The Alphabet

Building Blocks of Greatness

An excerpt from Raising a Man by Todd W. Skipton

There is a definite “language of success” utilized by men of greatness. The foundation of this
language is the multiple instructive acronyms of each letter. This is a partial list, as an excerpt
from the 2010 ebook Raising a Man by Todd W. Skipton. The book, and other excerpts, is
available at http://raising-a-man.org.

The Alphabet
“Action, words, looks, steps, form the alphabet by which you may spell character.” Johann Kaspar
Lavater (1741-1801), Swiss poet.

An alphabet of the sporting mind, written for baseball pitchers and applicable to every sport and
every student-athlete:

The Letter A.

ADJUST. Make adjustments when necessary in order to get the result you desire. If something is
not working, experiment with different methods until it does.

William J. “Bill” Bowerman (1911-1999), was the long-time men’s track and field coach at
Oregon. His teams won 4 national titles and Bowerman coached 28 Olympians, in addition to
being the head coach of the 1972 Olympic team. Bowerman was a tough, demanding taskmaster.
He refined that mindset during World War II, when he fought against the Germans in the Swiss
Alps in freezing cold temperatures and in dangerous, high mountains. On skis! He expected the
best from his athletes and worked them 12 months per year, in rain or sunshine, 6 days per
week. “There’s no such thing as bad weather, just soft people,” he said.

Bowerman also expected, and got, the same type of devotion and dedication from his athletes in
the classroom. When his athletes complained that being a top-notch student and a member of a
championship track team was too difficult, he responded in typical gruff style and told them in no
uncertain terms that life itself was more difficult so they better get used to it now. In particular,
Bowerman demanded more of his best athletes: the more potential someone had, the more
Bowerman expected.

Circa 1970, Bowerman experimented with ways to increase the effectiveness of track shoes. He
sought a way to bypass the traditional track spike that had to be inserted into the sole of the
shoe. He tried dozens upon dozens of different substances and methods, all to no avail. After
considerable time and thought, he came up with the idea of using a waffle maker to heat rubber,
thereby creating a one-piece “waffle” shoe sole with “built-in” spikes.

At the same time, one of his former athletes, Philip Hampson “Phil” Knight, a young, struggling
businessman, looked for a product to market. Knight and Bowerman collaborated and sold their
odd-looking shoe out of a tiny storefront near the Oregon campus. The shoe became an almost
instant hit, and over the next decade became the hottest-selling shoe in the world. A primary
emphasis of the company, and something that had never been done, was using athletes to help
design, develop and market specific and unique shoes.

Bowerman and Knight amassed remarkable wealth in a short time, and soon built an international
company based upon the same massive work ethic and intolerance for mediocre performance that
Bowerman hammered into each of his track teams. Today, Knight still thinks so much of his
former coach that as you enter the Nike world headquarters, you must drive down Bowerman
Way to enter the complex. Thanks to Bowerman’s endless adjustments, Nike is now synonymous
with athletic shoes.

ADVERSITY. Self-discipline is needed when things don’t go as planned. Think of a solution, rather
than dwelling on the problem. Use adversity and negativity to make you stronger. Felix d’Herelle
(1873-1949), a French-Canadian microbiologist, identified the phage, a specific kind of virus that
attacks bacteria in order to kill pathogenic microorganisms. In layman’s terms, it’s an extremely
tough type of virus that actually multiplies as it lives in bacteria and then becomes a killer of fatal
bacteria. In other words, instead of becoming weaker when surrounded by “bad” things, the
phage becomes stronger. The more bad things present, the more powerful the phage becomes.
Become a phage!

“We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong.” Carlos Castenada (1925-
1998), author.

ATTACK. Attack the strike zone with aggression. Avoid being too cute or too fine. Fire the ball at
the corner of the plate and dare the batter to hit it.

