WEBVTT - Rajai Davis Breaks Down 2016 Home Run and His Preparation in the MLB 0:00:00.080 --> 0:00:02.480 Hey everybody, and welcome to the latest edition of Dirt 0:00:02.480 --> 0:00:06.040 from the Dugout. Alongside my pala Justin Mussel, I'm Kyle Ravitch, 0:00:06.160 --> 0:00:08.959 and we certainly appreciate all the members that are on 0:00:09.000 --> 0:00:11.240 with us on the Parent Dugout and invite you to 0:00:11.280 --> 0:00:13.960 continue to tell your buddies about it. The parent Dugout 0:00:14.320 --> 0:00:16.320 dot Com is where you go to get Dirt from 0:00:16.360 --> 0:00:21.120 the Dugout and Justin's recruiting confidential. This time of year. 0:00:21.120 --> 0:00:23.759 It's so critical for these kids in colleges and portals 0:00:23.800 --> 0:00:26.119 and transfers and all that you can ask. Justin and 0:00:26.120 --> 0:00:28.920 I are question The Parent Dugout is where we want 0:00:28.960 --> 0:00:31.200 you to go, and we invite you to ask your 0:00:31.280 --> 0:00:35.440 questions about the Parent Dugout send them to info at 0:00:35.440 --> 0:00:39.600 Theparentdugout dot com as you can join our growing community today. 0:00:39.720 --> 0:00:43.599 Become a member of the Parent Dugout. Hiight, Justin. I 0:00:43.640 --> 0:00:46.120 want to take us back to two thousand and sixteen 0:00:46.360 --> 0:00:51.320 November early November twenty sixteen. It's when the Chicago Cubs 0:00:51.440 --> 0:00:54.840 and the then Cleveland Indians were playing in the World Series. 0:00:55.160 --> 0:00:57.520 It was a great World Series. The Cubs haven't won 0:00:57.600 --> 0:01:00.880 a World Series in forever. And they are on the 0:01:00.960 --> 0:01:05.520 cusp of winning this thing, and upstets Raji Davis and 0:01:05.600 --> 0:01:09.120 the eighth inning against Eraaldis Chapman. Most of us that 0:01:09.160 --> 0:01:13.880 were there that night think, okay, advantage Chapman. This game 0:01:13.959 --> 0:01:16.240 is over. It's eight to six, and this is gonna 0:01:16.240 --> 0:01:18.040 be it. The Cubs are gonna win the World Series. 0:01:18.600 --> 0:01:21.080 And lo and behold, rage Davis steps up and hits 0:01:21.080 --> 0:01:25.400 one of the most memorable home runs in World Series history. 0:01:25.880 --> 0:01:28.520 And then I remember the rain delay. I'm sitting in 0:01:28.560 --> 0:01:31.840 the in sort of an auxiliary bullpen because the game 0:01:31.959 --> 0:01:34.280 was over, and we start to sneak into a position 0:01:34.360 --> 0:01:37.120 to get on the field for a post game baseball 0:01:37.160 --> 0:01:39.920 tonight in Sports Center, and I'm sitting, honest to God, 0:01:39.959 --> 0:01:43.600 in this auxiliary bullpen and the rain starts coming down, 0:01:43.640 --> 0:01:46.320 and You're like, they're not gonna They're not gonna bang 0:01:46.360 --> 0:01:49.240 this and move these teams inside. And I'm sitting or 0:01:49.320 --> 0:01:52.480 standing next to Sarah Langs, who is, of course, are 0:01:53.000 --> 0:01:58.360 near and dear, an ardent baseball fan, stricken with als 0:01:58.400 --> 0:02:00.760 and fighting like hell through that thing and working with 0:02:00.840 --> 0:02:03.880 us on our baseball shows. And that's a memory I 0:02:03.920 --> 0:02:06.080 will share with Sarah for the rest of my life, 0:02:06.360 --> 0:02:08.359 and I know she holds that due to her heart. 0:02:08.720 --> 0:02:13.240 They go in. Apparently in this few minutes, Hayward gives 0:02:13.280 --> 0:02:16.200 this speech back come the Cubs. Cubs win the dang 0:02:16.240 --> 0:02:20.080 game and they are the World Series champions. But it 0:02:20.160 --> 0:02:22.680 didn't spoil the moment, I don't think, and certainly the 0:02:22.760 --> 0:02:27.000 memory for Rajai Davis. You have memories of the game 0:02:27.080 --> 0:02:27.720 seven that night? 