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My All-Star Lineup
29 September 2026
The 2026 MLB Playoffs are underway and Allison found herself reminiscing about some leadership and life lessons from the baseball diamond.
Tags: allison read, baseball
I love watching a lot of sports, but baseball is my absolute favorite. Thanks to my daddy I'm a lifelong Atlanta Braves fan. The Major League Baseball playoffs started today and the Braves beat the Phillies, so I'm in an especially good mood!
If you're really excited about baseball, you might enjoy reading all my previous baseball posts here. But today, I want to summarize my three favorites and hopefully entice you to read more.
Leadership Wisdom from the Baseball Diamond — This one goes all the way back to 2011, when I read former Braves General Manager John Schuerholz's book about leading the team from worst to first in 1991, ushering in a historic era of 14 consecutive division titles. His secret? Setting clear, mutually understood expectations with everyone in the organization. Most disappointment in other people traces back to expectations we never actually said out loud. If you need an example of how to reset expectations, listen to this.
How the San Francisco Giants Slept Their Way to Another World Series Championship — This one still stings a little as a Braves fan. Back in 2010, the Giants blew past us in the playoffs after my go-to sleep guy, Dr. Chris Winter, convinced them to stop rushing home after road games and prioritize real rest instead. The Giants proceeded to win the World Series in 2010, 2012, and 2014, and the team said Dr. Winter's sleep hygiene advice helped them achieve this rare modern-era streak.
Manage Your Anxiety and Win a World Series — My favorite of the three. It's about Tyler Matzek fighting his way back from the yips — anxiety so bad he couldn't throw a strike — using breathing, affirmations, and mindfulness, right in time to help us win it all in 2021. I shared a little of my own anxiety story in this one too, because it turns out professional pitchers and regular people aren't all that different under pressure.
Go Braves — and happy playoffs, everyone.
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