Joe DiMaggio is often viewed as one of the most graceful, dynamic, and consistent baseball players who have ever taken the field. He was capable of doing things on a baseball field that others could only imagine.
When asked why he plays the way he does, his answer epitomizes what we should all strive for as a ballplayer.
He stated “There is always some kid who may be seeing me for the first time. I owe him my best.”
Whenever we take the field, there is someone sitting in the stands who has never seen you play. It could be a kid, an adult and quite possibly a scout.
These people have a small sample size of seeing how you play. They deserve to see your absolute best. They deserve to see run out every groundball. They deserve to see you run the bases aggressively. They deserve to see you take every groundball with your optimal effort and fundamental.
They deserve to watch you play this game with joy and competitiveness.
They deserve to see you hustle on and off the field. They deserve to see your resilience when things do not go well on the field.
They deserve to see how good of a teammate you could be.
They deserve to see you as a complete ballplayer.
Your opportunities in this game are not endless. You might play this game for a long time, but it might be that one day when you don’t feel your best at the plate or on the mound that might be the most important.
It is important because there is someone in the stands who has never seen you play and as DiMaggio says “I owe him my best.”
I wish you the best in reminding yourself that every day is the day to give your best