“I’m no different from anybody else with two arms, two legs, and forty-two hundred hits.”
– Pete Rose

You may or may not like Pete Rose. You may or may not believe that what he did was any worse, or any different from other players who have had other stigmas, such as drug use, associated with their names. You may or may not believe that he should be allowed into the baseball hall of fame. To the extent that it is possible, forget all that and just listen to what the man is saying.

There are a couple of points to make about this little statement. First, Pete Rose is saying that I’m not really any different from anyone else. He didn’t have any particular extra ability, just ability he used to accumulate 4,200 hits. Basically, what he is really saying is, “I’m an ordinary guy.”

The other part of this statement deals specifically with 4,200 hits. In order to accumulate that many hits, certain things had to happen. First, and perhaps most obviously, in order to accumulate 4,200 hits, Pete Rose had to step up to the plate. You need to have the courage to step up to the plate. You don’t have to look very far to find people who will not step up to the plate. It could be making a sales call, or confronting a loved one about a problem. It really makes no difference what the situation is, you need to be able to step up to the plate. I think one of the main reasons that Thoreau stated that men “lead lives of quiet desperation,” is because so many people are not even willing to take a chance and try!

Here is another obvious point, you have to swing at a lot of pitches in order to get 4,200 hits. According to the statistics I found, Pete Rose had a lifetime batting average of .311. That is a respectable number by any standard. However, it also means that in order to get 4,200 hits he had to step up to the plate for approximately 13,500 pitches!

Also keep in mind that he missed around 9,300 times. He failed to get a hit twice as many times as he succeeded. Still even after missing that many times he had a considerable number of hits. Even after all those failed attempts, his lifetime statistics are still pretty impressive. There are not that many players who can boast a lifetime batting average better than .311.

So how about you? Are you willing to step up to the plate? Are you willing to swing and miss – a lot? For what its worth, I believe that if you are willing to step to the plate in your endeavors, if you are willing to go down swinging, you too will find yourself with some impressive lifetime numbers. Just don’t gamble on the game, ok?