What is the True Measure of a Game?
As my son is chasing his dream of playing major league baseball he has had a constant companion called, “Perfect Game”. I would like to suggest to you this organization is really not getting the credit it deserves. Let me explain.
Perfect Game’s core purpose is to provide a system by which young ball players can show their talent to the upper levels of organized baseball. Colleges and major league baseball scouts can watch players from their first PG tournament or showcase and then follow a players’ progress into being a scholarship winner in college or the ultimate prize of being a high round draft pick by a major league team. Perfect Game is an organization that makes money by doing what they do. No problem. They advertise each year how many players are drafted for the major leagues that have attended Perfect Game events. Problem…..for me! May I offer a different measurement of Perfect Game?
Baseball can be tougher than life. Can you imagine going through life with your real “batting average” up in lights over your head? Everyone would know what you had done to earn the money you had in the bank; how many sins you had committed; or what you really thought about your parents or spouse today. Can you imagine a world where as you walk down the street you see little signs over people’s heads saying things like: cheater, thief, liar, scholar, or true friend etc. etc….
Real life would be very different if it was played like the great game called baseball.
The magic of baseball is the nature of the game. You cannot have someone catch the ball or hit the ball for you---those are the things you must do as an individual to play baseball. But, the magic of the game is you cannot play actual baseball without a team around you. You can’t win a game in baseball as an individual. Nine individuals play but you can only win as a team.
Perfect Game watches players as individuals. You go to a showcase and get a personal rating of your skills. Everyone knows that while playing at a PG tournament scouts are there to see the best players regardless of their teams records. What if you go to a showcase and don’t get a 10.0 rating? You could argue that all the “10’s don’t really need Perfect Game because they already have the talent and Perfect Game didn’t give that to them. What about all the players-hundreds or thousands- of them each year that don’t get to play past high school? What about the all young men that get judged as not being the best. Who are these young men and what happens to them? What has Perfect Game done for the boys without the talent level to go on?
My thesis is that they have served the same purpose for the “10’s as for the ones that don’t make it to their dream. They give them a real life stage to be tested against the best. Perfect Game provides young men their first test on becoming successful. It’s making the decision to enter the fray against the very best that signals the strength of the person. And I think that the nature of any boy willing to step into the arena to be tested is the same. Inside each one of them is that courage to say, “I’m willing to see if I’m any good.” How many young men with that courage do not play organized baseball past high school? The majority- I would think. How many “high achievers” are not afraid to fail? I think the answer to that is all of them.
So, Perfect Game can continue to advertise how many participants in their events have been drafted by the major leagues if it chooses to do so. But that seems way too narrow of an approach to me. Success can be found in many places. A good father is a success. Becoming a happy person is a success. Building a business is a success. All of these forms of success and any you might want to add have one thing in common—the trait of courage. Courage to be tested by all life will throw at you. Perfect Game is one of the first places boys can test their courage. One of the first places to learn that you can be successful without winning the game you are playing.
I’m betting that all the “Non-10’s” will become pretty successful people. Maybe Perfect game should do one of those investigative reports called “where are now?” My bet is that in stands of major league baseball all over the country we will begin to see thousands of very successful men watching just 600 other men play baseball professionally with little signs over their heads that read:
“I remember this guy. He was at a PG Showcase with me. He really was a 10! But, I’m really happy sitting here at the ball park under the summer sun with my son and daughter just watching a baseball game. We have so many other great things to do today after the game.”
The man will turn to his family and tell them about his baseball days. They will all roll their eyes and say, “Please Dad, not again!” And they will all laugh, eat Cracker-Jacks, and be very happy being the people that they are.
Perfect Game is really a place to test your courage not just your baseball skills. Maybe the answer to the question mentioned is that all these boys are "10's"!
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