Take Me Out to the Ballgame!
PERSPECTIVE“If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.” -Yogi Berra
My oldest son’s travel baseball season ended the first weekend in November at the Ripken Experience in Aberdeen, MD. For those of you keeping score at home, yes, my 10-year old’s baseball season ran longer than the professional season. Don’t get me started…
My love/hate relationship with travel sports aside, my boy’s love of the game has rekindled mine after many years of disinterest. Their excitement collecting cards and following favorite players reminds me of my childhood. Further, watching games as a family is an opportunity for us to spend time together around a common interest. While much of our national pastime is the same, I’ve noticed some aspects are different from when I grew up, notably pitching.
I remember Randy Johnson taking the mound, and not just the vision of his curly mullet under his cap. He had a killer fastball-slider combo that batters feared. Just ask John Kruk. He dominated on the mound and wouldn’t come off the field unless he threw grapefruits up there by inning seven or eight. He stayed, endured, and had a tenacious dedication that led the left-hander to 303 career victories. In today’s lineup, starting pitchers aren’t out there until the seventh inning stretch anymore. Now, relievers routinely tap in somewhere between innings three and five. The game, and its hitters, have become so dynamic that starting pitchers are no longer expected to go deep into the game. A diverse bullpen of flame throwers and crafty artists all serve their purpose. The team gets it done not by relying on one or two, but the sum of the parts.
Watching the World Series this year reminded me that falling into a pattern of relying on one lane—one superstar—doesn’t work at the highest level of baseball, and certainly doesn’t work with investing. Owning a diverse mix of investments, like pitchers, helps provide you with options as you navigate a shifting environment, or game 5. Markets change. Industries shift. Calamities will, sadly, continue. This certainty makes diversification imperative. Building a solid financial future is not about jumping onto the next pretty-shiny bandwagon.
It’s about staying disciplined and trusting your approach, even if the game doesn’t appear to be going your way at the moment. There’s more than one road that leads to wealth and success.
You’ve worked hard to earn it. Let us lend a hand to ensure your wealth is optimized in every facet and working hard for you. Let’s play ball!
P.S. If you missed Corey Seager tying World Series game 1 in the bottom of the 9th, do yourself a favor and check it out. Kids these days refer to this as a Swamp Donkey, enjoy.