Expect to Win

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Today I had the pleasure of being part of something special with my team. We didn’t win a championship, but we did play in a tournament this weekend where there was a championship at stake. As a coach, nothing gratifies you more than watching your team perform up to and beyond their capabilities. Sometimes little victories are more than big victories. We beat one of the best pitchers we’ve faced this season.

The funny thing is, after the game, I’m sure most, if not all the boys on the team would agree that it was not a monumental task we accomplished. It was a natural progression. The ebb and flow of the game went our way, offensively and defensively. But we made it happen. That’s the difference. Therein lies my point. We put ourselves in positions to be successful. When that occurs, good things happen.

Baseball is a learning process not unlike any other learned trait. It takes time. Rome wasn’t built in a day. It took Michelangelo years to paint the Sistine Chapel. For all us God-fearing men, it took Him a week to create the world! Take it bit-by-bit and at the end it all seems to make sense.

The underlying factor here is that before any of that happens, you have to believe it will happen. The victory is the BIG outcome. But on the way there are little victories that lead to the win. Someone gets a bunt down, steals a base, gets a base hit to score a run, a big strikeout or double play. Each one of these things builds confidence, little by little. By the end of the game, you expect the good things to follow. A win. And it happens.

So here’s the point(s). Expect to play your best. Expect to win. Not everyone can win, but we can all expect to. Take the little victories and the confidence that comes with them and build on them. Put yourself and/or your team in a position to succeed, every time.