I keep a commonplace book of sayings and whatnots, things I find here and there that touch me in some way. During the run-up to the KC Royals’ 2015 World Series win, which had some pretty fucking spectacular moments*, players, coaches, commentators, and historical figures had some pretty awesome things to say about baseball in general that were poignantly applicable to my life at the time. I look at this frequently and remember. I might be living in the past and dreaming of the good ol’ days, but these are pretty timeless. So, since the site is begging for content, I will share these with you.

  • Hack at the ball. Put it in play.
  • 90 feet at a time
  • Steal bases.
  • Swing at the ball on the first up, even though everybody already knows you’re going to.
  • Little victories–being able to see and hear the opportunities.
  • Sacrifice an out for a run.
  • Have a deep bullpen. (Translated to my situation: Have a long-term plan, figure out where to spend money, invest the time and be patient.)
  • .366 is the best batting average ever.
  • Run for the grass line past 1st base.
  • Hit the fast balls.
  • Change up the pitcher. And the pitches.
  • Home runs are rare and special. (Translated to my situation: Don’t bet on big wins; keep to the small ones.)
  • Have fun.
  • Hit the wall to catch the ball.
  • Keep the line moving.
  • Take a chance and see what happens.
  • Pressure busts the pipe.
  • If you hold something down, it’ll grow sideways.
  • Show up ready to go tomorrow (after a blow-out loss).

More quotes:

The beauty of baseball is that it’s a very long grind and over time, it tends to reward the people who do the small stuff right and punish the people who can’t be bothered with the fundamentals. —KC Star, 5/29/16

 

That’s what speed do. –Jarrod Dyson

 

Luck is the residue of design. –Branch Rickey

 

I saw it trickle away and I said, “I’m going.” That’s all I need, is a trickle. –Terrance Gore

 

[a rookie’s confident performance] says, “I belong here; I can play.” –internet rando

 

If he [an asshole pitcher] doesn’t want to compete in a situation that’s not sexy, they should just send his ass home. –Danny Duffy

 

and my favorite:

NY team shut down by a gaggle of boulder-nutted young studs from Flyover, USA. Please more of this forever. –internet rando

So I decided that, for that period of my life anyway, the sacrifice fly was my spirit animal.

_____

*”It was realizing that at that point in the game, you have to take a chance. You have to be aggressive. That’s how we’ve been all year. We don’t play the normal style of baseball, according to most people.” –Eric Hosmer

He was right. The play, as crazy and ill-advised as it might have been, perfectly exemplified what this resilient and relentless team has been about all along since the beginning of its 2014 run: complete fearlessness. —Sports Illustrated, 11/2/15, “World Series Royals Win Title, Leave Legacy