Friday; August 28

I would find it hard to believe, but I guess that there are some people who don’t know Babe Ruth.  Probably, more accurately, they don’t know just how important Babe Ruth has been to American baseball.  I don’t know if he was the first “rock star” of the game, but his light shined pretty brightly for a lot of the 20th Century and his reputation still carries a lot of weight this deep into the 2020s.  Maybe that is why what happened in 1925 is so interesting.  According to an excerpt from the times, on August 29, 1925 the Yankees' manager, Miller Huggins suspended the “Bronx Bomber” and fined him for missing batting practice.  Just one season removed from driving in 124 runs and hitting .378, he was disciplined for missing practice.  Wow!  However, I have to give the manager a tip of my cap for demonstrating that everyone needs to be held accountable.

We live in a world filled with excuses and exceptions; but if we want to maintain standards, we have to hold people accountable.  Not only is it the “fair” thing to do, it also provides those who actually follow the rules the support they need to keep doing what is right.  If we play favorites, those who don’t qualify are likely to give up and walk away.  That might not be too important in a children’s game like baseball, but when it comes to moral, ethical and spiritual issues, we are harming the whole by excusing the few.

Are we willing to make difficult decisions to maintain the standards?  If we do, everyone will benefit.

         Think About It!

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