Former MLB Player and Chairman of The League of Dreams, Mike Bordick on ”Connecting Neuroscience and Sports for Our Next Generation”

Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning

“Teaching our next generation the drive, desire, work ethic and character, that will take them to new heights, using neuroscience.”

Watch this interview on YouTube here https://youtu.be/oXfQPEJWwbM

On this episode you will learn:

✔ How Former MLB Player is taking the mental and physical skills he learned over his 14 year MLB career, connected to neuroscience to help our next generation of youth.

✔ The leadership ingredients that Mike Bordick thinks made some players stand out over the rest with their results.

✔ Why Mike Piazza (NY Mets) was such an outstanding and unique team player.

✔ How Mike Bordick's childhood contributed to his success in MLB and beyond, and why he thinks it's important to give these skills back to our next generation.

✔ What sport Mike chose to unwind after a busy season, to enjoy the "solitude of nature."

✔ His vision for League of Dreams www.leagueofdreams.org (that's just celebrated it's 20th year).

Welcome back to Season 10 of The Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast, where we connect the science-based evidence behind social and emotional learning (that’s finally being taught in our schools today) and emotional intelligence training (used in our modern workplaces) for improved well-being, achievement, productivity and results—using what I saw as the missing link (since we weren’t taught this when we were growing up in school), the application of practical neuroscience. I’m Andrea Samadi, an author, and an educator with a passion for learning and launched this podcast 5 years ago with the goal of bringing ALL the leading experts together (in one place) to uncover the most current research that would back up how the brain learns best, taking us ALL to new, and often unimaginable heights.

For today’s EPISODE #295 we are going to speak with someone who I feel connected to with where he is going, but for many others, like my husband, he’s formed a huge connection to where he has come from.

We will be speaking with Mike Bordick, a former MLB player, whose 14 year career included time with the A’s, Orioles, Blue Jays and Mets. I came to meet him when he contacted me, brainstorming ideas for ways he can continue to give back to youth in his retirement, with the organization he has formed www.leagueofdreams.org, that is celebrating their 20th year and is now looking at including content that links neuroscience to learning and physical education.

When I saw his email to me, I wondered “what is a former baseball player emailing me about” and then when I got to what he was looking for, I thought that he definitively found the right person, as this is what the podcast Neuroscience Meets SEL is all about. I wrote back to him with ideas, and resources from the podcast, with episodes that tied back to PE and the brain, and connected him to everyone I knew that’s focused on PE and neuroscience. I can’t wait to meet with Mike and learn more about his vision for neuroscience, (that stems from his college degree in PE and kinesiology) and see what he does with this new program that he’s working on, that links brain health, physical activity and nutrition. I also knew I couldn’t ignore the path the led him to where he is today with his vision, so we will dive a bit into his past on today’s interview.

If you know me well, you’ll know that I’m not really a sports fan, (while I love being physically active myself, I haven’t spent much time watching sports, since I was around twelve, and my Dad took me to hockey games in Toronto. I think I’ve been to one baseball game, but never went back because it just wasn’t my thing sitting in the stands and watching the fans spitting on the ground. So, when Mike’s email came in, I asked my husband, Majid Samadi, who is a huge baseball fan, “Have you ever heard of Mike Bordick” and the answer was a definite “Yes, and why do you ask?”

Before learning more about Mike’s vision, you can go to his About Us page on his website and see where his path that led him to baseball began. Majid filled in some of the blanks that I had, from the point on view of an avid Mets baseball fan.

I learned that:

Mike Bordick, while on the Orioles, was so highly regarded that they shifted Hall of Famer Cal Ripkin Jr to 3rd base, so that Mike Bordick could play short stop. In 2000, he was traded to the NY Mets during the Pennant Race, where he went onto the World Series and most importantly, he was a part of the first Subway Series between the NY Mets and the NY Yankees in the 2000 World Series.

Hearing this, made me see a different side to Mike Bordick and his vision for youth. He brings all the attributes he learned and developed in leadership with his 14-year career in the MLB. What I’m interested in learning more about now, is what he plans to do with the skills he’s learned in his career. I’ve asked Mike Bordick to join us, and share his vision for where he has been, what he has built in his retirement, and the legacy he would like to leave with his experience, knowledge and skills, all for the benefit of our next generation of youth.

Let’s meet Mike Bordick!

Welcome Mike, it’s awesome to meet you. This is my better half, Majid Samadi, who knew you without having to look you up. We are honored to have this opportunity to learn more about your vision, but also, bringing your past experience in baseball to light.

