Start, Relief, Close…Handle those Throws: Anatomy of a Closer and Anchor

It was always the most thrilling part of the game. End of the eighth
inning, you see him in the bullpen, the long lanky relief pitcher. He
had a forward flowing whirlwind throw and his form was funny. Deadly
accurate, he’d throw one. Always looking down, focused. He’d throw
another, “thewp!” The snap of the catchers glove. Shaking his head,
as if displeased with himself, one last wind up, “THAP!” With a
small grin and a quick nod to the dugout he gave an acknowledgment that
spoke confidently without a word… “I’m ready, it’s time.”
With perfect timing, the C note riff to the Metallica classic Enter Sandman blasts from the
loudspeakers. The bullpen door opens, the announcer enthusiastically
shouts “and here comes Rivera!” Yankees fans and the team all stand to their feet,
the greatest closer of all time is here to do what he does best, save the
game and secure the win.

Am I day dreaming? No. Those privileged to see the Mariano Rivera pitching era know the picture. With a level of consistency that was second to none he threw a cutter ball, a hybrid fastball and slider, a batter’s nightmare.

His reputation as a relief pitcher started and grew through 19
seasons. Consistency didn’t save every game, but consistency gave
hope to millions of baseball fans everywhere for a win, a save. Being
the greatest closer had its perks as well as its disadvantages. You
win, you lose, but your team always counts on you.

In a relay race the same applies to a team dynamic. You have the
starter, these are usually the fastest runners. The starter has the
greatest pressure because she has to get the team to a strong lead
off. The second and third runners ideally should have some kind of
connection. They are usually good friends, or best friends. The kind of
friends you don’t need to say anything to, but when they look at each
other, they know what they are thinking. They are more than
friends, they are sisters. As the connectors to the team, they are
catalysts there to accelerate the team forward. They maintain the
connection to the lead the starter began. The only thing that could
lose them the race is the hand off from runner two to receiver three.
Last is the “anchor” and she is, without doubt, the most emotionally
strong and resilient runner on the team. The anchor is a
strong runner beginning the race fast and finishing even faster, no
matter the pain. The win depends on her, but if an unfortunate loss
happens early on a race day, she must be able to get up and motivate
the team again for the next one. She must remain constant, win or lose.

Any workplace has the same perks and disadvantages, but as a
communication professional many times you will be looked upon to serve
as the “closer” in your own organization. As you begin to strategically set up your game plan this semester, learn to identify strengths and weaknesses in yourself and in others. Build a good team and remember every member of the team has value, as a leader, find it.

Don’t tear down, securing a save is why you’re a team. As the communication professional you are the anchor, the closer. You are the confident catalyst who is consistent and constant in all you do. Finish strong. Fight on!

References:

Traub, J. (2010, June 29). Mariano Rivera, the king of closers. New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/04/magazine/04Rivera-t.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Rosenbaum, M. (2014, December 16). Strategies for the 4×100 relay race. About Sports.com. Retrieved from http://trackandfield.about.com/od/sprintsandrelays/a/400relaystrat.htm