thependulumswings

One of the many gifts that Boom Boom gave us was the torrent of quips about how one leads one’s life.   He could say so much by saying so little.   A statement at just the right moment always resonated.  How I interpreted or applied it was up to me.  No more words were spoken because no more words were needed.

In Boom Boom’s later years he drove over to Houston to visit.  After dinner we sat down to one of his very favorite pastimes-watching baseball.  There were pots, pans, and dishes getting cleaned and clanging in the kitchen.  An unnamed five-year old and a determined three-year old were full of energy and buzzing about.  Through it all Boom Boom kept one eye on the Astros game.

When Jeff Bagwell stepped to the plate his interest heightened.  Bagwell was in the middle of a ten-year run that led to his recent Hall of Fame induction.   “Look at his stance, son.”  I had seen it thousands of times before.  “It’s unique son, no one would teach that today.”  “No doubt Dad.”  “He’s in the big leagues for one obvious reason son.  He hits the ball hard every time.”  “No doubt Dad.”

Bagwell hit a missile for a single to centerfield.  He stood on first.  Boom Boom wondered, “Can you imagine if you were his little league or high school coach and tried to change his stance or his swing son?”  Before I could imagine he continued.  “In life you should take what you do best and make it better.”  “Everyone has weaknesses.  Forget about them.  If you are really good at one thing you’ll prosper.”

Suddenly I didn’t hear the background noise.  Lee Trevino popped into my mind as another example.  Self taught he was.  And, he took that banana slice swing and practiced it till he was more accurate than almost anyone else on tour.

I never watched Bagwell in the batter’s box again and didn’t think about that moment.  Because “in life you should take what you do best and make it better.”