Hall of Fame Manager Tommy Lasorda can spin a line that could rival the great writers. Tommy Lasorda, quite simply loves to talk and this was his greatest asset as a manager. He could motivate any player and often would lift his teams to heights that were above their talent level.
Often the success of a team and an individual comes down to the choice of a single ballplayer and Tommy Lasorda phrased this choice perfectly.
“There are three types of baseball players. Those who make it happen, those who watch it happen and those who wonder what happened.”
Obviously we would all like to be the player who makes it happen. We yearn to be the player who wants the pressure. We want to be the type of player who makes plays on a baseball field. We want to fly around the yard– get dirty –play hard and make it happen.
But too often we fall into the other two categories.
We often watch what happens on the field. When a ball is not hit our way, we tend to stand and watch the play. We forget that on every baseball play, every defender has an obligation. We might need to back up the play, back up the possibility of the next play, or back up the possibility of the play after that. Some of the greatest defensive plays occur because of proper backups. Whether the ball is hit to you or not, you have a responsibility. Never be caught “watching it happen”.
The third choice pokes fun at the ballplayer who is often not paying attention. By losing concentration and letting our mind drift away from the moment will lead us down a bad road. We never want to be the player who doesn’t know what is going on. We never want a coach to believe that we are not into the game. If we want to make it happen, then we need to know what is happening.
It comes down to a choice. Do you want it? Then go get it at every opportunity.
Be the player who makes it happen.