WEEKLY MOTIVATIONAL PIECE!

Greetings!

In less than two weeks, many of you reading this will be eligible for the Major League Baseball Draft and preparing for the multiples of team interviews that comes with the process. This is your life’s version of the job interview! There are many of you that have already advanced past the draft stage and found your home in the pro ranks. There are some of you that will become draft eligible in another year.

No matter your status, may this piece help you today or in the future? Take me as an example: I’ve worked in sports team management for 36-years with a large emphasis on corporate client relations. Basically I’ve had to sell myself first before the customer ever would consider buying into my team’s sponsorship opportunities. You are no different. Professional Scouts know every aspect of your talents out on the field. They’ve applied a grade to your current-day skill level but now they want to assess your personality, mindset and learn as much about your family stock as possible.

That is where these pre-draft interviews helps the Pro Scout evaluate you further. These gatherings are going to serve as your tie-breaker in the draft. Many of you can move up the ladder based simply on how you present yourself!

It all starts with your appearance and first impression. Here’s where you need to give off the impression that you are a Big Leaguer! So iron your clothes, polish your shoes and clean your fingernails. When answering questions, be truthful and speak positively with a tone that is crisp and says “I AM YOUR GUY!” Make sure your voice has an audible level that can be heard through the clutter of noise often heard at a restaurant. When you first shake hands, do so with confidence! Say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ at all times!  Most importantly, focus your eyes on the people across from you. Again, you are auditioning and selling your candidacy to one day be a Big Leaguer! All of these little things stated above can increase your draft position as well as your net worth!

There’s also the reminder that you live in a world of technology. Many Pro Scouts are already scanning through your Facebook and Twitter pages to get a read on your character, maturity and even friends you associate with away from the field. To succeed at the Big League level, you might as well now start calling yourself a Corporation. You are a BRAND IMAGE and the Major League team does BUY INTO YOUR IMAGE from the moment they announce your name on draft day.

You are a walking (and photographic) resume every day! Never forget how important that first glimpse of You and how it can become your deal-breaker!

My best for you always! 

Jim Loria

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“How a man plays the game shows something of his character; how he loses shows all of it” – stated by Frosty Westering, former Pacific Lutheran University football coach

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“The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism” – stated by Norman Peale, minister and author, who’s best known for his books on Power of Positive Thinking

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“Skill and confidence are an unconquered army” – stated by George Herbert, French PE Teacher

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“At any given moment you have the POWER to say ‘this is NOT how the Story is going to End!’” – stated by an Unknown Author

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“You have to be an even better person than you are an athlete” – stated by Manny Upton, father of Atlanta Braves’ players Justin and B.J. Upton

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WEEKLY MOTIVATIONAL PIECE!

"I told you -- never think you're not good enough" – words Ed Harvey always told his son, Matt, at an early age playing the game of baseball

Like me, I am sure you have been following the early exploits of New York Mets pitcher Matt Harvey. At the age of 24, he has already infused the Mets franchise with a confidence that seems contagious, particularly when he is on the mound.  Many fans have already labeled him "The Real Deal!"  

He has compiled a 5-0 record during his first ten outings this year and is among the National League leaders in ERA (1.93) and strikeouts (74) for a team that has posted a 17-27 record after 44 games. Since his arrival in New York last summer, Harvey has shown a maturity and poise on the mound beyond his youthful years and is someone that seems to never accept less than perfection from himself.

But it wasn’t always that way. What intrigued me to tell you this story about Matt Harvey is that much of his motivation to succeed today was born out of the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft. Then, he was arguably considered the best high school pitching prospect in the country but a drop down in his velocity and fear of a high asking price to sign prior to the draft forced teams to pass on him early on. It angered Harvey deeply that he was skipped over 117 times and to see 23 other high school pitchers taken over him that year before the Los Angeles Angels called out his name in the third round.

Harvey felt personally insulted. A chip on his shoulder was developed no doubt. He would turn down the Angels’ contract offer and accept a scholarship opportunity to play for the University of North Carolina. As he would soon adjust to the Division I demands of class and athletics, Harvey’s mindset was still occupied and somewhat clouded over the fact that he really was hoping to sign and play pro ball right away. “It was really bad,” Harvey says about his attitude he took to school with him as a freshman. “I’m surprised they didn’t give me the boot. I turned down a million dollars and had no money and a crappy Jeep when I could have been driving anything I wanted.”

