Endings (Bot9 #324)
I had the opportunity to attend my high school coach’s last game on Saturday. He’s retiring and his last game was in the state championship in his school’s classification. He’s sustained a long career in the game and it’s been cool to have a view into it from many angles. I played for him, I coached a summer team in his program, I helped shuttle speakers for the state clinic for him, and then had the opportunity to serve alongside him with the state baseball coaches association. It’s hard to wrap your head around playing in the state title game for him 30 years ago and then going into the dugout after his final game. Time just kind of happens and I thought about what I’ve learned from Coach Percy on the drive home. These three lessons stood out to me.
1. He never spoke poorly of another coach or colleague.
This is more extraordinary that one might think, and it probably set up a false expectation for me as I got into coaching. The crazy thing is that he interacts with A LOT of coaches. He’s coached in Colorado Springs for a long time, but he’s also been intimately involved with the state and national coaches associations, being a hall of famer at both levels. There’s a tendency in younger or more immature coaches to act like what they’re doing in the game is extraordinary and deserving of significant ego stroking (I’ve been here and made this mistake). It’s not what the guys who do it for a long time do. They remain quiet when they hear coaches disparage others or change the subject. It’s an admirable trait and one we should all emulate.
(Now, he does have some opinions about umpires, but he’s a football official in the fall so maybe he’s earned that right. Or maybe Bart Spencer running well inside the baseline in 1992 or this phantom bobble that occurred on Saturday are deserving of some criticism. Losing championships because of calls like this might lead one to be critical…I see you, coach.)
2. He always kept his eye on building the state of baseball in Colorado and internationally, not his own little fiefdom.
Again, this is a mistake many coaches make, especially early in their careers (yup, I’ve been here, too). Their world is encompassed by this little area of grass (or turf, these days) where they get to exercise control. They might even talk about getting players to play for something bigger than themselves, but they’re really trying to get the players to play for them as if they’re that something bigger. Coach Percy has always focused on both simultaneously and never seemed to sacrifice one for the other. I wonder if coaches who are handed the control of a program when they’re too young or immature have no concept of how to steward the game like he did. It’s not a question of earning your way up to gain a seat at the table of influence. Influence happens because you see something bigger and you just try to share what you know and love with others. Coach Percy has coached in the highest classification, middle and lower classifications, run youth camps throughout a city, and spread his love for the game internationally. Something bigger than him has flourished as a result and that is a life well lived.
3. A person can win without winning a ring.
I don’t remember anything about the ending of the championship game my senior year. It’s almost like I blacked out until we got to the Colorado Springs exit on the bus. Having been in the number of championship game since, I’ve made it a point to be conscious and focused and present during the post game.
Healthy teams and people hang out for quite a while, win or lose. They process their disappointment together, but know that the sun is going to come up tomorrow. I stood at the dugout railing with Coach Percy and Coach Buchanan recounting the day’s events. There were a couple of missed opportunities. There was a blown call that did influence the result. But there wasn’t bitterness or emptiness coming from Coach Percy, and there is plenty of room for it. He’s lost three championship games at three classifications by one run each. Everyone in the crowd - friends, former coaches and players, family, current players and families - really wanted this for him. I know he wanted it, too. But, it’s his influence on others that makes him a winner.
There’s a line in the worship song “Jireh” by Elevation Worship & Maverick City that says, “It doesn’t take a trophy to make you proud.” Coach Percy has won plenty without winning a ring. Life can be full, ring or not. I’ve seen other coaches with rings be far more empty in their pursuits. I hope Coach Percy knows his career is full and complete. I wouldn’t be writing this today without his influence. People who have been influenced by me know that I wouldn’t have impacted their lives without him. That’s a winner. I’m proud of him and so is our Lord, ring or no ring.
Love you, coach. Looking forward to writing this next chapter with you.