---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Infield practice is more mystic ritual…"
description: "\"Infield practice is more mystic ritual than preparation, encouraging the big-leaguer, no less than the duffer in the stands, to believe in spite of all..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d2/roger-angell-18160_balls_infield-practice-is-more-mystic-ritual-t_1142200.jpg"
---

#  Infield practice is more mystic ritual than preparation…

![“Infield practice is more mystic ritual than preparation, encouraging the big-leaguer, no less than the duffer in the stands, to believe in spite of all evidence to the contrary, that playing ball is a snap.” quote by Roger Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d2/roger-angell-18160_balls_infield-practice-is-more-mystic-ritual-t_1142200.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d2/roger-angell-18160_balls_infield-practice-is-more-mystic-ritual-t_1142200.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d2/roger-angell-18160_balls_infield-practice-is-more-mystic-ritual-t_1142200.jpg)

> “Infield practice is more mystic ritual than preparation, encouraging the big-leaguer, no less than the duffer in the stands, to believe in spite of all evidence to the contrary, that playing ball is a snap.”

[Roger Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-angell/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Baseball practice is portrayed as a quasi‑spiritual ritual that convinces both seasoned players and novices that success is effortless, despite evidence to the contrary.

**In simple terms:** Practice feels like a ritual that makes the game seem easy for everyone.

Key Takeaway

Question the myth of effortless mastery.

Themes

sports psychology ritual

Mood

inspirational critical

Type

motivational reflective

When to use this quote

- Coaching sessions
- team building
- athlete mindset
- fan engagement

Key Concepts

Performance belief self‑fulfilling prophecy

Questions to Reflect On

- How does belief affect performance?
- When might ritual become a hindrance?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on belief can lead to complacency.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Balls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balls/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Big Leaguer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-leaguer-1201894/) [Bigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) [Contrary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contrary/) [Evidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evidence/) [Infield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infield-1081372/) [Infield Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infield-practice-3188953/) [Mystic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystic/) [Mystic Ritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystic-ritual-3188954/) [Playing Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playing-ball-1311644/) [Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice/) [Preparation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preparation/) [Ritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ritual/) [Snaps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/snaps/) [Spite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spite/) [Sports](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sports/)

## Related quotes

> [A ball player has to be kept hungry to become a big leaguer. That's why no boy from a rich family has ever made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dimaggio/a-ball-player-has-to-be-kept-hungry-to-become-a-big-leaguer-that-s/)

[Joe DiMaggio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dimaggio/)

> [You don't have to be big to be a big leaguer. Look at Phil Rizzuto. He's really small and he's been one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-fox/you-don-t-have-to-be-big-to-be-a-big-leaguer-look-at-phil-rizzuto-he/)

[Nellie Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-fox/)

> [There are certain times when you see a guy, and you say, 'He's a big-leaguer.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-depodesta/there-are-certain-times-when-you-see-a-guy-and-you-say-he-s-a-big/)

[Paul DePodesta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-depodesta/)

> [When I move to second after playing right field, I feel like my action has gotten too deliberate, and I have to switch back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-zobrist/when-i-move-to-second-after-playing-right-field-i-feel-like-my-action/)

[Ben Zobrist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-zobrist/)

> [No one had to tell me I was never going to be a home run hitter. I was hitting the same ball as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-fox/no-one-had-to-tell-me-i-was-never-going-to-be-a-home-run-hitter-i-was/)

[Nellie Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-fox/)

> [I don't worry about infield shifts at all - you play where you're gonna play. I'm just gonna pitch my game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-scherzer/i-don-t-worry-about-infield-shifts-at-all-you-play-where-you-re-gonna/)

[Max Scherzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-scherzer/)

> [Chicks who dig home runs aren't the ones who appeal to me. I think there's sexiness in infield hits because they require technique. I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ichiro-suzuki/chicks-who-dig-home-runs-aren-t-the-ones-who-appeal-to-me-i-think/)

[Ichiro Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ichiro-suzuki/)

> [I think there's sexiness in infield hits because they require technique.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ichiro-suzuki/i-think-there-s-sexiness-in-infield-hits-because-they-require/)

[Ichiro Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ichiro-suzuki/)

> [A good base stealer should make the whole infield jumpy. Whether you steal or not, you're changing the rhythm of the game. If the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-morgan/a-good-base-stealer-should-make-the-whole-infield-jumpy-whether-you/)

[Joe Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-morgan/)

