Teaching a World Series Champion

Justin Grimm, a native of Bristol VA, was a pitcher for the 2016 World Series champion team, the Chicago Cubs.

Once upon a time, Justin also sat in my 3rd grade classroom at Van Pelt Elementary School.

When he made it to the major leagues, after each baseball season was over, Justin would come visit my classroom and talk to my students, seeking to inspire them.

I especially liked it when Justin would talk to my students about how important it was to “work hard” for what they wanted. “There is no substitute for hard work,” he always told them, again and again.

The Big Thing is; Justin not only spoke these words, he lived them.

Justin was in many ways a typical boy, constantly full of energy and rowdy fun.

What set Justin apart, in my opinion, were three things; one of the best families in Bristol, an ability to bend and torque his body and arm to throw one of the meanest curveballs ever seen on Earth, and a work ethic so persistent that it is difficult to describe.

Like all people who succeed in life, it was not all smooth sailing for Justin. He faced adversity. At one point he injured his throwing arm so badly that he had to sit out of baseball for an entire year. Many would have quit at that point. Not Justin. He returned from injury throwing harder, and better, than ever.

The World Series win in 2016 marked the Chicago Cubs’ first championship since 1908, ending the longest championship drought in American professional sports history.

The year before that magical 2016 World Championship season, Justin put up some statistical numbers that would rank in the top 1% of any major league pitcher who ever lived. His ERA was 1.99 … and he struck out more than a dozen batters per nine innings pitched. Come 2016 both he and the team were primed to win it all.

(Yes, I also realize that for those who don’t know baseball, these figures are absolutely meaningless. Just let it be said that those statistics are rarer than hen’s teeth - across a century and a half of major league baseball.)

Here’s another amazing stat; Justin is also one of a very tiny percentage of major leaguer players who pitched for at least nine years in the major leagues and averaged at least one strikeout per inning pitched.

Justin could throw really fast … as in 98 mph fast. But his fastball was not the greatest pitch in his arsenal. He could throw a curveball that broke so sharply it appeared to drop out of the sky - and whenever even the most skilled batter took a swing at it, more often than not, they hit nothing but a whiff of air.

Justin’s mom was an extremely dedicated public school teacher. His dad worked hard at his own business. I didn’t get to teach Justin’s big bro, but I did get to teach his little sis. I don’t have room here to tell you what good and true people they all were … and still are.

Here is a pic of Justin with his wife, Gina. I have proof that Justin and Gina are absolutely wonderful parents - simply because I have met their two oldest children. I have not had the privilege yet of meeting Gina (who is also quite an accomplished athlete and entrepeneur in her own right) but … as I learned from years of teaching school; just let me spend a few minutes with your children and I can tell a lot about you as a a parent, without ever even meeting you in person.

Most people who read these words will never get to meet any of the Grimms in person. However, I hope that I’ve been able to help each reader feel like they already know Justin and all his good family.

Being a member of a World Series championship team is an honor held by very few people. To my knowledge, Justin is the only Bristol native to ever wear a World Series championship ring.