The Catch!
From my youth I’ve been a fan of baseball. Originating in the Bay Area, I’ve always been a Giants fan. My idol was Willie Mays, center fielder for the Giants, who was nick-named the ‘Say Hey Kid.’ I bought a book about his life and, after reading it, that settled it. I wanted to play center field and be just like Willie.
I was thrilled when I saw the clip of his famous over-the-shoulder-catch in the 1954 World Series between the then NY Giants and the Cleveland Indians at the Polo Grounds in New York.
That famous catch happened in the top of the 8th inning with the Giants in the field. Cleveland had two men on, no outs. That catch prevented the Indians from taking the lead and, in the bottom of the 10th, the Giants won the game on their way to sweeping the Series. “The Catch” is often considered to be one of the best and most memorable plays in the history of baseball because of the difficulty of the play and the importance of the game itself.
I dreamed of being like Willie Mays and one day making a catch just like that. At the age of 14, I got my chance. Such is the power of dreams!
Our dreams can bring things to reality. If we concentrate hard enough, if we allow our dreams to guide our efforts, then dreams can come true. Are you a believer? Have you had your dream or dreams come true? I did, and I’ll get back to that story.
What is a dream? When we’re awake, dreams are when we contemplate our possibilities, of doing or achieving something great or out of the ordinary. Some so-called experts say that dreams don’t really come true. It is our goals that change our lives. Setting goals is what turns our dreams into reality. I understand what they’re saying. It’s true to a point. But I contend that without dreams there are no goals. Dreams are the vehicles that drive us to setting goals. Goals are points on the map of our destiny. Joy is in the adventure of our journey and in the fulfillment of our dreams when they happen. So it is our dreams which drive us to achieve. Goals are just the necessary bi-products.
I’ve shared with you how before my pulmonary episode last April I had lost sight of my dreams. My life was devoid of passion. Walking through life without a dream, without a passion is like being imprisoned in open air. You can stand on a mountain top with a panorama at your feet and not be moved by what you see because there’s no emotion to measure the beauty by.
It’s the intensity of our emotions that make us feel. Emotions give us a richer life and allow us to experience meaning and purpose. If dreams are the vehicles driving us to our goals, then emotion is the fuel for our dreams! We dream. The dream grows, taking shape and gaining intensity. Suddenly emotion grabs ahold of us to fulfill that dream. Only then do we set goals to ensure we achieve that dream. We build it up in our minds until every spare moment is given over to seeing it come to fruition.
As soon as I saw Willie Mays make that catch in a replay of that great series, I formed a dream. I asked my mom to sign me up for Little League. I practiced until I became a good outfielder. I couldn’t hit worth a spit, but for me, the dream didn’t include hitting. It was about fielding and I became an excellent fielder! For me, the dream was all about “The Catch!”
I practiced and kept dreaming for 6 years until one Saturday afternoon, standing in center field on a bright, warm, sunny summer day, the crack of a baseball connecting with a wooden bat brought my dream to me.
Early on in my baseball experience, it became clear I had a knack for quickly defining the trajectory of a ball heading into the outfield. I could often get a jump on the ball because I could “see” where it was going. So on this momentous afternoon, when that crack of the bat sent the ball soaring into center field, I immediately saw it was going to go over my head and I needed to start running back to be under it when it came down.
I knew I couldn’t back-peddle fast enough. It would soar over my head. I had to turn and run toward the outfield fence—just like Willie Mays! As soon as I turned I knew, this could be my moment.
When I felt I had run far enough I looked over my shoulder—my left shoulder—again, just like Willie—I saw the arc of the ball descending in-sync with my path and pace. I lifted my glove and still running for the fence, watched as the ball smacked into my glove for the out. 3 steps from the fence I stood in shock. “It” had happened! I made a catch just like Willie Mays.
There were some hoots and applause from my teammates and my coach, but nobody realized the significance of what just happened. I had never shared my dream with anyone. My parents weren’t there, none of my family were there. I alone stood immersed in the joy of that moment; in the fulfillment of my “Catch!”
Those of you who’ve felt that joy of fulfillment, you know what that moment meant to me. For those of you who have yet to feel that kind of joy, I pray your day will come when you too will stand and know the stars aligned, your dreams bent the universe to your will, and you’ve made your “catch.”
