Don Keener

[MVNU Baseball @MVNUBaseball]

A message from Blaine. #RollCougs

[Don Keener @dkeener_9]

@AjHolbrook6 @BeaversField @TopPreps Keep up the good work AJ!

[OCU Trailblazers @OCUtrailblazers]

.@akeener23 is our Circleville Nutrition Athlete of the Week after batting .500 along with 8 hits, 8 runs and 6 RBIs in four wins for @OhioChr_BB last week! #BlazerNation🔥

[OCU Trailblazers @OCUtrailblazers]

.@OhioChr_BB's bats were HOT this weekend to sweep Alice Lloyd by a combined score of 43-9. @cranebird11 had a total of 10 RBIs and a home run while @akeener23 added six hits, five RBIs and five runs. #BlazerNation🔥
https://t.co/bbtwBdVs76

[Benny Johnson @bennyjohnson]

🔥Legendary Christian NFL player goes ON-RECORD on Capitol Hill, DEMANDS FBI institute “Rescue Team” to save exploited children as the FBI instead targets Catholics and parents at school boards

[Rookie Watch @RookieWatxh]

Marvin Harrison Jr. is an absolute CLASS ACT.

In a recent interview with GQ, Harrison was asked what his secret ingredient was to help him perform on the field.

“My Bible. I continue to pray, to pursue my faith as much as I can outside of football.”

And then he was asked what he wants his legacy to be.

“I don't want anyone to remember the awards, touchdowns, yards, whatever it may be. I just want people to remember the person who I was. Most important is that I was the guy that treated everyone equally and said hi to everyone.”

With a mindset like this, there’s NO DOUBT Harrison is worthy of the first overall pick 🔥

[Tim Walton @OGWalt_]

Thoughtful Thursday! 💭 Standards

[Billy Oppenheimer @bpoppenheimer]

After his second year at Michigan, Tom Brady wanted to transfer.

He wasn't playing in games, and he was so low on the depth chart that he only got 2 reps in practice.

Brady met with his coach to express his frustration, “The other quarterbacks get all the reps.”

Coach replied,

“Brady, I want you to stop worrying about what all the other players on our team are doing. All you do is worry about what the starter is doing, what the second guy is doing, what everyone else is doing. You don't worry about what you're doing.”

Coach reminded him, “You came here to be the best. If you're going to be the best, you have to beat out the best.”

And then he recommended that Brady start meeting with Greg Harden, a sports psychologist who worked in Michigan's athletic department.

Brady went to Harden's office and whined, “I'm never going to get my chance. They're only giving me 2 reps.”

Harden simply replied, “Just go out there and focus on doing the best you can with those 2 reps. Make them as perfect as you possibly can.”

“So that's what I did,” Brady said. “They'd put me in for those 2 reps, man, I'd sprint out there like it was Super Bowl 39. 'Let's go boys! Here we go! What play we got?'”

“And I started to do really well with those 2 reps. Because I brought enthusiasm, I brought energy.”

Soon, it went from getting 2 reps to getting 4 reps. Then from 4 to 10, “and before you knew it,” Brady said, with this new mindset that Greg instilled in me—to focus on what you can control, to focus on what you're getting, not what anyone else is getting, to treat every rep like it's the Super Bowl—eventually, I became the starter.”

Takeaway 1:

Greg Harden telling Brady to just focus on being great during his 2 reps reminded me of a piece of advice from the entrepreneur Mark Cuban.

“People come to me all the time and tell me they're stuck,” Cuban explained. “They're stuck in a job they don't like. They're stuck working for a boss they don't like. They're stuck on a team they don't like.”

“I just tell them, 'Be great.'”

“The reality of life is that you can't just always quit your job. You can't just always go to your boss and say, 'Give me the promotion, or I'm out of here.'” You can't just always go to your coach and say, 'Give me more reps, or I'm transferring.'

