Leadership and Baseball: 5 Photographs, 5 Lessons
“Let’s think for just a moment about the very nature of leadership – which can be summed up in two words: trustworthy service.”
We’re deep into postseason baseball. The National and American League Championship Series begin tonight; four teams vying for an opportunity to square off in the World Series. It’s the perfect time to think baseball and leadership.
To that end, I want to invite you into my office for a few moments, share a little baseball history, and think about how it applies to our lives and leadership. I am a visual person, so walk in and you’re going to see pictures, photographs, and mementos, each of which carry significant meaning.
We have to start with the frame on the right, for it sets the stage for all that comes next. It is an actual page of Scripture from the Geneva Bible of 1560. Shannan gave this to me. It’s first in the circle of impact in my office and in my life. Why first? Well, as our College verse says, “the word of the Lord endures forever.” God’s word is final truth! I like the way Harry Blamiers puts it,
“
The marks of truth as Christianly conceived, then, are: that it is supernaturally grounded; not developed within nature; that is objective and not subjective; that it is a revelation and not a construction; that it is discovered by inquiry and not elected by a majority vote; that it is authoritative and not a matter of personal choice.
”
Reading Blaimers’ words calls to mind Bill George’s excellent book on leadership, Discover Your Truth North. In it, George encourages leadership authenticity; a trait necessary and admired. He writes,
Leadership starts with being authentic, the genuine you. The purpose of Discover Your True North is to enable you to become the leader you want to be. In the process you will discover your True North—the internal compass that guides you successfully through life.
True North Is your originating point--your fixed point in a spinning world--that helps you stay on track as a leader. It is derived from your most deeply held beliefs, your values, and the principles you lead by. It is your internal compass, unique to you, that represents who you are at your deepest level.... although others may guide or influence you, your truth is derived from your life story. As Warren Bennis said, “You are the author of your life.”
With due respect to Bill George and Warren Bennis, leadership is subjective. God uses a multitude of experiences to shape us. Truth, however, as Blaimers’ notes, is “not a matter of personal choice.” As important as the concept of True North is, my leadership compass must posses a more fixed point than my life story. In some ways it is the difference between magnetic north and true north. “Magnetic north aligns with the earth’s magnetic field and shifts over time.” Truth north, however, refers to the geographic North Pole and is fixed. My life and priorities shift over time; God and his word are never changing. Eugene Peterson writes,
If we are going to live appropriately, we must be aware that we are living in the middle of a story that was begun and will be concluded by another. And this other is God. My identity does not begin when I begin to understand myself. There is something previous to what I think about myself, and it is what God thinks of me. That means that everything I think and feel is by nature a response, and the one to whom I respond is God. I never speak the first word. I never make the first move. Run With The Horses
I share this as foundation and context for the pictures that follow. God is the author of life (Psalm 139:13-16, Jeremiah 1:5, 1 Corinthians 6:19) and leadership (Daniel 4:17, 25, 32; Romans 12:8; 13:1), which means my leadership will always be a shadow of what it could be until, like Nebuchadnezzar of old, I recognize and submit to the King of kings and Lord of lords.
So why this lengthy preamble? In part, because I must understand leadership as stewardship. While I am responsible, I am not “the author” and that changes how I view my essential role and responsibility as leader.
When the Apostle Paul addressed the church at Corinth over their multiple problems – one being their petty squabbling over their favorite preachers – he wanted to make his status perfectly clear. So he wrote this church that was fond of touting their favorite preacher and used these words, “What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul?” (1 Corinthians 3:5).
That is fascinating. He did not say, “WHO is Apollos? WHO is Paul?” Quick, check their Instagram profiles. Who has more followers. How many likes? NO! Not WHO is Apollos and WHO is Paul, but WHAT is Apollos and WHAT is Paul?
WHO makes an inquiry about the identity of a person.
WHAT makes an inquiry about the nature or role of a person.
Read Paul’s two letters to that church; not once, or twice, or three times or four times, but FIVE TIMES – Paul says, “I’ll tell you what I am, I am a servant.” And then Paul writes these words:
“Now it is required that those [servants] who have been given a trust must prove faithful. ”
What “faithful service” looks like
Okay, back to baseball. The next four items on my office walls all are baseball photographs. Each captures a unique aspect of leadership faithfulness. I’m leaning here on the idea espoused by Elizabeth Barrett Browning and taught in Scripture (see Acts 17:22-34), that the believer makes full use of the fullness of God’s creation to see and understand:
Earth is crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God;
But only he who sees
Takes off his shoes –
The rest sit around it and pluck blackberries
Lessons from the Almighty are everywhere, including the baseball diamond. Here are five:
Babe Ruth: Leaders, one day you will bow out. Whose purposes will you serve?
