There was a simple joy in watching the first Dodger playoff game last night while we made dinner. I had a new pork and mushroom meatball recipe we were making, and with a fresh batch of basil, I made pesto and a green salad. Paul had a silver tequila neat and I opened a bottle of Trader Joe’s best Pinot Gris from Oregon. I was supposed to be at my niece’s wedding in New York and had caught a nasty virus that was negative for Covid but kept me from getting on the plane. It had been a tough week. On the mend now, I was in gratitude for the simplicity of the moment.
Baseball is a game I love to watch on tv, and I love to see in person. I played it as a kid in the street, and in middle school. There was no high school team at my girls school. But we would still play pickup games in college and beyond. The rules are clear. Any one can play at some level. Watching the professionals do it is always a marvel. Now, watching Ohtani find a way to hit nasty 98 mph pitches out of the park is meatball dropping fabulous. Being able to see the ball, connect with perfect biodynamics and carry through that swing with perfect execution…I don’t know how to explain the awe. And, how fun it makes it – if you are a baseball fan.
Can we be that good in the execution of the fundamentals of our businesses? Are we even clear enough on the differentiators that will separate us from the pack? Are we willing to do the hard work to create a sustainable advantage? Of course, we are not Ohtani. But we don’t have to be. We just have to be better than the competition.
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