Jackie's Discipline
Lessons from the toughest rookie year in sports history
NOTE: Tonight’s class is virtual (No live meeting). Below is a short read on disciplines that fuel your post-game evaluations, along with Week #7’s class.
Next Week
Nick Enriquez, former Stanford, San Jose State, and Dartmouth assistant coach joins Rigo and I. We’ll talk about the the small victories now that lead to later success on the field and in recruiting. Coach Enriquez is a mentor and successful podcaster.
Discipline that Changed Everything
Jackie Robinson’s courage and poise altered the game and the nation in just 4-years. What’s overlooked is how quickly his discipline shaped attitudes in the United States. Seemingly inconsequential decisions, to act and not act, inspired the country quicker than is often mentioned.
1947 was the most difficult rookie season for any single athlete in American sports history. With death threats, fans deriding him from the stands, opposing players like Enos Slaughter sliding cleat-high and teams like the Cardinals threatening to strike, Robinson still needed to play the game. He did, and won the NL Rookie of the Year.
According to the City Reliquary Museum, Branch Rickey believed in Robinson’s 3 qualities:
Character - Robinson was married, didn’t drink and attended church each Sunday.
Self-discipline - Rickey asked Robinson to fight only on the field with his glove and bat.
Ability - Said to be the 4th best black player available, he possessed makeup & patience.
How quickly national attitudes shifted. The long-term impact can be appreciated better with 75-years of hindsight. Robinson changed the trajectory of a league and a country in just four years. There were 5 key signs.
1947: NL Rookie of the year (.297 BA, .427 Slugging, 31 2B, 12 HR, 28 sacrifice hits)
1948: Other African-American players like Larry Doby and Satchel Paige entered the majors.
1949: Baseball fans voted Robinson to the All-Star game, a sign of changing attitudes.
1949: “Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball?”song reached #13 on the national charts
1950: Robinson became the highest paid Dodger of all-time, signing a $35,000 contract
“A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.”
Jackie Robinson
1. What single small decision today will shape your team tomorrow?
Tonight’s Reflection
Borrowing from the 3 reasons Rickey chose Robinson, give an example of a quality choice YOU made today in the area of:
1. Character
2. Discipline
3. Ability
Self-Analyze
Stay or get on track by writing for 3 to 5 minutes. A mix of raw, honest thoughts with simple structure. Then Reflect, Act and Win tomorrow to flush a bad day at the park, or to build on a great one.
The first 2 prompts point the player in a direction. #3 gets you climbing up the mountain again.
3 Build-Ons (What I did well today?):
3 Work-Ons (What I struggled with today?):
3-Part action plan:
The Organized Mind
Defining the measure of success begins it. For pitchers it may be execution. For hitters, could be barrel percentage. You pick the # and the challenge to test it against.
One Concrete Number
If you can watch each pitch or AB after a game, do it. Take the positive and negative emotion from a performance with a cold score viewed rationally. The score is based on whether you executed in each opportunity.
Here’s an example of how simply Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes scribbles core #’s in his journal. The number that matters most; pitch execution.
Date: 4/7
Opponent: Cubs
Numbers: 59/83 (71%)
Burnes gives an inside look at how journaling made him an elite pitcher.
Hitters do the same with quality AB%. They ask, how many times did I execute my or the team plan at the plate?
Reflection Wins Because……
The outing is your education. Nathan King’s book The Excellent Mind describes nine components of elite minds. The book contains no baseball. Instead it’s a series of deeper questions found in every philosophy 101 course. To reflect and learn properly, even if quickly, King says a student blends and builds these traits to think clearly:
Curious -
Careful -
Self-reliant -
Humble -
Honest -
Courageous -
Open -
Firm -
Wise -
The Excellent Mind has been called “an engaging introduction to virtues for students and anyone interested in the topic.” Done right, a post-game reflection becomes reps of King’s nine.
Rigo, Coach E, and I look forward to seeing you next Wednesday in the The Class.
On the adventure,
Greg
People
Greg Moore
A former D1 and national team coach who spent 29-years in Higher Ed. The 2017 National Consortium for Academics & Sports award winner founded a non-profit, Sevwins Prep - college prep for ALL. It launched in 2023 and serves over 18,000 players, parents, and coaches.
Rigo Lopez
A former D1 catcher who has spent 18-years sharing with little leaguers and big leaguers. His passion for ministry comes from the seeds of faith planted in him as a young boy growing up. His dad played a key role in Rigo’s life telling him about Jesus. Rigo saw his dad’s faith in action as he was instrumental in planting churches, overseeing mission trips and supporting orphanages in Mexico.