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Photo courtesy of Billy Lee\/MLB Network<\/p>\n\t\t\tPhoto courtesy of Billy Lee\/MLB Network<\/p>\n
For Cliff Floyd,\u00a0baseball has always been\u00a0about\u00a0more than what happens on the diamond, from the lessons he learned to the relationships he built.\u00a0Long before the big-league lights, postseason moments, and a newfound career in front of the camera, the foundation of Floyd\u2019s career\u00a0and character\u00a0was built on a Little League\u00ae\u00a0field.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
As a\u00a0proud\u00a0graduate\u00a0of Markham Manor\u00a0(Ill.)\u00a0Little League, now known as Markham (Ill.) LL,\u00a0Floyd\u00a0credits\u00a0his former coach and mentor,\u00a0Coach Moses Harris,\u00a0as an instrumental figure throughout his\u00a0baseball journey.\u00a0The lessons he learned from\u00a0Harris\u00a0built the foundation of what it meant to\u00a0be a good teammate, thrive under pressure, and navigate through adversity.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMoses Harris was instrumental as far as just getting us from point A to point B, and how to make us better as opposed to just playing every Saturday,\u201d said Floyd. \u201cOnce we got outside of our comfort zone, that was the most significant part of us being able to adapt to our surroundings and take on accountability\u00a0and\u00a0responsibilities\u00a0at such a young age.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Floyd\u2019s early experiences taught him more than the mechanics of hitting or fielding. He learned that baseball is a game of failure, but being able to keep a positive mindset while also striving to be the best, most composed version of himself is what would give him the long career in the Major Leagues. While his career was full of lots of positive moments, Floyd knows he is far from perfect. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve made a ton of mistakes in life, but that doesn\u2019t stop me from trying to be perfect every day. The goal is to be perfect 24\/7, but obviously, challenges and mistakes come with that,\u201d said Floyd. \u201cYou can fail, breathe, and get a little closer tomorrow, but don\u2019t give up. That mindset is everything.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
Even today, years after he hung up his cleats for the last time, the lessons Floyd learned on the Little League diamond continue to guide him. Whether he is breaking down a play on MLB Network, sharing stories about his playing days, or mentoring the next generation of youth athletes, he never forgets the place where he found his love for the game. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThroughout my career as a broadcaster, I always remind myself to not forget that I was a player at one point, too,\u201d said Floyd. \u201cThis is a game of unfortunate failure, but it\u2019s one of those things that if you can understand failure, you can have longevity in this sport.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
In 2025, Floyd joined Major League Baseball during their annual\u00a0Winter Meetings\u00a0Charity\u00a0Auction<\/a>\u00a0to help give back to the program that kick-started his journey. Proceeds from the auction were directed\u00a0to the\u00a0Little League Disaster\u00a0Relief Fund<\/a>, which was\u00a0established\u00a0to help\u00a0leagues\u00a0impacted\u00a0by disaster receive the support they need to rebuild,\u00a0recover,\u00a0and continue providing children with the life lessons learned through youth baseball and softball.\u00a0<\/p>\n Little League sat down with Floyd for a special \u201cSix Innings Conversation\u201d \u2013 six questions for the six innings in a Little League game \u2013 to learn more about his journey from Little League to MLB and to offer advice for the next generation of Little Leaguers\u00ae.\u00a0<\/p>\n First Inning: What impact did your Little League playing days have on your childhood? Do you have a favorite Little League memory?<\/p>\n Little League had a tremendous impact on my childhood, even\u00a0if\u00a0I\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0understand it at the time. As kids, we just showed up and played\u00a0and never really thought about those who took the time away from their personal lives to coach us. Looking back now, I realize how much those coaches poured into us.\u00a0We adapted to our surroundings,\u00a0learned\u00a0accountability, and\u00a0took\u00a0on\u00a0responsibility at\u00a0a young age. You\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0realize it then, but those experiences stick with you.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Second Inning: What lessons did you learn from Little League that you have carried into your professional career and beyond?<\/p>\n Even though Little League was a long time ago, it still takes me back. When I hear the names of the guys I played with, I remember their character and who they were\u00a0as\u00a0people. I really wanted to be the best back\u00a0then;\u00a0I wanted to be the guy that the team could always count on. I\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0know how I got to that point mentally at such\u00a0a young age, but I felt that responsibility.