The Peak Performance Expert

Red Sox center-fielder and MVP candidate Jacoby Ellsbury doesn’t hold back.  Criticized by some for his absence last year from the Sox dug-out while he was rehabbing from cracked ribs, Ellsbury has returned to the Sox this year with a vengeance. 

Displaying class and mental toughness, Ellsbury didn’t get caught up in the criticism. Instead he worked hard to build his strength and refine his skills.  It’s paid off big time. 

Hitting .313 with 24 homers and 84 RBIs from the leadoff spot, Ellsbury has been an integral part of the Red Sox success this year. 

Ellsbury stands out in another way and that is his unabashed delight in his own success.  When he homers or gets a hit, unlike many of his colleagues, he actually smiles and sometimes claps his hands.  There is no arrogance in this nor is he showing off; it is sheer authentic satisfaction in his ability to execute.  

And why shouldn’t he feel good about executing well?  Isn’t it the goal of any athlete to achieve success?  

And yet there seems to be an unwritten law in baseball that a player should not reveal too much of what he is feeling (winning big games, especially during playoffs is an exception; then it is okay for the group hugs and jumping up and down in relief and happiness).  But normally, it’s hard to notice any flicker of emotion on a player’s face when he successfully gets a hit or even a home run. 

I asked my husband about this.  He played football and baseball in college and was elected to the National College Football Hall of Fame (scholar-athlete award).  He said that back when he played sports, if a player showed pleasure in his work, he might be seen as conceited so, yes, there was an unwritten rule that it was not okay to show you were pleased with yourself. My husband now sees that it is rather silly although he disapproves of extensive showmanship (chest thumping and bumping and acrobatic leaps in the end zone) that can be seen in football. 

But Ellsbury is not a chest thumper.  He just seems to be an excellent ball player who has worked hard to refine his skills and who is quietly pleased with the results.  His reaction is real. When other players pretend it is nothing to hit a jack, it is fake. 

Smile on Jacoby.

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 1st, 2011 at 7:11 pm and is filed under baseball, Mental Toughness, Red Sox. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.