Today would have been my dad's 73rd birthday.
My dad was a professional baseball umpire in the mid 1970s, and of all the things he taught me about the game, one lesson ripples my soul now more then ever..
He'd always say the secret to umpiring was, "Let the play happen before you make the call." This is hard to do with a bang/bang play at the plate.. You want to rush and call a guy out or safe.. but who knows the catcher might drop the ball.. right.
One of my favorite memories in my entire life was sitting next to my dad at Game 2 of the 1991 World Series. We watched my favorite player, Kent Hrbek, tag Ron Gant after Gant's own momentum carried him off first base. To this day it's one of the most argued plays in baseball history. Some people believe Hrbek pulled him off the bag. Wrestle Mania style... But my dad explained it. And why the umpire did his job perfectly and got it right.. If you watch the replay, the umpire did exactly what my dad always taught me..... he waited. He let the play happen. He knew Gant's momentum was still moving.. if the player is still moving the play is still happening. Sorry Braves fans.. He's out.
This lesson of "Let the play happen before you make the call." Shows up everywhere in my life.. conference rooms, creative meetings, conversations with friends...
My brain has always been wired to solve problems. Ideas come fast. Before someone finishes explaining a challenge, I'm already thinking, "What if we tried this? What if we did that?" I want to help. I want to contribute. I want to find the answer before anyone else. But sometimes there isn't even a problem to solve yet.
Sometimes people just need to finish their thought.
I've learned that if I sit with a conversation a little longer... if I resist the urge to interrupt or have the answer... if I let the moment breathe... I almost always make a better decision.
Life works that way, too. We rush to judge people before we know their story. We react before we have all the information. We decide before we've really listened.
My dad taught me that patience isn't passive. It's wisdom.
So today, on what would have been his 73rd birthday, I'm thinking about that old umpire's lesson that has guided me far beyond a baseball diamond.
Let the play happen. Then make the call.
Happy Birthday, Dad.
I love you and miss you.
