Everyone makes errors

By Jeff Becraft

Cooper Pratt is the rookie shortstop for the Milwaukee Brewers… who just recently won the World Series.

Cooper made four errors in a short number of games in the postseason. But one of the things he said when they were interviewing him right after the game on the field, is he made the comment that his teammates kept encouraging him.

Now, I don’t know a whole lot about the Brewers, and I really don’t watch baseball till the playoffs. I don’t think I could have even told you a single name of a Brewer before the World Series, except for Misiorowski.

But as I watched them in the World Series, there was a special dynamic on their team. After sweeping the Dodgers (who have the highest payroll in the MLB) Brewers’ coach, Pat Murphy, said to his team, “They’re a team of Hall of Famers… we’re a team of gamers.”

One announcer stated that the atmosphere on the team, in the clubhouse, in the dugout, and on the field was that of a college baseball team. That Murphy had set that tone. You had to hustle, and you had to go 100 percent. It didn’t matter who you were. If you didn’t hustle and go 100 percent, you weren’t going to be playing that day.

You could see it in the players. They actually enjoyed the game, and they enjoyed one another. They encouraged one another. That is what great teams do.

Now Cooper Pratt, with all the errors he made, he could have started saying to himself, “Well, I really don’t fit. I really don’t belong here. I can’t do this.”

But through the encouragement of his teammates, Cooper Pratt helped to lead the Milwaukee Brewers to their first World Series championship, batting an amazing .421 at the plate. And today, he wears a World Series ring at 22 years old. In his own words in the interview after winning the final game he states, “This is one of the greatest moments of my life… I messed up a lot of times in this postseason but the guys picked me up… and we’re here and we are World Champions.” While he made errors… he also made a lot of great plays to bring home the World Championship to Milwaukee. And his teammates helped him see he was not just a guy who made errors, that he was a member of this team, and to keep his head up and get ready for the next play.

Everyone makes errors. But we cannot allow our errors to define who we are. And we need others in our lives to help pick us up and keep moving forward and keep working towards success.

That is how teams work. It is not just about talent; it is about people using their individual talents that they have and working together with others to accomplish something great as a team. To encourage one another in the process. That is where success happens.

We really do need one another.

Jeff Becraft is the Director of Our Place of Hope(opens in new tab) located in Columbia, South Carolina, where people find encouragement to regain meaning, purpose, and hope for their lives. Jeff has dedicated much of his life to helping shift the vision of people’s lives. If you would like Jeff to speak to your group or event, you can connect with him at  [email protected](opens in new tab).