[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fPv-qqk7_gyIwaQKWqFqoLi4Lc73oobTwi7KkZltrVUo":3,"$fRTa4cbD9dF_DpmFIXPhRU8q1eDxjxgmpO5Z4sW4EAyk":12},{"author":4,"tags":11},{"author_id":5,"author_name":6,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"bio":9,"short_bio":9,"bio_jsonld":9,"slug":10,"image_url":9},134018,"Dave Esquer","D",40,null,"dave-esquer",[],{"quotes":13,"pagination":117},[14,22,33,44,55,61,72,84,95,106],{"id":15,"quote_text":16,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":19,"source":20,"quote_tag":21,"commentary":9},1379103,"The makeup of the lineup doesn't really make that much of a difference other than where you put Allen Craig. He's been driving in the most runs and getting on base the most. Unfortunately he can't hit one and three.",4,false,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":23,"quote_text":24,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":25,"source":26,"quote_tag":27,"commentary":9},1379099,"These guys aren't going to go down easy. We scrambled, we used everyone we had, and it worked out great for us.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[28],{"id":29,"tag":30},4375809,{"id":31,"tag_name":32},2960,"great",{"id":34,"quote_text":35,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":36,"source":37,"quote_tag":38,"commentary":9},1379096,"How they act during this time means a lot. It's just been one of those strange years where things go a lot differently than we expected. Who knows, maybe the story of the season is in front of us.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[39],{"id":40,"tag":41},4375805,{"id":42,"tag_name":43},2293,"act",{"id":45,"quote_text":46,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":47,"source":48,"quote_tag":49,"commentary":9},1379092,"I'd rather be anywhere if the weather would turn better. We haven't played in good weather yet-we've been dodging rain and cold everywhere we've been. Hopefully our bats will warm up once the weather starts to get warm here, but they haven't yet.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[50],{"id":51,"tag":52},4375802,{"id":53,"tag_name":54},18087,"anywhere",{"id":56,"quote_text":57,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":58,"source":59,"quote_tag":60,"commentary":9},1379087,"It's going to be a gauge for us, and it's going to be a big gauge.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":62,"quote_text":63,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":64,"source":65,"quote_tag":66,"commentary":9},1379083,"It's going to give us an idea of where we're at and what we need to improve on. It will by no means define our season, because we feel that our best days are yet ahead of us and we've got to get ourselves playing to that level.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[67],{"id":68,"tag":69},4375794,{"id":70,"tag_name":71},4909,"ahead",{"id":73,"quote_text":74,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":75,"source":76,"quote_tag":77,"commentary":83},1379080,"It's about us-we've got to play well (for) ourselves. If we play at our highest level and (Stanford) plays well, we'll take our chances.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[78],{"id":79,"tag":80},4375790,{"id":81,"tag_name":82},15487,"highest","**The Backstory**\n\nThis quote is attributed to Dave Esquer, a renowned baseball coach who led Stanford University's team from 1997 to 2013. During his tenure, the Cardinal achieved several notable successes, including winning two College World Series championships in 2000 and 2001.\n\nIn this era of college sports, the landscape was shifting towards increased emphasis on athletic programs being more competitive, while maintaining academic integrity. Coaches like Esquer faced mounting pressure to balance the demands of high-level competition with the pressures of student-athlete success in academics.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\n\nWhat's intriguing about this quote is that it presents a paradoxical mindset: Esquer encourages his team to focus on playing at their highest level, not for external validation or the outcome of the game itself, but because doing so allows them to take control of the situation. This means that success isn't solely dependent on how well the opposing team performs, but rather on whether they meet their own standards.\n\n**How to Use This**\n\nApplying this mindset in a modern context involves embracing self-driven performance goals over external outcomes. For professionals and creatives, it means prioritizing personal excellence and mastery above seeking validation or results-based success. By focusing on what you can control—your own effort and execution—you empower yourself to perform at your best regardless of external circumstances.",{"id":85,"quote_text":86,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":87,"source":88,"quote_tag":89,"commentary":9},1379076,"It's just for a different look. It's just to see the rhythm of how things fall when the lineup turns over and to see how guys fall just to give me an idea of how things flow.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[90],{"id":91,"tag":92},4375786,{"id":93,"tag_name":94},3980,"fall",{"id":96,"quote_text":97,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":98,"source":99,"quote_tag":100,"commentary":9},1379072,"A break like this can work either way. You can hit the ground running or you can play like you haven't played in four weeks.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[101],{"id":102,"tag":103},4375782,{"id":104,"tag_name":105},2076,"break",{"id":107,"quote_text":108,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":109,"source":110,"quote_tag":111,"commentary":9},1379068,"They played well. We had plenty of opportunities, and we just couldn't do it. We give ourselves opportunities to win, but we haven't had enough consistency to really get us on a roll.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[112],{"id":113,"tag":114},4375778,{"id":115,"tag_name":116},8834,"consistency",{"currentPage":118,"totalPages":17,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":119},1,10]