Babe Ruth made his last appearance at Yankee Stadium on June 13, 1948. It was the 25th anniversary of “The House That Ruth Built.” The Yankees were retiring his jersey number (#3). Ruth was so weakened by the cancer that would take his life in just two short months, he had to grab a bat and grip it with both hands to support himself as he walked up the steps of the dugout. And there, in that moment, Nat Fein of the New York Herald Tribune took this photograph, “The Babe Bows Out” for which he won the Pulitzer Prize.
This photograph is a reminder to me of many things, here is one: One day Tommy Kiedis, you too will bow out. It has been said that Philip of Macedon (the father of Alexander the Great) charged one of his slaves to say to him every day, “Philip, remember you must die.”
“Philip, remember you must die.”
Morbid? Not really! it is a fitting reminder for every leader. Life is short. Life is not about me. Paul said, “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever” (Romans 11:36). Ruth is a towering figure in sports, but a sad character in life. I look for a suitable contrast, for one who exercised both leadership prowess and demonstrated outstanding character. King David comes to mind. The greatest king of Israel — as we all will — bowed out. In a fitting epitaph to his life, Luke writes,
“Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed.”
Nat Fein’s photograph of Ruth hangs in my office as my reminder, that one day, I too will “bow out.” So looking at that photo I am reminded to ask myself: “Am I faithfully serving God’s purposes in my generation?”
Lou Gehrig: Leaders, be grateful.
Lou Gehrig was called “The Iron Horse.” He was durable and dependable. He entered the Yankee lineup on June 1, 1925 and played in 2,130 consecutive games; until he took himself out of the lineup on May 2, 1939 (due to his failing health) – a record that stood for 56 years. It is a record that would have lasted longer except for contracting amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS or what we often call, “Lou Gehrig’s disease.”
This picture below was taken on July 4, 1939. In less than two years, Gehrig would be dead at age 37.
On that summer day, the Yankees wanted to honor their now retired star player with Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day, but Gehrig, very shy, was not too keen on the idea. Pushed to the microphone, he said,
"For the past two weeks you have been reading about a bad break. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans. Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.”
I appreciate Gehrig’s sense of gratitude. If anyone had reason to complain, it was him. Yet, he chose gratitude over complaint. When I look at the photograph hanging on my wall, it is my reminder to be grateful!
Grateful for my days.
Grateful for the role I get to play.
Grateful for the faithful leaders who have guided LBC before me.
Grateful for the good times and grateful for the hard times.
Faithfulness in leadership, means faithfulness in gratitude. Someone said, “if there is a blessing, there must be a blesser.” Paul asks his Corinthian friends, “What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7) What a great question! The answer is obvious: Everything! Everything I have: breath, gifts, time, energy, resources, friends, loving spouse, great kids . . . they all come from God who is the source of “every good and perfect gift” (James 1:17). Contrary to Gehrig’s comments, our lives are not ruled by chance or luck, but by a sovereign God who rules the universe, loves us, and is intimately acquainted with us.
Knowing that he is working all things together for his glory and my good (Romans 8:28) means I can be grateful every day! He’s got this! He’s got me! So “Tommy, be grateful!” And besides that, gratitude is contagious.
Willy Mays: Leaders, pursue excellence.
In game one of the 1954 World Series, Willy Mays and The New York Giants were playing The Cleveland Indians when Vic Wentz hit a baseball that should have been (or would have been) a home run in any other ballpark; but the distance to the center field wall in the Polo Grounds was a moon-shot of 480 feet. Wentz’s hit and May ran . . . and ran and ran, and made what has been dubbed by sports historians as “The Catch.”
When I see that photograph and watch the YouTube video, I think of Proverbs 22:29:
“Do you see a man skilled in his work, he will stand before kings. He will not stand before obscure men.”
Sports often showcases excellence; spectacular plays that can only be made when a life of preparation meets a moment of opportunity. A friend of mine was there, he was just nine-years old. Standing on his seat, he saw Willy Mays in that flat out sprint, pulling in that over-the-shoulder catch on that September afternoon. He may have grasped it then, he definitely does now; that moment was excellence personified.
Pursuing excellence is another aspect of faithful service. Excellence is refusing to settle for the status quo. Excellence is peddling when one would rather coast. Excellence is continually learning. Excellence is the willingness to be corrected and coached. Excellence is the continuous quest for “better” rather than the luxurious rest on ones laurels.
Faithfulness in leadership is pursuing excellence. I want to be that kind of leader, that kind of president. I want us to be that kind of institution of higher learning—not just good, but pursuing excellence for God. Stepping back and looking at Mays chasing down the would-be Vic Wentz home run is a reminder to pursue excellence. The photograph is also a reminder that excellence in action can and will leave indelible marks; some captured and remembered in person, some though the lens, though most unrecognized and unrewarded . . . except by God. And that too is okay, as His “well done” will be reward enough for a life of excellent leadership.
What does the call of excellence require of you . . . today?
Jackie Robinson: Leaders, take a risk!
