Did I screw up this question?

Nomak54

Nomak54

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Mar 27, 2018
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187
Had a second board interview yesterday. They asked me one of the oddball questions.

I mentioned how I participated in some baseball practices at my school, not as an official team member or something.

This was the question:

"You are a catcher, the batter steps up to the plate and you recognize this kid. You played with him before, and you know that he's weak to curve balls. You give the signal to the pitcher to throw a curve ball, pitcher shakes his head. You give the signal again, the pitcher still says no. You go up to the pitcher and say "Hey, I know this kid, he's weak to curve balls, you have to throw a curve ball." The pitcher replies "No, I don't like this kid, he's been getting on my nerves, I'm going to throw a fastball!" What do you say to him next?"

I felt that I gave a good answer to this, I basically said that he was letting his emotions get the best of him, particularly in a military environment that's very dangerous. What I didn't realize, however, was that in Baseball the Pitcher has the final verdict, or as some of my baseball friends said they could be considered the "commanding officer"

The second part of a question was:

"OK, so the pitcher throws the fastball anyhow and now that ball goes over is head as the pitcher hits a home run. What do you say to him now"

This was the part where I really messed up, I said something like "I would want to make sure that they learned from their mistakes" or something. I shared the question with my Baseball friends and coach, they all said that you should've said nothing because it'd be pointless pretty much.

I'm worried, but other than that I think the interview went exceedingly well.
 
Don’t worry about it. One, it’s over and there’s nothing you can do about it now. Two, there’s not necessarily a right or wrong answer. Many times, interviewers are more interested in your thought process than whether you got the answer “right.”
 
If I were catching and the pitcher ignored my signs like that I would tell the batter to look for a heater right down the middle.

I think that was also in a movie. Bull Durham or maybe Major League.
 
Yeah, I doubt it's about a right or wrong answer but how do you think on your feet when presented a curveball (see what I did there?) :rolleyes:
The point may simply be that you thought of an answer as opposed to sitting there like a deer in headlights.
 
Yeah....I don't think you struck out with your answer. I believe you are still in the game with a few innings remaining. :p
 
What I didn't realize, however, was that in Baseball the Pitcher has the final verdict, or as some of my baseball friends said they could be considered the "commanding officer"

My son was a starting pitcher when he played during high school. I can tell that that the pitcher isnt the commanding officer. Sure he has the final verdict because he is the guy throwing the ball, but in reality it is the coaching telling the pitcher what to throw. It is the coach telling the catcher who tells the pitcher. I can tell you that fastest way to piss of a coach is to ignore his signals. There were plenty of times the coach was wrong and my son wanted to pitch something else that would have been better but still didnt.
 
Thank you for the replies, everyone. Certainly puts my mind at ease
 
Nomak54 said:
I mentioned how I participated in some baseball practices at my school, not as an official team member or something.
Click to expand...

It is possible they were simply trying to assess if you actually DID play on a baseball team. If you did, you should know the protocol of that situation. If you did NOT, then most likely you wouldn't be able to answer such a question. Perhaps someone interviewed before you tried to boast about accomplishments not on their resume, making the panel suspicious those things were not true.
 
Nomak54 said:
I mentioned how I participated in some baseball practices at my school, not as an official team member or something.
Click to expand...

So, you mentioned in your nomination interview that you went to baseball practices and were not part of the team? Seems like a strange thing to bring up in the interview. Did they ask you about participating on the baseball team?
 
jebdad said:
Nomak54 said:
I mentioned how I participated in some baseball practices at my school, not as an official team member or something.
Click to expand...

So, you mentioned in your nomination interview that you went to baseball practices and were not part of the team? Seems like a strange thing to bring up in the interview. Did they ask you about participating on the baseball team?
Click to expand...

The thing is, I'm not on any sports team. That's because my school so so far away from my house it was impossible for me to find a ride home. I was trying to explain that given my circumstances I tried my hardest to find ways to at least participate in sports. I did the same for Cross Country
 
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