“My mentality is that I’m gonna beat you. I’m gonna come after you, so here it comes. I attack
the hitter.” William Edward “Billy” Wagner, pitcher, Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, New
York Mets, and several other teams.
ASIDE. Throw caution to the wind and let the pitch go! An excerpt from the 2004 novel Slider, by
British author Patrick Robinson: “He was uninterested in where the ball went. Cast his cares
aside. Just let it rip in a tumult of violent uncontrolled rage. He just wanted to throw harder and
harder and nothing could stop him. No one could have hit that pitch. No one.” This is the mindset
of someone who will not be denied, whether on the pitcher’s mound or in the classroom or in life.

The pitcher in the novel had been plagued with self doubt and fear and was too worried about
aiming instead of releasing the ball toward a target. What changed, when he suddenly cut loose
and threw strike after strike? No observer could tell a difference – because the change began
internally. The pitcher altered his consciousness and his mentality from a passive observer who
let things happen, to an active controller who made things happen. He wanted to throw strikes,
so there was no other possibility. He threw strikes! Ultimately, his concentration changed, his
technique changed, his demeanor changed, he changed. Everything was different and would
never be the same, because he was now a pitcher without self doubt or fear. Look at the mitt and
let it fly!

“I could become anything I wanted to be. Fear evaporated and in its place came a sense of
personal might and power.” George Gordon Battle “G. Gordon” Liddy, FBI agent and author.

“It’s about time to move from reactor to creator, reactive to proactive, in each part of our lives.”
Rick Davis, author.

AGGRESSIVENESS. Maintain your aggression, especially when adversity is at hand.

ATTITUDE. Your teammates look to you as their leader. Set the tone. Never show frustration or
discouragement.

AHEAD. Get ahead and stay ahead in the count as a priority. Throw first pitch strikes!

The Letter B.

BALANCE. Maintain an even keel with your emotions.

BEHAVIOR. Take the mindset that no one cares how you feel; they care how you act.

BELIEF. Your teammates won’t believe in you until you believe in yourself.
BIG. The big inning. Prevent it at all costs. Get outs, by any means necessary.

BECOME. The 1999 fictional movie The 13th Warrior is a rollicking adventure movie version of the
John “Michael” Crichton (1942-2008) 1976 book Eaters of the Dead, based on the true story of a
10th century Arab ambassador-turned-writer who becomes part of a group of Viking warriors. The
Vikings compel the ambassador to become a great man:
Ambassador Ahmad Ibn Fadlan: “I cannot lift this.”
Viking Herger the Joyous: “Grow stronger.”

The Letter C.

CHARACTER. A definition of character is, “what you do when no one is watching.” Baseball reveals
character by your responses to your failures and successes during a game and during practice.
Another definition, from author James Allen: “A man is literally what he thinks, his character
being the sum total of all his thoughts.”

“The ultimate aim … lies not in victory or defeat but in the perfection of the character.” Gichin
Funakoshi (1868-1957), Japanese founder of Shotokan karate.

COACH. The most important coach you’ll ever have is yourself.

COMPETITOR. You must exhibit dogged perseverance, in particular in regard to your belief in
yourself. Meaning, you must hold tight to your firm belief that you can make quality pitches, like
a dog who has a bone or a rope in its mouth and refuses to let loose. Refuse to ever let go of
your belief in yourself and your ability to get batters out. Also, you can be a nice, polite person off
the field, but on the baseball diamond take after Admiral Sir George Somers (1554-1610), a
British seafarer legend described as “A lamb on land … a lion at sea.” Be a lion on the baseball
diamond.

CONCENTRATION. If you think something is boring, it will be. Do whatever is necessary to keep
every pitch exciting enough so that you pay attention.

Henry Louis “Hank” Aaron, the first man to break Babe Ruth’s career home run record, thought it
took only one essential attribute to be a great hitter: concentration. No matter what is happening
around you, see the ball, focus on the ball, hit the ball hard. When Aaron was on the bench, he
used to look at the pitcher through an eyelet in his hat in order to eliminate everything but the
arm and the ball. He focused on nothing other than that area.
CONTROL. In particular, control your emotions and control your response to adversity. “Control is
largely a function of concentration,” said Hall of Fame pitcher Pack Robert “Bob” Gibson, St. Louis
Cardinals.

