Quantity v. Quality

May 24, 2019

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[based on true events]

It’s eight o’clock on a Tuesday
My student’s waiting upstairs
There’s a clinic on the court next to me
It looks like the pro barely cares.

He says, “Coach, can you look at my forehand?
I’m pretty convinced that it’s broke
It feels nothing but bad
With every coach that I’ve had
And I’ve heard that you’re good fixing strokes.”

Fix everything you’re the teaching pro
Fix everything that’s awry
I terribly want to be good at this
And you’ve got the magical eye.

Now Dan on court 2 is a friend of mine
He works every day just like me
He could’ve turned pro and made plenty of dough
If he just hadn’t mangled his knee.

Dan’s beaten names that you’ve heard of
He made it on tour ‘bout a year
He should’ve been playing in Majors
But now he’s marooned teaching here.

Now Paul is an athletic should’ve-been
Somehow it just all fell apart
He started too late, he could’ve been great
He laments as he pulls out his cart.

And the manager’s schmoozing with regulars
He relishes life as a boss
While the students all dream of big trophies
As the pro feeds them three balls across.

Fix everything you’re the teaching pro
Fix everything that’s awry
I terribly want to be good at this
And you’ve got the magical eye.

It’s a pretty good crowd for a weeknight
The parents who stay give a nod
They say that it’s me that their kids come to see
‘Cause their groundstrokes are no longer flawed.

And their forehands pop like a gunfight
While members sit around drinking beer
And their levels all rise, greatness flows in their eyes
Is there any place better than here?

My book is called The Inevitability of Becoming Rich, and you can find that here.