After a period of time at UNC, Harvey admitted that he messed up his mechanics and began to overthrow and got himself out of kilter. He would throw one pitch at 94 mph, and the next at 85 and with inconsistent stuff. Some pro scouts said he began to look more like a “fringe player” than a first-round prospect into his sophomore year. The Tar Heels even sent Harvey to the bullpen for a few games that season and pitch in relief situations. "It's a little tough to explain," Harvey said of that 2009 season when he walked 42 batters in 75 innings and posted a 5.40 ERA. "Everything just got completely out of whack."

Some say that Harvey had changed his workouts over the winter break prior to his sophomore year, becoming bulky and tight when he needed flexibility and fluidity. It altered his delivery, his fastball and his command. "He was trying to throw with his muscles instead of his delivery," recalled UNC pitching coach Scott Forbes. "He was mechanical and didn't have that good loose arm swing."

The adjustments took time, and Harvey recommitted with Forbes, working through repetition-after-repetition back at UNC rediscovering his natural mechanics and rhythm. He tweaked his workouts and regained his flexibility. By mid-fall, the fastball popped again in the mid-90s. Harvey’s Dad even told his son to "pitch like you forgot what happened!"

The one game during Harvey’s career that transformed him and changed his mindset to believe that he was a player who could pitch in the Big Leagues took place in the spring of his junior year when he struck out 15 Clemson hitters in an unheard of 157-pitch complete game. Harvey says now that this one game helped him find himself. He was locked back into his motion, more confident in himself than ever. It was a breakthrough. "That night I realized I could do this for a long time. I threw a lot of pitches but got stronger. I felt pure power at the end. Looking back on it, that’s when the confidence started coming. I knew at that moment I was ready to move on." He closed out that Clemson game with his fastball still buzzing to the plate into the mid-90s!

Following the 2010 season, the Mets chose him seventh overall in the first round, signing him for just over $2.6 million. After a year-and-a half in the minors, Harvey got called up to the big club on July 26, 2012 and proceeded to strike out 11 Arizona Diamondback hitters in his debut. The Mets won and Harvey’s stature seemingly has grown with each start although he is trying not to be swept up into the recent grassroots campaign of “Harvey-mania!”

“Major League Baseball has always been on my mind,” he says. “Not just being here, but playing here a long time and being the best. Even at a young age, I wasn’t going to accept mediocrity. I feel like I belonged here. This is where I’m supposed to be.”

Says Mets’ teammate David Wright of Harvey: “He’s embraced the spotlight and embraced the stage. He welcomes it! It’s important for a young starting pitcher to have that mentality, ‘I’m better than you.’ It’s not so much cockiness as an extreme confidence. He has that mentality where he believes he can go out there and dominate you. And more often than not, he does.”

No matter how much talent you may possess, it truly is all about an athlete’s personal mindset that determines who succeeds or not! Never forget that fellas!

MY BEST ALWAYS!

Jim Loria

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MICHAEL YOUNG OF THE PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES ON HARVEY AFTER GOING HITLESS IN THREE AT-BATS: “He’s the real deal. His stuff is firm. But what really impressed me was his command. A major league hitter can time a jet engine. It doesn’t matter how hard you throw it if you can’t command it. He throws four pitches he commands – just pinpoint accuracy.”

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“The person who masters himself through self-control and discipline is truly undefeatable. Conditioning your Mindset is the Key to your Success” – stated by an unknown author

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"Confidence is only born out of one thing – demonstrated ability. It is not born of anything else. You cannot dream up confidence. You cannot fabricate it. You cannot wish it. You have to accompany it” – stated by Bill Parcells, legendary NFL Coach and ESPN commentator

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PLAYERS NEVER FORGET: “Our greatest battles are that with our own minds” – stated by Jameson Frank, self-help author

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WEEKLY MOTIVATIONAL PIECE!

Greetings!

This week I am going to touch on a few topics. Each actually hit on a nerve with me and literally to millions of others around the country! Hopefully these stories will show you just how powerful a spoken word, a gesture or even your actions as a human being can be viewed by others! Sometimes the end results can be polarizing!

This first story is about a 12-year-old boy name Lee Eddins from Sacramento, CA. Six months ago, sadly, he was diagnosed with stage four leukemia. Doctors determined that his illness was terminal and announced to the family that their son had a limited time remaining at best.

The family moved Lee to a local hospice home in recent weeks. The boy loved basketball and football and in recent years had come to idolize Indiana Pacers’ basketball center Roy Hibbert. He told his family and doctors that his one last wish before he left this earth was to meet the NBA star. Word quickly got out to Hibbert. Even though the Pacers are knee deep into the playoff season, Hibbert was emotionally touched by the call-out and made a decision in the last week to fly out to Sacramento to see his young fan with the team’s AOK.

