JJ Niekro
Episode 288
5 AUG 2024
He is a pitcher for the Mississippi Braves, the Double A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, with whom he signed as a free agent in 2021 after having pitched in the MLB Draft League. He then proceeded to post a 2.76 earned run average over 16 ⅓ innings in rookie ball. He had played collegiately in Lakeland, Florida, and in high school as well. Fans of Major League Baseball absolutely will recognize his last name, with his having had three different family members who all played in the big leagues.
Notable guest quotes:
“An extremely devout Catholic household… authentic and organic Catholic roots combined to produce me and give me such a beautiful Catholic environment.”
“I went to Jesuit High School in Tampa, Florida which was absolutely amazing. I met so many wonderful priests, teachers, friends and really developed a sense of Ignatian spirituality and working in the world and not away from it in my prayer life and my Catholic faith and how I treat others.”
“There’s a certain beauty in baseball as well. There’s a saying I love that baseball is like church; many attend, few understand.”
“I think there’s two of their parallels that naturally jump out to me about baseball and specifically to spirituality and ultimately to Catholicism because that’s where all spirituality leads, but for baseball, there’s a reason why some of the old stadiums like Wrigley Field and Fenway Park are known as cathedrals.”
“I think the Lord really allowed me to use those dimensions to add to my spiritual life and it’s something I’ve even built into my own before I do any type of practice, game, interview, whatever it may be, there’s moments of silence proceeding that allow for me to really contemplate what I’m about to do and do it with the best of my mind and my heart.”
“Those times the Lord built in for silence in the morning, even that just speaking with Him allowed me to recognize how beautiful this life is, the pure joy that we receive, especially from our Catholic faith and how good our flesh is.”
“I think spiritually we have to create that spiritual arsenal from building great habits, building great virtues, from saints, from people in our life and most consistently from receiving the Eucharist.”
“He’s just been the best father figure and coach that I could ever ask for and I’m so eternally grateful the Lord allowed me to know him.”
“My uncle (Phil Niekro) said a quote that I quote often and I really, really love it because it’s true; he never wanted to be a Hall of Fame player, he just wanted to be a Hall of Fame person. And that was the main goal and focus of his life and as I get older now… I appreciate obviously the chance to do that because I know how rare and fortunate I was to experience it.”
“Baseball isn’t everything. In the end when you’re looking back at your life, on your deathbed, you want to know that you gave everything to Christ and being the best father you could, being the best, whatever your vocation is, to be the absolute best at it and feel exhausted that you loved to the very end.”
“The Lord even said that he will not be accepted in every place and every time and people will hate you because of his name, and fortunately I haven’t had any instances where people have gotten mad at me because, the way I encounter Christ and the way I encounter a lot of my teammates is they all come from different backgrounds. I just try to love them the best they can to meet them where they’re at.”
“I just pray that all of us can realize the magnitude of our Catholic faith and how that it calls upon us to do this in every aspect of secular society. Whether you’re a baseball player, whether you’re an accountant, whether you’re a teacher, we could all minister and help others to know and love Christ the way we do through how we act for Him.”
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