CONFIDENCE. Defined as “surety, hope, and trust in yourself.” If something disappointing

happens, take heed of the ancient proverb, “this too, shall pass.”

“Once I’m out on the mound, pitching becomes all about confidence.” Will “Roger” Clemens,
pitcher, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Houston Astros.

CONSISTENCY. Hold yourself accountable to do the right thing, time after time after time. Only
you are responsible for how you respond to adversity. “Winning is not a sometimes thing,” said
Hall of Fame head football coach Vincent Thomas “Vince” Lombardi (1913-1970).

The Letter D.

DEDICATION. Excellence requires sacrifice.

“Blame no one! Expect nothing! Do something!” Duane Charles “Bill” Parcells, head football coach
of the New York Giants, New England Patriots, New York Jets, and Dallas Cowboys.

The Letter E.

EMOTIONS. Be aware of how you are feeling, so that you can control your emotions. Offer no
excuses if something bad happens.

EDGES. “The wildest pitch is not necessarily the one that goes back to the screen. It can also be
the one that goes right down the middle.” Sanford Braun “Sandy” Koufax, Hall of Fame pitcher,
Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers. Pitch on the edges.

The Letter F.

FINISH. Finish hitters. Be merciless, especially when you are ahead in the count or have 2 strikes
on the batter.
The Letter G.

GRATITUDE. Be grateful for any opportunity to pitch. It does not matter if you start or relieve,
just be thankful you can step on the mound.
The Letter H.

HOW. It’s not necessarily what pitch you throw, but how and where you throw it. Put the ball in
the strike zone!

HEART. A description of the University of Southern California relief pitcher Jack Krawcyzk. “It’s all
heart. He’s got the biggest heart of any pitcher I’ve ever caught. It doesn’t matter how good his
stuff is, he’s going to get you out because he’s got heart and he’s not afraid to come after you.”

HUMOR. “All right everyone, line up alphabetically according to your height.” Charles Dillon
“Casey” Stengel (1890-1975), Hall of Fame baseball manager and player.

The Letter I.

INTENSITY. A magnifying glass intensifies and concentrates the diffuse rays of the sun into a
single, minute-yet-powerful pinpoint of focus powerful enough to burn a hole through a leaf,
within seconds. Do the same with your focus, and burn a hole through negative thoughts and the
opposition!

INTIMIDATING. “You have to be brash and intimidating on that mound. You have to think that
you are the best.…” Dennis Dale “Denny” McLain, pitcher, Detroit Tigers, Washington Senators,
and several other teams and the last pitcher to win 30 games in a season.

The Letter J.

JOY. You are blessed to play such a fine game – keep the joy and spirit of playing it foremost in
your mind.

Here’s an apocryphal story that makes the rounds amongst baseball scouts as an example of the
joyful attitude and love for the game that they want to see in a prospect. A seasoned baseball
scout happened upon a Little League scrimmage game, and settled into a comfortable position
behind home plate. He’d heard there were some talented players in this league. Although he
didn’t know in advance of anyone special on the field, he was always looking for a diamond in the
rough.

In the top of the first inning, the visiting team hit pitch after pitch to the fence and over the
fence. They shelled the starting pitcher and several relievers. There were so many runs scored
that most of the home crowd lost interest and left. Any prudent fan could tell that there was no
chance for a comeback. Even the scout had never seen a more one-sided at-bat to open a game.
He stood up to leave, thinking he’d just wasted his time.

As he was leaving, though, the scout found his attention drawn to one of the defensive 9, the
shortstop. Before every single delivery, the young man was alert, attentive, and still walking into
every pitch. If the scout hadn’t known better, he would have thought the kid was playing in a
close game in a World Series. The shortstop directed encouraging comments toward his
teammates, and in spite of all the runs given up, the scout never saw the young man hang his
head, droop his shoulders, or diminish in his enthusiasm. The scout was intrigued and decided to
stay a bit longer. After much anguish and too many runs, the third out was recorded. The
shortstop sprinted off the field and into the dugout.

