When Babe Ruth destroyed his own single-season home run record by clubbing 54 longballs in 1920, eclipsing his previous-high of 29, which was set the year prior, The Sultan of Swat was truly in a league of his own. Runner-up to The Babe in homers that year was George Sisler, who hit just 19. 35 home runs less than Ruth. An unimageable stretch of separation between first and second. Because of this divergence, Ruth was perceived by all those around as a flat-out anomaly. A once-in-a-generation type of slugger whose physical strength was believed to be more aligned with divine entities than it was to mortal humans.
The previous sentence was not written in a hyperbolic sense. After his earth-shattering 1920 season, Evansville Press published a brief article in their newspaper dubbed, “Ruth and Thor”. For those in the unknown, Thor is a Norse god, depicted as a red-bearded, full-grown, man with monstrous strength. The name ‘Thor’ derives from the Germanic word for ‘thunder’. His renowned weapon, a hammer, characterizes a thunderbolt, as he is sensed as a god of thunder, strength, and protection. If he were to be compared to a Greek god, due to their association to lightning and thunder, Thor best resembles Zeus.
Thor used his hammer, Mjölnir, in a mere identical way to how Babe handled his bat, as both applied devastation to the opposition, while, in the same breath, used their personal tools as divine instruments to supply benedictions. In the 1920 write-up, the columnist makes reference to the story of Thor launching his hammer over a mountain, creating a massive impact that split open the mountain, and shaped a new valley. The writer then goes on to mention that, while Thor’s divine might is inspirational, his tale lacks concrete evidence, as opposed to Ruth and his hitting stick. All 54 of Ruth’s longballs from 1920 have been confirmed by countless sources, whereas Thor’s supernatural abilities are myth-based. The fact that Ruth achieved what he did in the absence of metaphysical traits made his feats that much more impressive in the writer’s eyes. He concluded his column with the following sentence: “Assuredly, Babe’s place is among the gods and if the pantheon is already filled, let Thor get up and give his seat to one whose wonderous achievements are authenticated and guaranteed.” In other words, the earthborn slugger had people convinced that he belonged in the same class, if not a tier higher, than the all-time great allegorical figures.
Though tongue and cheek in its nature, this commentary was in alignment with how baseball enthusiasts viewed Ruth, as there was no one in the game who possessed his level of power. And if you’re an outlier at something that the collective appreciates, like hitting home runs, then your spirit will shine with a significant degree of brilliance. He followed up his record-setting season by outdistancing himself once again, as Ruth hit 59 home runs in 1921. His power-hitting peak season came in 1927 when he hit 60, a historic mark that stood as the baseball record for 34 years before Roger Maris hit 61 in 1961.
Aside from his celestial-like knack to hit the ball out of the ballpark, what made Ruth so iconic was the fact that his counterparts weren’t even in the same stratosphere as him when it came to homering. When he hit 59 in 1921, he was, once again, 35 home runs ahead of anyone else. From 1920-29, Ruth clubbed 467 home runs. In 2nd place for most home runs in the decade was the great Rogers Hornsby. Though far more than anyone else not named ‘Ruth’, the iconic St Louis 2nd basemen hit 250 home runs throughout the 20s. 217 less than Ruth. Beyond a player-to-player comparison, Ruth, all by himself, out-homered multiple teams during his run of dominance in the Roaring 20s. His 467 longballs ranked him ahead of the Cleveland Indians (410), Washington Nationals (387), Chicago White Sox (367), Boston Braves (352), Cincinnati Reds (338), and Boston Red Sox (315).
