A sign says plenty about Brendan Donovan’s approach. The Mariners’ do-everything All-Star is the son of retired U.S. Army Col. Jim Donovan, and was raised with immense respect for the military community. After being drafted by St. Louis in the seventh round of the 2018 MLB draft, Brendan gravitated to Cardinals mental skills and well-being coordinator Brian Alazzawi, whose background included 18 years with the Navy SEALs. In 2022, Alazzawi gifted the revelatory rookie a sign the SEALs hung during training. Which is how this motivational memento lived for years in Donovan’s locker: THE ENEMY THANKS YOU FOR NOT GIVING 100% TODAY The point was not to draw impossible parallels between military...
