Dear Friends
I love to umpire baseball. Part of the reason I do so is because
it gives me an opportunity to meet and work with new people. Relationships are
particularly important to me, and I have made some wonderful friends while
umpiring on the baseball field. But a second reason I love to umpire is because
it provides an opportunity for collaboration, and I have learned that whenever
people come together to achieve a common goal, they almost always get better.
The other day I had the privilege of working with a 39-year-old
veteran of umpiring. Only a few years younger than I me, he had traveled
all over Europe teaching umpiring to those umpiring in the international
Little League program. I was excited to hear of his travels and how
his experience had culminated in umpiring a Little League World Series game in
Williamsport, Pa the home of the at the Little League World Series. As we
reminisced, I shared my unforgettable week in Williamsport with my son while
attending the Little League World Series when he was in Middle School.
But it was more it was more than just umpiring that made our
relationship so special, it was the many things we found we had in
common. After the game we decided to spend some more time together,
so we headed for Dunkin Donuts. We asked if we could take a couple of their
chairs outside as there was no indoor service. The server gave me a quizzical
look, and then I told her we were a couple of old umpires, tired from working a
long game, and that her chairs would be safe as anyone could catch us should we
wish to steal her chairs. For the next half hour, we sat and shared our
lives with one another. Relationships are important to me, and I am always
looking to build new ones, and umpiring provides a wonderful opportunity to do
just that.
But the second reason I love umpiring is that it provides an
opportunity for collaboration and collaboration has a way of making you better
as you work together to solve common problems.
In the third inning or our game, the batter squared around in the batter’s
box to bunt. He attempted to bunt the ball, but being blocked by the catcher, I
couldn’t discern whether the ball hit him or hit his bat. I immediately called
out, “Dead ball; it hit him take first base.” The opposing coach screamed out,
“It didn’t hit him, it hit his bat and it should be a foul ball.”
Now umpires are taught to collaborate in situations like this, so
I called time, signaled a meeting with my new friend, and asked him, “What did
you see?” He told me he saw the batter offer at the pitch, which did hit
him, but even though it hit him, because he had made an attempt to bunt the
ball, it now became just a strike and he was not awarded first base. We
apparently got the call right for both coaches were satisfied and both umpires
had avoided an early ‘rhubarb’.
Collaboration had solved the problem. It had avoided a potential
problem, and the way we had handled it had gained the respect of both coaches.
Someone said collaboration is nothing more than “cooperation on
steroids.” Cooperation is ‘having to work’ together while collaboration
is ‘wanting to work together.’ Cooperation is good but collaboration is
even better. When people intentionally determine to collaborate a number of
thing happen. Problems get solved, the participants learn from each other, and
respect for one another increases. Simply put, “You get better together.”
When collaboration takes place, whether it is around the table in
a corporate board room or a church conference setting- problems get solved, we
learn from each other, and we grow to respect one another. There is a synergy
in that room as thoughts and ideas are shared, and almost always those involved
come up with a better solution to the problem being discussed.
Saturday was a good day for two veteran umpires. A common
responsibility forged a new friendship, and two umpires were both reminded that
collaboration is not only of value in the church or corporate world, but even
on a high school baseball field.
Yes, it is true as the writer of Ecclesiastes reminds us, that
“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If
either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10).
Yes, we really need each other, and we must come together to learn
from one another, for when we do, we can solve problems together. But first we
must commit to building friendships with one another.
And best of all, when this happens, we walked off the baseball
field and to those welcome words an umpire longs to hear, ”Good job
blue.” And those words were still ringing in our ears as two umpires shared
their lives as they sat outside that Duncan Donuts drinking coffee and a coke
and reflecting on how to solve our world’s problems.
Yours in faith and friendship,
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