Jake Jackson

The biggest thing baseball taught me: It’s life in a uniform. Good days, bad days, and everything in between. Let go of what you can’t control. And commit to what you can. Your effort, attitude and response to failures will continue to shape who you are. So keep stacking days.

I’m a high school teacher. We have policies. Late work gets points deducted. Turn it in on time or take the hit. That’s how students learn responsibility. Senior year. Final paper worth thirty percent of the grade. Due Friday. Monday came. Still no paper from this one kid. Smart kid. Never missed assignments before. Called him to my desk after class. “Where’s your paper?” He looked down. “I don’t have it” Waited. He didn’t elaborate. “You know this tanks your grade right? Might not graduate” He nodded. Still wouldn’t look at me. “Do you not care?” His voice cracked. “My dad died Thursday night. Heart attack. Paper was done. On my laptop. But I’ve been at the hospital. At the funeral home. I forgot. I just forgot.” My chest tightened. “I’m so sorry. Why didn’t you tell me?” “Because it sounds like an excuse. Everyone has excuses.” He finally looked up. Eyes red. “Just fail me. I deserve it.” Closed my gradebook. “Email me the paper tonight. Full credit. And take this week off. Come back when you’re ready.” He shook his head. “The policy—” “I’m the teacher. I make exceptions when life happens. Your dad died. That’s not an excuse. That’s a tragedy. Go home.” He graduated. Top ten percent. Spoke at graduation. Mentioned a teacher who showed him that rules and compassion can coexist. I was in the audience. Crying. Sometimes grace matters more than policy. —Mr. Hayes, English teacher

During one of the worst losing streaks of my career, our team president walked into my office. Keli McGregor. One of the best men I've ever known. He could have come to vent. To question my decisions. To ask hard questions. Instead, he said: "Cut to the chase, Clint. What's next?" I looked him in the eye and gave him two words: "Shower well." The Colorado Rockies were struggling badly that year. Pregame preparation was solid. Scout meetings, early work, attention to detail. All of it was there. But at game time, the tires were flat. I told Keli: the game did everything it could to us today. We just couldn't meet its demands. Now it was time to reset. "Shower well" means exactly this: • Watch the frustration circle down the drain • Shampoo, rinse, repeat and get the grime of today completely off your mind • Walk out clean, go home, and actually rest Leave it at the ballpark. The game is over. There's nothing left to solve tonight. Keli nodded. Asked if he could share it with the whole organization. I said sure. And then it hit me. This isn't just for baseball. Bad day at the office. Grumpy boss. Missed deadline. Traffic on the way home. You can carry all of that through your front door. Or you can shower well. I've never seen a single problem get better because someone dragged it home with them. The reset is a discipline. Same as preparation. Same as showing up. Either we win. Or we learn. The only real loss? When you don't take a single thing out of a hard day. So tonight, whatever kind of day it was, shower well. Tomorrow is a new at-bat. What does your reset look like? I'd love to hear it.

Transactional vs. Transformational Coaching… Dan Hurley shared a story about asking Geno Auriemma for advice after a rough start last season. Geno didn’t mince words: “Listen, if the only gratification and the only part of coaching that excites you is winning the national championship, then you’ve lost your way, buddy! Where’s the joy in the things that you’ve always been about as a coach before you went on the championship run, like relationships with your players, like helping people get better, like making your team the best it can be. Be a coach, man. This is when you really need to be a leader. This team isn’t as good as last year’s, so what the hell are you going to do about it? Are you going home? Are you going to let this thing unravel?” That’s the tension every coach feels: Transactional vs. Transformational. Transactional coaching is outcome-obsessed. It’s about the wins, the losses, the trophies. The problem? When results don’t come, your purpose crumbles with them. Transformational coaching is different. It’s about people. It’s about growth. It’s about building something that lasts, whether the scoreboard agrees with you or not. And this is why mentorship matters so much in coaching. Left on our own, it’s easy to drift into a transactional mode without even realizing it. A trusted mentor can pull us back to center and remind us why we started coaching in the first place. To build relationships. To develop players as people. To make teams the best they can be. Wins matter. But they’re not the why. The why is impact. The why is growth. The why is leaving your players better than you found them. The process is the prize. Stay grounded. Stay on the path. Always remember your why.

March 18, 1937 - 3:17 PM We remember.

I’m a high school principal. Last week, I had to call a senior, Leo, into my office. Our system showed he had missed twenty days this semester. That’s automatic failure. He walked in, head down, wearing the same hoodie he’d worn all week. I had the suspension papers typed out. "Leo, what’s going on?" I asked, ready to give the standard lecture on responsibility. He didn't look up. He just whispered, "My mom’s chemo schedule changed. She’s too weak to walk after the appointments, and we don't have a car. I have to carry her up the stairs to our apartment. It takes all afternoon." I looked at the papers on my desk. They felt incredibly heavy. I didn’t see a truant student anymore; I saw a boy being a man before he had to be. I ripped up the papers. "Here’s the deal," I told him. "You get her home. I’m emailing your teachers to set up remote work for the days you miss. We are going to get you across that stage." He finally looked up, eyes red, and just nodded. Sometimes, the most important lesson a student can learn is that authority actually has a heart. Anonymous

Good Sunday Rusk County! Although we did get some rain yesterday, Rusk County remains under a burn ban. Please do not burn.

Had a good two days at the plate in our tournament going 3/3 with a HR, TR, and a single❗️@WestRuskBsbl @rafemata @JohnNester17 @USAPrimeNat

Some of my favorite @RiceBaseball Owls talking about our favorite coach. Happy Wayne Graham Day!

Mitchell Morton throws out the runner!

@GChaseThomas Thank you, Chase!

@JakeJackson54 Congratulations!!!

Expecting big things from Wheat this year!! Great start!

February 22nd means something to us. 🇺🇸 In 1980, we believed — and made history. To the men wearing USA today: trust each other, play fearless, and seize the moment. We’re with you. Now go win gold. 🥇 #MiracleonIce #USAUSAUSA

RIP Augustus McCrae. It was quite a party.

Prior to the final day of the Raider Baseball Tournament as well!