Sports Rely upon Precedent

       As a nineteen-year-old prospect, infielder Johnny Pesky spent a year at Rocky Mount (North Carolina) in the Piedmont League. Pesky, who would later lead the American League in hits three straight years, came under the tutelage of Rocky Mount manager Heinie Manush. A veteran of seventeen years in the big leagues, Manush was eager to pass on his insights. Manush felt that Pesky held the bat too far down on the handle, as if he were a power hitter. The manager urged Pesky to choke up on the bat, but Pesky resisted. Manush reminded the youngster that his job was to get on base, not hit home runs. Manush assured Pesky, "You'll have better bat control."

      Manush asked Pesky, "When you're about to pick up a heavy piece of wood, where do you reach for it?"

      Pesky answered, "The center." Manush asked why, and then answered his own question. "You have more control over [the wood]," he said. "It's harder if you pick it up from the end. It's the same with a bat."

      A precedent is a legal decision or an established principle that serves as a guide for future cases or conduct. As Johnny Pesky learned, picking up a heavy piece of wood is a useful precedent for gripping a baseball bat, at least for a hitter whose job is to get on base.