0:02:28.400 --> 0:02:31.600 Yeah, man, I think when you talk about iconic home runs, 0:02:31.600 --> 0:02:34.240 it's you know, you kind of go off the top 0:02:34.280 --> 0:02:35.840 of your head some of the things that happened and 0:02:35.880 --> 0:02:38.240 where you were, and you kind of remember where you 0:02:38.280 --> 0:02:41.040 were that night. And I think it just you have 0:02:41.120 --> 0:02:45.640 two cities just just craving a championship, right, And I 0:02:45.639 --> 0:02:48.119 think that's what made that so unique, was just that 0:02:48.320 --> 0:02:51.400 swing of like back and forth and back and forth 0:02:51.440 --> 0:02:54.480 of two basically curses, right that you're kind of dealing 0:02:54.520 --> 0:02:56.360 with that they're trying to get past. So I think 0:02:56.360 --> 0:02:58.040 it just made it super cool. I'm excited to talk 0:02:58.080 --> 0:02:58.880 to raj about it. 0:02:59.480 --> 0:03:02.320 Well, let's bring him in. Raji Davis joins us now 0:03:02.360 --> 0:03:05.120 on dirt from the dugout. We are so delighted to 0:03:05.160 --> 0:03:06.920 have you. How are you a big fellow. Thanks very 0:03:07.000 --> 0:03:08.200 much for being with us. 0:03:09.200 --> 0:03:11.600 I'm doing well, Thank you, thanks for having me. This 0:03:11.680 --> 0:03:12.800 is gonna be exciting. 0:03:13.280 --> 0:03:15.600 I'm sure you've never been asked about that home run, 0:03:15.680 --> 0:03:20.200 and that's I've read all the stories and quotes about it. 0:03:20.240 --> 0:03:22.160 Do you do you find yourself having to come up 0:03:22.200 --> 0:03:26.040 with fresh material in order to address that or does 0:03:26.120 --> 0:03:28.480 the moment speak for itself. 0:03:29.639 --> 0:03:32.480 The moment I'm able to get myself back in that moment, 0:03:32.800 --> 0:03:34.920 you guys can bring me right back in at any time. 0:03:37.200 --> 0:03:39.080 Roger, I got to share this with you. One time. 0:03:39.160 --> 0:03:42.320 I was at Aaron Boone's house and we were talking 0:03:42.320 --> 0:03:44.440 to him and his wife came over and we were 0:03:44.440 --> 0:03:48.000 talking about the you know, his iconic home run, right, 0:03:48.160 --> 0:03:51.160 and we were kind of laughing, and his wife was saying, 0:03:51.440 --> 0:03:53.720 are you guys talking about the home run again? And 0:03:53.880 --> 0:03:56.720 Boone says something like, Hey, I should have just an 0:03:56.960 --> 0:04:00.240 on video here on a TV, just replaying that thing 0:04:00.320 --> 0:04:02.080 over and over and I can talk about it all 0:04:02.160 --> 0:04:03.760 day long. Is that how you feel? 0:04:03.800 --> 0:04:07.640 Man? Oh? Absolutely? I mean how many guys, first off, 0:04:07.800 --> 0:04:11.080 have gotten an opportunity to be in that moment, to 0:04:11.280 --> 0:04:14.040 share that with all the fans, with all the people 0:04:14.040 --> 0:04:17.040 who are baseball fans, you know, people who are not 0:04:17.200 --> 0:04:19.719 even fans of our teams that were in the World 0:04:19.839 --> 0:04:22.920 Series remember the moment. They remember where they were just 0:04:22.960 --> 0:04:26.400 like you said, that is something that I get the 0:04:26.480 --> 0:04:30.400 cherishs and share with my family and friends and former 0:04:30.440 --> 0:04:33.240 baseball players, you know, even the Hall of famers that 0:04:33.279 --> 0:04:35.640 I come across, you know, they remember that moment. 0:04:36.040 --> 0:04:38.760 Many of who never had that opportunity. Making it so 0:04:38.920 --> 0:04:42.240 great were the factors of the Cubs who've not won 0:04:42.279 --> 0:04:45.200 a World Series in one hundred years, the Indians at 0:04:45.200 --> 0:04:47.320 that point, who hadn't won one in a long time. 0:04:47.400 --> 0:04:50.800 A game seven rarely does a game seven live up 0:04:50.800 --> 0:04:53.600 to what you hope it would live up to yours did. 0:04:54.279 --> 0:04:56.280 But for the for the people at home that are 0:04:57.160 --> 0:05:00.440 checking this out and our members here, I want you 0:05:00.520 --> 0:05:03.760 to kind of explain your mindset going up to the 