I Will Be Number 1

When you hear the statement "I will be number 1", what does it mean to you? What images are conjured in your mind? I think about a person who is either delusional or very serious.

In this case, it was uttered by our own baseball friend Buddy last week to his father. The context of the statement was that he was down on the ladder of left handed pitchers on the team. He felt that he should be higher. Actually, he feels that he can be the number 1 pitcher on the team if only he is given a chance.

I agree with this statement. Although he may be too ambitious as a freshman (from my perspective...). But, why not? Why can't he be number one? With his work ethic and commitment to his sport, he can do it. Yet, I am not sure if he can accomplish this goal in the quick time frame that he has in his own mind.

I read the book "Outliers"...it seems in order to be at the very top of your discipline and stay there, a person has to put time into it...in other words...log hour after hour after hour of practice and study. Therefore, realistically, he may need more time to achieve the number one slot.

With that said, the statement may seem like bravado. Perhaps to some individuals, however, I have a different perspective on this subject. In order to get up in front of thousands of people and be the center of attention with the team relying on each pitch, a person needs to have confidence...not just "I can ace this test" confidence but uber-confidence like "I can detonate this bomb in the next 25 seconds before the world is destroyed" confidence. A person would have to be somewhat crazy to want to pitch anyway....I wouldn't want to do it....but as he explained to me in the past..it is a control issue. He can help to control the game. He likes it...loves it....thrives on it....dreams about it...lives it....

So, the next time that you have an active bomb in your backyard, call on an uber-confident bomb squad officer with the experience and know-how to be the number one guy....he might be a bit crazy, but he'll get the job done....