野球スターのアダム・ジョーンズが、彼を

野球スターのアダム・ジョーンズが、彼を

[Music] people like me don’t get opportunities like this all the time if you don’t run through the wall with this opportunity you’re wasting it you’re wasting all the people that have rooted for you all the people that have invested in you what did you learn about yourself cuz it must have changed you a little bit by making that switch and his next response to me set the tone for everything he was like well bleep time to go show out but winning the title in the East when the Yankees and Red Sox who were just been so dominant especially over the Orioles over the last 20 years at that time it was really special at this point it’s not a fandom conversations it’s like manto man like man you you were badass can I buy you a drink yes you can what does it take to be a five-time Allstar Adam Jones I don’t know how we found you in Barcelona but we did and I’m very delighted that we have um that you’re here and when you sort of I’ve just taken you around the base and you’ve had a little look at what we’re trying to do here with the team and you can probably sense the history the understanding of tradition that that sort of comes from within these walls but also the innovation in terms of moving things forward and I often talked about Ben if he was able to convert this into a win it would be historical and it would be his his defining moment in time if you look back at your career and the you know the the times that you’ve had what would you say is is something that you could say that that was my moment in time that was defining for me well first I appreciate being invited down here this facility is just amazing beautiful well-crafted the technology is through the roof the minds that are going on the attention to detail it is mindboggling just to be around such Innovative people um for me I think my moment in time was when I got traded it was a time that I was a young player thinking that I was had a spot with one team not understanding that the whole other league was available and open to me so what happened there just take people through who don’t necessarily understand or know too much about baseball just take us through the process of of what what a trade involves in the first instance well a trade obviously is two teams agreeing to um come apart with with players or cash or just agreeing to dish out players the major leagues is the top level of and it is incredibly tough it it’s depressing it’s demoralizing it’s stressful it’s very rewarding it is amazing why is it all of those things because it is the only sport where 30% success rate will make you a lot of money I don’t think many jobs and occupations especially Sports if you are 30% successful you’re going to be profitable I think you know as just a business you have to look at yourself and I was told I was 18 you’re a commodity be the best commodity for as long as you can be a commodity and you know that’s I think what sports are and if you’re not a good one what happens to you you get thrown to the Wayside and another one comes in and I learned at a very very young age to just try and be the best that you can be for as long as you can be it so when you got traded from the Mariners to the Ori what was the what was your first feeling what was your first sort of sentiment about that how did it make you feel well my first emotion was okay well this is kind of weird because I knew it was G I had a feeling it was going to happen but you know obviously you have to wait till it happens but I’m driving on my way to Vegas at the time I get the call so I had to tell the GM I was like y I’m in a bad patch of area can I call you when I get to Las Vegas I’m sure that’s not what the Orioles general manager to hear at the time like we just traded for a 22y old guy and he’s on his way to Vegas right now H is what what’s going on here and I I get to the hotel and I give everybody a call back and you know it was really a a sense of relief but on my way there in between that time at about an hour I called my brother and me and him obviously has always been my biggest supporter when he came to sports obious my parents who were no longer with us but my brother’s always been that just the guy who I could run everything off of and he knows Sports and I’m like bro I just got traded to the Orioles and he’s like no way there’s no way he did and his next response to me set the tone for everything he was like well bleep time to go show out and I’m like what you mean he’s like well they don’t have a center fielder you going to go get the play they’re not that good you going to get to play every day go show out you get to go to New York Boston Toronto go show out and I’m just thinking on okay I’m all right call my mom and then I get to the hotel and then I just was thinking about that on the way and I’m like okay okay cool two weeks later we uh go to spring training and the second day there the manager tells me Dave Trembley he says hey this is your job to lose I didn’t lose I didn’t move positions and I don’t think I lost my position I think it was a right time to move for until August mid August of 20 what 7 2018 so I held my position for over 10 years 10 and a half years playing center field and that was an attribute to staying in shape but it was a tribute to my brother telling me this is you got this opportunity my mentors telling me you got this opportunity and understanding that people like me don’t get opportunities like this all the time if you don’t run through the wall with this opportunity you’re wasting it you’re wasting all the people that have rooted for you all the people that have invested in you you know I wasn’t able to afford every tournament as a kid but the people that were fortunate enough to get me in those tournaments because they knew that there’s something in this kid all those people if I didn’t try my hardest I’d for some reason I’d go home and be like if I get a text from my mom be like man if you didn’t you know I know she GNA say do you feel like the pressure of that there’s a lot of expectation on that that you put on yourself but also you know to to live to what everyone around you is also saying you’re capable of and I loved it though because it was something I was good at you know I really enjoyed going out there every day and representing San Diego representing the Baltimore Oriols representing the Jones family my wife’s family the Fugate family the ls family going and representing them on a daily basis when I come to New York like they’re New Yorkers but they would be in Orioles gear because they knew their family M was coming there and I’m going to do some damage to the Yankees got to you know what I mean we going to go there we going to do we just going