I think of that great immortal athlete, Babe Ruth, when I talk about the principle of success and particularly failure.
Let me just share a little experience from his life.
It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon in the summer of 1927, and 35,000 wildly excited baseball fans packed Shibe Park.
They were giving Babe Ruth the "razzberry" --and good!
Lefty (Bob) Grove, one of the greatest left-handed pitchers of all time, had just struck Babe Ruth on three consecutive pitched balls for the second successive time.
Two runners were stranded on the bases.
As the great slugger returned to the bench, amidst wild and abusive jeering, he looked up into the stands with an unruffled smile, just as he did the first time, gave his cap a polite little tip from his perspiring brow, stepped down into the dugout, and calmly took a drink of water.
In the eight inning, when he came up for his third time at bat, the situation was critical.
The Athletics were leading the Yankees, 3-1.
The bases were full and two were out.
As Babe selected his favorite bat and started toward the plate, the crowd rose in a body, as if by signal.
The excitement was tremendous!
"Strike 'im out again!" pleaded the fans to Grove.
Struting around the pitcher's box, it was easy to see that the big southpaw believed he was just going to do that.
As the mighty batter took his position, the crowd became hysterical.
There was a pause.
Mickey Cochrane, the A's great catcher, crouched to give the signal.
Grove threw one with lightning speed.
Ruth swung; it was a foul tip.
"Str--ike one!" roared the umpire.
Again the signal, and the pitch was too fast to follow.
Again, Babe took that magnificent swing--and missed.
"Stri--I-I-ke two!" was the call.
Ruth staggered and went down.
He had literally swung himself off his feet.
There was a cloud of dust as the big fellow sprawled on the ground.
The crowd was going mad.
Finally, regaining his feet, the "Bambino" brushed the dust off his trousers, dried his hands, and got set for the next pitch.
Grove delivered the ball so fast not a single fan could see it.
Babe swung--but this time he connected!
It was only a split second before everybody seemed to realize what had happened.
That ball was never coming back.
It disappeared over the scoreboard and cleared the houses across the street --one of the longest hits ever recorded.
As Babe Ruth trotted around the bases and across the plate behind the other runners--with what proved to be the winning run--he received a wild ovation from the crowd.
Ruth doffed his cap with that little smile, and the expression on his face was exactly like the one he wore on his first two trips, when he had gone down swinging.
Later in the season, after the Yanks clinched the American League pennant, Grantland Rice, interviewing the Babe, asked, "What do you do when you get in a batting slump?"
Babe replied: "I just keep goin' up there and keep swingin'.
I know the old law of averages will hold good for me the same as it does for anybody else, if I keep havin' my healthy swings.
If I strike out two or three times in a game, or ail to get a hit for a week, why should I worry?
Let the pitchers worry; they're the guys who're gonna have to pay for it later on."
This unshakable faith in making the law of averages work for him enabled Babe Ruth to accept his bad breaks and failures with a smile.
This simple philosophy had much to do with making him baseball's greatest slugger.
His attitude of taking both good and bad in stride made him one of the game's greatest heroes.
-Paul H. Dunn -Know Thyself, Control Thyself, Give Thyself -April 1972 General Conference
Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
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