“So when you're stuck, you've gotta find it within yourself to say, 'Ok, this is where I am. And if I'm going to be here, I'm going to be great.'

Because if you're great at your job, typically other people and companies find out, so it creates opportunities.”

Takeaway 2:

I've written before about “lead measures”—the actions and behaviors that predictably drive success.

The core characteristic of a lead measure, the authors of The 4 Disciplines of Execution (4DX) write, is that “a lead measure is influenceable; it can be directly influenced by you.”

To achieve your goals, they recommend (echoing what the Michigan Coach told Brady), apply a disproportionate energy to the things that are in your control.

Starting at Michigan and for the rest of his career, that’s what Brady did, that’s what drove his success.

In his first media call after he was selected by the New England Patriots with the 199th pick in the 2000 draft, Brady was asked: “Are you aware that [along with starting quarterback, Drew Bledsoe] there’s another quarterback here that they drafted last year?”

Brady said he was aware of that. “And I know he’s a heck of a player,” Brady said. “But I’ve always really concerned myself just with the things I can control. I don’t put a lot of thinking into the other guys because I know I’m not at my best when I’m not just thinking about playing as well as I possibly can.”

- - -

“I never once in my life ever said I wanted to be the best of all time. Ever. I wanted to be the best I could be, period. I learned that in college. It didn’t matter what the other guys were doing. It mattered what I was doing.” — Tom Brady

Follow @bpoppenheimer for more content like this!

[Pittsburgh Pirates @Pirates]

RETWEET THIS for a chance to win this autographed Andrew McCutchen Topps baseball card in honor of International Trading Card Day! #ToppsITCD

[Beavers Field/The Beavers Dam @BeaversField]

@akeener23 answer with his own HR to tie it up 1-1 in the 1st @Post283Baseball

[Don Keener @dkeener_9]

Thanks to @6Smokeys for having @akeener23 and @mkeener_9 on his podcast to discuss the upcoming American Legion state baseball tournament, their faith, time @FCAKnights and future at @OhioChr_BB! https://t.co/xrfSj7OBV0

[Lancaster E-G @EagleGazette]

Fairfield Christian Academy senior Matthew Keener headlines All-Mid-State League-Cardinal Division by being named player of the year. https://t.co/FHmry0G1Da

[Josh Baker @BakerJ55]

Congratulations to Senior, Matt Keener on being named DIV Central District Player of the year and MSL Cardinal Player of the year. Matt was also the captain of the no fly zone and took away the alleys. Can’t wait to watch him compete at @OhioChr_BB next season.
@mkeener_9

[Josh Baker @BakerJ55]

Congratulations to Senior, Andrew Keener on being named 1st Team All District and 1st Team All League. Great leader and work ethic that can’t be matched. Can’t wait to watch him play at @OhioChr_BB
@akeener23

[Fairfield Christian @FCAKnights]

FCA Baseball Central District Honors:
Matthew Keener-Player of the Year/First Team
Andrew Keener-First Team
Brayden Stem-2nd Team
A.J. Holbrook-2nd Team
Jimmy Schmitz- Honorable Mention
Coach Josh Baker-Coach of the Year

[Don Keener @dkeener_9]

Fairfield Christian Academy tops Berne Union to secure its first-ever league title https://t.co/P48hg0APGg via @eaglegazette

[Josh Baker @BakerJ55]

Knights win 9-2 over Berne Union to secure the first league title in school history. Jimmy Schmitz picks up the win and @AjHolbrook6 picks up the 3 inning save. @mkeener_9 goes 3-4 with 3 runs and 2 RBIs. @Braydenstem_42 goes 4-4 with 3 huge RBI’s.

[Josh Baker @BakerJ55]

Knights beat Toronto by a score of 7-2. Freshman @AjHolbrook6 goes 6 innings to pick up his first varsity win over the #1 team in the state. @mkeener_9 and @akeener23 each with 2 hits. Knights take on Fredricktown tonight at 7pm.