0:05:03.800 --> 0:05:07.480 plate against the most dominant reliever in baseball, a guy 0:05:07.520 --> 0:05:10.960 the Cubs went out to get how you prepared for 0:05:11.040 --> 0:05:13.880 the at bad against the role as Chapman, and take 0:05:14.120 --> 0:05:16.000 take us kind of through the way you thought through 0:05:16.040 --> 0:05:16.440 that at that. 0:05:18.160 --> 0:05:21.000 Well, I mean, he had been dominant all year. You know, 0:05:21.080 --> 0:05:24.520 I didn't realize how dominant he was. Until that game 0:05:24.640 --> 0:05:26.680 was over and I looked at the stacks and I 0:05:26.760 --> 0:05:29.160 realized that he had not given up a home run 0:05:29.279 --> 0:05:33.719 since June that year, and I had not hit a 0:05:33.720 --> 0:05:37.680 home run since August of that year. So, you know, 0:05:37.839 --> 0:05:42.479 going into this moment, you know, we all knew what 0:05:42.680 --> 0:05:44.880 we were up against. We know that we're going to 0:05:45.080 --> 0:05:49.680 at some point. Chapman was coming out. He was throwing 0:05:50.000 --> 0:05:54.320 every single game. So every day we were preparing for, 0:05:54.520 --> 0:05:58.720 especially us as platoon players, guys who are going in late, 0:05:59.080 --> 0:06:01.560 guys are going in to get an opportunity to hit 0:06:01.600 --> 0:06:06.520 against the left handed hurler. Right. So for me, it 0:06:06.560 --> 0:06:09.960 did not start that night. It did not start the 0:06:10.000 --> 0:06:12.799 first night of the World Series. It started well before 0:06:12.839 --> 0:06:17.320 that with a text message. It started with a former 0:06:19.920 --> 0:06:25.240 teammate of mine actually in a ball Bobby Kingsbury. He 0:06:25.240 --> 0:06:27.120 he gave me a text, He sent me a text. 0:06:27.360 --> 0:06:30.239 It was kind of long. You know, he was actually 0:06:30.279 --> 0:06:35.159 from the Cleveland area, lived in the Cleveland area, and 0:06:35.240 --> 0:06:37.000 you know, he was telling me that, you know, he 0:06:37.560 --> 0:06:39.599 kind of felt like I was gonna do something big, 0:06:40.200 --> 0:06:42.800 you know, and I, just being who I am, I said, oh, 0:06:42.839 --> 0:06:45.039 I'm gonna agree with that I'm gonna agree with that, 0:06:45.360 --> 0:06:50.920 but yes, yes, absolutely, I'm gonna go with that. But 0:06:51.160 --> 0:06:53.279 but for me, it was it was it was more 0:06:53.440 --> 0:06:56.480 of a spiritual move than anything else. It was it 0:06:56.520 --> 0:06:59.440 was more of a seed that was being planted within me. 0:06:59.839 --> 0:07:02.880 And I knew all about seeds because I've been playing 0:07:02.920 --> 0:07:06.680 seas my whole life, whether it's my preparation, whether it's 0:07:06.720 --> 0:07:10.360 my working outside when nobody else was looking, swinging the bat, 0:07:10.600 --> 0:07:13.960 throwing the ball against the wall, the tennis balls, whatever 0:07:14.040 --> 0:07:16.400 ball I could find, I'm throwing against the house, thrown 0:07:16.440 --> 0:07:19.920 against breaking things, breaking when those breaking houses, it was, 0:07:20.040 --> 0:07:23.120 it was my thing. I was preparing the entire way. 0:07:23.480 --> 0:07:28.400 But you know, this was when he sent this text, 0:07:28.920 --> 0:07:31.920 it just made me think about a moment that I 0:07:31.960 --> 0:07:36.040 could possibly be a part of in the World Series. 0:07:36.280 --> 0:07:38.760 And I'm thinking, I'm going through all these scenarios that 0:07:38.840 --> 0:07:43.239 would that would make sense to me, and I could 0:07:43.280 --> 0:07:47.880 only think of you know, really, it was the Joe Carter, 0:07:48.240 --> 0:07:51.520 you know, when I was in literally when he hit 0:07:51.640 --> 0:07:53.760 the walk off, I was that was one of my 0:07:53.760 --> 0:07:56.800 favorite teams in Toronto, watching the per. 0:07:56.960 --> 0:07:59.120 You went all the way back to nineteen ninety three years, 0:07:59.160 --> 0:08:01.200 so you were thinking home run. I mean you actually 0:08:01.240 --> 0:08:03.560 went up there and said I could have my moment. 