Today, I’m thankful and mindful of the gaps in my life.
Whenever I travel to visit my Merck colleagues in Great Britain, I often find myself disembarking a large Boeing 737 plane and then making my way through the prodigious halls of Heathrow International Airport. After passing through the UK Immigration and Baggage Claim, I descend to a subway station where the trusted Underground system takes me to my desired destination. From the western edges of London, the reliable Piccadilly Line will trudge its way eastward towards the heart of England’s capital until we reach St. Pancras/Kings Cross station. After a nearly 60-minute ride, I gather my bags and head towards the electronic doors of the Tube, only to be reminded by some lovely chap to “mind the gap.”
All those who have travelled on the London rapid transit system know exactly what I’m referring to – the gentle audible reminder by the Underground to pay attention to the visible spatial aperture between the train door and the station platform. Since 1968, the city of London has used both auditory and visual clues to remind jet-wearied travelers who have crossed the Atlantic Ocean (and possibly other massive bodies of water) not to fall within the small, precarious chasm adjacent to the train, particularly in the more modern stations where the platform is slightly curved. Londoners are well attuned to ensuring that jetlagged visitors do not physically hurt themselves in the lovely town Where Royalty Lives. In fact, once I ascend from the depths of the station platforms and reach the street level, I’m reminded once again to pay attention in the inevitable gap in my thinking. This time, white paint at the edge of each crosswalk tells me, in what I assume is proper British etiquette, to “Look Right,” so that I do not once again find myself face-to-face with some Hackney carriage (the official name for a London Taxi).
I guess, sometimes in our lives, we all need kind reminders to pay particular close attention to the gaps. In fact, in the corporate world, companies routinely pay consultants an exorbitant amount of money to help perform a ‘gap analysis’ – a strategic assessment that identifies the chasm between ‘where you might want to be’ and ‘where you actually are.’ After weeks (if not, months) of detailed analyses and elegant Powerpoint presentations, the consulting firm will dissect the size and causes of that difference and offer its final recommendations to close the gap – many of which, ironically enough, will ultimately require the continued support of the consultancy agency. We all try desperately to close the gap, as it is often within these white spaces where the opportunity resides. Incidentally, these spaces are also the places that our competitors often try to exploit for their own advantage.
I can even point to the world of professional sports to prove my point. In the world of baseball, the greatest hitters are taught at any early age to ‘hit it where they ain’t.’ Take for example the St. Louis Cardinal legend of the baseball diamond, Stanley Frank Musial. Over a 22-year career (from 1941-1944 and again from 1946-63), ‘Stan the Man’ ruled the game of baseball. His uncanny ability to hit the ball where the defensive players were not situated – namely, between the holes in the infield and into the gaps of the outfield – allowed him to amass 725 doubles in his career – third most in the history of the game. Over his career, he secured 3,630 hits (fourth most ever) and 6,134 total bases (second most ever). In fact, some argue that if ‘Stan the Man’ had not taken a ‘gap year’ during World War II to serve in the Navy, he would likely sit atop the list for the latter category. Stan Musial passed away a few years back; otherwise, he’d be 100 years old today.
But, baseball is not the only sport with its gaps. In football, defensive linemen and linebackers are taught to ‘shoot the gap’ to wreak havoc on the offensive play – with the intent, of either tacking the running back while still in the backfield or by bringing relentless pressure on a quarterback stepping back in the pocket to make a pass. In the history of the New York Giants, no defensive lineman did this better than Michael Strahan, who incidentally also celebrates his 49th birthday today. Many of you might know Michael Strahan as the co-host of morning television shows, but long before he brought his charismatic personality to the boob tube on weekdays, he’d spend his Sunday afternoons lining up against fierce opposition. His distinctive ability to dominate the line of scrimmage often left many offensive linemen in the National Football League scrambling as to best close the gap so that Michael could not disrupt the play. Yet, much to their dismay, Michael would often find a way to manipulate just a small opening in the offensive wall.
But, as I would learn at an early age, sports are merely entertainment. I remember a time when I was visibly distraught to see my then-beloved Yankees, the winners of the 1976 American League pennant, demonstrate how large a gap in talent they had relative to their World Series opponent from the National League, the Cincinnati Reds. I was a bit inconsolable witnessing my Bronx Bombers being swept in just 4 games in the 1976 World Series to the Cincinnati Reds. Even in my emotionally-distraught state, my father – who incidentally was a massive fan of the New York Mets and could care less about the Yanks from the Bronx – nonchalantly reminded me that baseball was just a game. He said something that even an 8-year old teary-eyed boy could comprehend: “Win or love, I still have to go to work in the morning. Win or lose, you still have to go to school tomorrow.”
Sadly, he was right.
Yet, sometimes, the inability to ‘mind the gap’ can have a consequence far more significant than that caused by the heartache of a World Series loss. A few years prior to the 1976 World Series, a political scandal had unraveled in the US Capital to the point that the 37th President of the United States, Richard Nixon, would find himself in a heap of trouble. A ‘break in’ of the Democratic National Committee headquarters in June 1972 at the Watergate Hotel & Office Building in Washington DC had been orchestrated by numerous high-level Republican officials, all with the intent of stealing secrets from the McGovern campaign. Of course, none of this was necessary, as Nixon would easily win a second term as US President later that year. However, his attempt to cover-up what amounted to a criminal act would find him at the center of a brewing controversy. After the Washington Post published stories of a potential link between the Watergate crime and the Chief Executive office, an ensuing congressional investigation would ascertain that Nixon had been secretly using a sound-activating system to tape conversations taking place in the Oval Office. Nixon tried desperately to use his Executive Office privilege to prevent the Senate Watergate Committee from gaining access to these precious tapes. However, his attempts were rebuked by the US Supreme Court, which finally ordered – in a unanimous decision – that the tapes be made available to the congressional committee. As measures were made to prepare for their release, Nixon’s attorney J. Fred Buzhardt would admit to the world on this day (Nov 21) in 1973 that one of these secret recordings from June 1972 contained an 18.5 minute gap – which presumably contained the details of a cover-up. A subsequent investigation of the released tapes would reveal a conversation wherein Nixon is heard formulating a plan to thwart the FBI of its eventual investigation. As political support for the incumbent Commander-in-Chief crumbled, Nixon chose to resign instead of being formally subjected to presidential impeachment.
The Watergate scandal is a fitting reminder that sometimes a gap can have far-reaching effects on the world. But, I don’t want you thinking that every gap out there needs to be closed. In fact, some gaps are so iconic that any attempt to close them would be leave us saddened and dismayed. Like the Gap Store, where I bought my first pair of Levis. Like the beautiful natural preserve known as the Delaware Water Gap, which was created eons ago by a roaring river that split northeastern Pennsylvania from northwestern New Jersey. Or, like the gap between Michael Strahan’s two front teeth, which we all blissfully observe every time the football star-turned-broadcaster steps in front of the television camera. How disappointed would the world be to wake up and turn on Good Morning America, only to discover that the gap in Strahan’s teeth had been surgically closed?
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