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Thursday, April 2, 2015

B As In Babe Ruth



 
Who better to inspire a “B” post, than Babe Ruth himself? When deciding what to post, I thought of writing and its importance in my life, and sports, that I watch because those I love watch it, but isn’t my favorite pastime. Yet Babe seemed to have a lot to say to me today, and perhaps to you, no matter what you do. Here are a few Babe Ruth quotes that I felt spoke directly to us as folks who blog, no matter what about.

To begin, “Watch my dust” and You just can't beat the person who never gives up said exactly what I try to tell myself each time I hit a bump in the road.


As a writer, I have to make sure that the final product I release to the world must be the best I can make it. and I have to follow the steps, the guidelines that will help me reach that goal. So did Babe. “I had only one superstition. I made sure to touch all the bases when I hit a home run.”

“Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.” Told me never to give up. To keep on swinging and make every try count, not just the ones I “hit.”

“Yesterday's home runs don't win today's games.” I can’t rest on my laurels and hope success will take care of itself. I must be in constant motion. Each time I finish one, I must begin a new creation.
 
“All I can tell them is pick a good one and sock it. I get back to the dugout and they ask me what it was I hit and I tell them I don't know except it looked good.” How do I know the work I’ve done is worth the time and effort I’ve put into it? I don’t! My last novel (released January 2015) was a different writing experience for me, so because it looked good, felt right, I stuck with it.

“The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime.” I might write the books, but I have so many people who help make it the best it can be, experts who share their insights, beta readers who tell me what works and what doesn’t, artists who create my covers, my family and friends who keep me going. This is a team job alright and I’d be nothing without my team.

 With writing, it’s all or nothing. I can’t write without commitment to the project because it won’t gel. My work is only as good as the energy I put into it… “How to hit home runs: I swing as hard as I can, and I try to swing right through the ball... The harder you grip the bat, the more you can swing it through the ball, and the farther the ball will go. I swing big, with everything I've got. I hit big or I miss big. I like to live as big as I can.”

“Gee, its lonesome in the outfield. It's hard to keep awake with nothing to do.” Don’t slack off! Yes, take time to recharge batteries, of course, but never leave alone what you love too long. I hate to think readers might fall asleep while reading one of my books!
 





59 comments:

Billy Blue Eyes said...

You know I have never watched a baseball though I have heard of Babe Ruth

JazzFeathers said...

Loved this post. So many inspiring quotes :-)

Unknown said...

Brilliant quotes.

sumskersandearlskers13blogspot.com

Debbie at Travel with Intent said...

I like the way you have structured this around the quotes.

HollyK said...

Love this!

Tanya Miranda said...

Great Quotes! "Every strike brings me closer to the next home run." Even failures make you better, at whatever you're doing.

kaykuala said...

Great sports person. Though could not understand why called feminine sounding name 'Babe' Was there a reason!

http://imagery77.blogspot.com/2015/04/great-way-of-staying-afloat.html

Hank

Anonymous said...

Great quotes and great application of them to writing - a wonderfully inspirational 'B' post for the challenge. :-)

Li said...

“Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.” Love that. Every rejection teaches me something and brings me closer to success.

KatyTrailCreations said...

Baseball is the core of our summer here at our home. In our conversation at every meal. Love love love your theme!

Anonymous said...

Love the connection of his words to your experiences as a writer :)

Empty Nester said...

Nice analogy! This does not come natural to me so, when I see it, I love it. When I do have a moment of brilliance, I'm so stunned I can't remember to write it. Ha!

Susan Scott said...

Thank you, brilliant post! Aligning the quotes from Babe Ruth with your own story is powerful thank you again!

Cathy Kennedy said...

I love that you hit big or miss big! You give it your all or nothing. We all should have a big passion for what we love in life. Inspiring "B" post!

Anonymous said...

I'm not a baseball fan, but I love how you connected the quotes of the colourful Babe Ruth to the process of writing! :)

Idea-ist said...

What a great post! Its funny how words can be so easily open to personal interpretation, and you found some great meaning in Babe Ruth's words!

This is my first year doing the A-Z Challenge and I'm having fun thinking up my entries to go with my letter prompts (although, I admit, the more comfortable I get, the less 'brief' my posts are!)

@Get Lost in Lit

S. L. Hennessy said...

He was such an idol. No wonder he was your inspiration.

Good luck with the 2015 A to Z Challenge!
A to Z Co-Host S. L. Hennessy
http://pensuasion.blogspot.com

Huntress said...

I wonder how well the Babe would do in today's environment. I'd love to match many of yesteryear's athletes with modern standards and abilities. Hm, a book in the making, LOL

Jolie du Pre said...

My favorite of his quotes is this one - “Yesterday's home runs don't win today's games.” ~~~ As an author, I absolutely can't rest on my laurels. I have to keep writing to continue to sell books. That's the bottom line for me as an author.

Precious Monsters

betty said...

I love "yesterday's home runs don't win today's game". That is so true; we can enjoy our past accomplishments but they won't carry us through to our new ones ahead.

betty

Livia Quinn said...

I can't tell you the number of times friends have said I wish I knew where to find more of the Babe's sayings. Great post.

Anonymous said...

