Yesterday evening, my wife Kelli Stewart and I were guests of the Atlanta Braves for the private screening of the Jackie Robinson documentary “42”.  The movie viewing was sponsored by Atlanta based marketing company Liquid Soul.

The evening started with a reception at Strip Restaurant.  I had an opportunity to spend some time with Atlanta Braves President John Schuerholz as well as see some familiar faces of individuals connected with revitalizing baseball in the Atlanta African-American community.

My wife Kelli Stewart and I at Atlantic Station in Atlanta for the 42 movie. (Photo by Isha Edwards , EPIC Measures)

At the movie theater, we were greeted by several young baseball players.  It was really cool to have them there for this occasion.

The movie itself was nothing short of amazing. Check out the trailer.

In 1984 at the age of 8, all that I ever wanted to do was play professional baseball for the Chicago Cubs.  I would watch the Cubs games on WGN with my grandfather while drinking Coke in the day time and watch the Braves on TBS at night.  The Cubs had the better team so I cheered for the Cubs.

Achieving my dream seemed really simple because nobody ever told me that it was too hard.  Little did I know that prior to 1947, playing Major League Baseball for someone who looked like me was impossible. Branch Rickey (Brooklyn Dodgers General Manager) gave Jackie Robinson the opportunity to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers in the Major Leagues in 1947 and thus he opened the door for myself and thousands of other African-American baseball players to achieve our dream of playing professionally.  Prior to playing for the Chicago Cubs, I was a student/athlete (baseball) at Georgia State University.

The movie really brought to life the horrific stories that I have heard about regarding the state of America prior to the Civil Rights Movement. This movie is more than baseball. It showed Mr. Robinson as a loving husband and father, a caring teammate and a change agent for civil and human rights in America. He basically paved the way for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Jackie Robinson is the gold standard for serving others. My wife Kelli Stewart and I are co-founders of an Atlanta based non-profit organization L.E.A.D. (Launch, Expose, Advise, Direct) that provides inner city Atlanta at-risk youth males with access to higher education and civic engagement through baseball.

Prior to playing Major League Baseball, Mr. Robinson was a graduate of UCLA. L.E.A.D.’s focus is to increase the number of African-Americans playing in the NCAA. There are currently less than 6% of African-Americans competing in baseball at the NCAA level. Since L.E.A.D.’s inception in 2007, 100% of our Ambassadors have graduated from high school while 100% have enrolled in college and 90% have enrolled with baseball scholarship opportunities. Graduating from college gives our Ambassadors an opportunity to work in the front office of the Atlanta Braves with Mr. John Schuerholz.

L.E.A.D. is a proud partner of Atlanta Public Schools (APS). It is important for us to partner with APS because I am a proud product of Atlanta Public Schools like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Booker T. Washington High School) as well as my parents, aunts, uncles and cousins. But did you know that 60% of Atlanta Public Schools African-American males will not graduate from high school?

Thank you Mr. Robinson for leading the way. This movie will educate millions and serve as a call to action to help youth use baseball as a means to develop life skills. Without baseball, I wouldn’t be the loyal and loving husband, father, son and servant leader that I am today.

What are some ways that you can help increase the number of African-Americans in your city that are using baseball to access college?

What is your connection to baseball? When was it introduced to you?

God continues to bless me everyday. Even my setbacks are blessings because it is an opportunity to trust in Him more and learn from my mistakes while gaining wisdom.

Fortunately, I have a lot more good days than bad days. I have a thriving for profit business Diamond Directors that provides the blueprint of success to amateur and professional baseball players across the world. We are among the world leaders in player development for baseball because of our 15 years of experience and a proven training methodology called AT-BATS.

The success of Diamond Directors also allows my wife and I to work together and provide inner city Atlanta at-risk youth males with access to higher education and civic engagement through baseball. This is the mission of our non-profit organization L.E.A.D. (Launch, Expose, Advise, Direct). Through L.E.A.D., we are also a world leader in youth development with respect to our mission. L.E.A.D. is a proud official partner of the Atlanta Public Schools System.