“I was very saddened and distraught," Hibbert would say in a TV interview with CNN when first learning of the young boy’s health situation. "I wanted to keep that boy’s spirit and memory alive and be part of his cause." Then the worst news of all took place. As Hibbert was heading to the Indianapolis airport last Thursday he received word that Lee had suddenly passed away. He still made a commitment to board the flight to Sacramento and went out to meet Lee’s family. "Once I heard he had a dying wish, I knew I had to do something more than just send him presents and Skype with him on the computer. He touched me without me even meeting him," Hibbert said of his 12-year-old fan. "The way he fought, his strength, I’ve dedicated the rest of my season to his cause."

The next story you may have heard – this involved Los Angeles Dodgers' outfielder Matt Kemp who gave his hat to a young fan. And his jersey. And his cleats. It was an act of kindness by Kemp that ended up being seen by millions of YouTube viewers around the world.

The story began with a 19-year-old Dodgers’ fan – who lives in San Francisco – that has been battling brain cancer for the last three years. The boy’s family put their money and resources together to latch onto front row seats for the May 5th game when the Dodgers would visit the Giants. Wearing a bright Dodgers’ blue hoodie, the young man’s attire caught the attention of Dodgers’ third base coach Tim Wallach who came to learn that the boy’s favorite player was Matt Kemp.

Wallach told the boy’s dad that he'd try to see if he could get Matt to stop by and say hello after the game ended. Not only did Kemp come by, personally shake hands and sign a baseball for his young fan but Matt surprised the thousands of onlookers nearby in their seats when he took off his cap, pulled his team jersey off his back and leaned over the seat railings to give them both to the boy as he wished him the very best! Then, Kemp undid his game cleats and passed them over to the boy as well.

“All professional athletes should take a lesson. This is what class looks like!” wrote Shawn Dempsey, a YouTube viewer of Kemp’s unplanned moment of human kindness!  Fellas, keep in mind that this all took place in a visiting team ballpark and right after a night in which the Dodgers lost their third straight one-run game to the Giants, their bitter cross-state rivals.

And then there was another form of public relations that caught many by surprise especially from a player that needs no apologies. It was Philadelphia Phillies’ pitcher Roy Halladay who made headlines by the ‘spoken word’ when he decided to hold court with the media last Friday prior to a game with Arizona (and just before he was to depart the team and undergo surgery to remove bone spurs and repair a frayed labrum and partially torn rotator cuff in his pitching shoulder).

This was a rare moment in professional sports that you never see. A player that decided to give a heartfelt apology to the fans over his poor season-long performance this year. According to Ryan Lawrence of the Philadelphia Daily News, Halladay spoke uninterrupted for several minutes, He published a brief excerpt of his talk:

“I've been thinking the last couple of days. That I just felt like I should address  the fans. I know there are people who are disappointed about how I pitched the last two years. I know there are a lot of people who are very supportive. So, one, I just wanted to thank them for their support. And my heart goes out to all of the people who spend all of their money and go out to the games and don't get to see what they want to see. I know I'm not the whole team. There are still a lot of guys out there and it's a fun team to watch. But I feel bad for the fans that I'm missing the time that I am. It's tough. You feel an obligation to the organization, to your teammates, to the fans to try to go out and pitch.”

I tip my cap to Halladay for taking such a rarely seen stand-up approach and for his honest, forthright and refreshing candor! He spoke from the heart and it was non-scripted. It was a different type of PR that was applauded by all members of the media and appreciated by the Phillies’ fan base!

As good of a teammate that you are on the field, do your best to be an even greater teammate to your community! There are thousands of kids with unique causes from all walks of life that would treasure just a minute of your time!

All the best!

Jim Loria

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“The highest reward for a person's toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it” - stated by John Ruskin, leading English art critic from the 1800’s Victorian era

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“When I wake up in the morning, I have to decide to either be an example or an excuse" – stated by an unknown author

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“The whole point of being alive is to evolve into the complete person you were intended to be” – stated by Oprah Winfrey

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“WHEN I PASS AWAY, IF ALL I’M KNOWN FOR IS A ‘FOOTBALL PLAYER’, THEN I FAILED IN LIFE” – stated by Reggie White, an NFL Hall of Famer and one of the greatest pass rushers ever seen in pro football

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WEEKLY MOTIVATIONAL PIECE!

Greetings!

