Posts from — July 2009

Last summer my grandson Dylan, who was playing on a little league team, went into a hitting slump. He had been swinging vigorously, doing his best to look like a big-league slugger. But he was missing the ball more often than hitting it.

Because I know that Dylan has excellent eye-hand coordination, I told him to quit swinging the bat and start hitting the ball. He objected: “How can I hit the ball if I don’t swing the bat?” The difference, I explained, is what you think about when you swing. “Concentrate on connecting with the ball.”

A team of all-stars or an all-star team? When my wife and I were in Sydney, Australia, we had an opportunity to attend a performance of the Sydney Philharmonic Orchestra at the famed Opera House. The seats were choice, our night was free, so we jumped at the opportunity.

When we arrived 30 minutes early, the orchestra members were already warming up. The individuals came in all sizes, ages and colors, and were both male and female. Some of them, like the cymbals player, would perform five or six seconds during the entire evening, while the cellist had one part that would extend over 20 minutes. As they warmed up, the “music” sounded like noise to me.