The Houston Astros and Coach Dusty Baker did it!!!
They emerged as the winner of the best 4 out of 7 games in the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies.
It was a long road; a road that I believe we can gain some perspective from, to remind us that on our toughest days as long as there is breath within…there is still hope.
There was hope for Dusty Baker at 73. There is also hope for us wherever we find ourselves in the journey to our “life series.”
Like many of you, I stood in front of my television in awe. The commentator, as the celebration began, made mention that several years back Coach Baker had interviewed for the Philadelphia Phillies manager’s job. They didn’t hire him. Imagine that. The first WORLD SERIES win for you as a manager is against the very team that did not hire you. As the story goes, he went back to California really bummed. His son told him then that “…maybe you were not supposed to be the Phillies manager. Go where you are meant to be.”
Some weeks later, the Houston Astros called. It was where he was meant to be.
It is in hearing this that something in me stirred.
How many jobs have you wanted and were told “No!?” How many dreams have you had to shelve due to sickness, or hardship, or not enough resources? How many times have you really wanted a deal to go through, or a contract to come through, or a “yes” to whatever you set your sights on, to only get to a closed door, a no, or a “not this time.”
A World Series aspiration for a Major League Baseball manager is like my aspiration to getting a publishing deal and to be known and read by all men. That is my wildest dream. I don’t know what your aspirations are, but whatever they are…you nor I should quit.
Coach Johnnie B. “Dusty” Baker Jr. did not; and it is in that vein that I write to you today.
Your wildest dreams are ones that you cannot let go of. They are ones you often can’t tell everyone. They are the secret ones you whisper before God and hope he hears. It is what seems “impossible” and haunts you at every turn. They are the ones that war against hope within and even when you want to quit or retire…you can’t.
Coach Dusty Baker made his career debut as a call-up player in 1968 when the Atlanta Braves played against the Houston Astros. Playing just 45 games with the Braves, Baker would spend three seasons in the minor league and would finally make the 1972 roster for Opening Day to start his Major League Baseball career. From that date on he would become a two-time World Series champion and two-time All-Star player.
Coach Baker—then a player—retired in 1986, and for all intents and purposes it seemed baseball was over. In 1987, Baker began working as a stockbroker. Wild dreams delayed, or no more?
It was a “wildest dream” waiting on him to step into the place he was meant to be.
He needed to start somewhere though. So, he did.
In 1987, Coach Baker took on the job as a first base coach. It was the start of his managerial career in baseball. He went from a first base coach to managing teams in need of life support. While he was able to infuse life in those respective teams, it was always just short of the World Series. His journey on paper seemed filled with ups and downs but it was in 2020, that a window for the “possible” opened in his quest for a World Series title as a manager. In 2022, he kicked that window wide open.
I don’t know what year you or I will celebrate the thing we have been dreaming and hoping for. I don’t know when the commentary will read “She did it” or “He did it?!”
It took Coach Baker 25 seasons as a Major League manager to get there. No matter how long it takes, friend, keep going. Do not quit. Keep Pushing. Do not surrender your wildest dream to a place called “never.” Your moment will come. Friend, go where you are meant to be.
Always believe; and in the words of Coach Baker “If I won one, I might as well win two!”
Let’s goooo!
Sharwin Wiltz-Boney is an entrepreneur, business consultant/coach, speaker and author who currently serves as President and CEO of a financial infrastructure management company that has operated in the Houston area for more than a decade. Utilizing the experience, she has gained through business ventures and her very own life journey, Sharwin invites you into her Musings. Have a comment? Drop her a line at sharwin@sharwinboney.com.