Intro Q: Before we get to your questions, I’ve got one myself and Majid pitched in his.

I was hoping to get some intel on Miguel Batista, after meeting him briefly years ago, but since you rarely faced him, I’ll change my question a bit. I really do believe that you can get a solid understanding of someone by watching how they do certain things. You know, it’s that “how you do anything is how you do everything” idea. Miguel Batista is the only MLB player I’ve met personally, even if it was brief, I could guess what he would be like as a person. Who stood out to you as a leader over the years, and what do you think it was that took them to higher levels of achievement, over other people?

Majid—I’m a huge METS fan.. story of watching Mike in the stands.

What was it like to play with Mike Piazza and being in the heart of a pennant race, going all the way to the World Series? How was the energy around the New York Fans supporting the Mets and pushing for a Championship?

Q1: Take us back to childhood. Reading your website, I’m curious, what do you think it was that made you into a MLB player? I related to what you wrote on your website, with having a strict Father, with “fear being instilled into your young heart” and maybe a little bit about the “fear of God” as we never missed a Sunday at Church growing up. Something about these two things I think taught me discipline that would carry me through difficult times later in life. What about you? What were the ingredients that made you into who you are today, and how do you translate these ingredients into your programs for youth?

Q1B: Majid --what the work ethic of my all-time favorite player, Mike Piazza? How was he as a teammate, and did he do anything specifically to instill confidence in the team to push forward in a Championship year?

Q2B: Majid --since playing in New York has a lot of advantages and at the same time can be difficult with the media coverage. What were some skills you were able to develop being with the New York Mets and how do you transfer these skills to the kids that you work with today?

Q2: “The solitude I found fishing by myself is what I truly loved.” If you weren’t fishing, you were playing baseball. Majid would understand your passion for fishing, but I wonder, what is it that you enjoy so much about “the solitude” of it all? Being in nature? How can this understanding help our next generation get outside and spend more time in nature?

Q3: For a family who has noticed our girls’ self-esteem skyrocket through sport, what can you say about these skills (called social and emotional skills now) but they weren’t taught in school when we were growing up. We had to learn them through the school of hard knocks. Things like mindset, attitude, sportsmanship, and basic character skills that would separate you from the rest. Where did you learn these skills, and how do you incorporate them into sport for youth?

Q4: Reading what 5th grade was like for you broke my heart a bit, mostly because it’s the kids who are left out that we were always taught to watch out for. They are ALWAYS the ones who take off like a rocket (I can name a few my elementary school days who struggled are they are now medical doctors). Looking back now, do you think this hardship at school gave you something that made you stronger? Not that I want life to be easy for my kids, but hardship builds something we can’t give our kids. Can you share getting cut from 3 of your middle school teams, and how being vulnerable with your weaknesses helps kids you are working with?

Q5: Tell us about your vision for connecting neuroscience to PE. Where are you with this program, and what else do you need?

Q6: Final thoughts, and reflections.

Mike, I want to thank you for coming on the podcast, and sharing your powerful story that took you from childhood, to your 20-year career in MLB. What you have already built with your League of Dreams Program is outstanding, and I’m excited for what you are creating with your PE program backed by neuroscience. I can express how excited I am personally to be speaking with you, but Majid takes it all to another level, as he sat in the stands watching your first game. It’s been a true honor to meet you.

LEARN MORE ABOUT MIKE BORDICK:

League of Dreams https://leagueofdreams.org/

Personal Website https://mikebordick14.com/about-me

The Baseball Warehouse https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AJkb-YIHXU (teaches the fundamentals of baseball as well as the mental side of the sport).

The Baseball Charity: Improving Lives Through Baseball http://www.tbwcharities.org/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/mike.bordick.5

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mikebordick/

FINAL THOUGHTS, REFLECTIONS AND AHA MOMENTS:

I think it helps to share any AHA Moments that were noticed during the interview, or while editing, since learning is something that’s ongoing. I’m sure as you listened to this interview, you could relate with your own life experiences.

