By Ron Wolforth –
If you are 40 and older you might remember the iconic movie by Dudley Moore and Bo Derek called ‘10’. It was a story about a man seeking to find the perfect woman in terms of beauty and physical attractiveness. It was a romantic comedy which ends predictably with the main character discovering that her beauty was only skin deep.
What I find ironic is that although a vast majority of us would agree that physical beauty is indeed a very shallow indicator of a person’s true worth or value, even in today’s supposed sophisticated and enlightened culture, we constantly and continually fail in heeding its lesson.
True value, merit and worth is almost always far deeper than any superficial clues or insinuations might suggest. Case in point. In 1950 it was Marilyn Monroe who was the ‘IT’ girl. Then in 1960 it was Elizabeth Taylor. In the 1970’s /80’s it was Raquel Welch and Farrah Fawcett. 1990’s/ 2000’s Christie Brinkley. Today it’s Jennifer Lopez and Angelina Jolie. Those 7 women have been married a total of 27 times. Obviously physical attractiveness by itself is a very poor indicator of marital bliss. Who knew? Well, in truth, we ALL knew. We just rarely internalize the lesson and when we do, it just doesn’t seem to stick for long.
Unfortunately, I believe this growing obsession with the superficial suggests that we are headed in the wrong direction in our culture. Because of social media and the speed of things, our modern reality is often a mile long and an inch thick. In my opinion, appearance and presentation have moved from the status of ‘hints and possible indicators’ of who this person is to nearly the only thing that matters.
Our interactions with others are now frequently staged and filtered to suggest a life that is far from genuine or authentic. Many of us are so busy trying to show the world we are a ’10’. Of course, this flows over into our lives as baseball athletes.
In baseball terms for the pitching athlete here are the current ‘IT’ questions:
- What team do you play for in travel ball?
- What showcases and tournaments are you attending?
- What accolades and awards are you receiving?
- Who is bragging on you on Tik Tok & Instagram?
- What is your PG ranking in your state as well as nationally?
- Are you invited to participate in PG All American games or Team USA tryouts?
- What college teams are recruiting you?
- Do you have a college offer by your sophomore year?
- Are you 93 mph +?
- Are professional scouts talking to your coaches or parents about you?
Now, I’m not suggesting these things are necessarily bad in and of themselves. They are not. But if and when we become consumed by chasing these surface level indicators, we almost always lose sight of other things that matter way more.
For example:
10 = truly exceptional, almost couldn’t be better
Are you a ‘10’ in your arm health and durability? Score _____
Are you a ‘10’ in your recovery and your ability to bounce back after an outing?
Score _____
Are you a ‘10’ in your command of all of your pitches? Score _____
Are you a ‘10’ in your ability to spin your breaking stuff? Score _____
Are you a ‘10’ as a defensive pitcher fielding your position? Score _____
Are you a ‘10’ in being a teammate and a contributor to something bigger than yourself while in the dugout or club house when you are not playing? Score _____
Are you a ’10’ to your coaching staff- whether or not they deserve it? Score _____
Are you a ‘10’ as a student and a learner? Score _____
Are you a ‘10’ as a brother to your siblings? Score _____
Are you a ‘10’ as a son and grandson? Score _____
Are you a ‘10’ to your classmates? Score _____
Are you a ‘10’ to your neighbors? Score _____
Are you a ‘10’ to people who don’t know you, who you will never see again and cannot do anything for you? Score _____
Are you a ‘10’ to your Creator who breathed life into you and bestowed you with such blessings and abilities? Score _____
The truth is all around us. If we are really quiet, take the time and regularly listen to the whispers of our own subconscious, we already know the important truths. We know that you can’t judge a book by its cover and that ‘things’ will never make us happy for long.
My heartfelt suggestion is to spend your time, inside and outside of baseball, on being a ‘10’ on the things that actually matter and not on the specious, the trivial or the perfunctory.
Until next time,
Stay curious and keep fighting the good fight.
Coach Wolforth
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