to be a battle and to be able to represent so many people not just myself was I think the greatest uh selfless thing sports sports brings you just don’t represent yourself you represent your family your sponsors you represent everybody that uh is investing in your well-being you represent the fans so you know I always want to represent the fans with the with the utmost respect at the same time I mean hindsight’s a wonderful thing but I think the Mariners have sort sin said You’re the One That Got Away does that make you feel good that must make you feel good um it’s I mean it’s obviously very humbling would my career have been the same there I say I say yes I think I would have had a very good career there also I love the area Seattle was amazing it is you know arguably the best center field for me to play it’s one of the best surfaces um the garlic fries you can smell about the fourth inning in center field uh they have a beer garden outside and right behind center field where my brother and my cousin would always come up it was like a Brother’s cousin trip they would always come up sit right there in the beer gardens a lot of my videos I’m you know looking back at them talking to them throughout the game uh just having a good time um the downtown the Pikes Place like Seattle was what I knew mhm but then I get traded over to the east coast and it wasn’t what I knew I knew king crab I knew Alaskan king crab you snap it dip it in so it was a culture swap as well everything cuz they’re telling me you got to eat our dous crab you like crab cakes and I’m like it’s all thrown at me at once I like I don’t even know how to open a crab my 10-year-old niece helps me open the crabs to this day uh because but I’m I’m I ingratiated myself in the in the community I you know was not afraid to I was not afraid to try it I was going to say what did you learn about yourself cuz it must have changed you a little bit by making that switch what did you learn about your yourself you know making making that move and and moving forward in the way that you did [Music] hello performance people listeners my name is Freddy Carr and I host a podcast called the inside teac which is a podcast that follows the British America’s Cup team inos Britannia as we get ready for the 37th America’s Cup down here in Barcelona we also follow the youth and the first ever women’s americ cup we would love you to like And subscribe to our podcast follow us on all your social media channels as we get ready for our sporting challenge of a Lifetime well Sports obviously helps it and with sports there’s always people from all over the United States and the country in the world to where you know they all have different backgrounds different stories to where they can help you in Baltimore you know I had my mother my brothers they would come out and then one of my good friends was the clubhouse guy Patrick Thomas um I met him two years prior when I was with the Mariners and when I got traded over there we got to form a really good friendship throughout spring training cuz I’m the new guy he would help me navigate myself through spring training down in Florida navigate myself the first uh wave of the of the Season up in Baltimore because he knew the city it’s his city um but he’s very young we’re we’re both I’m 22 he’s 21 so we’re very young we go out and have party party together and all that kind of stuff go out to eat he’s like a little brother to me and still to this day and you know he just showed me just you know Baltimore and this is what we like in Baltimore we like our Ravens we like our Orioles we like our turps you know we we like our Natty bow beer I still haven’t had one to this day I like a good beer I’m not going to drink Natty bow we like our crabs our crab cakes and you know these are our customs these are our sayings and I got to know them I got to know the people of Baltimore I got to uh know the the current mayor who was at the time a councilman who’s trying to make the city better I’ve gotten to know so many really good people because I ly playing well allowed me to stay in the city for a long time but I took it upon myself to get involved with the city because the city looks like me the demographics of Baltimore heavy African-American and I just wanted to create some change we redid five six Boys and Girls Clubs me and my wife over the years with the help of the Oriols and I just wanted to give back to a community that is investing in me give hope to kids that look like me to say hey I want to play baseball as you know the numbers going down in baseball for African-Americans but at the same time preach education my wife’s a lawyer her whole family they are lawyers they are the brains of of the Jones Corp and you know just preaching education and preaching that there’s a future uh uh Beyond Just Sports there’s a whole world of opportunity for everybody if you had to S say your finest moment as an Orioles player what you what would you put it down to I mean there’s quite a few in there is there is there anything that sort of sticks out as a moment that you feel within you know that particular storyline it it was again defining I I think you I’ve I’ve harbored it down there’s some great moments but winning the American League East title getting to the playoffs in 12 was great we it was the new Wild Card system it allowed extra teams to get in so we were an extra team if it was the next year maybe not previous year we wouldn’t have been in the playoffs it was an anomaly it was fantastic I’m not taking that away from us it was great but winning the title in the East when the Yankees and Red Sox who have just been so dominant especially over the Orioles over the last 20 years at that time it was really special and you can see with the fans like you had fans crying like we’re not Michael Jackson you know this is not that crazy and you had fans really showing emotion because there’s fans that literally their whole life they’ve just been getting pounded by the Yankees and Red Sox we still haven’t won the World Series since ‘ 83 so there’s still that older generation that is hanging on dear life like the Cubs some people the Cubs and Old Red Sox and the Guardians who haven’t won since 48 so there’s still some people hanging on to to see if they win but there’s guys who have never won in their entire life and I’m part of their childhood that moment for me will always be important because even to this day as I age with these guys like we I can go anywhere in Baltimore and it’ll always be I grew up on you and it’s at this point it’s not a fandom conversation it’s like manto man like man you were you were badass can I buy you a drink yes you can and actually the the sentiment and what it meant to