0:08:03.600 --> 0:08:05.760 I could tie this game up here with one swing. 0:08:05.840 --> 0:08:07.880 That was that was a conscious thought. 0:08:09.040 --> 0:08:15.120 So my thought when he sent that text was literally, 0:08:15.560 --> 0:08:19.880 what can it be that's going to give the largest impact? 0:08:20.080 --> 0:08:23.360 And I kept rehearsing it over and over and over 0:08:23.520 --> 0:08:28.480 in my mind every single day, every single moment. And 0:08:28.760 --> 0:08:31.400 during that time, I would, you know, get facials done 0:08:31.920 --> 0:08:34.080 because I like to take care of my body, especially 0:08:34.200 --> 0:08:40.000 my feet, but my face too. Right. So, and there 0:08:40.080 --> 0:08:43.120 was a spiritual lady that that I would go to consistently. 0:08:43.280 --> 0:08:47.280 We were, but she said something to me that really strung, 0:08:48.160 --> 0:08:51.960 really hit home for me. And she was a spiritual lady, 0:08:52.040 --> 0:08:57.200 so she believed God. I believe God. And she said, Raja, 0:08:57.720 --> 0:09:03.600 you never asked God for help. I said, hmm, you're right. 0:09:04.240 --> 0:09:05.200 I was thinking about that. 0:09:05.880 --> 0:09:06.560 I hadn't. 0:09:06.720 --> 0:09:09.640 I hadn't done that too often. I was like, because 0:09:09.679 --> 0:09:11.680 when I started my career, when I when I was 0:09:11.720 --> 0:09:14.880 in rookie ball, you know that's one thing I did 0:09:15.160 --> 0:09:18.000 every single bat Before the bat, you know, I would 0:09:18.160 --> 0:09:20.400 I would have a prayer. I would say, you know, 0:09:20.920 --> 0:09:24.360 ask God to help me out use my hands, use 0:09:24.440 --> 0:09:27.360 my mind, use my body, and I hit three eighty 0:09:27.400 --> 0:09:31.280 four in rookie ball and doing that, and then I 0:09:31.360 --> 0:09:33.880 kind of just kind of got away with it, just 0:09:33.960 --> 0:09:37.320 doing it. And then she just reminded me of the 0:09:37.440 --> 0:09:40.800 very beginning, my very first love, right, And so for me, 0:09:42.160 --> 0:09:46.200 it was just waiting for the opportunity. And I think 0:09:46.200 --> 0:09:50.120 it was Game five, I had stole three bases in 0:09:50.200 --> 0:09:53.520 the game, and I believe that was a world series 0:09:53.640 --> 0:09:57.440 record at the time. And I was thinking, is that 0:09:57.600 --> 0:10:00.800 it is? That? Is that the moment? No, No, they 0:10:01.000 --> 0:10:03.120 can't be the moment. That's not big enough, that's not 0:10:03.360 --> 0:10:03.960 loud enough. 0:10:05.600 --> 0:10:07.960 That's a small box I want to go after. 0:10:08.520 --> 0:10:13.000 Exactly because in my because in my my quiet time, 0:10:13.360 --> 0:10:15.839 I could hear it. It was really loud. I could 0:10:15.880 --> 0:10:18.200 feel it, I could see it. I was I was 0:10:18.280 --> 0:10:21.960 so engrossed in what I did pre game, before the 0:10:22.040 --> 0:10:24.240 game even started, before I even got to the field. 0:10:24.240 --> 0:10:27.520 This was part of my daily routine, my daily ritual. 0:10:27.760 --> 0:10:31.920 I would not uh forget to do this because especially 0:10:31.960 --> 0:10:34.800 if I was off, I knew how to get myself 0:10:34.880 --> 0:10:39.040 back in you know, two weeks. I could get myself 0:10:39.080 --> 0:10:42.800 back to you know, my my regular you know mental state. 0:10:43.480 --> 0:10:45.200 Yeah, And Aji, I want to ask you about this 0:10:45.200 --> 0:10:48.040 because I think this is such a key part of 0:10:48.120 --> 0:10:52.480 success when you talk about baseball and it's this, it's 0:10:52.480 --> 0:10:56.240 this ability to really focus in in the moment, right. 