Those who stay; Naysayers; Advice for those giving advice

trating the above point greatly. The poem was “Joe (it might have been Tom or Bob) always hoed to the end of the row.” I will not print it here but you can find the poem and learn the great lesson contained therein. Also, the poem “Don’t Quit” was painted and placed on the wall of the dressing room of our fieldhouse at Calhoun in 1981. Both poems contain great motivational advice. Sadly too often promising careers are waylaid by reason of “He quit.”

Critics, Condemners and Complainers

I borrow the words of the great statesman and a wise man from the founding days of the United States. Benjamin Franklin expressed an observation with which it would be hard to disagree. Listen as Franklin said “Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do.”

That observation leads me to share a statement made by a Lady Jacket softball fan after the tirade of criticisms were directed to Coach Diane Smith and her team when several (three) senior players left the team after four games into the season. “Doom, despair and agony” (words from the old TV program HeeHaw) was the projection for the Lady Jackets. The Calhoun girls went on to win the Region 6-AAA title and the first two rounds of the State Playoffs.

The Lady Jackets and Coach Chad Hayes’ Lady Phoenix are now headed to Columbus as two of only eight AAA teams on the big state.

Now for the shared statement which is wise beyond description: “That is called silencing the naysayers.” Read again the first paragraph of this section. None of the words written thus far tends to say either Calhoun or Sonoraville will win another game. What it does say is the girls of each team are to be commended for their dedication to the task before them.

Some advice for those who would give advice to batters

Recently, someone questioned this writer concerning what they perceived as my disagreement with advice given to a player about to go into the batter’s box in softball games. On the contrary, I do not question the correctness of their advice. It might be right or it might be wrong. What I do question is the soundness of giving any advice at all. If a batter has to think of what is being told them then the giving of advice is more detrimental than helpful.

It was Yogi Berra who said, “You can’t think and hit at the same time.” I have in front of me an article from the Washington Post from back in 2016. The title declares “Sci- entists examine what happens in the brain when a bat tries to meet a ball.” It is a very technical article concerning the study of two advanced scientists. It isn’t a casual read, but it is beneficial to show how ignorant it is for a person to show a tech- nique or give advice at the last moments before a person bats.

What amazes me more is what makes those who would give advice think they are qualified to know the right technique.