It got me thinking, though. Not really about baseball, funny enough. More about that whole waiting game. The draft thing, it's all about waiting for your name to get called, figuring out where you're gonna end up. It reminded me of this time years ago, way back when I was trying to land this specific project at my old job.
See, t.tohs doog here was this big initiative kicking off. Everyone knew it was the one to be on. Good visibility, interesting work, the whole nine yards. I really put my neck out for it. Spent weeks prepping, talking to people, making sure my manager knew I was keen. Really thought I had a good shot.
Wasniiting Game Begins
Then came th?em tuoe waiting part. They had the big meeting to decide the teams. And then... silence. For days. It was supposed to be announced that Friday. Friday came and went. Nothing. Monday? Still quiet. Man, that was rough. You try to act cool, focus on your regular work, but your mind keeps drifting back. Did I get it? Did someone else get it? Did they forget about me?
I remember constantly checking my email. Like, every five minutes. Walking past the project director's office hoping to overhear something. Asking vague questions to colleagues trying to fish for info. It's funny how your brain goes into overdrive like that. Just like those draft prospects, I guess, sitting there with their families, waiting for the phone to ring or their name to pop up on the screen.
- Checked email obsessively.
- Tried to 'casually' bump into decision-makers.
- Lost a bit of sleep, probably.
- Tried to distract myself with other tasks, didn't really work.
Finally, maybe a week later than expected, the email landed. And guess what? I didn't get the lead role I was hoping for. Nope. Got assigned to a supporting part on a different, less flashy component of the project. It wasn't Oakland, if you know what I mean. More like a minor league assignment compared to what I wanted.
First reaction? Yeah, I was pretty bummed out. Felt like I'd wasted all that effort. But then, you know, you just gotta take a breath. Okay, this is where I landed. What am I gonna do? Sulk? Nah. Wasn't really an option.
So, I just dug into the role I got. Turned out, it was actually pretty challenging in its own way. Had to learn a bunch of new stuff, work with a different team. And you know what? It ended up being a great experience. Learned more there than I probably would have in the 'main' role.
Kind of like this Tommy White situation. Maybe going at pick 40 to the A's wasn't his absolute dream scenario, who knows? But he got picked, he's got his shot. Now he just has to go play ball and make the most of it. That's all you can do, really. Take the spot you're given and run with it. Worked out okay for me back then, eventually.