L.E.A.D. hosting 350+ students from the Atlanta Public School System at the 2012 MLB Civil Rights Weekend at Turner Field

How in the world does Kelli and I continue to do all of this with excellence you might ask? We do it by the grace of God and we have a lot of smart friends. Our DREAM TEAM of mentors, board members and friends are amazing to say the least.

Hanging with the Stewart girls in our partner Georgia’s Own Credit Union Suite at Turner Field during the Atlanta Braves game

People come up with great ideas everyday. It will remain just an idea unless you share it with others that are willing and able to help you convert that idea to reality.

I have learned that people support people and not ideas. Why would anyone want to support me?

2011 L.E.A.D. Middle School Character Development League Pep Rally

Here are three reasons why someone should support me. 

1. I live to serve others. Supporting me allows you to support thousands of additional people. I haven’t always been confident in my God given ability to teach life lessons through baseball but now I am looking for opportunities everyday to empower others. You empower me everyday and I will remain a good steward and empower others. 

The Westminster School baseball players serving with L.E.A.D. at our adopted portion of the Atlanta Belt Line

2. I can be trusted. God has blessed me to do everything that I have ever asked for in life. To that end, my days now are focused on my legacy. I won’t live forever and I want to be remembered as a servant leader when I cease to exist on earth. I want God to say “well done My faithful servant.” A man that is focused on his legacy can be trusted in my book. How about yours?

3. I’m a fan of great treatment. It is important for me to be treated with respect above all things. I know that if I treat others with respect, I will be respected. I’m aware that we encounter disrespectful people everyday. I will focus on controlling what I can control and keep it moving. If I had the choice to be loved or respected, I would rather be respected. I respect the giving of time, talents and treasures of those that support me.

L.E.A.D.’s 3rd Annual Middle School Character Development League Signing Day at Walter L. Parks Middle School (Atlanta Public Schools)

Here are three ways that you can support me for the remaining month of March. 

1. Pray for my family, friends and supporters. I am praying for you and your family as well.

2. Click here and come to one of our upcoming L.E.A.D. Middle School Character Development League games. 

3. Click here and make a donation to L.E.A.D. $10.00 per month for the year goes a long way. It takes $3,500.00 annually for L.E.A.D. to keep a young man on track to graduate from high school. It costs the state of Georgia $90,000.00 annually to incarcerate a juvenile.

The L.E.A.D. Ambassadors with Georgia Governor Nathan Deal

It is so much more than a barber shop. “Tommy’s” is an Atlanta institution and he is an Atlanta icon. His father was the original owner and after his death, Tommy continues to keep the legacy going strong serving generations of Atlantans. The shop has been a community staple for over 50 years. The next time that you are in the World of Coca-Cola, check out his commemorative bottles. He has two of them!

Thomas Barber Shop Coke Commemorative Bottle featured at the World of Coca-Cola

I began getting my haircut at Tommy’s two years ago by accident when I noticed my friend Leo Mazzone going in the shop. Tommy introduced himself to me and said, “Hey! You need a haircut. Sit in Swift’s chair and let him take care of you!” And I have been a faithful client every since.

I spend 4 days per week in the shop catching up on news and meeting some of the most amazing people in the city of Atlanta. I’ve met Governor Deal and Don Keough in the shop along with Coach Vince Dooley, Charlie Finch, Charles Wellborn and Angela King.

Saturday’s are the best days to go because Tommy always has hot donuts.

Tommy cares about this city and everyone in it. You will never see him drink anything other than Coke and I believe that food from Goldberg’s next door will show up on his X-Ray.

Tommy Thomas with the L.E.A.D. Ambassadors at the 2011 L.E.A.D. Dinner With Champions Awards Ceremony

He has been a faithful supporter of inner city Atlanta youth through my non-profit organization L.E.A.D. We honored him in 2011 at our annual Dinner With Champions Awards Ceremony as a community partner. My Ambassadors love going to Tommy’s. It is more than a haircut.  It is an experience.

Tommy Thomas with L.E.A.D. Ambassador Joseph Bester. Several important people have spent time in the back of Tommy’s Barber Shop.

My daughter’s love going to Tommy’s because he gives them lollipops or money to get yogurt next door at YogurtLand.

