Famous New York Yankees catcher Yogi Berra has said that the game of baseball is “ninety percent mental, the other half physical.” It’s a sentiment that Ken Davidoff, longtime Major League Baseball journalist for The New York Post, knows well.
In his new book, 101 Lessons from the Dugout: What Baseball and Softball Can Teach Us About the Game of Life, Davidoff partnered with parenting expert and writer Dr. Harley Rotbard to explore what the two sports can teach young players and fans about resilience, leadership, and ourselves.
We recently caught up with Davidoff as he prepares for his February 19 talk at the Tadler Center for the Humanities, where he’ll discuss the inspiration behind the book and the lessons that extend far beyond the dugout.
Interview has been edited for length and clarity.
How did the idea for 101 Lessons from the Dugout come about, and what was the process in working with Harley Rotbart? How did that collaboration shape the tone and structure of the lessons?
Davidoff: This is not the most romantic story perhaps, but Harley and I have the same literary agent, Lisa Leshne. Lisa paired us up because Harley, who is a parenting expert and a retired pediatrician, came up with the idea for this book—and actually self-published a version of it nearly 20 years ago—and asked me to pair up with him in the hopes that I could offer my writing skills, my baseball knowledge, and my contacts and platforms. So, we didn’t start with nothing; we started with Harley’s initial output. Harley and I gelled so well because we approached it from such different perspectives and appreciated each other’s. Harley came up with all 101 lessons, but he was extremely open to my feedback, and I feel like the final product reflects both my voice and Harley’s.
You’ve spent decades covering baseball. What pulled you toward writing a book focused on youth, joy, and the fundamentals of the game rather than the majors?
Davidoff: I quit my job four years ago because I was fully burned out from the life of covering Major League Baseball. I couldn't write or say one more word about why the Yankees had lost five of seven games, or who the Mets were going to get next in a trade. This book opportunity came to me right before I resigned, but when I knew I was going to do so, I was so excited about the opportunity to steer away from my life as a hard-hitting New York tabloid sports columnist and work on a piece of writing that I believe is sweet, positive, and fulfilling.
The book frames everyday moments in baseball as life lessons. Was there a particular person, event, or moment that made you realize baseball was quietly teaching kids/people far more than mechanics?
Davidoff: Well, I myself was a pretty lousy baseball player. I didn't make my high school team. I went to the introductory meeting in ninth grade, saw the other guys in the room, and knew I had no shot. But I played eight years of Little League, and nothing taught me more about coping with failure in all walks of life than that. When I would strike out three times (not an infrequent occurrence), or the one time I pitched and gave up probably six runs while getting out four batters, it hurt so bad. But you have to get up and keep going, right?
Why was it important to include softball alongside baseball in this book, and how do you see those lessons resonating across genders and generations?
Davidoff: It’s so great to see the rise of women’s sports—explosive just in these last five years or so. We certainly wanted to connect with girls who love to play softball and who now have more role models than ever. And the games obviously feature the same foundations—bases, outs, innings, etc.—so it would have been egregious not to include softball. I think the lessons from the book are truly universal, whether it’s coping with failure, prioritizing your task list, or cleaning up after yourself (or 98 others).
Many of the book’s lessons—patience, impulse control, resilience—feel relevant right now. Do you think kids today need these messages more than ever, and if so, why?
Davidoff: As a parent of a young man about to graduate college, yes, I do think that young people need these messages more than ever because the world in which we live is more challenging than ever in so many ways. Whether it's the general divisiveness that increasingly defines our world or the smartphones and social media that create hurdles as much as they conquer them, it ain’t easy being a young person.
As journalism and sports media continue to change, what lessons from the dugout do you think apply most directly to young people considering careers in media or storytelling?
Davidoff: I’d probably go with Chapter 23, “Small Ball.” Sometimes it’s best not to swing for the home run; instead, get on base with a hit or a walk. I built my career in media and storytelling by taking small steps. My first job out of college was a 20-hour-a-week job covering high school sports for my hometown newspaper in New Jersey. By playing “small ball,” I learned how to be a journalist and a storyteller in an environment that allowed me to make mistakes without enormous consequences, and I eventually built up enough hits and walks to get comfortable enough to eventually swing for home runs sometimes.
You’re now teaching as an adjunct professor at Endicott. How do you see the lessons from this book connecting to the classroom and to students figuring out who they want to be?
Davidoff: While this book is written for young adults (ages 12 and up), I truly think the lessons can be absorbed, appreciated, and applied by readers of all ages. This semester, my students in DM 338: Feature Writing are working with both Professor Lara Salahi and me on stories tied to Professor Salahi’s Newsroom endeavor. One chapter that I think could apply well to our class, as the students work on these stories, is Chapter 68, “Painting the Corners.” Be subtle and polite when you’re trying to get people to help you. And of course, that lesson carries well beyond writing feature stories.
For parents, coaches, or mentors reading this book alongside kids, what do you hope it changes about how they talk about winning, losing, and success, both on and off the field?
Davidoff: Going back to my earlier mention of divisiveness, social media, and smartphones, my professional burnout was fueled in no small part by the cruelty I witnessed on social media toward everyone in the sports world, including myself. My hope is that this book can remind everyone to take a moment to smell the roses. To appreciate the beauty of these games and the good things in life. Of course, winning and losing matter; otherwise, participating in and watching sports wouldn't be anywhere near as fun. But it need not be the only thing that matters.
Davidoff will discuss 101 Lessons from the Dugout with Mark Herlihy, Dean of the School of Social Sciences, Communication, & Humanities, on February 19 at 5:30 p.m. in the Klebanoff Auditorium. Register here.