The scout watched from afar in the now nearly-empty stands as the young man paced up and
down the length of the dugout, stopping briefly in front of each teammate. Again, the scout was
almost aghast. Whoever this kid was, it seemed he’d lost the ability to read a scoreboard! He was
acting like it was his team that had a 15-0 lead. The scout could actually feel the optimism,
energy, and eagerness emanating from this young man. This kid was a leader! Since the
shortstop was in the hole, batting third, the scout decided to move a little closer to the on-deck
circle. He wanted to get a closer look at this enthusiastic young man. By the time the youngster
was on deck, the scout had reached a front-row seat directly in front of the circle.

The pitcher called time in order to tie a loose shoelace. The scout decided to take advantage of
the lull and say something to this unique player. “Hey, shortstop,” the scout said. Somewhat
facetiously he asked, “why so up-beat and positive? Don’t you know the score?” The remarkable
young man took a final, vicious warm-up swing and then glanced at the man. “Don’t worry about
it, mister. We’ve got that other team so overconfident right now. Besides, I haven’t even been up
to bat yet!” he said. The player strode with confidence toward the plate. As he reached the
batter’s box, the scout swore he heard the kid say “beautiful day for baseball, huh?” to the
umpire.
Before the next pitch, the scout walked away and exited the ballpark. The scout didn’t need to
see anything else. He knew that this was a special young man, destined for greatness, no matter
how well he actually played the game of baseball. The scout realized he’d just witnessed a
transcendent moment, an unforgettable time when pure love for the game superseded the
disappointing results on a scoreboard. The scout vowed to spend the rest of his days looking for
another kid who displayed the same unflappable attitude and the same inspirational persona.

Be that kid!

The Letter K.

K. In the scorebook, the letter “K” designates a strikeout. Henry Chadwick (1824-1908), a
sportswriter often called the “father of baseball,” shortened the phrase “struck out” to “struck,”
then used only the last letter in the word (“k”) because “S” already signified “sacrifice.”

The Letter L.

LEARN. John Anthony Franco, long-time relief pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets,
felt that the key to his longevity was “learn something new every day.”

“Every time you learn something, it helps you … Once you stop learning, you’re going to be in the
second row looking at somebody else playing.” Ferguson Arthur “Fergie” Jenkins, Canadian Hall of
Fame pitcher, Chicago Cubs, and several other teams.

It’s never too late to learn from mistakes. In World War II, the Pacific island of Tarawa was a
particular stronghold of the Japanese. The island was a priority; they made the island
impregnable to invasion. Or so they thought. They were wrong. When the U.S. forces first
invaded the island, they used outdated techniques and equipment. Many brave men died, but
those that survived learned from the errors. The subsequent concepts of both the amphibious
assault vehicle (the Amtrac) and the pre-invasion combat swim team invasion force (Underwater
Demolition Teams, which later morphed into the Navy SEALs) were formulated, developed, and
utilized to great success, later in the war, as a direct result of the earlier failures. The price,
measured in brave American’s lives, was too high but it was not in vain.

LOSSES. Denton B. True “Cyclone” Young (1867-1955), namesake of Major League Baseball’s Cy
Young Award presented every year to the best pitcher in each league, accumulated 511 wins
during his baseball career. He also holds the record for most losses, 316. This is not surprising –
many of the most successful people in sports, and in life, have also suffered devastating losses.
The difference is, the winner is not deterred by defeat. The winner is motivated to greater effort
and greater results when he fails, for he knows that failure is temporary and fleeting.
The Letter M.

MAD. Theodore Samuel “Ted” Williams (1918-2002), the Boston Red Sox slugger, was often
called “The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived.” He said, “There’s only one way to become a hitter.
Go up to the plate and get mad. Get mad at yourself and get mad at the pitcher.” “Mad” in this
sense means “being intensely excited, carried away with enthusiasm, and completely
unrestrained by doubt.” Williams played mad, and so should you.

Refine, shape, and direct your most aggressive impulses and qualities into playing the game.
There is a fine line of distinction between being upset and angry and out of control versus being
focused and determined and mad with desire to crush all obstacles. Don’t get angry, get mad!

MAXIMIZE. Maximize your gifts!

