A game of excellence

I am a huge baseball fan. Although I only get to go to one or two games a season, there are in my mind few better places to spend a summer evening than at the ballpark. There is just something almost magical about watching a game live with 40,000 other fans.

I've always been an Angels fan. I went to my first game as a wee little lad, and have loved the team through thick and thin. They've had some rough seasons in the past, so I haven't always been too vocal about my devotion to the team. But the last month or so has been a really exciting time to be an Angels fan. They're the best team in the Majors at the moment, and I love watching them play.

Their manager of the last eight or nine seasons, Mike Scioscia, has a brand of baseball that has proven to be highly effective in winning games recently. It's what they call a "small-ball" game. His team doesn't have the big slugger or dominating pitcher to win games for them. Instead, his team is dedicated to good fundamentals and executing clutch plays. They manufacture runs and win ball games by playing fundamentally sound baseball. It's not a one-man show; it's a team effort to win each game. And they've been winning a lot of them.

I've been thinking a lot about the idea of excellence lately, both on a personal and professional level. Personally, I want to be an excellent husband and father. Professionally, I want to be an excellent teacher and department chair, and I want to push my students and colleagues to strive for excellence as well.

In my musings, I have come to realize that excellence in these areas - in all areas - doesn't come through the bold moves or grand gestures. It's in the little things. It's sticking to the fundamentals of loving and serving my wife and kids. It's in putting forth my best effort in every lesson and in grading every paper. It takes a lot of hard work, and that hard work is not always fun. It takes discipline.

As this summer rapidly comes to an end, I look forward to the upcoming school year as one of excellence. I want to push myself to be excellent in my relationships at home, in my teaching of my students, and in my interactions with colleagues. I want to push my students to strive for excellence and not settle for second best from themselves.

While my wife thinks watching baseball is a waste of time, I have learned something from my hours in front of the TV. I have witnessed a dedication to discipline and excellence. And I have seen my favorite team reap the rewards of that dedication. They're most likely headed to the World Series if they keep playing like they are. It is my sincere hope and prayer that if I devote myself to discipline and excellence in all I do, that I might reap a similar reward. Not a World Series ring, but a life well lived.