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The Wisdom of "17 Inches" by John Scolinos
I saw this article being shared on whatsapp group with a link to a facebook post.
I asked Chat GPT to make me a summery of the article and write something about it.
What it came up with was quite amazing and is applicable to leaders all over the world.
In January 1996, at the ABCA convention in Nashville, 4,000 baseball coaches gathered to hear from esteemed speakers. Among them was 78-year-old John Scolinos, a revered college coach who retired in 1991. Scolinos took the stage wearing a full-sized home plate around his neck, which puzzled the audience. After 25 minutes, he addressed the curiosity: "You're probably all wondering why I'm wearing home plate around my neck."
Scolinos began a powerful lesson about standards and accountability. He asked the coaches about the width of home plate at different levels of baseball, from Little League to the Major Leagues. The answer was always the same: 17 inches. He emphasized that even in professional baseball, if a pitcher couldn't throw the ball over the 17-inch plate, the solution wasn't to widen the plate but to send the pitcher back for more training.
He connected this to broader life lessons. Scolinos criticized the tendency to lower standards in various areas—coaching, parenting, education, churches, and government. He argued that society often "widens the plate" to avoid holding people accountable, which leads to declining standards and integrity.
By turning home plate into a symbolic house, complete with a flag and a cross.
He warned that if we continue to lower standards, we face dark days ahead.
Scolinos' message resonated deeply, reminding everyone to maintain high standards and accountability. His legacy endures, urging us to keep our "plates" at 17 inches and hold ourselves and others to consistent, unwavering standards.
Conclusion
John Scolinos' lesson on "17 inches" teaches the importance of maintaining high standards and accountability in all areas of life. By refusing to "widen the plate," we can foster integrity and excellence in ourselves, our families, and our society.
Let's honour his wisdom and strive to uphold these values in our daily lives.
Lessons for Society Today
from John Scolinos' "17 Inches"
John Scolinos’ message about maintaining the standard width of home plate at 17 inches serves as a powerful metaphor for the importance of upholding consistent standards and accountability in various aspects of society. Here are key lessons we can draw from this story:
1. Consistency in Standards:
- Education: Just as home plate remains 17 inches at all levels of baseball, educational standards should remain consistent and high. Lowering the bar for students does them a disservice and undermines the quality of education.
- Workplace: In professional settings, maintaining high standards for performance and ethics ensures that all employees strive for excellence and accountability.
2. Accountability:
- Parenting and Family Life: Parents should hold their children accountable to established rules and expectations. This instills discipline and prepares them for the realities of adult life where rules are not adjusted to fit personal preferences.
- Leadership: Leaders, whether in business, government, or other fields, must model accountability. They should adhere to the same rules and standards they set for others, promoting trust and integrity.
3. Integrity and Ethics:
- Governance: Elected officials should adhere to ethical standards and be accountable to their constituents. When leaders bend rules for personal gain, it erodes public trust and the foundation of democracy.
- Religious Institutions: Religious leaders and institutions must uphold moral and ethical standards consistently. When they fail to do so, it can lead to a loss of faith and trust among followers.
4. Resilience and Growth:
- Personal Development: Facing challenges without lowering standards helps individuals grow stronger and more resilient. It teaches perseverance and the value of hard work.
- Community and Social Standards: Communities thrive when they uphold shared values and standards. This unity fosters mutual respect and collective progress.
5. Consequences for Actions:
- Law and Order: In a fair society, laws must be applied consistently. If rules are bent or ignored for certain individuals, it leads to injustice and inequality.
- Sports and Competition: In sports, maintaining consistent rules ensures fair competition. It teaches athletes to strive for excellence within set boundaries.
Conclusion
John Scolinos' metaphor of the 17-inch home plate is a timeless lesson on the importance of maintaining high standards and holding ourselves and others accountable. In today’s society, these principles are crucial for fostering integrity, fairness, and excellence in all areas of life. By refusing to "widen the plate," we can build a more just, disciplined, and principled world.
Can you just inspire one other person by being a better version of yourself? Can you inspire the children in your class, the employees at your work, the members of your family, the members in your church and the voters in your political party. Are you leading by example.
To the leaders in South Africa and all over the world you have big responsibility and you are in our prayers.
Albert Schuurman
I used AI to assist me in creating this article.
We live in amazing times but the divide amongst people are messing it all up. I dedicate this article to a client who I have known for years but only had the privelage to talk to after a dreadfull event. The person refused to make the base bigger and set an example that inspired the people around the person.
Link to the facebook post https://www.facebook.com/share/p/4jXrGUD296DetYp9/?mibextid=ox5AEW