.333

A baseball player can win a batting title hitting .333. He can be the best hitter in baseball and be unsuccessful 2 out 3 times.

Will just finished his first season of kid pitch and in his last game he walked both times at bat. The game before he walked twice and the same the game before that. He was pretty discouraged.

There’s no glory in taking a base on balls. I told him that it’s as good as a hit. But not a double or a triple or a home run, he said. Well…

So I tried to explain that while hits are great, most batters will strike out, ground out or fly out most times. But he is showing a high level of patience and skill as a hitter by making the pitcher earn every at bat. Other boys in the league swing at anything in this county and half of Mecklenburg.

But he’s getting on base a lot and you can’t help your team if you’re not on base. Such is life. Much like walks in baseball. Day in day out. Not many doubles, triples and very few home runs. No fanfare. But a lot of patience and hard work. And very few strikeouts.

Get up. Chop wood. Go to bed. Just trying to get on base to help the team.

Sometimes it’s discouraging. Then you look back over the years and the kids you’ve raised and the friends you’ve made. And you realize.

I’ve helped build a winning team.