0:10:56.320 --> 0:10:58.520 And you know, we all have different pressures. I think 0:10:58.640 --> 0:11:02.080 youth and high school players are dealing with even college 0:11:02.200 --> 0:11:05.720 more pressure now than ever before. Everything's on video, right, 0:11:05.800 --> 0:11:08.840 everything's on social media all the time. So I want 0:11:08.840 --> 0:11:10.520 to I want to go back to that moment because 0:11:10.559 --> 0:11:13.600 I think there's so much to learn in that. Can 0:11:13.640 --> 0:11:17.880 you take us through from a from a pressure standpoint, 0:11:17.920 --> 0:11:21.680 in a moment standpoint, how you stayed so calm and 0:11:21.720 --> 0:11:25.600 within yourself and relax to go do the task at 0:11:25.640 --> 0:11:28.599 hand without letting that moment get a hold of you 0:11:29.200 --> 0:11:32.200 and trying to do too much or trying to press 0:11:32.240 --> 0:11:34.800 in that at bat. I mean, what was that like? 0:11:34.920 --> 0:11:38.080 And what is your advice to youngsters out there that 0:11:38.200 --> 0:11:41.280 are watching that remember this home run and think about 0:11:41.280 --> 0:11:45.040 that moment. What can you tell them about handling pressure? 0:11:46.440 --> 0:11:51.360 Well, pressure is it is actually a sign. It reveals 0:11:51.360 --> 0:11:55.000 what you have prepared for. It reveals who you really are. 0:11:55.440 --> 0:11:58.320 That's what pressure does. If you put the work in 0:11:58.720 --> 0:12:02.280 pressure reveals that you with the work in see. The 0:12:02.440 --> 0:12:06.760 moment did not surprise me. I was ready for the moment. 0:12:07.360 --> 0:12:10.880 So when the moment came, I recognized, this is it. 0:12:11.040 --> 0:12:14.440 This is what I've been prepared for. So I went 0:12:14.559 --> 0:12:18.920 through the pressure beforehand. I saw the guys on base, 0:12:19.360 --> 0:12:22.080 I saw that ahead of time. So when I got there, 0:12:22.160 --> 0:12:26.920 I said, oh, this is it. And so when I 0:12:27.000 --> 0:12:32.520 look back in order for me to get into the present, right, 0:12:32.760 --> 0:12:36.040 that's where the breath comes in. Right. That's one thing 0:12:36.120 --> 0:12:38.559 that sometimes you don't see the kids do. Right. Some 0:12:39.080 --> 0:12:45.040 kids do it. They'll take a deep breath right now. 0:12:45.120 --> 0:12:47.559 That just brings them back into reality. That brings them 0:12:47.559 --> 0:12:50.679 back to here and now. And for me, that was 0:12:50.840 --> 0:12:55.160 calming myself down. You want to be a calm, dangerous hitter, right, 0:12:55.440 --> 0:12:58.720 And I think when I have noticed just just paying 0:12:58.760 --> 0:13:04.920 attention to myself is what makes me most dangerous. It's 0:13:04.960 --> 0:13:08.280 when I'm calm. If my mind is racing, if I'm 0:13:08.320 --> 0:13:13.440 thinking too many thoughts, if I have two three things 0:13:13.480 --> 0:13:15.480 I want to do at the play, that is not 0:13:15.600 --> 0:13:19.760 a win win for me. But here's another thing. Here's 0:13:19.840 --> 0:13:23.640 part of the preparation. Knowing what the picture is going 0:13:23.760 --> 0:13:27.400 to do. I knew exactly what he wanted to do. 0:13:27.640 --> 0:13:30.199 This is my third to bat against him. He had 0:13:30.280 --> 0:13:33.960 thrown fastball, at the fastball, at the fastball my first 0:13:34.360 --> 0:13:39.440 at bat in that World Series, three pitches, three fastballs, strikeout. 0:13:39.880 --> 0:13:43.960 My second at bat, six fastballs. One hit down the 0:13:43.960 --> 0:13:47.200 first base line that rizzodove he caught but he didn't cover. 