Baseball and Communication

A new season of my favorite team sport recently got underway. I am talking about baseball. As baseball and I go back a long way, I always welcome the sight and sound of the teams as they take their freshly manicured fields as part of a tradition that actually goes back to the nineteenth century. This magical sport possesses a grace and purity all its own. And a language, too. "Texas leaguer;" "short hop;" round tripper;" triple play;" "double-steal;" and "no hitter" are just a few of the catch-phrases that have evolved out of baseball and are unique to the National Past time. These phrases represent a special way of communicating that connect the players and even fans like me in this world of the ball and the bat.

Baseball is not unlike any other unit. It consists of members with their own skills, responsibilities, and roles to play. At any given time an individual member can and is called upon to do their duty, not just for their own glory but rather for the advancement of the entire team. If, for example, a player literally drops the ball, then then entire team suffers. On the other hand, if that same player successfully does their job by catching a fly ball or stealing a base, then the team is moved along in a positive direction toward its ultimate goal of winning. In terms of communication, the players are in sync because they recognize the benefit of maintaining sustained harmony.

Good communication can and does result in members of any unit, organization or even family sharing mutual understanding and agreement of purpose. It is when communication breaks down that the team slides from cohesion to disarray. Many other team sports, of course, can be used to illustrate this point. For me, it is baseball that remains the best metaphor of the good that can and does come from successful communication. So, "batter up," everyone!