Have some time to spare?
Ok, good, because we need to talk about patience. Specifically, how it's become a lost art in our society. It's no great revelation that ours is the instant gratification generation. When want albums downloaded to our phone instantaneously. (Unless of course we didn't ask for it, in which case get those preening Irish has-beens out of my shuffle right now!). There is an entire industry of games built on the idea that you can level up for free in a day or so, or pay $5 a day to join the "A-list" right now! And if you think our impatience is limited to technology, go talk to George R.R. Martin, who is getting just a little ticked off at fans that insist he hurry up and finish "Song of Ice and Fire" already before he shuffles off this mortal coil.
And when it comes to sports? Even the idea of patience is laughable at this point. Top baseball prospect? Well, if you want to be a superstar, you better be able to produce at an MVP level from the moment you hit the bigs, because after all, if Mike Trout can do it, why not you? (Oh, and go ask Bryce Harper what happens if you have a down season at the age of 21 while also battling a significant injury. Hint: It involves the veins in Matt Williams' neck bulging.) Over on the hardwood, the Cleveland Cavaliers just traded away the number one pick in the draft because they're in "win now" mode. And who can blame them, since after all LeBron James will hit the ripe old age of 30 in just a few months. Oh and on the gridiron? Forget it. Blake Bortles and Teddy Bridgewater are about to join Derek Carr as rookie starting quarterbacks, and if they'd like to know just how much "patience" they'll be afforded, they can go touch base with Jake Locker, Geno Smith, and Ryan Tannehill, who collectively have about as much job security as whoever approved Michigan's latest ticket promotion.
But I'm happy to report that there is a place in the sports world, right now, where patience is paying off. And believe it or not, it's the Sprint Cup Series, where fifteen seconds is too way slow for a pit stop, and picking up an extra tenth through the corner can be the difference between victory and defeat. No, there's no time to waste during a NASCAR race, but when it comes to driver development, Joey Logano is proving a little patience goes a long way.
For those unfamiliar, a little background is needed. Logano blasted onto the NASCAR scene as the very definition of star prospect. Racing by age 6, he drove quarter midgets, and Legends, and Late Models. (Note to racing neophytes... these are all types of cars, I promise.). Logano won at every level, and began to pick up all the key marks of the sports phenom. He had the somewhat cool, somewhat silly nickname. ("Sliced Bread", as in "best thing since", a name bestowed on him by former NASCAR champion Randy LaJoie.) He had the early contract. (Joe Gibbs invested big money in Logano long before he arrived at the national level.) And he had the somewhat unreasonable expectations. (Before Logano even turned sixteen, mentor and racing legend Mark Martin was proclaiming him a future champion and star.)
By age eighteen, Logano was cutting up birthday cake in the NASCAR media center with Joe Gibbs, preparing for his first Nationwide Series Start. By age nineteen, he was at the highest level, dropped into the iconic #20 car that Tony Stewart had turned into one of the sport's most prestigious rides. And by age twenty-two, the team was moving on, choosing not to offer Logano a full-time Sprint Cup deal, so that veteran Matt Kenseth could move into the seat instead.
How does someone go from "next big thing" to "not quite ready" in such a short period of time? When so much time, and energy, and attention have been invested in someone, how does that happen? Well, the same way it always happens in sports today. Joey just didn't do enough winning. Logano took just two Sprint Cup checkered flags with Joe Gibbs Racing, and failed to qualify for the Chase in any of his four full seasons. And while there were promising moments, promise doesn't pay the bills, not when there are multi-million dollar sponsors who expect to see results right now, and plenty of fully formed competitors ready to take your spot at a moment's notice.
Patience? Please. If you want patience, go play chess. The harsh new reality of American sports, of American life, is that if you haven't done it yet, who's to say you're going to do it at all? By elementary school, we should have a list of colleges at the ready. By the time we graduate, we better have a career mapped out. And if, by chance, we want to change our plans, pursue a passion, follow a new path? Well you see, that may not be the best idea, because there are a few thousand people who have been on that path since age three and now have quite a sizable head start.
Joey Logano Has Made The Most Of His Second Sprint Cup Opportunity
Thankfully, Joey Logano didn't have to look for a new career. (It's a good thing too, because his mic skills need a little work.) He landed at Team Penske, thanks in part to a vote of confidence from teammate Brad Keselowski. And wouldn't you know, from basically the moment he arrived with his new team, he's proven that as a driver, he still had more growing to do. Last season, he set career highs in Top-5s, Top-10s, laps led, and qualified for the Chase for the very first time. This year, with Penske asserting itself as the top challenger to Hendrick Motorsports, Logano has won four races, clinched a spot in the "Contender" round, and (you can't help but notice), outperformed all three Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas. In other words, six years into his Sprint Cup career, he's rounding into the superstar we all expected him to be. His team has certainly taken note, signing Logano just this week to a multi-year extension.
What's interesting is that Logano isn't the only former child-star to break out big in 2014. Nine years after signing an endorsement deal with Nike and teeing it up with the guys, Michelle Wie broke through and won her first major championship at this year's U.S. Women's Open. Just a few weeks ago in Flushing, Marin Cilic fulfilled the potential that many had seen for years, dispatching Roger Federer in straight sets on the way to a U.S. Open championship. And (at least in my mind), some of the best stories in the NBA this season were players like Kyle Lowry, Goran Dragic, and Aaron Afflalo, who hit new career peaks at an age where most would assume that as an athlete, you are what you are.
This is the point in the piece where a less cynical author might very well make the case that we could use more patience, in our sports, and in our lives. But truthfully, it'd be just as productive to call for the metric system, or a sixth season of "The Wire", or the return of Surge Cola. (Wait, that last one is actually happening? Dare to dream, America.) The truth is, we're never going to embrace waiting, not when our music is streaming, our movies are on-demand, and Amazon's flying robots are about to start dropping packages down our chimneys.
But there's still something encouraging about watching someone like Joey Logano continue to grow and improve. Maybe chemistry is better with his new team. Maybe those Ford engines could push anyone to victory. Maybe it's good to come and work for a billionaire automotive titan. (I wouldn't know, but I'm open to the opportunity).
Or maybe Joey just needed a little more time. Patience is a lost art, but good things still come to those who wait. And if you can hold out for just 8 more weeks, that racing prodigy with the cool nickname and the limitless potential, might just turn himself into a champion.