> [As more speed afoot was constantly demanded for big league ball, I noticed the many infield bounders which the runner beat to first only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-wallace/as-more-speed-afoot-was-constantly-demanded-for-big-league-ball-i/)

[Bobby Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-wallace/)

> [I don't want to lead the league in infield hits because, at some point in my career, I can't get away with it anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trea-turner/i-don-t-want-to-lead-the-league-in-infield-hits-because-at-some-point/)

[Trea Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trea-turner/)

> [The outfield is solid, so is the catching and the infield.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-zito/the-outfield-is-solid-so-is-the-catching-and-the-infield/)

[Barry Zito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-zito/)

> [I've always loved the infield, because I came up as an infielder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-zobrist/i-ve-always-loved-the-infield-because-i-came-up-as-an-infielder/)

[Ben Zobrist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-zobrist/)

> [Something to keep in mind - it's raining lightly. The infield could be very wet on ground balls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-mccarver/something-to-keep-in-mind-it-s-raining-lightly-the-infield-could-be/)

[Tim McCarver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-mccarver/)

> [I grew up as a baseball player, and given my modest size, it was always clear that I would end up playing in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-g-stavridis/i-grew-up-as-a-baseball-player-and-given-my-modest-size-it-was-always/)

[James G. Stavridis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-g-stavridis/)

## More by Roger Angell

> [Losing is the bane and bugbear of every professional athlete's existence, but in baseball the monster seems to hang closer than in other sports,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/losing-is-the-bane-and-bugbear-of-every-professional-athlete-s/)

[Roger Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-angell/)

> [We are all writers and readers as well as communicators with the need at times to please and satisfy ourselves with the clear and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/we-are-all-writers-and-readers-as-well-as-communicators-with-the-need/)

[Roger Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-angell/)

> [Life is tough and brimming with loss, and the most we can do about it is to glimpse ourselves clear now and then, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/life-is-tough-and-brimming-with-loss-and-the-most-we-can-do-about-it/)

[Roger Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-angell/)

> [Our stories about our own lives are a form of fiction, I began to see and become more insistent as we grow older, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/our-stories-about-our-own-lives-are-a-form-of-fiction-i-began-to-see/)

[Roger Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-angell/)

> [“my favorite urban flower, the baseball box score”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/my-favorite-urban-flower-the-baseball-box-score/)

[Roger Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-angell/)

> [Baseball’s absolute unpredictability makes amateurs of us all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/baseball-s-absolute-unpredictability-makes-amateurs-of-us-all/)

[Roger Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-angell/)

> [This was a new recognition that perfection is admirable but a trifle inhuman, and that a stumbling kind of semi-success can be much more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/this-was-a-new-recognition-that-perfection-is-admirable-but-a-trifle/)

[Roger Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-angell/)

> [Baseball's time is seamless and invisible, a bubble within which players move at exactly the same pace and rhythms as all their predecessors. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/baseball-s-time-is-seamless-and-invisible-a-bubble-within-which/)

[Roger Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-angell/)

> [I felt what I almost always feel when I am watching a ballgame: Just for those two or three hours, there is really no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/i-felt-what-i-almost-always-feel-when-i-am-watching-a-ballgame-just/)

[Roger Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-angell/)

> [I don’t read Scripture and cling to no life precepts, except perhaps to Walter Cronkite’s rules for old men, which he did not deliver…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/i-don-t-read-scripture-and-cling-to-no-life-precepts-except-perhaps/)

[Roger Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-angell/)

> [Sports are too much with us. Late and soon, sitting and watching - mostly watching on television - we lay waste our powers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/sports-are-too-much-with-us-late-and-soon-sitting-and-watching-mostly/)

[Roger Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-angell/)

> [Friends of mine said later that they had been riveted by a postgame television close-up of Wade Boggs, sitting alone in the dugout with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/friends-of-mine-said-later-that-they-had-been-riveted-by-a-postgame/)

[Roger Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-angell/)

> [The press box at Wrigley Field in Chicago is an extended narrow shed, two rows deep, that is precariously bolted to the iron rafters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/the-press-box-at-wrigley-field-in-chicago-is-an-extended-narrow-shed/)

[Roger Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-angell/)

> [The great thing about catchers is that they do a lot of different things, and they're basically overlooked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/the-great-thing-about-catchers-is-that-they-do-a-lot-of-different/)

[Roger Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-angell/)