0:13:47.440 --> 0:13:51.680 That was a base hit. Now I'm going in with 0:13:51.800 --> 0:13:54.360 the confidence that I can get a hit at least 0:13:54.400 --> 0:13:56.760 because I know I've already done. And I hit that 0:13:56.800 --> 0:13:58.400 ball hard. I thought it was a double off my 0:13:58.480 --> 0:14:00.800 bat leg because I was down in away. I was like, 0:14:01.320 --> 0:14:06.160 that's it. And for me, that's all I needed. I 0:14:06.240 --> 0:14:11.040 needed that confidence that the fact that I hit that 0:14:11.120 --> 0:14:15.720 ball hard, it helped to build more confidence in me. 0:14:16.360 --> 0:14:20.080 So building confidence is part of the process when you 0:14:20.160 --> 0:14:23.040 stick with the problem. I know that what he's throwing, Okay, 0:14:23.480 --> 0:14:25.720 I'm going to battle. Now when I go up to 0:14:26.320 --> 0:14:30.360 the plate, it's me versus you. It's not one verse nine, 0:14:30.480 --> 0:14:35.040 it's one verse one. It's like basketball. For me, I'm 0:14:35.080 --> 0:14:38.720 not playing against nine players. I'm playing against one. Picture Now, 0:14:38.880 --> 0:14:40.800 if he got e O. The goons out there, they're 0:14:40.800 --> 0:14:43.640 trying to steal my ball. It's fine, it's okay. I'm 0:14:43.680 --> 0:14:47.560 okay with that. But as long as I get you, I'm. 0:14:47.400 --> 0:14:51.280 Going to get you. That's great, Roger, that's great. So 0:14:51.360 --> 0:14:55.000 be prepared, be in the moment, have great confidence, and 0:14:55.080 --> 0:14:57.480 make sure Anthony Rizzo is not playing first pace. I 0:14:57.480 --> 0:15:01.440 guess we have good questions. He want to remind everybody 0:15:01.480 --> 0:15:04.520 that they could ask questions in the YouTube chat and 0:15:04.680 --> 0:15:08.040 please we're looking for more and more members here at 0:15:08.040 --> 0:15:10.840 the parent dugout dot com. All right here, it is Raj. 0:15:11.080 --> 0:15:13.680 This is wild. It says if every baseball parent watching 0:15:13.680 --> 0:15:16.120 tonight could hear one piece of advice from you, and 0:15:16.160 --> 0:15:18.200 you've already shared a bunch of them, but think about it, 0:15:18.320 --> 0:15:20.480 if you could share one piece of advice from you 0:15:20.600 --> 0:15:21.880 to the parents, what would it be. 0:15:23.120 --> 0:15:26.800 Well to the parents. It is huge for parents because 0:15:26.840 --> 0:15:32.880 a lot of parents think results, results, results, results, and 0:15:32.920 --> 0:15:37.600 it's never really about the results because results fluctuate. Sometimes 0:15:37.600 --> 0:15:41.000 you get a hit and sometimes you don't. Sometimes you 0:15:41.080 --> 0:15:45.040 make the play and sometimes you won't. So you cannot 0:15:45.200 --> 0:15:49.880 rely on setting your kid's identity, and the parent sets 0:15:49.920 --> 0:15:53.240 the identity. The parent says, hey, you are this player, 0:15:53.360 --> 0:15:55.560 or you're you're the guy who gets hit or you're 0:15:55.600 --> 0:15:58.680 the guy who doesn't make errors, but you're going to 0:15:58.760 --> 0:16:02.760 make mistakes going to to get out. But one thing 0:16:02.880 --> 0:16:06.520 for the parents is, you know, try to focus on 0:16:07.120 --> 0:16:12.280 what process will lead to the result that you're looking for. 0:16:12.480 --> 0:16:15.520 And if we focus on the process, the process always 0:16:15.680 --> 0:16:19.760 leads to the results, and the result never leads to 0:16:19.800 --> 0:16:20.440 the process. 0:16:21.480 --> 0:16:25.360 I love that, man, that's so good. Yeah, I want 0:16:25.400 --> 0:16:27.240 to I want to touch on that, Raj, because I 0:16:27.240 --> 0:16:30.400 think this is another lesson just from a scouting background 0:16:30.480 --> 0:16:34.440 that I have and doing some things with players. It 0:16:34.600 --> 0:16:40.120 really starts pregame. So when you talk about evaluating anyone 0:16:40.200 --> 0:16:44.160 that is within baseball, that's truly evaluating A player watches 0:16:44.200 --> 0:16:47.760 the routine, right, they're watching what they're doing. They're watching 0:16:48.320 --> 0:16:51.200 the pregame stuff with the breath work or just getting 0:16:51.240 --> 0:16:55.000 loose the flexibility, and then how they play catch. There's 0:16:55.040 --> 0:16:57.680 those little things, Raja. Can you just talk a little 0:16:57.680 --> 0:16:59.760 bit about that, Raj with I mean, you played for 0:17:00.040 --> 0:17:03.600 teen years in the big leagues and you know sometimes 0:17:03.640 --> 0:17:06.800 that can be a little boring if you will of 0:17:06.840 --> 0:17:09.919 like the same things every day. Can you talk about 0:17:09.920 --> 0:17:13.879 the importance of of pregame routine and how that impacted 0:17:13.920 --> 0:17:17.080 you for the moment. Eventually down the road. 0:17:18.080 --> 0:17:22.200 Well, the pregame routine just let your body know now 0:17:22.200 --> 0:17:25.199 it's time to compete. Yeah, and let your body know 0:17:25.320 --> 0:17:28.560 it's time to play a game. Right, that's the purpose. 