The Big Unit

"In the first inning of a July game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Paul Skenes left the Pirates' dugout and beelined into the bowels of Chase Field. Randy Johnson had just been inducted as an inaugural member of the Diamondbacks Hall of Fame, and Skenes was not going to miss the opportunity to shake his hand and pick his brain.

For someone as polished and proficient as Skenes, he remains fundamentally curious. However exceptional his aptitude to pitch might be, he's still enough of a neophyte that he's got oodles to absorb, and he's humble enough to know what he doesn't know. Skenes is not shy about trying to learn, and over the past year he has sought advice from a wide array of players whose careers he would love to emulate.

Johnson's would have ended 20 years earlier than his 2009 retirement had he not done the same. Like Skenes, he was an otherworldly talent. Unlike Skenes, he needed almost a decade to tame it. Johnson didn't find success until Hall of Famers Nolan Ryan and Steve Carlton, as well as pitching guru Tom House, advised him. So he was glad to talk with Skenes and try to offer a sliver of the assistance he'd been afforded. First, though, he had a question.

"It all depends on what you're looking for," Johnson said. "Are you looking for a good game, a good season or a good career?"

Skenes' answer was a no-brainer: a good career. The no-selling of his Rookie of the Year win is a perfect example. It's an award. It's nice. It's also the reflection of a single great season among the many more he anticipates having. For Skenes, the goal is game-to-game excellence and longevity, the hallmarks of true greatness.

--

As an investor, what are you looking for? Too many say they're looking for a good career but get caught up in games or seasons. The two are often at odds with one another, as a bad season or two is the cost of doing business for longer term market returns that one often needs to fund a retirement. Do whatever you need to do to stay in the game. Nothing else really matters.

--

^{Source: Inside Paul Skenes journey to superstar status (Jeff Passan)}