“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle
Say what you will about Derek Jeter but there is no denying the fact that he is average…
…at worst.
If you’ve been reading my stuff for more then a day and a half you know full well that I’m a lifelong fan of the NY Mess and by default I must hate the Yankees. It’s just the way that it works.
And as much as I do despise the Evil Empire from the Bronx, I know & respect the game of baseball when it is played well.
And that is what Derek Jeter has done his entire career… Played Baseball Well!
- Is he the best player in baseball? Nope
- Is he the best shortstop in baseball? Nope
- Heck, he’s not even the best shortstop in NY and since the arrival of A-Rod in 2004 I don’t think he’s the best SS on the Yankees.
- He’s not in the Top 50 in Batting Average, RBI’s, On Base %, Slugging % or a bunch of other stats.
But what Derek Jeter has managed to do since 1995 is be “average at worst” day after day, week after week, season after season…
“Champions do not become champions when they win the event, but in the hours, weeks, months and years they spend preparing for it. The victorious performance itself is merely the demonstration of their championship character” – T. Alan Armstrong
Every day he shows up at the ballpark working to be better then he was the day before.
Tee work, BP, fielding drills, strength & conditioning, watching video… after 15 years in the show.
- He’s not the smoothest ballplayer I’ve ever seen… That honor goes to Junior in my book.
- He’s never been the big power hitter with only 3 seasons over 20 HR’s.
- He drives in runs, but not a ton of them. Only 1 season over 100 RBI’s.
What he DOES is show up every day and play “Average At Worst” baseball… and that’s what’s made him a superstar and dare I say Legend!
“Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better.” – Pat Riley
As a Mets fan I have respect for what Jeter has accomplished on the field… But as a father & coach I have even more respect for what he has managed to do off the field.
Derek Jeter plays on the biggest stage in the biggest city in the world and he’s managed to keep his nose clean his entire career. No scandals, no arrest record, no questionable pictures floating around the internet.
He’s shown tremendous respect for the game, the organization that he plays for, his coaches, & his parents.
There are simply not enough Jeter’s in professional sports these days.
As coaches & parents it’s our job to instill this kind of work ethic in our kids. Let them know that it’s not just hard work that will get them to the big leagues, it’s consistent work.
Early morning workout, daily batting practice, getting your bull pen work done when you’d rather be hanging out with your friends.
The same goes for us as coaches & parents. We can’t only coach/parent/lead kids when it’s easy and/or convenient.
Our job is a 24/7/365 job.
The moment we slack off from our job is when our kids/ballplayers will catch us and think it’s OK to smoke, curse, speed, steal, whatever…
Make sure that you follow in Jeters example and show up every day to do what needs to be done and be “Average At Worst”!
Tags: alan armstrong, evil empire, fan, hate the yankees, job, lifelong fan, power hitter, shortstop., Show, work
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