The great thing about baseball is regardless of whether you’re at Yankee Stadium or watching a local Little League game the experience, well, except for the selection of beverages, is at its root, the same.
Sometimes the enthusiasm and energy is more impressive at the non-Major League level. Some of the best baseball you’ll ever witness can be found at the Class A minor league level. Though not far removed from high school ball, the players are being paid for the first time to play the game and each of them is shooting for one of approximately 750 jobs at the major league level.
All of the players have talent, but can they balance talent against a variety of other factors necessary to be successful? Some can, most can’t and don’t.
Writing is a lot like baseball.
When you see the finished product, it often seems effortless. In baseball, Albert Pujols is a great example. If you saw him on the street you probably wouldn’t think, “perhaps the greatest baseball player to ever walk the earth.” Babe Ruth was much the same, but these guys and many others have that special ability you can’t teach. You either have it or you don’t. These guys have the natural ability to hit a baseball like few others. There will be many players, but few like Pujols or Ruth.
Writers are much the same. After all, we all have access to the same language and tools of the craft, but some writers just inherently do it a bit better.
What does this mean?
It means that not all writers are going to be Hemingway or Grisham.
Have you ever heard of Mike Hesseman? Probably not. Hesseman is a journeyman minor league player who is a real life Crash Davis. For those of you not familiar with the cinema of baseball, Crash Davis is a fictional character with the “dubious honor” of being the minor league homerun king. Many people would scoff at that and say that his was not a successful career.
I would beg to differ.
Hesseman isn’t a household name. He won’t be in the Hall of Fame, but he has spent near 20 years making a living playing baseball. He’s also walked up to the plate more than 200 times in Major League games. Fourteen of those times the crowd watched him trot out a homerun. Not a lot of people can say that. I’m certain there are many who dream of even having one big league at bat.
So you may not be the next New York Times bestselling author, but I bet you’d be satisfied spending 20 years making a living writing and maybe also hit a few homeruns along the way.
So the next time you get in a rut with your writing, close the computer and head to the ballpark. Of the 18 guys in the game at anytime you may be looking at a Hall of Famer, but chances are there will be a couple of Hesseman’s running around who are going to love every minute of their ride.
Remember, you’re doing what most only dream of.
You’re writing.
So while you’re here why not read a chapter from my book or even buy a copy of your own. A portion of all proceeds from the sale of The Trust will be donated to canine related charities. Support K9 rescues!
