WEEKLY MOTIVATIONAL PIECE

Greetings!


HERE IS THIS WEEK’S SPECIAL PIECE …


I think you all know me well enough by now that I am a proponent of player’s getting involved in their community, leaving a proud legacy behind and punching in the clock on the field each and every day. I am also one that wants to see a player benefit financially and to maximize their fame by developing brand image marketing programs, one that will carry them to the end of their lifetime.


On the flip side, I am mystified when I see an athlete literally blow up their career for elements not related to the playing field? Yesterday, as I was going to work and tuned my car radio to ESPN, the on-air host was speaking about some major league athletes and what it must be like to be 60 or 70+ in age and still be adored by the sporting public where they’re willing to pay to just shake your hand and thank you for a well done career … all because they STILL LIKE YOU?


Now take the case of Josh Beckett of the Boston Red Sox. Here’s a pitcher who had created a career to be proud of by pitching one of the most masterful World Series games ever when he shut down the New York Yankees right in the Bronx to lead Florida to the 2003 World Series Championship. He then did it again with Boston when he led them to their glorious World Series title in 2007. That’s enough to get you bronzed with a statue somewhere. Guarantee you with a lifetime of fame and adulation. Right?

Turn the calendar over to 2012 and read the following comment that appears on a website of a Boston-area radio station about Josh Beckett:


“I do not expect him to pitch again for the Red Sox, not because of injury, but because he is a dishonorable person, and he contributed materially to the Red Sox collapse in 2011. He needs to be shunned by all of baseball. What a waste of talent in having such a disgraceful attitude. May he fail at everything else he tries in the future. He is an absolute disgrace” – Jan, Boston, MA

For the past year – and into today - Beckett has being hammered by the Red Sox fans and the people of New England verbally on websites, by newspaper writers and with harsh (venom laced) booing on the field not so much for his win-loss record the past two seasons but because of his (alleged) perception as a clubhouse-destroying malcontent that eventually led the Red Sox management to clear out Terry Francona as their field leader for running a loose ship. Adding further fuel to the fire, Beckett was seen playing golf on an off day this year just after he missed his turn on the mound due to an injury.

In Boston, Beckett possibly now ranks right there with Manny Ramirez as perhaps the two most despised players to ever play for the Red Sox. As I said, I just can’t figure out why a player would mortgage their “baseball brand name and image?” There is the after-life of an athlete in which you hope there’s another 50 years of fame and glory with every step you take during your travels into retirement and beyond. I have this feeling that Beckett will be shunned by the Red Sox fans and all of New England and perhaps the baseball world when he caps off his career. Sad.

Always remember fellas that you live in a technology world where your slightest wrongdoing can now be broadcast to millions of people around the world in a split second thanks to Twitter and other social media sites. Protect your investment, your good name and work for your post-career as well as your today!


MY BEST ALWAYS!


Jim Loria

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“How you spend your minutes are what matters … all tomorrow’s come from yesterday's” – lyrics by Jon Bon Jovi, singer/songwriter and owner of the Philadelphia Soul, Professional Indoor Football Team

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“A leader is one who see more than others see, who sees farther than others see, and who sees before others see” – stated by Leroy Eims, former Director of U.S. Ministries

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“Success on any major scale requires you to accept responsibility… in the final analysis, the one quality that all successful people have… is the ability to take on responsibility” – stated by Michael Korda, Writer & Novelist

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“The content of your character is your choice. Day-by-day, what you choose, what you think and what you do is who you become” – stated by Unknown Author

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WORDS FROM A SIGN DISPLAYED IN THE TAMPA BAY RAYS CLUBHOUSE: "Integrity Doesn't Require Rules!"

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“The legacy of a hero is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example” – stated by Benjamin Disraeli, British Prime Minister in the 1800s




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Jim Loria E-Mail: loria@sfstampede.com