When all was said and done, Ruth finished with 714 home runs, and to the day, holds the major league record for career slugging percentage (.690), on-base + slugging percentage (1.164), and OPS+ (206). On 11 separate occasions, he finished a year hitting at least .300 with 40 home runs. No other player in league history has ever strung together more than seven seasons of that caliber. Amid his trailblazing career, Ruth pulled back the curtain, and revealed, via an autobiography, his tips and tricks to hitting balls out of the park at a pathbreaking rate. In the fifth chapter of the novel, Ruth dissects his swing, and picks out a handful of tactics he uses that, from his vantage point, allows him to generate great results at the dish. After alluding to the fact that he has been asked the grand question, ‘How do I hit home runs?’ ‘Thousands of times’ Ruth pointed out the essentials to his success. Along with factoring in how he stands at the plate, his physical strength, the way he distributes his weight amid the act of swinging, and his strong degree of self-belief, Ruth credited his ability to eye the ball with steadfast precision as a primary component to his impressive hitting achievements. “The thing you do is keep your eye on the ball,” said Ruth in his publication. “And I never go up to the plate that something inside me doesn’t whisper ‘Keep your eye on the ball, Babe; keep your eye on it. Watch it come up.’ While Ruth was quick to dismiss the notion that anyone with good sight would be able to hit well at the big-league level, he did note that, “the fellow who has his lamp trimmed and keeps it on will make a whole lot more hits than the fellow who doesn’t.” He then goes on to explain the pivotal mishap that most hitters make, which is the failure to keep their eyes fixated on the yarn-stuffed pill for the adequate amount of time it takes to time-up one’s swing to perfection. “It’s easy enough to follow the ball halfway from the box to the plate,” said Ruth. “After that is when the pitcher fools the hitter. That’s when most batters begin to lose the ball. They are not prepared to watch the break, which comes just before the apple reaches them. I believe that one of the secrets of my hitting is my ability to keep my eye on the ball longer than any other batter, even until it starts to break.”
Based on his measured results, it’s evident that Ruth possessed a key tactic in his game plan that distinguished him from the pack. Judging by his own perception, that indispensable trait appeared to his means to track the ball longer than most, which can serve as a euphuism for all those who crave to bring forth their desired results in their own field. Independent to the game of baseball, Ruth succeeded in the act, at a broad level, by leveraging his capacity to concentrate on his target at a rate that was aberrant to his counterparts. By focusing on the incoming object for the maximum amount of time, in direct relation with when he began launching into his swing, Ruth amplified his chances for success. The more time one spends in observance of their goal, the higher their odds are in achieving whatever it is that they are setting out for.
When evaluating your time as it relates to your objective, consider if you’re concentrating on the matter to a degree that is on par with everyone else, or at an extraordinary level that is incomparable to the masses. From a fundamental view, the easiest way to standout in a particular space is to engross your attention on the prize for an extended period. An elongated length of time that is beyond comprehension to most. The more one focuses on something, the more familiar they become with the matter, and all the intricate elements that come with it. Like Ruth implied in his book, those who allow their focus point to taper off, are at significant disadvantage when in comparison to the people who opt to persist in concentrating on the substance. Akin to how a pitcher fools the unsuspecting hitter who is thinking fastball, but is thrown a curve, the beings who drag their focus off of what matters to them are far more inclined to be caught off guard by something in their chosen space than the select few who refuse to let their attention waver. At the end of the day, the choice to keep one’s eye on the pearl is just that, a choice. A mere decision that the perceiver retains the right to elect, or disregard, on any given day.
Beyond the actual results that come when in pursuit of a goal, a steady fixation on an aim, regardless of all outcomes, intensifies one’s aptitude in that given realm. A heightened understanding in any domain is a precursor to mastering the nuts and bolts inside the territory. Thus, it is essential to exercise your borderline-boundless capacity to concentrate on your desires. To withhold a pining to materialize a vision, or multiple, is an endowment that must be treated with respect and high regard. One must honor their hunger to create certain happenings by capitalizing on their inherent gift, which is the ability to dictate where their concentration point dwells at any active moment.
