[Music]
thank you wow this is like so cool I
gotta say it backwards Wow
I grew up right here in New Jersey I
grew up in a baseball family
thank you I grew up with a baseball
family my dad graduated from Rutgers as
an all-american catcher he went on to
play in the major leagues with the
Pittsburgh Pirates after a major injury
dad managed all through the Pirates
system he eventually went into the front
office and became the general manager of
the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1979 dad was
executive of the year for the we are
family world champs Pittsburgh Pirates
growing up in a baseball family I put a
uniform on when I was two and I’ve kept
it on ever since often people would say
like what are you gonna be when you grow
up I said I’m gonna be a professional
pitcher and the comedian I was able to
do both at times when I pitched people
laughed I was very curious why do some
of these players go on to be elite major
leaguers and other players with the same
or sometimes better physical talent
never make it I understood at an early
age it was the mental game the elite
players mastered the mental game they
were able to perform their best under
pressure in that face of fear worry and
doubt in that moment a fight
flight and freeze they were able to push
the pause button reframe pressure by
asking what’s my opportunity act on that
opportunity to perform at their best
I’ve studied and coached the mental game
my entire life after graduating from
high school I was drafted by the
Baltimore Orioles but I knew I needed my
college education before getting at the
professional baseball
I graduated with a psychology art degree
I studied the mental game how to train
your mind to perform your best under
pressure
I knew that training your mind was the
number one skill I needed to be
successful in my life growing up in that
pirate family I got to know almost all
the players Roberto Clemente became my
favorite player not only my favorite
player but my favorite person he went on
to be a Hall of Fame player and a Hall
of Fame person the bigger the stage the
better he performed on and off the field
being a black latin-american player in
the 1960s during a civil rights movement
he dealt with enormous pressure off the
field instead of fighting back he chose
to give back and became a Hall of Fame
humanitarian to this day one of the
number-one Awards in Major League
Baseball is the Roberto Clemente award
given to the player that makes a
difference in the quality of people’s
lives life is pressure we all have our
own personal pressures we deal with them
on a daily basis whether it’s family
financial career pressures but we can
learn a strategy from these elite
athletes to perform our best under
pressure by mastering the mental game
setbacks and failures are all part of
the game on and off the field when we
have a major setback it’s a case of
mistaken identity we no longer look at
ourselves as successful people like we
truly are we look at ourselves as
failures and we go to this place in our
mind
I’m so stupid what was I thinking I’m an
idiot how could I blow this if our
thoughts were broadcast over
loudspeakers for everyone to hear if
people would think we’re crazy the
opportunity for a setback is to prepare
for a comeback as a major league
pitching coach my number one
responsibility was to coach the mental
game keeping our pitchers minds calm and
focused under pressure I would often say
before a big game
hey guys it’s good to have butterflies
but they got to fly in formation right
to the catcher’s glove one pitch at a
time hit the glove
one of my favorite stories about
mistaken identity was when I was the
pitching coach for the Oakland A’s
during the famed Moneyball error
Chronicle by Michael Lewis’s bestseller
and Brad Pitt’s famous movie Moneyball
Jason Isringhausen known as Izzy by his
friends and teammates was her all-star
closer on her way to the playoffs
we come into Yankee Stadium for a huge
series during the season with a one run
lead in the bottom of the ninth we bring
an Izzy to close out the game
first pitch Bernie Williams home run tie
game
first pitch David Justice Homer Izzy was
devastated It was as if he was struck by
lightning it was a case of mistaken
identity
he no longer looked at himself as an
all-star closer he looked at himself as
a failure he came to me the next day in
the locker room he said Rick I can’t go
out there tonight I can’t do this right
now I need a few days to regroup
I said Izzy come on relax we all have
setbacks that’s part of the game but
your opportunity for this setback is to
come back or in a pennant race is he
your all-star closer we need you well a
few days later after big win is he comes
to me in a locker room after the game he
said hey I’m the closer on his team
that’s my job I want my job back
I said hey welcome back good to see you
again well we bring in is he the next
night and he closes the game out in
all-star fashion well fast forward we go
into Yankee Stadium for the playoffs
postseason the Big Apple there’s no
place like Yankee Stadium in the
postseason well we have a huge win in
game 1 game 2 with a 2-1 lead
we bring in is easy to close out the
game he’s got to go through Bernie
Williams and David Justice
Bernie leads off with a double slight
improvement from last time he walks Tino
Martinez and Jason Giambi runs over from
first base to talk to Izzie I knew it
was time to push the pause button I went
to the mound I put my hand on his he
shoulder he
is literally shaken he was quivering I
said is he are you okay
he said Rick I can’t feel my legs
I said yeah but the good news is we
don’t need your legs to kick a field
goal we need your arm to make a pitch I
said is he one pitch at a time hit the
glove simply hit the glove you’re an
all-star is he you can do this I could
feel his mind get calm and focused I
could see the look in his eye of
confidence and determination he strikes
out Posada for the first out David
Justice pops out for out number two
he pops up Brosius to close out the game
it was a huge victory for the Oakland
A’s more importantly it was a personal
victory for Izzi he defeated fear worry
and doubt and reclaimed his personal
identity after the game I walked up to
Izzi in the locker room I said hey what
did Giambi say when he came over to talk
to you he said is he are you okay
he said I can’t feel my legs
Giambi looked at the sellout crowd in
the Yankee Stadium and he looked back at
Izzy he goes hey dude
just relax it’s okay if you screw this
up nobody’s watching I want to close by
reframing a famous quote from Yogi Berra
performing your best under pressure is
90% mental
the other half is physical ask yourself
what’s my opportunity and be the best of
who you are thank you
[Applause]
