30 Years Ago Today - A "No-Hitter"

Thirty years ago today - July 21, 1980 - it was an event of my teenage years that I will never forget. The evening that 14 teammates made me great as I pitched a no-hitter.

The "no-hitter" ball from that evening rests in my home office as a reminder of how much fun I had playing ball as a teenager, the feeling of victory, and what is possible when you compete for success.  I remember the game as if it was yesterday.  My teammates played great defense for seven innings giving me the chance to accomplish a pitcher's dream.  It was the top of the 7th with 2 outs.  My final pitch was hit into short left field and Matt DeLuke's speed and skill as our shortstop made an over the shoulder catch to save the no-hitter and end the game. We all went crazy and I remember being hoisted on the shoulders of my teammates. It was an amazing feeling.

All of my teammates signed the ball that evening and the next day I clipped the box score from the newspaper and added it to my scrapbook that I still have today.  It's a lot of fun looking through a scrap book and the memories that come as you as think back to that point in time in your life. 

As I reflect on that evening 30 years later, it reminds me of a few principles that are important to my life today:

• As a leader, it's your team that is capable of achieving great outcomes. While I may have been in the zone that evening and leading the charge, I would not had achieved that level of success without my teammates. They we all there for me that evening and throughout the season as I won the pitcher of year and the batting title that season. We played and won as a team that evening and that is what is required to reach high levels of performance that are not possible with individual efforts.
• As an individual, we can all make others great.  Our shortstop's heroic catch for the last out of the game made me great that evening.  When was the last time you made someone else great? 
• My coaches, Ron Witherspoon and Earl O'Brey, helped me develop as a pitcher and player for the 3 seasons I played on that team. We all need coaches who are their to support our development and push us to achieve great things. 

Thanks to my 1980 teammates for the memories from that evening: Matt Cater, Matt DeLuke, Brian Fisk,Barry Rapavy, Jim Hart, Tim Nelson, Robert O'Brey, Mike Reutter, Keith Robertson, Darren Cooper, Steve Lloyd Tom McNamara, Robert Zych and Jeff Mortka. 

The ball that sits in my home office will always take me back to that night and the thrill of victory.  Thanks for the memories.