Right now the Chicago Bulls of the NBA  have become a shot in the arm for other team’s – regardless of level – that are facing an uphill battle, to never look defeat in the eye. That no matter where your team is seeded or how high of a hurdle you must jump, success can be attained! The one aspect of this Bulls’ team, that jumps out at me is their “belief” in one another and a willingness to  take on whatever role is needed to win! The Bulls have certainly laid out the Blueprint for other teams to follow.  

In all of my years in sports, I’ve never seen a team so shorthanded with such little margin for error that has overcome greater adversity to do the unthinkable? As you know, the NBA suits up ten players each night and then there are the Bulls, who are deep into the playoff season and doing so minus three of their key starters - Derrick Rose, Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich.

Every night a different player puts on a suit of armor and plays the role of Superman! On Monday, for example, there was the sight of back-up guard Nate Robinson getting 10-stitches after smashing his lip on the floor diving for a loose ball with Miami’s LeBron James and ends up pumping in 27 points. Here’s Robinson, one of the smallest players in a big man’s game (at 5-9), stomping his feet, waving off a screen and blitzing past Ray Allen for a game-clinching fourth-quarter layup that sent Heat fans home in silence (with a 93-86 loss).

It was the signature moment for a third-string player on a team that stands for GRIT playing against a team (like Miami) loaded with the BIG STARS! How can you not admire the scene of Robinson during Monday’s post-game press conference when he was holding an ice bag nearly as large as his head - who even had me pumped up - when he stated:  “Had to get stitched up and continue the battle! We're playing for each other. We're playing for the city of Chicago."

You talk about enamoring one’s self with a city! Then, who could forget last Saturday’s Game #7 playoff series clinching win against New Jersey when the Bulls’ Joakim Noah came up with a career statement game when it mattered most! He produced 24 points - his second-highest total of the season at a time when his team had no other options - and collected 14 rebounds. He also blocked six shots. "Before the New Jersey series, I didn't know if I was going to be able to play," said Noah. "I could barely walk." He was playing through pain after being diagnosed with an inflamed plantar fasciitis (which makes it very painful to walk, let alone run and jump out on a basketball court).

A fired-up Noah said after that game. “We’re a team of fighters. We keep getting punched in the face but we fight back. It’s going to take all of us sticking together through all kinds of adversity. This has been a real hard year. But I’m really proud of this team.”

Noah gutted it out with an injury to accept the responsibility of doing whatever is needed to be a leader of the team.  "In the last month, I must have done 40 or 50 different treatments," Noah said as soaked his feet in a bucket and had his knees covered with ice bags! "I don't know exactly what it is that has helped me. But it's a little better. I'm still playing through it."

Worn down by minutes and struggling with injuries, the Bulls have endured and excelled based on coach Tom Thibodeau's "Next Man Up" philosophy. If a player is in the game, Thibodeau expects the same from him as the player he replaced.

“Our chemistry is amazing,” said team veteran Carlos Boozer. “We play really well all together. That’s one of our strengths. We’ve been depleted. We play hard and grind and we’re a good team. 

For those of you that are inspired by motivational quotes, be sure to frame the Vince Lombardi message posted below. It’s exactly the message that’s fueling the Chicago Bulls to a man! They are fun to watch and putting out an effort that is a recipe we should all bottle up!  

All the best!

Jim Loria

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COACH THIBODEAU ON NATE ROBINSON: "He's about as confident as they come, and that's the thing that makes him good! If he misses a shot, he has a very short memory. He always thinks he's hot."

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“What you are thinking, what shape your mind is in, is what makes the biggest difference of all” – stated by the legendary Willie Mays, considered baseball’s greatest living player

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"Every time a player goes to apply his trade he's got to play from the ground up — from the soles of his feet right up to his head. Every inch of him has to play. Some guys play with their heads. That's O.K. You've got to be smart to be number one in any business. But more importantly, you've got to play with your heart, with every fiber of your body. If you're lucky enough to find a guy with a lot of head and a lot of heart, he's never going to come off the field SECOND” – stated by Vince Lombardi, legendary Green Bay Packers NFL Head Coach

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In the end, it's extra effort that separates a winner from second place. But winning takes a lot more than that, too. It starts with complete command of the fundamentals. Then it takes desire, determination, discipline, and self-sacrifice. And finally, it takes a great deal of love, fairness and respect for your fellow man. Put all these together, and even if you don't win, how can you lose?" – stated by Jesse Owens, the great Olympic Track & Field Champion (won “4” Gold Medals at the 1936 Summer Games in Germany).

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