thank you wow this is like so cool I
gotta say it backwards Wow
I grew up right here in New Jersey I
grew up in a baseball family
thank you I grew up with a baseball
family my dad graduated from Rutgers as
an all-american catcher he went on to
play in the major leagues with the
Pittsburgh Pirates after a major injury
dad managed all through the Pirates
system he eventually went into the front
office and became the general manager of
the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1979 dad was
executive of the year for the we are
family world champs Pittsburgh Pirates
growing up in a baseball family I put a
uniform on when I was two and I’ve kept
it on ever since often people would say
like what are you gonna be when you grow
up I said I’m gonna be a professional
pitcher and the comedian I was able to
do both at times when I pitched people
laughed I was very curious why do some
of these players go on to be elite major
leaguers and other players with the same
or sometimes better physical talent
never make it I understood at an early
age it was the mental game the elite
players mastered the mental game they
were able to perform their best under
pressure in that face of fear worry and
doubt in that moment a fight
flight and freeze they were able to push
the pause button reframe pressure by
asking what’s my opportunity act on that
opportunity to perform at their best
I’ve studied and coached the mental game
my entire life after graduating from
high school I was drafted by the
Baltimore Orioles but I knew I needed my
college education before getting at the
professional baseball
I graduated with a psychology art degree
I studied the mental game how to train
your mind to perform your best under
pressure
I knew that training your mind was the
number one skill I needed to be
successful in my life growing up in that
pirate family I got to know almost all
the players Roberto Clemente became my
favorite player not only my favorite
player but my favorite person he went on
to be a Hall of Fame player and a Hall
of Fame person the bigger the stage the
better he performed on and off the field
being a black latin-american player in
the 1960s during a civil rights movement
he dealt with enormous pressure off the
field instead of fighting back he chose
to give back and became a Hall of Fame
humanitarian to this day one of the
number-one Awards in Major League
Baseball is the Roberto Clemente award
given to the player that makes a
difference in the quality of people’s
lives life is pressure we all have our
own personal pressures we deal with them
on a daily basis whether it’s family
financial career pressures but we can
learn a strategy from these elite
athletes to perform our best under
pressure by mastering the mental game
setbacks and failures are all part of
the game on and off the field when we
have a major setback it’s a case of
mistaken identity we no longer look at
ourselves as successful people like we
truly are we look at ourselves as
failures and we go to this place in our
mind
I’m so stupid what was I thinking I’m an
idiot how could I blow this if our
thoughts were broadcast over
loudspeakers for everyone to hear if
people would think we’re crazy the
opportunity for a setback is to prepare
for a comeback as a major league
pitching coach my number one
responsibility was to coach the mental
game keeping our pitchers minds calm and
focused under pressure I would often say
before a big game
hey guys it’s good to have butterflies
but they got to fly in formation right
to the catcher’s glove one pitch at a
time hit the glove
one of my favorite stories about
mistaken identity was when I was the
pitching coach for the Oakland A’s
during the famed Moneyball error
Chronicle by Michael Lewis’s bestseller
and Brad Pitt’s famous movie Moneyball
Jason Isringhausen known as Izzy by his
friends and teammates was her all-star
closer on her way to the playoffs
we come into Yankee Stadium for a huge
series during the season with a one run
lead in the bottom of the ninth we bring
an Izzy to close out the game
first pitch Bernie Williams home run tie
game
first pitch David Justice Homer Izzy was
devastated It was as if he was struck by
lightning it was a case of mistaken
identity
he no longer looked at himself as an
all-star closer he looked at himself as
a failure he came to me the next day in
the locker room he said Rick I can’t go
out there tonight I can’t do this right
now I need a few days to regroup
I said Izzy come on relax we all have
setbacks that’s part of the game but
your opportunity for this setback is to
come back or in a pennant race is he
your all-star closer we need you well a
few days later after big win is he comes
to me in a locker room after the game he
said hey I’m the closer on his team
that’s my job I want my job back
I said hey welcome back good to see you
again well we bring in is he the next
night and he closes the game out in
all-star fashion well fast forward we go
into Yankee Stadium for the playoffs
postseason the Big Apple there’s no
place like Yankee Stadium in the
postseason well we have a huge win in
game 1 game 2 with a 2-1 lead
we bring in is easy to close out the
game he’s got to go through Bernie
Williams and David Justice
Bernie leads off with a double slight
improvement from last time he walks Tino
Martinez and Jason Giambi runs over from
first base to talk to Izzie I knew it
was time to push the pause button I went
to the mound I put my hand on his he
shoulder he
is literally shaken he was quivering I
said is he are you okay
he said Rick I can’t feel my legs
I said yeah but the good news is we
don’t need your legs to kick a field
goal we need your arm to make a pitch I
said is he one pitch at a time hit the
glove simply hit the glove you’re an
all-star is he you can do this I could
feel his mind get calm and focused I
could see the look in his eye of
confidence and determination he strikes
out Posada for the first out David
Justice pops out for out number two
he pops up Brosius to close out the game
it was a huge victory for the Oakland
A’s more importantly it was a personal
victory for Izzi he defeated fear worry
and doubt and reclaimed his personal
identity after the game I walked up to
Izzi in the locker room I said hey what
did Giambi say when he came over to talk
to you he said is he are you okay
he said I can’t feel my legs
Giambi looked at the sellout crowd in
the Yankee Stadium and he looked back at
Izzy he goes hey dude
just relax it’s okay if you screw this
up nobody’s watching I want to close by
reframing a famous quote from Yogi Berra
performing your best under pressure is
90% mental
the other half is physical ask yourself
what’s my opportunity and be the best of
who you are thank you
[Applause]
Please follow and like us: