"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those timid spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat." - Theodore Roosevelt

I discovered this quote when I was 17 years old and was so inspired by it that I scribbled it on a note card that I've carried around with me on a daily basis ever since.

Whether it was setting my academic sights on the Ivy League, being determined to make it to pro baseball despite enormous the odds against and more naysayers than I can count, or following my passion and becoming a coach when all traditional life paths were pointing me towards law school or Wall Street, I like to think that I've lived the past 17 years unafraid to "take a hack" and fail.

Baseball taught me that attitude, and Teddy sums it perfectly.

Last week, I stumbled across this picture and it immediately struck me that the image below is the perfect baseball representation of my favorite quote above.

Wouldn't you agree?

Seeing nothing but that image got me wondering about the actual game circumstances that lead to it.

I'm guessing the game wasn't a blowout.

I'm guessing it was tied going into the last inning (or even last play) and that the outcome hung in the balance.

Before whatever the play was that lead to this picture, both teams (and both players) were in the exciting emotional state where a "glorious triumph" and "failure" were equally likely outcomes.

THAT IS WHAT COMPETITION TRULY IS.

Competition is being in a position where the outcome is unknown and failure is a legitimate possibility. This is uncomfortable for most players (and most people).

In my career, I won games by 15 runs and I lost games by 15 runs, and I can tell with you absolute certainty that I had more fun competing in a game I lost by 1 run in the last inning than I did winning by 15 runs when the outcome was never in doubt.

One of the many negative byproducts of the "win-at-all-costs" culture that is prevalent at many levels of all youth sports is that the true definition of "competition" is being lost.

Being competitive does not mean "always win." In fact, I think the exact opposite is true; the most fun part of competing is being involved in a game where there's a legitimate chance you will lose.

Accepting the challenge of trying to beat an opponent of equal or better ability, knowing full-well that you might lose, is what's most exciting about sports.

Let me give you a few examples.

Yesterday, my wife took her high school lacrosse team to a tournament in San Diego. The tournament had teams participating from all over the country and since girls lacrosse is relatively new in many regions, the organizers created multiple divisions since it's obvious that a varsity team from Baltimore is in a totally different class of talent and experience than a varsity team from Riverside that has only had a program for a few years.

The philosophy behind this strategy is sound and is done to promote true competition in all divisions.

The only problem is that since there is no national ranking system for varsity girls lacrosse, the teams must self-report which division they think they belong in.

So what do you think happens every single year?

You guessed it; some outstanding teams with strong programs and a roster full of girls who will go on to play in college INTENTIONALLY sign up for a lower division so that they are guaranteed to coast to "victory."

In the games those sandbagging teams participate in, while both teams are playing hard and trying to win, there is no true "competition" because the teams are so unevenly matched.

Do you honestly think it's fun for a team to win 28-0 in every single game they play? Of course not.

And we know it's not fun to lose 28-0.

I know my wife and her team feel more satisfied after a hard-fought defeat against a tough opponent where the team rose to the occasion, than they do when their team won in a blowout against a far inferior team, despite not playing their best.

A necessary component of competition is the risk of losing and that's why my wife goes out of her way to schedule games against teams she's KNOWS are better than hers. It's the challenge that builds character and makes the game fun.

On an individual level in baseball, this means being excited about facing that pitcher who throws really fast. Sure, he might strike us out, but it's the challenge that gets our heart rate pumping!

This means diving for that ball that is probably out of our reach, but not being afraid to go for the "glorious triumph" even if often "checkered by failure."

This means trying to take an extra base when there's the opportunity even though there's a chance of getting thrown out.

The baseball player who avoids these situations because of the fear of failure ends up being a player who "neither enjoys nor suffers much."

No recent baseball team better exemplified the "dare mighty things" attitude than the Kansas City Royals - and we all know how that worked out for them this season.

So, as we begin looking forward to the upcoming Little League season, let's work really hard to encourage our ballplayers to be free of the fear of failure.

Let's encourage them to "dare mighty things."

Let's encourage them to avoid the "gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat."

I promise they'll have more fun being EITHER of the boys in the picture above than being a boy on either end of a 28-0 win or loss.