Majid and I reflected on this interview together, as I wondered what he noticed, that I might have missed. Here were our biggest take-aways from speaking with Mike Bordick:

Go Deep When Researching to Find the Heart Behind The “Why”[i]: It doesn’t take that much time to get to know someone on a deeper level when you are researching them for an interview. I watched some of Mike’s television clips, and noticed that the questions he was asked were usually ones on the surface, (like what are you building for youth) and these questions still highlighted the incredible work he is doing with LeagueofDreams.org, but for me, there was something missing. I like to “feel” the heart of each person I’m speaking to, and knew I didn’t have the knowledge and background to get there on my own. I knew I needed help for this interview, to uncover the “heart” behind Mike Bordick’s mission and legacy, and I saw it when Majid brought back some of the memories of sitting in the stands watching Mike’s games, in his early days. Mike wouldn’t have known what it felt like from a fan’s point of view, and Majid had no idea that the “field shook” when the fans cheered (or booed). He only knew the stands would shake from his point of view. Mike got to see Majid’s perspective, and vice versa, which is when I noticed the “magic” started to happen. We also noticed that while you can research someone thoroughly, you still won’t be able to find out everything, so find ways that your guest can add to what you’ve uncovered, if you’ve missed something. We didn’t know that Mike Bordick played in 2 World Series Games, but by recognizing him in one, he was able to share the full picture.

PUT THIS INTO ACTION: When speaking with someone, whether an interview like I’m doing, or a customer you are trying to get to know in the business world, or if I think about it, the athletes that you are coaching, when you can connect to another person at the heart level, the bond you will create is unbreakable, and unforgettable. I know Majid and I will NEVER forget this part of the interview, because we were able to “feel” it and this was all possible from spending a little bit of extra time learning more Mike’s background, and getting to know him at the heart level, going straight to what mattered the most to him, or his “why.” It pays off to put extra effort into going a bit deeper to get to know and understand others who are important in your life, for this reason.

Always Think of Ways to Help Others and Give Back: I think this is what caught my attention the most when I first met Mike Bordick. Here he was in retirement working on ways to give back to those who need it the most with his League of Dreams Organization. He and all the others who lead this organization[ii], found a way to contribute and help those who need these skills the most. If we ALL spent some time thinking of ways to help others, even if it’s one person, the world would be a different place. Majid also noticed this and we both wanted to be sure that we highlighted what a noble cause The League of Dreams is.

PUT THIS INTO ACTION: You don’t need to go BIG with this idea, like Mike is doing, (or you can with some planning) but I really do believe that we can all do this with small actions, taken daily, and make an impact that begins in our own community. How are you as a role model in your family? Start here, and then expand out larger into your community, and then further, into your city, state, and then go as big as you want out into the world. Small details matter a lot and show people who you really are in a matter of seconds. It’s all about seeing the WE in social and emotional learning, instead of the I. Social Awareness, vs Self-Awareness. Start small and do a bit more each day. When Mike Bordick reached out to us about ways to incorporate neuroscience into his work, I bet he didn’t know how much his experiences would help and inspire others—two minds when they come together, (WE vs I) expands all of our levels of awareness, leaving us with the thought of “what else can we do to help others?”

We are all connected: This one came through when Mike was talking about the solitude he felt while fishing in nature by himself, something he would do to unwind from a busy season. Something magical happens when we can feel the oneness of ourselves within nature, and this is something I’m going to explore more on a future episode as we look at the power that comes from being on, near or by the ocean with author and ocean expert Wallace J. Nichols.

PUT THIS IN ACTION:

If you have been following this podcast, I’m sure you will have your own story of what happens to you while in nature. Mike Bordick talked about the meditative nature of fishing and what he would say were “undisclosed benefits” to being in nature. I’ve felt strange and interesting things while hiking in the mountains, or swimming in the ocean. When we get to our interview with Dr. Nichols, I’ll ask him to explain WHY we feel such interesting connections with others in nature, and why nature has the ability to calm us down, and bring out our creative sides, because this is what he has dedicated his entire lifetime studying.

I don’t think I need to explain this one any further, other than to say how important it is to get out into nature, and take note of what this peace and solitude means for you.

With those takeaways, I’ll close out this episode. I hope you enjoyed this interview with Mike Bordick as much as we did. If you want to learn more about League of Dreams, you can visit www.leagueofdreams.org and connect with Mike Bordick through this website, or connect to him via social media.

CONNECT WITH MIKE BORDICK AND LEAGUE OF DREAMS:

WEBSITE: https://leagueofdreams.org/contact-us/

PODCAST: https://leagueofdreams.org/podcast/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MBordick

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikebordick/?hl=en

FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI:

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi

Website https://www.achieveit360.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com

Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697

Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/

RESOURCES:

John O’Sullivan Changing the Game: The Parent’s Guide to Raising High Performing Athletes and Giving Youth Sports Back to Our Kids https://www.amazon.com/Changing-Game-Parents-Performing-Athletes-ebook/dp/B00DZC25LW

REFERENCES:

[i] Simon Sinek Starts with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Action https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4ZoJKF_VuA

[ii] Board of Directors for League of Dreams https://leagueofdreams.org/about/who-we-are/