Building off the baseball analogy, the ones who espy the leathered seams on the ball are the ones whose sights are locked-in on the objective at stake. Meaning, the clearer that one analyzes the properties that must be sensed if they wish to attain their desired results, the more probable it is that they will accomplish their feat. The statement, ‘concentrate on your objective at a level that is anomalous with the masses’ is a blanketed one. As its value is in direct accordance to the perceiver’s degree of concentration in the act. One can spend time taking the actions that, on paper, are inching them closer to their goals, yet, if their focus is not being used at maximum capacity while they are involved with their pursuit, their potential output is suppressed. In general, one can only see as far as their sights allow them to. The eyes that ordain what’s possible, from a creation standpoint, for all active beings sauntering along in this game, are the same eyes that must be instructed to leverage their strength by concentrating on what’s necessary to the senser. All matter that is inessential to the present goal must be abandoned, in both thought, and sight, until the current aim is fulfilled. The disciplined perceiver, strong-willed in nature, is the one that effects their desired happenings at the highest clip. Had Ruth not remained persistent in his decision to fasten his attention on the ball, upon each pitch, his technique would have suffered, which, in turn, would have impacted his numbers. In biding by his tactics, the gap between him and the next man widened with each succeeding long ball. The greatest power hitter, by the books, boasts the crown in large part to his household decision to remain engaged in his pursuit. Therefore, one must ask themselves, on an everyday basis, am I focusing on my objectives at a measure that is out of sight to the average observer?
In the thick of concentrating on what matters most, for a length of time that is superior to the common man, make sure to analyze your emotional status. Individuals who remain persistent in the act of drawing their attention on their objectives shall regularly monitor their inner connection to the action. In Ruth’s case, this meant ensuring that his body was in an engaged, yet relaxed state while he prepared to take a hack at the plate. To keep himself in check, he leveraged the power of self-talk so that he could align his attention with the current moment. The positive reinforcement from within forces him to abide in the ‘now’, a frame of mind that compels an individual to hang loose. By staying calm, more times than not, he was able to generate the desired result. When people exhaust an ample amount of their energy into their goals, they can become vulnerable to the possibility of experiencing a noxious sense of stress, as over-analyzing any concept in mind has the potential to create an unpleasant experience. Generating a feeling of angst in the midst of bird-dogging a vision is hazardous, no matter the details within the selected intention. Therefore, when attacking your aims, observe how you feel to assure that your thoughts are not interfering with your pursuit. By good fortune, the objectives that you set for yourself are intentions that linger within because of your devotion to them. Meaning, the goals that we set are appointed in mind because of our sensed affection to their realization. That level of love will encourage us to remain focused and at ease throughout the journey, which is why so many people say to go after what you cherish. Should you ever find yourself struggling in this department, harness the power of a deep breath, or mimic Ruth, and exercise your ability to communicate with yourself in a manner that steers you back into the present.
Throughout the human experience, you dwell as a hitter, whose cleats are cemented in the dirt of the batter’s box for as long as your conscious. In operating as the sole perceiver of the game, no one else is granted an at-bat, as you’re playing your own sport. Over time, you will pick out multiple baseballs, which, in this analogy, are representative of your goals. These aims, no matter their specifics, will be the incoming targets that you will aspire to knock out of the park. With each successful swing, a new ball (target) will be placed onto the field of play. To prevail in the long run, you shall remember, each day, that you’re a slugger who’s on offense 24/7. A striking specialist with a fixed desire to excel. When up at the dish, neglect the fielders, and block out the clamor from the crowd. All those in attendance, whether suited up for the opposition, comrades of your own, regulators of the event, or onlookers with no skin in the game, shall not meddle between you and your personal objectives. Analogous to how power-hitters are looking for a specific pitch to drive, one that coincides with their skill set, as a goal-chaser, aim to keep your sights set on the pretensions you are aspiring to hit, and do so at a rate that is incomparable to most. Pinpoint what your baseballs are by selecting the conceptions that mean the most to you, and you only. Once these pills are identified, lodge in a comfortable mental state, and swing at them with emphatic veracity.
LIFE LESSON: Concentrate on your objective at a level that is anomalous to the masses