Tommy is celebrating his birthday today and I wish that I could announce it to the world so that every person knows it. America is a better place with Tommy in it. He is a living legend.

Tommy Thomas receiving his 2011 L.E.A.D. Community Partner Award

March 11

Practice at Brown Middle School was cancelled due to bad weather.

March 14

We played L.E.A.D. games on Thursday due to the Washington High School Varsity Baseball team having a home game on our usual Friday. Brown Middle School made a chilly Thursday evening rather warm with their very hot hitting and good defense to go on to a 15-5 victory over Young Middle School. Brown got most of their hits and runs from the top half of their order and got timely defensive plays in the field. Young played good defense but Brown continued to find holes with their hits.

March 16

Our day was started with King Middle School vs. Harper-Archer Middle School. King put up 6 first inning runs and did not look back on their way to a 9-0 victory. Samuel Katz pitched three scoreless innings to pace the way. Sahrod Poon had a great outing on the mound for Harper-Archer as they continue to get better each week. Their bats woke up a little more this week but could not string enough hits together to get on the board.

Our second game featuerd Sylvan Middle School vs. Kennedy Middle School. Sylvan started out slow but after going through the order, the bats woke up and put 5 runs up in the 3rd in route to a 12-4 victory and their first win of the season. Sylvan got a storng pitching performance from Vernard Kennedy and Wayland Lloyd to led the Bears to the win. The Kennedy LEADers were very upset because they were not at full strength due to several of their teammates participating in a track meet.

The last game featured B.E.S.T. Academy vs. Parks Middle School. This was the best pitched game of the season so far as Reginald Parham (B.E.S.T.) and Octavious Battle (Parks) battled pitch for pitch with Parham and the B.E.S.T. Eagles coming out on top 4-1. Battle struck out 12 Eagles but the Mustangs could not muster enough hits to get runners on. The defense on both sides was excellent behind the great pitching. This was the best played game so far on our young season.

I am proud to announce that the new name for L.E.A.D.’s Middle School Baseball League is the L.E.A.D. Middle School Character Development League. The reason for changing the name is to ensure that our LEADers, their family and the Atlanta community understand that L.E.A.D. is about much more than bats and balls.

Photo from left to right: L.E.A.D. Ambassador Mendez Elder (Grady High School); Ambassador Andrew Young; Reverend Joseph Lowery; Jason Heyward (Atlanta Braves) and L.E.A.D. Ambassador Wesley Clement (Mays High School)

Each week, I’m going to publish a blog discussing a character trait that is important to our organization. Many people say that baseball develops character. On the contrary, L.E.A.D. feels that baseball exposes your character first then it develops it. Baseball is the ultimate game of failure. It is also the only game that allows you to be considered successful based on you failing more than you succeed.  Yes, this is a correct statement and you will learn how during our time together.

The character trait that I will highlight this week is excellence. Excellence is also one of L.E.A.D.’s seven core values. According to Dictionary.com, the word excellence is a noun and is defined as a state or quality of excelling or being exceptionally good; extreme merit; superiority.

I define excellence as simply going the “second mile.” I recently heard Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy speak about the Chick-fil-A culture of going the “Second Mile” based on the Book of Matthew 5:41. Jesus says, “If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles”.

L.E.A.D. Ambassador Mendez Elder and L.E.A.D. Co-Founder C.J. Stewart attending a 2011 Atlanta Public Schools Board Meeting

My wife and I started L.E.A.D. in 2007 with the intention of doing camps and clinics throughout the year. Now L.E.A.D. is a year round character development program that uses academics, athletics, service/civic engagement and exposure to increase the high school graduation rate of African-American males from Atlanta Public Schools. We continue to go the “Second Mile” by serving our families with excellence.

L.E.A.D. Co-Founders C.J. Stewart and Kelli Stewart attending the 2013 L.E.A.D. Middle School Signing Day at Harper-Archer Middle School

Here are three things that you can do everyday to ensure that you are excellent.

1. Get feedback from others. Ask your co-workers and teachers if your work is excellent. If they truly want to see you improve, they will give you honest feedback.  Don’t be offended by constructive criticism.  In order to do better, you have to know better, and once you know better, you have to be better.