you to be part of that setup is sort of clearing the fact that you after 11 years and a couple of other clubs and everything else you came back for that one you signed that one day contract so that you would end it as an orial player I mean what what did that mean to you I meant to everything also because it’s obviously not where I started it’s where it meant the most every place I played Seattle every inning I played there every inning I played with the Diamondbacks and every inning I played in Japan was very special to me but the time in Baltimore obviously shaped me and created Adam Jones the the I guess the brand or just the person and um again it was it was really important for me to do that for my family I think for my my boys they didn’t get to see the The Glory Days of Adam Jones they got to see old Adam Jones in Japan you know pushing around lugging around so I think it was it was really good for them my wife uh my extended family it was a very good turnout for them to just uh to to see what I think I meant to the people of Baltimore you know they’re so far removed from it I think everybody was and I think it was one good sendoff to show um what first of how I felt about Baltimore and how they felt about me as a player as a community leader and I think it was a perfect perfect day the Oriol fan showed up the Orioles uh ownership the Orioles um front office Mike Elias Jennifer gondal just did such a fantastic job and making sure everybody was comfortable making sure everybody was happy and you know it was a great sendoff um who I would have loved to retire normally just like everybody else you know get their in you know final day in the uniform it didn’t work out the way that everybody Picture Perfect uh perfects it 99% of athletes don’t get to retire that way most of them just don’t get a call so I’m fortunate enough that they were very appreciative and receptive to saying hey you know you meant so much to this organization the city we’ll give you this day and it was fantastic what does it take final question what does it take to be a five-time Allstar what do you what do you need not just in terms of physicality but mental strength and and and approach what what do you need as your character to be to to be able to do something like that well you have to want to you got to want to be there you know the midsummer classic that’s the I think the greatest name of of the allar game you’re around the best players at the time and again they’re snubs do I think I could have had more allar games sure maybe I had more Allstar games than I deserved there’s always that if you want to say you should have had more right um I think it’s with the gold glove it’s the same thing I have four of those and it was more of I got one and my mentor Mark McLemore was like man boy you good I see you okay you working I got him at my second year full year 23 and he’s like now do it again Tony Gwyn told me all right that was great now do it again these are guys I played 19 20 years in big leagues this is my second I think I’m on top of the world no youngster do it again I didn’t win one in 10 and 11 I thought I had great defensive year defensive years that those years I thought I had good offensive years going at the time no youngster you did it once now no I need you to do it I need you to do it again so 2012 all right hey I’mma prove that I can do it I went to the officer game won the go glove and then did in 13 and 14 and I think when you it it proved to myself and it proved to the the the big heads the big dogs of the of the game the jeters the big poppies of them that like okay you know at those times these are guys with 10 12 mariana rivera all these Aller games it was cool to have one a lot of people have one of something one grand slam one this how many people have more more than one not many so if you can get if you can get that 2 three four five and five you get a plaque for the All-Star game if you can get that then okay you made it somewhere now if you can get 8 10 then you in a different Stratosphere but if you can get the multiples you’re entering into a different realm and it was a challenge every year and not a greedy challenge because I think that if I’m playing every day if I’m performing my team should be winning and those years my team was winning we didn’t win a championship but went to the playoffs two other four years the third year we didn’t we were very competitive so I think my play affected the team so it wasn’t selfish but it was a very high goal go to want to be regarded as one of the best defenders is as an All-Star because you know you want to be who doesn’t want to be on top see it’s consistency isn’t it every time it’s consistency and and playing at that top level Adam it’s been brilliant having you in thanks so much for coming thanks for join us for the performance people podcast every week for the highs lows lessons and stories from people like this lot Michael Johnson some days what I would see as a person who was a shell of what I used to be Eddie Hearn we don’t operate in a business that’s dangerous but we just operating one where you got to sleep with one eye open mo Farah it couldn’t get any harder than what I’ve gone through and at that point I just kind of just went for it PA of R Cliffe you can only control yourself Susie wolf and Toto did once Len me to a donkey every Tuesday wherever you get your podcasts [Music]

Adam Jones is a former Major League baseball player, a five-time all star and four-time Golden Glove who retired a fan favourite and local legend for the Baltimore Orioles having spent 11 happy and successful years there. He was even given a ceremonial send-off in front of fans and dignitaries when he retired to mark his time in the city.

Rewind to 2008 though and few would have predicted such an outcome. Adam was just a prospect in his early 20s when he was told he was being sold and had to leave the safety net of his native west coast for the other side of the country.

Initially shocked, he could have seen it as rejection and played the victim. But he’s not cut like that. Within minutes his brother told him it was a chance to ‘show out’. To prove how good he can be to a whole new set of people.

And Adam spent the next decade turning an unforeseen hurdle into a new adventure and a remarkable career on and off the field. Adam’s story is a lesson for all of us in the power of attitude when things don’t appear to go your way.

Georgie Ainslie’s podcast Performance People sees the sports broadcaster and ainslie + ainslie founder chat to high performing people in sport on how they got to the top and the journey they have been on to get there. Episodes every Tuesday.

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