Jackie Robinson broke the color bearer in baseball. He should be remembered and celebrated for that. But Jackie not only changed the racial makeup of baseball, he changed baseball. He was agile, quick, and smart. His baseball prowess created headaches for opposing pitchers when he was on base. Jackie took risks, even the biggest risk in baseball, stealing home.
As I look at the Jackie Robinson “stealing home” photograph hanging on my office wall, it reminds me that leadership is about taking risks. Leadership faithfulness means taking risks for God.
I’m not talking about being reckless; I am talking about taking holy risks. Lancaster Bible College took one in 2022, increasing going from 10 to 35 online programmatic offerings in a little over a year’s time. It has paid huge dividends as we now reach and equip students from 40 countries. We have taken on another as we entered a capital campaign, designed to help prospective students to see LBC as a destination location for biblical higher education and a place of global accessibility for students around the world.
What does leadership risk look like in your context? Our context is higher education generally and biblical higher educational specifically. Even a casual observers knows that higher education in the United States is experiencing challenging times: rising costs, unmanageable student debt, a demographic cliff, the impact of AI, resistance to change, outdated educational and financial models make a collective cry for change. Our college – these times – they are too important to simply “maintain.” No way!
Jesus commended the steward who put his master’s coins to work, doubling the investment (Matthew 25:14-30). Jesus commended the sons of this world for being more savvy than the sons of light (Luke 16:8). The only person Jesus condemned when it came to the resources to which they were entrusted, was the guy who refused to take a risk. I am not going to be that guy. We are not going to be that school. These are no days to play it safe, to coast, and definitely no days to lay down and play dead. Faithful leadership means taking holy risks for God! So, I must continually ask myself, “Where am I on the risk continuum? Does anything need to change?
Play it safe ________________Take a risk
Bill Klem: Leaders, make the call!
If you make the journey to Cooperstown, the home of baseball’s immortals, expecting only to see only players; get ready for a surprise. The Hall of Fame is also home to Umpire Bill Klem. Klem, known as “The Old Arbiter,” called balls and strikes for 37 Major League seasons, including eighteen World Series. Klem is credited with being the first or one of the first to use arm signals to clarify his calls. He was a distinctive figure who made very distinct calls.
Klem is famous for clarifying his role as the supreme authority on the baseball diamond. In one game, a ball was hit down the line, so close to the mark that it was unclear whether it was fair or foul. “Well ump, is it fair or foul?” To which Klem responded, “It ain’t nothing untill I call it.”
“It ain’t nothing until I call it!”
What may seem bravado to some is my reminder that leaders must make the call. As Harry Truman once remarked about his role as President, “I’m here to make decisions, and whether they prove right or wrong, I’m going to make them.” Read David McCullough’s Pulitzer Prize–winning biography of Truman, and you will see that word “decisions” and decisive action were hallmarks of our 33rd President. Leaders must make the call; and often on the spot. Yes, at times there are moments to ponder, but usually less time than desired and usually with significant consequences hanging in the balance.
I scan the pages of history and Scripture. Examples abound:
Nehemiah’s decision to petition King Artaxerxes for permission to rebuild the walls.
Paul’s decision to go to Jerusalem despite death threats.
Luther’s decision to post his Ninety-five Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg
Decisive action by Wellington and Napoleon at Waterloo.
Truman’s decision to drop the Atomic bomb.
Kennedy’s decision to send a man to the moon.
Of course, few leadership decisions carry the consequences of the actions above, yet they illustrate both the decisive nature of the leadership calling and the resounding consequences that follow in their wake. Robert Frost’s poem, “The Road Not Taken,” speak of the consequential nature of our decisions:
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
At times knowing the outcome, and at other times not knowing the outcome, leaders make the call. Why? Because leadership faithfulness means being decisive. Solomon, who knew for better and for worse the consequences of his choices, wrote these words:
The plans of the heart belong to man,
but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.
All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,
but the Lord weighs the spirit.
Commit your work to the Lord,
and your plans will be established.
Proverbs 16:1-3 ESV
Planning and committing are decisive acts; acts of leadership. “Is it fair or foul?” Players and fans (organizations and employees) are waiting. In many ways, it really isn’t anything until you call it. Leader, what decision do you need to make today?
Enjoy the series!
Notes:
“Magnetic north aligns with the earth’s magnetic .. . .” from “True North and Magnetic North – Know the Difference” at www.sciencenotes.org.” See https://sciencenotes.org/true-north-and-magnetic-north-know-the-difference/
“If we are going to live appropriately . . .” from Run With The Horses 39-40.
“Earth is crammed with heaven . . .” from "Earth's Crammed with Heaven" by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
https://bill37mccurdy.com/2010/08/23/it-aint-nothing-until-i-call-it/
“I’m here to make decisions . . .“ From Truman by David McCullough, p. 384.
Robert Frost, “The Road Not Taken”
