Baseball season has just ended its second full week of games. I’ve watched or listened to all but three innings of my beloved Washington Nationals. Feel free to laugh… I’m okay with it. I enjoy this team. However there is a thing that bothers me from time to time from our broadcasting team. Well, any broadcasting team for that matter. Their lexicon describes skills as talents. I find this grammatically incorrect, but also quite disrespectful to the athletes in question.

A skill is something learned, developed, polished, practiced, mastered, and every nuance examined. Baseball is full of such skills. Analytics examine the statistical probabilities which place the pitchers, fielders, and batters into scenarios that will maximize their skills in the field of play. Despite all of this there is some luck and statistical anomalies that come into play, making the game more interesting to watch than others.

Talent is a rationalization for explaining some incredible feat of skill with some luck maybe added in. Here is an example. Last Friday (11-April-2025) the National’s young left fielder, James Wood, hit a line drive home run to left center field. The homer never exceeded 65 feet in elevation, and it traveled 400+ feet to a part of the ball park in Miami no one hits a homer to if your left handed batter. “Woods is a rare talent… blah blah blah… everyone’s been talking about this homer in Miami…” I kept hearing from the broadcasting team. No, James Wood has skill, strength, hand/body/eye coordination, swing speed/technique, technology (torpedo bat,) and a developed knowledge of how to hit to the opposite field that exceeds his peers. Let’s not forget the location and speed of the pitch that contributed its inertia to the developing play. He hit one impressive homer. It was beautiful to watch quite frankly. James demonstrated his skill, and the Marlins didn’t give him much to hit following that monster homer. He now has to develop another skill- how to avoid chasing pitches outside the strike zone.

Does James Wood have talent or great skills? To a mere mortal who hasn’t played a lot of baseball may think it is talent, as there is no range of experience within their thinking to understand how he did this. For a broadcaster who has called games for 30+ years and a color commentator who played in the MLB to call it talent seems a bit disrespectful. James Wood is 22 years of age. He has almost 350 at bats in the MLB over the parts of two seasons. He has hit 14 homers while batting a modest .264. I would consider his skill level to be top notch for his age. He has a lot of learning to do as the MLB version of the game is mental. As he gets older he will settle down and let things come to him rather than force things to happen. This requires experience, practice, and patience. It is something we don’t understand when we are younger.

Let’s not forget in baseball there are tens of thousands of variables that come in to play that don’t make it into the analytics of the game. The weird bounces. The speed of various turfs (natural, synthetic,) the shape of ball parks, elevation, weather, and the mental state of the person hitting or throwing. Any of these variables can make a skilled player look a bit foolish or a lesser skilled player look hall of fame worthy for an inning or two. This is why I like baseball. The statistical anomalies within the fabric of the game that really affect the outcomes.

Let’s switch fields… Music… Itzhak Perlman, Christopher Martin, Leonard Bernstein, Marin Alsop, Martha Algerich, Paul McCartney, Ann Wilson, Chris Cornell, Steven Tyler, Robert Plant, Freddie Mercury, and countless others are incredibly skilled musicians in their particular genre of the business. Each one of these musicians has spent thousands of hours practicing and performing their craft to levels of greatness that defy explanation. Is it talent? Is it skill? Is it persistence?

As a musician myself, I feel persistence is a key variables to developing the skill (not talent.) Did the individuals above have some advantages? Possibly… Itzhak Perlman heard his first violin recital at age three and after contracting polio at age four devoted his life to studying the violin. Is it fate? Is it love? Was it hard work and passion? Was it everything? He is one of the most skilled violinists on the planet. His musicianship is breathtaking. I can listen to Perlman play all day.

Paul McCartney took a different route to excellence. He did not have the classical music privilege that others may have had, but his creativity in popular music is legendary. The five years before the first Beatles hit Love Me Do, were difficult and challenging. The constant gigging in Hamburg Germany taught the young Beatles how to play their instruments far better than the rudimentary skills they had during their Quarrymen days. It also was a good vehicle for learning to write songs. McCartney and his band mates paid attention to every artistic detail from films, copyrights, and artistic ownership that changed the music industry. McCartney is still making music. He made an album over the Covid lockdown. He played every instrument. Sent the recordings to his grandkids and used their suggestions to improve each song. He is still a student of the profession…

Steven Tyler’s father was a classically trained pianist and music teacher. Family influence and living in the Bronx and Yonkers during the 50’s and 60’s probably played a huge role in his musical skills. When I first heard him sing in the late 70’s as a grade school kid I didn’t think he was real. I thought the same of Freddie Mercury and Queen… wow… I was wrong. I had the privilege of seeing Aerosmith in concert. Tyler’s performance was impeccable. He was an incredibly skilled vocalist. Recently, a vocal injury has forced Tyler and Aerosmith to retire. Farewell gentleman, your body of work will last forever.

David Draiman from the rock band Disturbed is another skilled vocalist and musician. He was trained as a Jewish cantor during his childhood. His arrival into the excellence of heavy metal was also achieved non-traditionally, but his education within the Jewish music tradition played a huge role in his success. Skills obviously over talent. Right place at the right time. He is a humble and very respectful musician. I’m a big fan.

Sure there are thousand of stories out there how privilege, wealth, geography, desire, and opportunities have given an advantage to many skilled classical and popular musicians. There are those that have an ear for music (though can’t read it) and they still pursue music with a passion and excellence worthy of note. https://www.pdmusic.org/famous-musicians-who-cant-read-music/ Is it talent? Or is it aptitude created by circumstance? Keep in mind music is wired into our brains before language is. See my music and language blog-https://idissent7.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=494&action=edit

Personally, I worked incredibly hard to develop my musical skills. I never considered myself, talented or even great, compared to many of my colleagues. I was a working class musician. I enjoyed being a conductor and helping other working class musicians and students make great music together. I prefer the word skills. I worked on my musical skills…still do. It did not just come to me. It wasn’t a gift. It wasn’t magic. I also worked hard to be a good pitcher. I wasn’t that good, frankly… There were hundreds of kids better than me. I still love the game and what it taught me. I remember the hundreds of hours throwing a ball at a pitch back working on my angles, releases, and eye/hand coordination. I learned how to work hard at something and I simply applied it to music. I have some brothers from college that have done the same thing. I’m proud of you all!! OAS AAS LLS

Sure, you may think calling someone talented is a compliment, but just think about the thousands of hours these individuals have put into their craft… Caitlin Clark, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, LeBron James, or Tom Brady. What about the professionals that have a nice career, but are not hall of famers? The great musicians who work for the symphony or the opera that aren’t the stars? They have great skill. My favorite person in this category is Carol Jantsch. What you don’t know? Carol is the first woman to win a major symphony orchestra’s principal tuba chair. Carol is incredibly skilled at her instrument! I think she would be insulted if you called her talented… Just think about it… Is that 12 year old in your local youth league talented or has he worked on his skills more than his peers?

Never discount the hard work… the dedication… the desire… the passion… the excellence… the artistry… the aptitude… and don’t forget about the humanity that each one of these skilled individuals bring to their profession… every profession… not just baseball and music…

I dissent with the adjective “Talent.” Let us embrace and promote developing skills instead!!! …on it goes my friends