MERCY. “You must show no mercy … nor have any belief whatsoever in how others judge you …
for your greatness will silence them all.” Jim “Ultimate Warrior” Hellwig, pro wrestler and writer.

MOVEMENT. “I was taught that movement is more important than velocity.” Gregory Alan “Greg”
Maddux, All-Star pitcher, Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego
Padres.

The Letter N.

NO. No more Mr. Nice Guy on the pitcher’s mound. No timidity. An extraordinary competitor is not
a Mr. Milquetoast.

NEXT. “Never let the failure of your last pitch affect the success of your next one.” Lynn “Nolan”
Ryan Jr., Hall of Fame pitcher, New York Mets, California Angels, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers.

“Your most important pitch is the next one.” James Louis “Jim” Fregosi, player and manager.

The Letter O.
OUTS. 27 outs. Baseball, by its nature, teaches every player to not quit. “It ain’t over til it’s
over,” as the saying goes.

Harold “Hal” Newhouser (1921-1998), Hall of Fame Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians
flamethrower and the only pitcher to win back-to-back MVPs, pitched by the motto “never give up
and never give in.”

OPPORTUNITY. “Size, height, color … none of that matters. If you believe you can play this game,
and you dedicate yourself and your time to giving it all you’ve got, you can make it.” Thomas
“Tom” “Flash” Gordon, pitcher, Kansas City Royals and many other teams.

The Letter P.

PERSPECTIVE. The opening stanza of the poem If, by British author and poet Rudyard Kipling
(1865-1936): “If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs.…”

POISE. “Courage is grace under pressure.” Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961), author.

“It’s not stress that kills us, it’s our reaction to it.” Hans Selye, 1907-1982, Canadian
endocrinologist.

PRESSURE. Pressure is self-imposed.

PACE. Control the tempo. Most times, faster is better. Don’t let the batter get comfortable. And
don’t bore your fielders.

PURPOSE. Never waste a pitch. Have a plan for every pitch you throw.

“Let no act be done without a purpose.” Marcus Aurelius.

PITCHER. “You haven’t become a good pitcher until you can win when you don’t have anything.”
Sandy Koufax.

The Letter Q.
QUALITY. “The quality of the box {plane} matters little. Success depends upon the man who sits
in it.” Baron Manfred von Richthofen, “The Red Baron” (1892-1918), German fighter pilot.

The Letter R.

RELENTLESSNESS. “You just make pitches. Regardless of the situation, you just have to get guys
out. So who cares what the situation is? Locate the fastball, change speeds, change locations.”
Greg Maddux.

“I push myself to the threshold / Because I am stronger; because I believe / Now I spit in the
face of defeat / Now I’m stronger than all uncertainty.” Hatebreed, lyrics to song “To the
Threshold” from 2006 album Supremacy.

RELAX. “If I tried to throw harder than I could, the ball went slower than it normally would.”
George Thomas “Tom” Seaver, Hall of Fame pitcher, New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago
White Sox and Boston Red Sox.

RESPECT. “I believe the biggest key to any pitcher’s success is to treat the ability to pitch as
though it were a gift, to treat it with respect and reverence, and to make sure when you go out
there you’ve got 100% of your ability ready to go with you.” Donald Howard “Don” Sutton, Hall of
Fame pitcher, Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros, and many other teams.

The Letter S.

SELECTION. “The right pitch is the one you believe in.” Sandy Koufax.

SELF. Recognize the importance of self-talk. Reduce it to basics. Tell yourself, “Get outs.” “Throw
strikes.” “Hit ball.” “Focus on mitt.” “Easy now; relax.”

“When there’s nothing left to burn you have to set yourself on fire.” Star, lyrics to song “Set
Yourself on Fire” from the 2005 album Set Yourself on Fire. No, not in a literal sense. In a
metaphorical sense, meaning that the best motivation comes from within. Fire up your energy,
fire up your determination, fire up yourself!
SIMPLICITY. Baltimore Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates pitching coach Raymond Roger “Ray” Miller
believed in 3 simple keys to a successful pitching performance: “Work fast. Change speeds.
Throw strikes.”

