaning. Reaffirmed when I saw Cliff Floyd in legion baseball.

Jeff, yes, absolutely. Let me find the other thread, and comment there.

My favorite: “Wearing a uniform is a special thing that you’ll miss for the rest of your life.” So true!!

And amen on dad’s coaching.  Thankfully, my dad never wanted to because he knew it wasn’t a good idea.  I coach fastpitch softball now, and it’s so much easier not having a kid on the team!

"dealing with limited evidence and uncertainty,”

I find this one to be the most prevalent. Too many times people make snap judgments based on limited info or observations in multiple facets of life.

I just noticed that the title of the thread was “skills” learned from sports. I just started rambling a bunch of thoughts. A.D.D.

1. Stress/Pressure/Fear management - being comfortable in the uncomfortable.

2. Emotions aside - really, no one cares about how you feel about anything ... they only care about what you do ... and most times they only care about what you can do to make their life easier. Sucks, sure. Reality, you betcha.

3. Communication - specific, direct.

4. Expect obstacles - You’re gonna get knocked down. have a plan for what to do when you make it to your feet. Start by getting to a knee. Then stand up.

#4 always surprises me. I coach 4 youth teams and the HS/JH pitchers. So many athletes really seem to think that each game is going to be easy. That they won’t walk anyone, they won’t give up a hit, the ump won’t miss a call, the D won’t make an error. Then when it happens, they act as if they are stunned. That’s their own fault. My pre-game talk with the SP, always centers around what to expect. There may be an error, we may walk a guy, there’s probably going to be a bad call, there may be some conflict, they may have some really good hitters, etc. So when it happens, ACT like you knew it could happen, and DEAL with it. FAKE it if you have to. They all react as if I’m the first coach that doesn’t expect them to toss a perfect game. Don’t get me wrong, I expect dominance (and very often get it), but I also understand reality. Sh!t happens, clean it up or step over it.