Have you heard the idiom “on the ball?” It’s a term used to describe someone who is efficient at tasks, knowledgeable about their business and generally competent at most things. I’d like to consider myself someone who is “on the ball” at my chosen activities, and especially my professional activity of writing about markets, the economy and all the other topics we ruminate on in The Deep Woods.
Interestingly, with most idioms there are various versions of how they entered the modern lexicon. I find this fascinating to ponder, because as it is with markets, and in anything in life, knowing how we got here will also give us some insight into how to get where we want to go.
So, what is the origin of “on the ball?” According to the most widely accepted theory, the phrase is believed to have originated in the early 20th century in the United States, likely from the sport of baseball. It’s also thought to be a condensed version of the phrase “keep your eye on the ball.”
This origin makes sense, because if you’ve ever played baseball, as most kids growing up in America do, then this is one of the most basic and best pieces of advice you can give as it stresses the need for players to focus their attention on the ball in order to hit it or catch it effectively. Focusing on the ball that is life is a superpower, in my view, because it’s basically reminding you to concentrate intently on what matters most, and also to filter out the extraneous noise that’s always swirling around us.
Yet as much sense as the popular origin story of “on the ball” makes, I have a different origin story that I think is far more romantic, far more historically interesting and far more of a metaphor for life that we all can learn from. To understand this metaphor, I’m going to take you back about 134 years.
On April 18, 1891, about 40 miles west of Cleveland, Ohio, a fast-moving railroad train containing the U.S. mail was heading east when it violently collided head-on with a passenger train moving west. The conductor of the passenger train failed to stop at the Kipton depot so that the mail train could roll by. Why did he fail to stop? Well, it was because his watch had malfunctioned, making the conductor think he had plenty of time to avoid the oncoming train.
This incident is known in railroad history as the Great Kipton Train Wreck, and it led to a complete rethinking about the importance of precision timekeeping in the railroad industry. Now, in order to correct this situation, railroad executives enlisted the help of a horology expert, a man who was known to be one of the best in the field of precision timekeeping.
That man was renowned jeweler Webb C. Ball.
Ball was appointed the Chief Time Inspector for the industry and was given the mission to investigate the Kipton accident’s timekeeping issues. During his investigation, Ball reported that timekeeping remained inconsistent from city to city, a circumstance that made railroad time standardization an absolute must.
So, from April to September 1891, Webb C. Ball was quite literally “on the ball,” as he formulated a new timekeeping system for the entire railroad industry that included the creation of standards, requirements, the hiring and training of inspectors, the preparation and inspection of approximately 2,300 watches and the distribution of every instrument.
Your editor wearing his Ball Marvelight Caring Edition in 43mm.
Under Ball’s new precision timekeeping system, all passenger and freight trains required the use of four Ball-certified watches, carried by the conductor, engineer, fireman and rear brakeman, respectively. Ball’s inspectors used a standard chronometer to test the precision and performance of every timepiece using his strict regulations.
Now, here is how “on the ball” Webb C. Ball really was: Every two weeks, the watches and clocks were compared with Standard Time from Washington’s Naval Observatory. A variation of more than 30 seconds meant the instrument had to be readjusted or exchanged for one equal in grade.
By 1908, Ball was the dominant force setting the timekeeping standard for the railroad industry, as he was inspecting approximately 180 railroads and regulating more than one million railroad watches. And because this man was “on the ball,” train travel was made significantly safer for the country, and that enhanced safety helped late-19th-early 20th century America boom.
Today, you can celebrate being “on the ball,” and you can do so with a watch from the Ball Watch Co., whose superb timepieces are designed and made to the highest chronometer standards, and that, in my opinion, have some of the best designs made with interesting materials such as tritium tubes for lamination of the hands and dials (and no, I am not a paid spokesman for Ball Watch Co.).
I’m definitely a big fan of Ball watches (see photo above), but I’m an even bigger fan of living one’s life “on the ball.”
So, choose this idiom as a motto for existence, and just be “on the ball.” Much happiness, truth, beauty and wisdom will come to you this way.
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The Nearest to Being Free
Let me ride on the Wall of Death one more time
Let me ride on the Wall of Death one more time
You can waste your time on the other rides
This is the nearest to being alive
Oh let me take my chances on the Wall of Death
On the Wall of Death all the world is far from me
On the Wall of Death it’s the nearest to being free…
— Richard Thompson, “Wall of Death”
In the world of carnivals, the Wall of Death is an attraction featuring motorcycles wheeling around a silo-shaped structure, seeming to defy gravity due to the cylindrical force. In his 1982 song, “Wall of Death,” singer/songwriter and virtuoso guitarist Richard Thompson uses the Wall of Death as a metaphor for liberty: “On the Wall of Death, all the world is far from me/On the Wall of Death, it’s the nearest to being free.”
You see, in life, the most dangerous rides might cause the most tumult. Yet, ultimately, they’re the most enlivening. The most dangerous rides are also the ones that make life worth it. So, “You can waste your time on the other rides/But this is the nearest to being alive.” If you would like to see a clip of my version of this great song, just go to my Instagram page.
Wisdom about money, investing and life can be found anywhere. If you have a good quote that you’d like me to share with your fellow readers, send it to me, along with any comments, questions and suggestions you have about my newsletters, seminars or anything else. Click here to ask Jim.
In the name of the best within us,
Jim Woods
