Photo courtesy of bsteve76.

Life has been described as a lot of things: a race, a play (“The whole world’s a stage!”), a box of chocolates. But in a lot of ways, life can be described as a baseball game. And as the season heats up (Go Brewers!), I thought it would be interesting to look at the parallels between ourselves and the “boys of summer”. Let’s take a look:

1. Don’t focus too much on one game – it won’t make or break your season.

There are 162 games in the regular season of Major League Baseball. Especially right now (May), a bad record isn’t going to ruin anyone’s season. There is still plenty of time for a team to get it together and make a run at the postseason. On the contrary, a great record doesn’t really mean anything either. It doesn’t matter how many games over .500 you are, you are still susceptible to go into a slide and throw away the whole season.

In life, too many people focus on short-term solutions and problems. That’s the way our culture is now. But the people who truly succeed in life and are truly happy are the ones that understand the big picture. Celebrate your wins and then move on to the next challenge. Mourn your loss briefly, learn from it, and move on to the next challenge. Life has a lot more games than 162. Think of life as the April/May schedule of any MLB team: every game is important, but let’s not have our lives depend on them. There’s a lot more baseball to be played.

2. Not every pitch that comes across the plate is a good one.

A pitcher doesn’t always throw a strike. Some pitches are downright terrible – but we’ve all seen batters who swing at them. Why? Because they are too anxious to get a hit. So they swing wildly and strike out constantly.

Life is our pitcher. Sometimes we get walked to first base, sometimes we strike out. Sometimes we may even get a piece of the ball. But just because an opportunity comes along in your life doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good one. Take your time and analyze the situation. Make sure that life is throwing you something you can hit. If it isn’t, don’t swing. It could hurt you a lot more than you think. Wait for the next pitch.

3. If you successfully steal a base, you are a hero. If you fail, you are an idiot.

I was at a Brewers-Cubs game this past weekend, and one of my favorite players, Ryan Braun, was caught trying to steal second. He was out by a mile. The place booed, and everyone around us thought Braun was stupid for trying to steal the base. The funny thing is, if he would have made it there safely, everyone would have hailed him as a brilliant ballplayer.

Sometimes, in life, you need to take a risk. It’s what makes life worth living. Anything that’s worth doing involves a little bit of risk. If you take that risk and succeed, you are going to feel brilliant. If you take that risk and fail, you are going to feel really dumb. There are people around you who will do the same. But don’t let that stop you from taking them – just make sure you are taking them responsibly.

4. You can’t always depend on the home run – stick to the basics.

My Brewers made it to the postseason last year, and we were thrilled. The problem was that we made it there by hitting a lot of home runs. That makes for exciting baseball, but that well dried up. Good ball clubs are the ones that play the fundamentals well: solid hitting and smart baserunning.

There’s a reason that “The Tortoise & The Hare” is still being taught. It rings true. Slow and steady wins the race. It won’t have the flash of the hare or the home run, but focus on the basics of life: loving others and being responsible. If you are looked at as dependable and caring, you are going to go far. You don’t have to be the next Bill Gates or Steve Jobs to be successful in life. Just be you, and do the basics of life well. The rest will take care of itself.

5. You will get caught cheating, and it will tarnish your legacy.

Guys like Pete Rose, Jose Canseco, Roger Clemens, and now Alex Rodriguez would normally be first-ballot Hall of Famers. But their past dealings in gambling and steroids have resulted in questionable legacies, and people are wondering whether or not they deserve to be in the Hall. Great ballplayers are now remembered for the lousy things they did rather than what made them famous.

If you take shortcuts in life or get ahead by stepping on other people, you will get caught eventually. Nobody gets away with it forever. Be a good person. Treat others well. Do honest work. Getting ahead cleanly is the foundation to a solid future.

6. Some teams will just have bigger budgets than you – but that doesn’t mean they’re better.

Ah, the New York Yankees. They are the enemies of Major League Baseball. They are a big-market team that tries to buy up all the talent in baseball. They spend millions of dollars in the offseason, a brand-new stadium, and they have truly assembled an elite group of ballplayers. But they have a very average record right now (17-17), and they famously gave up 22 runs to the Cleveland Indians last month. Oh, and that new ballpark? The ticket prices tripled, and fans are really ticked off at them for it.

A lot of people run on envy today. They look to celebrities and the rich, and they just assume that they have better lives. But, as has often been repeated, with great power comes great responsibility. You can’t buy happiness or success. You need to make yourself happy, and money is not the answer to it. In fact, more money may lead to a lot of resentment. Just ask the Yankees about that.

7. Every game needs a “seventh-inning stretch”.

If you haven’t been to a ballgame before, then you might not know the wonder that is the seventh-inning stretch. In the middle of the seventh inning of every baseball game, the fans rise and stretch out their arms, legs, and otherwise. Some get snacks, others stick around for singing (in the Brewers’ case: “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” and “Roll Out the Barrel” – we love our polka in Wisconsin!). It’s a fun little break during the game for everybody.

You can’t be all business, all the time. Take your own seventh-inning stretch every day. Have some time for yourself that is just used for relaxing and rejuvenating yourself. It’s the only way you’re going to make it through life. Your body craves a break and you need to give it one. Then you can return to the game recharged and ready to go!

8. If you throw too many pitches, you may be pulled from the game early.

Particularly in the case of younger pitchers, once you reach a pitch count of over 100, managers tend to start thinking about pulling you from the game, even if you are doing an average-to-fine job of pitching. Why? Managers don’t want pitchers wearing themselves completely out. It can do much more damage to a pitcher’s arm by leaving them in, and then pitchers are susceptible to big innings from hitters.

In life, you need to pace yourself. Stop throwing so many pitches or you’ll wear out way too soon. If you want to make it in the long run, focus on doing a few things really well rather than trying to spread yourself thin. Keep that pitch count low and you will have more long-term success!

9. Sometimes, the team needs a sacrifice out.

Not every out is bad. A pitcher might throw down a bunt – he’ll get out at first base, but he will advance the baserunner(s). A deep fly ball might be caught, but could be enough to score another run for the team. Just because you got out doesn’t necessarily mean the team didn’t benefit from it.

Everybody needs to sacrifice something in life. A lot of times, it will be to help out the “team”: your coworkers, your family, or your spouse. Just because you have to give up something doesn’t mean you are losing. Sometimes you gain more by sacrificing than you would if you always tried to hit the home run.

10. The umpire can make some REALLY bad calls.

You’ve all seen close outs where the runner was safe. You’ve all seen horrible pitches called strikes and beautiful pitches called balls. Umpires are fallible people, and they can make some pretty awful calls sometimes. If players or coaches complain too much about it, they get thrown out of the game.

Some days it will feel like you’re getting nothing but bad calls. We’ve all had days where we are dumped on. But if we want to stay in the game, we need to complain little, suck it up, and keep playing. Everybody will get bad calls eventually. It’s part of playing the game.

What do you think? Did I miss any that you are thinking of? Share them in the comments!

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