How Culture, Mentoring, And Trust Lead To Greatness

Even though he won three World Series with the Baltimore Orioles and was enshrined in the Hall of Fame, some of the defining moments in Jim Palmer’s pursuit of greatness took place at the low levels of the minor leagues, learning from a great instructor in Cal Ripken, Sr.

In his new book “Nine Innings to Success: A Hall of Famer’s Approach to Achieving Excellence,” Palmer, a Hall of Fame pitcher who spent his entire major league career in Baltimore, relates how he learned the “Orioles Way,” a focus on professionalism, training, evaluation, and fundamentals, from Ripken.

“We’re going to outwork all the teams that we’re going to play,” Ripken told Palmer and his teammates in Aberdeen, South Dakota. “We’re going to come out here every day and try to get a little better in our craft. And we’re going to have fun doing it.”