The Strategy of a Rally: 1 Part Attitude 2 Parts Analysis

People say they dislike cliches and trite phrases such as “Luck is simply preparation meeting opportunity” or “It ain’t over until the ‘Big Boned’ woman sings” (gotta stay politically correct for purely entertaining purposes.) But when Dodger Andre Ethier came to the plate last night in the bottom of the ninth representing the winning run and socked his 23rd homerun to seal a walk-off victory for the the best team in baseball, he provoked my curiosity.

Is there a strategy to a comeback win or have the Dodgers just gotten lucky 29 times this season? They’ve come from behind that many times and on 8 occasions, Andre Ethier has been the engineer of heartbreak for opposing pitchers. When he walked from the on deck circle to the batter’s box here’s what Ethier said he had analyzed, “He (Atlanta Braves Pitcher Peter Moylan) has three pitches. You can for the most part cross a few out in that situation just knowing the count [number of balls to strikes]. And if he does throw it, you take your chance in that situation, swinging. And that’s what I went there and did and looked for the right pitch in that spot and went and got it.”

See, there was #1 Prior knowledge of the opposition #2 Knowledge of the scenario and #3 The courageous plan to act based on the knowledge. Rallies are not luck and they’re not formed in a vacuum. And while we’re at it, what happened in the Dodger game last night is a simile comparison to your life. The bottom of the ninth inning is your final chance at victory. Yes there’s pressure and you dang well better respect that this is your last chance. Take it lightly and you blow it. Examples of bottoms of the ninth:

• Parents are trusting me and paying for college for one more year
• Coach is starting me despite my last two horrible games and I know it’s my last chance to prove myself
• I’ve got to pass the California High School Exit Exam this time or I don’t graduate
• One more technical foul and I’m suspended for the rest of the season
• If I’m late to work one more time, I’m fired
• We’re behind on bills and about to lose our home
• I can’t stand to work another day at my job
• She/He will leave me if I cheat on him/her one more time

  

The strategy of a rally is Poise (control) + Understanding of the Opponent (Obstacle) + Understanding of the situation. It’s more a formula than a magic potion and must be applied regularly for a season (undetermined period of time) to give you a chance for a comeback. If you like the idea of luck too much to abandon it so soon, play the lottery.