Hustle plays

The difference between winning and losing frequently simply comes down to hustle. It is one more reason why sports is such an excellent metaphor for real life. More often than not, consistent hard work is a trump card. As Ben Franklin once said, it is 90% perspiration and 10% inspiration.

The Kansas City Royals underlined that distinction last night in their game with the New York Yankees. The difference between winning and losing culture is often defined by hustle and effort. It helps to have the talent on your side too, and the Yankees surely do. If you are the Royals, and you do not have the talent edge, lack of hustle all but guarantees losing.

Two critical plays that could have had the Royals in a 6-6 tie last night, rare, oddball plays, both failed to come to fruition because of the Royals lack of hustle. In the first inning with two out as Wilson Betemint tried to stretch a single into a double, Jose Guillen loafed around third base and trotted home at about one quarter speed. Based on where Betemint hit the ball maybe Guillen thought the double was a sure thing. But the Yankees leftfielder Brett Gardener hustled all the way, scooped up the shot down the line, and fired a bullet to second base to just nail Betemint. What is rare about the play is that Guillen failed to score from second, because the out was recorded at second base just before he touched home. It should not have even been close, going at half speed Guillen scores easily. But that is not how things are going for the Royals and it cost them a run.

Witness a repeat of the same kind of mistake in the top of the 7th inning, with the score still 6-4, a struggling C.C. Sabathia was taken out of the game. Dave Robertson, a less than stellar Yankees reliever, got the second out on an infield pop-up with two guys on base. Then he struck out the next batter Willie Bloomquist, however, Jorge Posada displayed some of his usual shaky defense (he had already cost the Yanks a run with an error) and fumbled strike three. Bloomquist half-assed out of the box and lollygagged it down to first assuming he was a dead duck. Posada attempted to throw the ball into rightfield, a superb play by Mark Teixeira saved the ball, and another error for Posada. Only because Bloomquist was not running hard was Teixeira able to recover and beat him to the bag for the third out.

Winners run hard all the time, losers run hard only when they think it matters. And that is why they lose, losing and failure are reenforceable cultural norms, and Royals have a losing culture.