Andy Neary (creator/uploader) uses a baseball anecdote about his changeup pitch to deliver a motivational message during the COVID-19 pandemic (video dated April 12, 2020). He explains what a changeup is, how it enabled an average-sized pitcher to compete professionally, recounts a pivotal moment (Steve Woodward hitting a grand slam on a full-count changeup in Idaho Falls), and urges listeners to prepare mentally so they can ‘‘hit’’ future unexpected challenges (pandemics, recessions) out of the park by putting work into their mindset now.
So one question I get asked a lot when people want to know about my professional baseball career is, what was your pitch? What was your go to pitch? And for me, it wasn't a changeup.
I love that pitch because it caught batters off guard. If you think about what a change up is, it's meant to look like a fastball, right? It's meant to get a batter to think I'm about to throw it right down the pipe, but I'm throwing the change up with the same arm angle. It looks like it's coming out of my hand at the same speed, but it's actually about 5 to 10 miles an hour less than a fastball. It's meant to look like a fastball, but it's not. Now, that one pitch allowed an average guy like me, like I'm literally average size or height for a male in the United States, 5 foot 9. It allowed an average guy like me to play professional baseball, to pitch in professional baseball, a position where the average Height is about 6, 3. You see, that one pitch allowed me to fool a lot of batters. The ones who were not ready for it, they'd be out on their foot, they'd swing and miss, or they'd ground out into a double play. But there were a few batters, the ones who had put in the work up here, probably the smartest batters that I had ever faced, they were ready for it. In fact, I can remember one particular game in Idaho Falls facing Steve Woodward. It was a full count, bases loaded. When I throw a changeup on full count, it's usually game over for the batter. But he was ready for it. See, Steve sat back, waited for the changeup, knocked it out of the park, grand slam. Why do I share this with you right now? Because this pandemic, it was a change up, and there's a good chance you weren't ready for it. There was a good chance that for the past few years, you were hitting one fastball after another out of the park because it was easy. But now the change up came, and if you weren't ready for it, you were out in front of your foot. You're swinging and missing, you're anxious, you're frustrated, you're stressed, you're panicked. But if you put the work in here.
No matter what changeup is thrown your way, you're ready for it. When this pandemic hits you, you sitting back and you're ready to knock it out of the park and be a better version of yourself. When we come out of this so if you're fearful right now, if you're scared, if you don't know where the future is going, my advice to you is start putting the work in here. Start getting your mind ready to be your best every single day. Because when the next pandemic or recession or anything comes your way, you're going to be ready for it. You're going to be Steve Woodward. When I throw you that change up on full count, you're gonna knock it out of the park. So don't be paralyzed, don't be fearful. Start putting the work in up here. It's the best investment you'll ever make.
