Great Spies Think Like Baseball Coaches

I have many passions, one of which is watching baseball, and especially, listening to baseball on the radio. My affiliation is with the Braves, and before that, the Cincinnati Reds, but my interest in the game didn't really bloom until I sat and listened to a wonderful teacher who told me tales of mighty players.

The man was, of course, Ranger Buddy himself, who, in his youth, had watched the great Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio LIVE, had actually crawled under those same benches we see on TV and seen the big games that are now folklore in baseball legends. He gave me an appreciation of the nuances of being an athlete in a thinking game. Before him, baseball to me was just swinging of the bat and the sight of men running the bases. But I know better now.

I think, in many ways, understanding the game had made me a better writer. There is the mythical layer in the game as in a story, in which the player/writer goes on a quest. There is a speed that is, at the same time, in slow motion, as in a story in which plot has to intertwine with deep point of view. There are the heroes and the bad guys and each one has their own motivation and conflict as they step up to bat and take their turn in the story/game. And as in any good tale, the reader/watcher has to root for something or the story/game is meaningless.

In baseball, the tempo is deceptive. There is fun and comeraderie on the surface, yet the intensity of the game is never far. In a GOOD game, the suspense can be drawn all the way out to the ninth inning, two out, last at bat. I wish every suspense story can be that exciting too, but it's a difficult task--you always read a story that you see the bad guy coming like a freight train. In a GOOD book, a writer must be deceptive in tempo and yet still hold the attention of the reader. Then, WHAM, hopefully, a homerun to make things either all right or to exarcerbate the dire situation of the hero/heroine.

What fascinates me in baseball is that everyone is always thinking--from the pitcher to the batter, to the runner on base, to the coach, to the umpire, to me, the armchair player--about what everyone else is thinking and planning. It's a game of outguessing each other. Yet, it also depends on each player's athletic skill. Sure, you think you have a change-up coming, but can your swing and connect with the ball? Can you make your opponent pay? There is no physical contact ala football or basketball--it all comes down to one bat, a ball coming at you at dizzying speed, the player, and his hand-eye coordination. Baseball can be humbling to an ego--just ask Michael Jordan.

In writing, I find myself playing with each of my characters in a mind game, sometimes trying to guess motivations or next moves. I know some writers plot out their stories, or say that they interview their characters, or even write sheets of background materials for their characters. I just realized today why I don't. I'm in a middle of a baseball game in my head and most of the time, I'm just checking out stats and noting down each play they make, like a scoresheet. Sub-consciously, I know I'm working (or desperately hoping that I am) toward that magical climatic moment--ninth inning two outs, down by two, one man on base, two strikes-three balls situation. The whole stadium's fifty thousand spectators are on their feet, cheering that one man...to hit the home run and win the game.

And sometimes, it's the other way round...the pitcher who has to save the game. Same situation, one last pitch--goat or hero?

I love that moment. I especially love it when I listen to the commentator on the radio and I don't have the TV on. He has to breathe live to that magical moment and I depend on his voice, his emotions, his ability to make pictures in my mind to put me there in the game, and thus, the story.

You see how fun writing can be? You get to play coach, batter, savior, pitcher, closer, AND commentator through the whole story! I LURV this game.

Wait till I start getting into ice-skating and its relevance to my writing....

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