“Pop flies, in a sense, are just a diversion for a second baseman. Grounders are his stock trade.”
– Jackie Robinson (1919-1972)
Knowing our “stock trade” is a good way to avoid the diversions in our day-to-day.
Knowing it, though, even executing on it doesn’t dismiss us from the need to execute as efficiently on the diversionary stuff. We have to field the pop flies cleanly when they come our way, even though we train for the grounders, the bad hops, the in-betweeners and the skidders.
There are times that the diversions seem amped up — as if no one was every gonna hit the ball on the ground toward us ever again. Pop fly after pop fly after pop fly.
Minding our stock trade though gives us the confidence to “snap back” when we have to.
Discipline gives us the freedom to “get back” when we want to.
PS If you haven’t seen “42,” the biographical movie on Jackie Robinson, you’ll want to do that — soon. Amazing story of perseverance and dedication — and of a culture turning a corner.
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