0:17:29.280 --> 0:17:32.959 I believe that you do these things because all of 0:17:33.000 --> 0:17:37.439 this is prepper preparing you to play a game. That 0:17:37.960 --> 0:17:43.600 guess what you're trying to win, right? And I think 0:17:43.680 --> 0:17:49.920 the more consistent that you can be on your routine, 0:17:50.920 --> 0:17:55.200 on being consistent on what you do on a daily basis, 0:17:55.600 --> 0:17:59.840 the more consistent you can be in your performance and 0:18:00.080 --> 0:18:04.240 getting the results that you really want. Because what those preparation, 0:18:04.600 --> 0:18:10.760 those things, those routines do is they remind you of 0:18:10.760 --> 0:18:14.000 what you're supposed to do even when the pressure is on. 0:18:14.400 --> 0:18:16.359 And if you can do it when the pressure is off, 0:18:16.640 --> 0:18:18.679 you can do it when the pressure is on. But 0:18:20.080 --> 0:18:24.160 I think when what guys mess up is they changing 0:18:24.320 --> 0:18:28.920 all the time. If something's not working, they change. If 0:18:29.000 --> 0:18:33.000 this is not clicking, they change. And now they're instable. 0:18:33.040 --> 0:18:35.600 They're not even stable in what they're doing. And so 0:18:36.160 --> 0:18:40.960 something that might have worked now they don't know what's working. Right, 0:18:41.320 --> 0:18:46.280 So it's important especially if you have a routine that's working, 0:18:46.680 --> 0:18:51.560 because for me, that is a formula for success. If 0:18:51.560 --> 0:18:55.440 it's working, if one plus one equals to every time, 0:18:55.600 --> 0:18:56.720 why would I change it? 0:18:59.720 --> 0:19:01.240 I think I think that you know, if you tie 0:19:01.280 --> 0:19:04.639 it all together, the foundation is ultimately what leads to it. 0:19:04.640 --> 0:19:08.000 You're just in a sport where you know, success, as 0:19:08.040 --> 0:19:10.120 you say, is fleeting, and it's a game of failure. 0:19:10.240 --> 0:19:12.439 So sometimes I would imagine you look in the rearview 0:19:12.440 --> 0:19:15.800 mirror and wonder, well, is the process or the foundation 0:19:16.400 --> 0:19:19.480 working when I'm in a three for thirty slump? Do 0:19:19.560 --> 0:19:22.240 I stick with that? And I think it leads into 0:19:22.280 --> 0:19:24.280 the next question that we have from one of our 0:19:25.119 --> 0:19:28.800 members here, Ryan, Because you were not necessarily an everyday 0:19:28.840 --> 0:19:32.880 player through a very long career. So when you weren't 0:19:32.880 --> 0:19:35.680 playing every day, Ryan asked, how did you stay mentally 0:19:35.720 --> 0:19:38.800 ready for the moment when your number was called? And 0:19:38.840 --> 0:19:41.480 then part two of that question is did your routine 0:19:41.560 --> 0:19:43.800 change on the days that you knew you were starting 0:19:44.119 --> 0:19:46.120 versus the days you knew you were coming off the bench? 