WARREN SPAHN: ONE PITCH AT A TIME

I'm very privileged to be spending the next four days with Coach Don Meyer so I will share from time to time some thoughts that he shares with me as well as blogging about his speaking topics as he is in town to speak at the Texas A&M Distinguished Lecture Series.  There were many things we talked about while driving back from the Austin Airport, sitting at dinner and around my living room but here are two that resonated with me.

The first one is a story that Coach Meyer told about Hall of Fame pitcher Warren Spahn, who once told him that whether he was warming up in the bullpen before a start, or throwing his warm-up tosses before each inning, that those throws were made with the very next hitter in mind.  His thought process was that if he concentrated all his efforts and energy on the first batter and was able to retire him, that it would be much more difficult for the opponent to have a big inning. 

As basketball coaches we constantly talk about one possession at a time.  Spahn was one hitter, one pitch at a time -- truly focused on the process.

The other gem that Coach Meyer shared with me was a quote from Mark Twain:

"Kindness is a language that the deaf can hear and the blind can see."