Well, here we are on day 2. I'm psyched and excited. This is my second year. Thanks Arlee for running a fabulous challenge. The Babe was a really positive. guy with good work ethics it seems. Didn't know that about him. Nice post.

gail said...

Well done! Never would have thought of the Babe. Returning your visit from A to Z!

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

Never thought about the Babe having so many excellent quotes. We're a big baseball family here so I love the use of this inspiration.

Robyn Proctor said...

These are some great quotes, I especially like the "you just can't beat the person who never gives up!"

Door2Lore said...

I enjoyed the parallels you made and I do admire Babe for all of his ups and downs - such a remarkable man. Thanks to your words, I see a little of all of us in him and his wise words!
A-Z Blogging: http://www.door2lore.com/power-of-story-blog

Jennifer Hawes said...

I really enjoyed all of Babe's quotes! Some I've heard before, but some I haven't. Thanks for sharing!

Ros Haywood said...

"You just can't beat the person who never gives up." I just LOVE this quote. I am in the UK, so Babe Ruth has not really been an icon of mine, but this quote is fantastic!

Ros, visiting from GenWestUK

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Some great quotes. Dig the one about touching all the bases.

Unknown said...

YES BABE RUTH! When I think of Babe Ruth it makes me think of the Sandlot almost each and every time! good B!

Teresa
@icecoldpenguin
fangirlnextdoor.com

Unknown said...

Inspiring, thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

I used to be really into baseball. My interest faded after a while.

#1Nana said...

Great collection of quotes.

Birgit said...

Great way to be inspired and use Babe Ruth's quotes and compare them to writing

Mark Koopmans said...

I have learned more about the Babe today than I ever knew...and I call myself a baseball fan :-)

River Glynn said...

This is an inspiring and informative post. What a great theme!

Dr Genevive Angela said...

Nice collections, have not heard before, thanks for sharing !!

Live and Learn said...

I'm glad you paid a visit to my blog during this challenge because it made me come and read the interesting quotes by Babe Ruth. I've heard a lot about him, but not so much about his inspirational quotes.

Jo said...

I'm the same, never watch baseball. Knew of Babe Ruth but didn't realise he was so full of wisdom.

Cathrina Constantine said...

Good Post! Love Baseball and the history of it.

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

I miss the days when baseball players like Babe Ruth were true heroes. Or maybe I was born a tad late for that, being as I worshipped Dodger first baseman Steve Garvey.

They could've at least made a bigger, better candy bar in his honor.

Arlee Bird said...

Very cool way to illustrate the parallels and the analogy. I never thought of writing in this way.

Arlee Bird
A to Z Challenge Co-host
Tossing It Out

Kathleen Jennette said...

Boy, I remember my Grandparents talking about the Babe. What great history he made.
They must have had so much fun back then.

As I See It Daily

Kathleen Jennette said...

Boy, I remember my Grandparents talking about the Babe. What great history he made.
They must have had so much fun back then.

As I See It Daily

Melissa Ann said...

Great quotes! Very inspirational.

Michelle Wallace said...

I don't know much about baseball, but I HAVE heard of Babe Ruth.
Great quotes!

Melissa Ann Goodwin said...

This is a great post - I love how you related the quotes to writing. He was a smart guy!

Kern Windwraith said...

Sports offer up so many great analogies and metaphors for other aspects of life, don't they? Very inspirational -- thank you!

Bushman said...

There is always a way to find motivation in sports. I had a quote up on my blog from Lambeau.

Bushman
2015 A to Z Challenge Ambassador
@jwb81074

Shell Flower said...

These are some great motivational quotes. I love “You just can't beat the person who never gives up” for someone dealing with a lot of rejection. Babe Ruth is awesome. Loving this!

ahana said...

Have never watched Babe Ruth play but then again baseball is not a popular sport in India. Yet have heard of him and his accomplishments. The quotes are very nice and thanks for making him alive through your writing.

Maria said...

Reading this post is another evidence for me that the right attitude in any given situation greatly influences the outcome!

Thanks for visiting my "C" entry :)

Cortney Pearson said...

Wow, these are amazing and very uplifting and inspiring. I've known him to be a great ball-player, but haven't heard any of these. Thanks for sharing!

Manzanita said...

I love hearing stories about the Babe. My husband was bat boy for the Washington Senators during the years the Babe was playing. He would call my husband "Little Grif" when he saw him because his father owned the Senators.... Clark Griffith.
A fun B.

Namrata said...

I never watched baseball. In India the most popular is cricket. Yet few days back I watched million dollar arms movie. It was good.
My take is B for Bravery. Do visit. :)

http://bluesomeheart.blogspot.in/?m=1

judi said...

Love Babe Ruth & Baseball. Loved the quotes you used in your post. Babe Ruth was a class act!

Breathing Life said...

I read somewhere that the reason he had such a great batting average was because his eyesight was so amazing the baseball looked more like a grapefruit coming at him. I think in my case it looked more like a golf ball.
I love the quotes you shared.

Unknown said...

I enjoyed the way you blended writing and sports. Interesting post , thanks for sharing.

Barbara In Caneyhead said...

You are right! Babe's sage baseball advice could apply to most any endeavor.