0:19:47.760 --> 0:19:51.720 You know, here's a famous quote, right, if you stay ready, 0:19:52.359 --> 0:19:57.159 you never have to get ready. Right, So Ji, by. 0:19:57.040 --> 0:19:58.679 The way, you should have a T shirt with all 0:19:58.720 --> 0:19:59.520 your sayings on it. 0:20:04.040 --> 0:20:07.040 You know, I'm actually I'm actually finishing up a book 0:20:07.080 --> 0:20:11.840 that I'm writing about mental coaching and coaching for parents, 0:20:11.880 --> 0:20:15.399 you know, because I see the importance in coaching my 0:20:15.440 --> 0:20:18.560 son's team. And you know, last night we had a 0:20:19.440 --> 0:20:22.199 just crazy not to get off the subject, but it 0:20:22.240 --> 0:20:26.679 was crazy. Our starting pitcher gives up six, six runs, 0:20:27.240 --> 0:20:30.119 right and you know, I go out there and I 0:20:30.160 --> 0:20:33.760 talked to him. I said, have you been doing the 0:20:33.880 --> 0:20:37.320 routine that we talked about, the the the entire routine. 0:20:37.760 --> 0:20:40.600 He says to me, Now, well, well, guess what we're 0:20:40.600 --> 0:20:43.360 gonna do. We're gonna go back to zero zero. We're 0:20:43.359 --> 0:20:45.959 gonna pretend it's a zero zero game. We're gonna give 0:20:46.000 --> 0:20:49.639 back to your routine. Your routine is what take a 0:20:49.680 --> 0:20:52.919 deep breath right then you're gonna tell yourself exactly what 0:20:52.920 --> 0:20:55.919 you're gonna throw. You're gonna throw a low fastball right here, okay, 0:20:56.119 --> 0:21:00.240 and then you're gonna do it. That is, he goes one, two, three, strikeout. 0:21:00.440 --> 0:21:03.359 Then he gets he proceeds to get give up no 0:21:03.440 --> 0:21:06.399 more runs and strikes out five other guys. You know, 0:21:06.560 --> 0:21:09.399 so it's like, you know, just sticking over Auteae. So 0:21:09.640 --> 0:21:14.560 for me, especially when I was not starting, I would 0:21:14.600 --> 0:21:19.040 act like a starter because in my mind my identity 0:21:19.240 --> 0:21:21.960 was I'm a starter, So I'm gonna act like who 0:21:22.040 --> 0:21:25.960 I believe I am. So I'm doing things that guess 0:21:25.960 --> 0:21:27.960 what the guys on the bench are not doing. But 0:21:28.000 --> 0:21:30.600 guess what when I get in the game, I'm ready 0:21:31.040 --> 0:21:35.600 because I've been working on stealing my basis because whatever 0:21:35.680 --> 0:21:39.240 you stop doing, you lose. You'll lose it if you 0:21:39.240 --> 0:21:40.120 stop using it. 0:21:41.640 --> 0:21:45.240 Love that man and Roger. I think when you're hitting 0:21:45.240 --> 0:21:47.879 on all this stuff, as we think about the people listening, 0:21:47.960 --> 0:21:52.480 the members and anyone listening and watching tonight, we always 0:21:52.520 --> 0:21:55.160 want to think about the You know, when we talk 0:21:55.160 --> 0:21:58.000 about baseball, we talk about the greater good of baseball, right, 0:21:58.040 --> 0:22:00.440 and what we're kind of trying to accomplish on the field, 0:22:00.480 --> 0:22:03.800 and you're hitting on a little bit. There's so much 0:22:03.840 --> 0:22:06.960 to learn in the sport with overcoming adversity, right, and 0:22:07.000 --> 0:22:09.720 being able to control your emotions and control your mind 0:22:10.160 --> 0:22:13.120 and being able to work through really difficult things. Baseball 0:22:13.200 --> 0:22:16.399 is really challenging. You can have one grade inning, you 0:22:16.440 --> 0:22:18.359 can have one grade at bat. The next at bat 0:22:18.400 --> 0:22:20.960 is terrible, and this is the roller coaster of baseball. 0:22:21.320 --> 0:22:23.440 But I want to get to the next question because 0:22:23.440 --> 0:22:25.560 I think it's really kind of pertains to what I'm 0:22:25.560 --> 0:22:28.200 getting at here. So we go to the next question here, 0:22:28.280 --> 0:22:32.399 So it's kind of talking about the performance in game, 0:22:32.800 --> 0:22:34.920 and here we go. So, Rajah, you were fast. People 0:22:34.960 --> 0:22:37.040 think stealing base is all about speed, but how much 0:22:37.080 --> 0:22:40.120 of it is actually preparation and studying pitchers And this 0:22:40.200 --> 0:22:42.760 is the in game feel that I'm kind of going 0:22:42.800 --> 0:22:46.440 at with youth and high school players now in understanding 0:22:46.480 --> 0:22:48.440 how the game works, can you just share a little 0:22:48.480 --> 0:22:49.360