> [Any baseball is beautiful. No other small package comes as close to the ideal design and utility. It is a perfect object for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/any-baseball-is-beautiful-no-other-small-package-comes-as-close-to/)

[Roger Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-angell/)

[Explore all 35 Roger Angell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-angell/)

## More Balls quotes

> [It's a lot harder to play football when you haven't got the ball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gray/it-s-a-lot-harder-to-play-football-when-you-haven-t-got-the-ball/)

[Andy Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gray/)

> [Once you pull the trigger, you've got to throw balls aggressively and with conviction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-smith/once-you-pull-the-trigger-you-ve-got-to-throw-balls-aggressively-and/)

[Alex Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-smith/)

> [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/)

[Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/)

> [Play small ball. Get back to basics. I would say that you need to be a conservative, but you need to maintain your independent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-tantaros/play-small-ball-get-back-to-basics-i-would-say-that-you-need-to-be-a/)

[Andrea Tantaros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-tantaros/)

> [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. I've been trying to say for I don't know how many months now that the traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/donald-trump-is-a-different-ball-of-wax-i-ve-been-trying-to-say-for-i/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [Well, you can certainly teach free-throwing. And you can teach the boys to pass at angles and run in curves. - University of Kansas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darryl-dawkins/well-you-can-certainly-teach-free-throwing-and-you-can-teach-the-boys/)

[Darryl Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darryl-dawkins/)

> [Maybe bring in sponge balls to learn the technique and gain that experience of actually challenging for a header.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-mason/maybe-bring-in-sponge-balls-to-learn-the-technique-and-gain-that/)

[Ryan Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-mason/)

> [I like René Descartes' theory about a ball of wax. You can change its form from solid to liquid, but it's still the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmy-rossum/i-like-ren-descartes-theory-about-a-ball-of-wax-you-can-change-its/)

[Emmy Rossum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmy-rossum/)

> [It wasn't really touching to be young; it was touching not to be young, because you had less of life left. Touching to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/it-wasn-t-really-touching-to-be-young-it-was-touching-not-to-be-young/)

[Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/)

> [This ball was so crowded that it took me - a trained professional journalist with vast experience in this area - forty five minutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/this-ball-was-so-crowded-that-it-took-me-a-trained-professional/)

[Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/)

> [Common sense is the guy who tells you that you ought to have had your brakes relined last week before you smashed a front…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/common-sense-is-the-guy-who-tells-you-that-you-ought-to-have-had-your/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [Throwing a ball is not natural, whether it's overhand or underhand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennie-finch/throwing-a-ball-is-not-natural-whether-it-s-overhand-or-underhand/)

[Jennie Finch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennie-finch/)

> [I don't feel like I have to live up to anything because I've proven that I can play. Give me the ball and let's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clinton-portis/i-don-t-feel-like-i-have-to-live-up-to-anything-because-i-ve-proven/)

[Clinton Portis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clinton-portis/)

> [And if we seem nutty to you and if we seem like an odd ball to you, just remember one thing. The mighty oak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-turner/and-if-we-seem-nutty-to-you-and-if-we-seem-like-an-odd-ball-to-you/)

[Glenn Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-turner/)

> [You run the football for toughness. You run the ball to tell your opponent that you're as tough as they are. But you throw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-glanville/you-run-the-football-for-toughness-you-run-the-ball-to-tell-your/)

[Jerry Glanville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-glanville/)

[Browse all 3,005 Balls quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balls/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Infield practice is more mystic ritual than preparation, encouraging the big-leaguer, no less than the duffer in the stands, to believe in spite of all evidence to the contrary, that playing ball is a snap.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Roger Angell"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/infield-practice-is-more-mystic-ritual-than-preparation-encouraging/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Balls"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/infield-practice-is-more-mystic-ritual-than-preparation-encouraging/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d2/roger-angell-18160_balls_infield-practice-is-more-mystic-ritual-t_1142200.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d2/roger-angell-18160_balls_infield-practice-is-more-mystic-ritual-t_1142200.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d2/roger-angell-18160_balls_infield-practice-is-more-mystic-ritual-t_1142200.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Infield practice is more mystic ritual than preparation, encouraging the big-leaguer, no less than the…” — Roger Angell",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Roger Angell",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-angell/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Infield practice is more mystic ritual...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/infield-practice-is-more-mystic-ritual-than-preparation-encouraging/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-angell/infield-practice-is-more-mystic-ritual-than-preparation-encouraging/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
