SPECIAL EDITION ARTICLE #14 - May 12th, 2023 by Fr. Ben Daghir

[Pompeii]

One Thing, Jesus Christ.
SPECIAL EDITION ARTICLE #14 - May 12th, 2023 by Fr. Ben Daghir

Editor’s Note: Fr. Ben Daghir had the unique opportunity of speaking to the Penn State DuBois baseball team before the USCAA Small College World Series. This article is a summary of Fr. Daghir’s message which emphasized that baseball demands us to think effectively. 

Article: (Please see image attached)

It’s the mind which separates winning teams from losing teams. I know neither the statistics nor scouting reports of the teams you will face in the Small College World Series, but I do know that the winning team will be the one which thinks most effectively. 

I commend the coaching staff of this ball club for building a program that demands a culture that thinks effectively. It shows in the professionalism and character of this team. It also shows in the success over the recent years. 

There is something in the game of baseball that precedes the skill of the glove or the swing of the bat or the routine double-play. It’s the mind that undergirds every ball or strike, every hit or strikeout, every run or out, every routine play or error, and every win or loss. 

Baseball demands that we think effectively. 

Yogi Berra famously said, “Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical.” Anyone who loves baseball is aware that behind the humor of Yogi lies a valuable truth. 

People who don’t understand the game of baseball only see the slow pace, the silence, and the dead time. They see baseball as being filled with wasted time in which nothing happens. People who do not appreciate baseball fail to recognize that the majority of the game takes place in the mind. They fail to see what lies underneath every play…thoughts. 

You, on the other hand, know that a tremendous amount of activity is taking place on the baseball field (even when no one, including the ball, appears to be moving). During these quiet and slow moments of the game, an incredible amount of action is taking place. For example, the pitcher is communicating with the catcher who is receiving a call from the coach. All of these individuals are making decisions, reevaluating, reconsidering, predicting, calculating, reflecting, adjusting, and executing. The batter is following a similar mental approach as the defensive team. The on-deck hitter is also mentally following suit with his teammate in the batter’s box. 

You love every bit of this mental aspect of the game. You love baseball because it engages and challenges your mind. You love it because you are not thinking about anything else while you are playing except baseball. You love it because even when you aren’t playing baseball, you find yourself thinking about the game. 

I must admit, I owe a tremendous amount to the game of baseball. It has greatly assisted me as a Catholic priest. It can appear to many people that there is not much happening during moments of a Catholic Mass or in the silence of prayer. Quite the contrary, my mind is incredibly engaged during the most silent parts and the moments when others may see it as a time in which nothing happens. I’m thinking about Jesus Christ. I’m also thinking about the people in the Church and even those not present. Like you during the baseball game, my mind is incredibly engaged during the Mass and prayer. 

But, you ball players know that much more takes place in the mind than mere thoughts. Baseball and life are very similar in this regard. Successful players and people must train their minds. Fear, hesitation, and doubt can creep into the minds of all of us, especially if we fail to be conscious of our thoughts. 

Consider these examples: the batter may say to himself, “What if I get behind in the count?” and he starts to think about all that could go wrong. The pitcher may say to himself, “What if I hang this curveball?” and he visualizes from the pitcher’s mound the ball going over the fence. The coach may say to himself, “What if I don’t bring in the relief pitcher at the correct moment?” and he visualizes the scoreboard not in his favor. Fear. Doubt. Hesitation. Although we cannot see these thoughts in the players and coaches like we do the grass and dirt on the field, they are just as real.

You and I love the game of baseball because it demands that we think effectively. We improve in the game of baseball according to the measure in which our minds improve. I’m quite convinced that baseball’s greatest gift is that it helps to form the minds of future husbands, fathers, father figures, and even Catholic priests. 

You will not carry your cleats, your glove, or your bat with you long after you play this game. But you will take your mind with you. 

Love and honor the game by thinking well. 

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Fr. Ben Daghir is a priest for the Diocese of Erie. He is a graduate of Elk County Catholic High School in Saint Marys, Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, and St. Mary's Seminary & University in Baltimore, Maryland. He considers writing one of his favorite hobbies.