\u00a0You look over at the\u00a0dugout,\u00a0and everything feels close,\u00a0almost like\u00a0a Wrigley Field effect, where everyone is locked in and depending on you to come through. That pressure\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0go away as you go through your\u00a0career;\u00a0it is the same feeling. Little League is where\u00a0you learn how to deal with expectations, how to handle pressure, and how to respond when people are counting on you.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Third Inning: At the MLB Winter Meetings, you were presented with your Little League roster. What did it mean to you to receive this and have time to reflect back on your days as a youth athlete?<\/p>\n It\u00a0immediately\u00a0made me think about\u00a0the guys I grew up playing with. You remember who those guys were, the memories you shared, and how competitive everybody was. Even later in life, whether\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0teammates from the big leagues or kids you played with growing up, the moment you hear their name,\u00a0it all comes back. You remember how good they were, how competitive it was, and how much it mattered in that moment.\u00a0<\/p>\n Fourth Inning: You saw firsthand during the MLB Winter Meeting Auctions the importance of Little League\u2019s efforts to give back through its Disaster Relief Fund. How important do you think philanthropic giving is to help support local leagues and communities in today\u2019s world?<\/p>\n That is where opportunity comes in. Giving back is not just about giving for the sake of giving. It is about helping people through real trials and tribulations.\u00a0Without that support,\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0not playing the game we love.\u00a0When something\u00a0catastrophic\u00a0happens, or even when\u00a0families face unexpected challenges, you hope the right people are in place to help guide and educate them on what resources are available. It is also important for kids to understand the value of what is being given and how it is received. That awareness matters because it teaches gratitude and responsibility beyond the\u00a0game.\u00a0<\/p>\n Fifth Inning: What impact do you think local Little League programs have on communities around the world today?<\/p>\n The biggest impact Little League has is shaping the future generation.\u00a0You\u2019re\u00a0doing something you love, even if\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0not something you do for a\u00a0living. It\u00a0gets kids off the couch, the streets, and into something\u00a0constructive.\u00a0It teaches kids how to be part of a group, how to work together, and how to support one another. When I played Little League, it\u00a0wasn\u2019t just baseball. We shoveled snow, raised money, sold candy, and washed cars. All those things taught us accountability, which has carried into\u00a0my real life. Everything I know now about these lessons all started in Little League.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sixth Inning: What advice would you give a youth athlete who is stepping out onto the diamond for the first time?<\/p>\n The first thing I would tell a kid is to breathe. Take a deep breath, look around, and really\u00a0take in\u00a0your surroundings. Do your\u00a0best, leave it all on the field, and understand that tomorrow is a new day. Reflect on what happened, then throw it away and move on. Little League is the starting point. The best way to explain it\u00a0is to learn\u00a0to crawl before you walk. Everybody is crawling together, even if some crawl faster than\u00a0others.\u00a0If\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0going to start somewhere in life, this is where you start. Little League teaches you how to grow, how to fail, how to try again, and how to enjoy the journey.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Structured with six questions for the six innings in a traditional Little League\u00ae game, \u201cSix Innings Conversations\u201d<\/a> features Little League\u00ae alumni<\/a> and their journey from the baseball or softball diamond to their career today, where they continue to make a positive impact. If you know of a notable Little League graduate missing from this list, please complete the above Little League Alumni Submission form<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Photo courtesy of Billy Lee\/MLB Network For Cliff Floyd,\u00a0baseball has always been\u00a0about\u00a0more than what happens on the diamond,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":457782,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[435],"tags":[49,48,462,82],"class_list":["post-457781","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-mlb","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/457781","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=457781"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/457781\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/457782"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=457781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=457781"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=457781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}