“The pitcher should always be thinking of how to make everything simpler.” John Franklin
“Johnny” Sain (1917-2006) pitcher, Boston Braves and other teams; pitching coach, New York
Yankees, Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers.

An aeronautical engineering professor wanted to challenge his finest college honors students. In
the beginning of a class, he gave each student an 8.5 inch by 11 inch piece of paper. He said they
had 20 minutes to design a projectile using this piece of paper, with 2 guidelines: the projectile
must be launched from the back of the classroom; and the projectile must fly 20 feet through the
air and strike a small, designated area on the front wall of the classroom.

The student’s labors were mighty and energetic. Each student designed an intricate, well thought-
out, finely-honed paper airplane. There were all types of shapes, sizes, and designs, each more
outlandish than the next. One by one, each student launched his projectile and tried to satisfy the
2 guidelines. One by one, each elaborately-crafted projectile failed the assignment. Most of the
launches failed to travel more than a few feet. The designs looked fabulous, but their “practicality
was practically nil,” the professor said.

In a class of 35 students, only 2 designed paper airplanes efficient enough to fly the required 20
feet, and neither of those hit the targeted landing area. The students groused and complained
that the assignment was “unfair,” “too difficult,” and “impossible to achieve.”

When the complaining stopped, the professor addressed the class. “All of you failed to hit the
primary objective. Likewise, every single one of you over-complicated the assignment,” he said.
Whereupon, he took his piece of paper, wadded it into a tight ball, and tossed it straight at the
target, which it struck with ease!

The bottom line is that many times, your learned desire to “impress” others gets in the way of
your success. Look for the simplest, most direct way to accomplish any task, and then accomplish
it. Stop trying to impress, and just do it! In particular, this applies to schoolwork, your pitching
motion, and household chores!

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519), Italian Renaissance

man.
SPAHN. Hall of Fame pitcher Warren Edward Spahn, who played predominantly for the Boston
Braves and Milwaukee Braves, was a fireballing left-hander who won 363 games, more than any
other lefthander in history. Spahn was a master of control who said, “Home plate is 17 inches
wide. All I asked for were the 2 inches on each corner. The hitters could have the 13 inches in
between. I never threw there.”

Spahn excelled in all facets of the game. He hit well enough to stay in games during the late
innings, he fielded the ball well and with aggression, and he had a phenomenal pickoff move to
first base. He was also a master at being in control of tempo on the mound. “Hitting is timing.
Pitching is upsetting timing,” he said.

His many pitching victories notwithstanding, his greatest victory came during World War II when
he won the Bronze Star for valor during the Battle of the Bulge. He volunteered and joined the
Army as a combat engineer, and did his job so well that he was given a rare battlefield
commission. He was injured during a battle, and for years afterward, painful pieces of shrapnel
would work their way to the surface of his skin and he’d have to remove them with tweezers.

Spahn was always appreciative of his chance to play the great American pastime. “After you’ve
tried to sleep in frozen tank ruts within the range of Nazi guns, every day you get to play baseball
is a breeze.” At the end of his career, Spahn, who had an extreme, high leg kick perhaps only
exceeded by Hall of Fame San Francisco Giants ace Juan Antonio Marichal, lost his blazing fastball
and had to accommodate by pitching smarter and more precise. His effectiveness remained
exemplary. He and Marichal squared off against each other in a game for the ages when Spahn
was 42-years-old. Each pitched into the 16th inning in a scoreless game; each threw in excess of
200 pitches. Neither thought about a pitch count; it was all about the competition.

Visit the Braves stadium today, and you’ll find a bronze statue of the lofty lefty. If you’re good
enough, maybe one day you’ll win the Warren Spahn Award, presented on an annual basis to the
best lefty in the majors.

The Letter T.

TARGET. Always have a target. Nolan Ryan said, “There’s only you and the catcher.”

