Today is the second inning of The Porch’s baseball series at the start of the 2016 season. Today, we look at “Patient Pondering, then Frantic Action”. So, here is the full line-up for the series:

· First Inning: Everyone has a chance!

· Second Inning: Patient pondering, then frantic action!

· Third Inning: The aggressive team is often the winning team

· Fourth Inning: If you can hit….

· Fifth Inning: Many singles are better than one solo home run

· Sixth Inning: A strong bullpen is key

· Seventh Inning: Time to stretch

· Eighth Inning: Rally time!

· Ninth Inning: “It ain’t over till it’s over”

Baseball is not considered a fast game. It is a thinker’s game. It is one that might last two hours or five hours, depending upon what happens. The longest game in MLB history occurred on May 8, 1984 when the Chicago White Sox beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-6 in 25 innings. Baseball is a game of strategy where the times of “patient pondering” may outnumber those moments of frantic action by 100:1. For example, the times where the batter or pitcher is getting signs or considering what pitch comes next or how to defend a batter can be literally minutes for one at bat. Yet, the ball might only be active, in play, for 5 seconds. Baseball is a game where patience is critical to avoid significant strategic mistakes and where one bad pitch can doom a game.

Our work is very similar. Planning is crucial. We must know where we want to go, how we’ll get there, and what we’ll do when we arrive there. Thinking through the special circumstances and intricacies is important to ensure we don’t “drop the ball” in critical areas. However, when the pitch is finally made, we need to be ready for action! Someone once said,

“Be decisive. Right or wrong, make a decision. The road of life is paved with flat squirrels who couldn’t make a decision.” – Unknown –

Think it through, consider the risks, mitigate the adverse risks, then, for goodness sake, make a decision and act! Baseball is a slow-paced game, laced with frantic action. The best teams plan, prepare, and act decisively. We need to do the same.

Have a great day! There is still that chance that it could be our best yet!