TOTAL. Total effort. Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), an Italian poet, called it “tutta spenta,” meaning
“totally spent” or “entirely extinguished.” When you are pitching, hold nothing back (and that
does not mean throw as hard as you can, all the time). It means, use your complete and available
focus, concentration, and effort every time you throw a pitch. When you’re exhausted and done
for the day, or you get replaced by a relief pitcher or throw your prescribed pitch count limit,
you’ll know you did your best. “It’s better to burn out than to fade away,” is a lyric from the
acoustical Neil Percival Young song “My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)” from the 1979 album Rust
Never Sleeps. For these purposes, it means to pitch your finest until you can’t go any further,
whether that’s 1 batter or 9 innings or whatever is necessary.

The Letter U.

UNILATERAL. One way – nothing happens until you pitch the ball.

UNCONVENTIONAL. Robert Rogers (1731-1794) was a colonial farmer from New Hampshire who
fought for the British in the French and Indian War. During the Revolutionary War, Rogers formed
a small, elite group of colonial troops who are recognized as being the forerunner of today’s
Special Forces units. His men wore unique, green uniforms in stark contrast to the traditional
British red coats, and they fought in an unconventional, unrecognizable style. Rogers’ Rangers, as
they grew to be called, successfully adopted the best fighting techniques of the Indians whom
they once fought, and brought their own special talents of increased organization, better
munitions, better training and better supplies to the mix.

His Rangers routed the Abenak Indians (a British ally), in Canada, in a battle that personified
their overall success. Rogers concocted a plan so audacious, so inconceivable, and so seemingly
foolhardy and doomed, that the Indians failed to believe it was possible. When the Rangers did
attack, their outnumbered forces overwhelmed the entrenched, fortified Indians, who surrendered
in spite of their many tactical advantages. The invasion was so illogical and so nonsensical that it
shocked the enemy into paralysis. Like Rogers and his Rangers, be yourself, play to your
strengths, and attack!

STEADINESS. Be unaffected by sudden events.

“Accept each challenge as an opportunity to transform yourself.” Paulo Coelho, Brazilian novelist.

The Letter V.
VIOLENCE. A definition of violence is “acting with extreme force; with considerable energy; with
significant emotional and physical intensity; and imposing your will on another.”

VARIETY. “Never the same pitch twice, never the same place twice, never the same speed twice.”
Edmund Walter “Eddie” Lopat (1918-1992), pitcher, Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees,
Baltimore Orioles.

The Letter W.

WHOLE. Whole-hearted effort. Eric Arthur Heiden, a full-track speedskater, won 5 individual gold
medals at the 1980 Olympics. He trained as hard as he could, day after day, for the years prior. A
staple of his daily training was mile after mile of duck-walking. Many experts will tell you that
duck-walking is dangerous and injurious. Heiden listened to the same detractors, and ignored
them. He duck-walked faster and for longer distances, and sculpted a pair of the largest,
strongest, most explosive and most powerful legs this planet has ever seen. Any exercise or
activity can be classified by someone, somewhere, as dangerous if that’s the answer you’re
looking for in order to avoid plain old-fashioned hard work.

Heiden never avoided hard work. First, he was a world champion who set 4 world records during
those Olympics, and then he became a world class cyclist, and then he became an acclaimed
orthopedic surgeon. He applied the same devotion, dedication, and immense work ethic to each
pursuit.

Emile Zola (1840-1902), French writer: “I am here to live out loud.”

The Letter X.

X. Avoid the center of the plate. Imagine the intersection of the lines in the middle of an “X” is the
middle of the plate, and only pitch on the edges.

The Letter Y.

YEARN. Yearn to be better. “Act the way you'd like to be and soon you'll be the way you act,” said
Leonard Norman Cohen, Canadian singer-songwriter.
The Letter Z.

ZEAL. A definition of zeal: “A feeling of strong eagerness; excessive fervor and desire to
accomplish something worthwhile; and a prompt willingness to do something great.” Such as,
throw strikes!

“Say yes to life.” Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), German philosopher.

ZERO. Hone in, zero in, on your target, and acknowledge no distractions.

“{Before his first at-bat against a certain pitcher} I hope he arouses the fire that’s dormant in the
innermost recesses of my soul. I plan to face him with the zeal of a challenger.” Ichiro Suzuki,
Japanese All-Star; Orix BlueWave and Seattle Mariners.