-David S.-
Baseball = Failure
If you think about it baseball is a huge game of failure. Great hitters hit .300 average. Look at it this way, it means you FAIL 70% of the time. That’s a huge percentage. You are guaranteed to fail. If while at bat, you advance a runner and he gets into scoring position, but you get out, do you fail? Absolutely not. Your batting average will be lower, which looks bad on the surface. However, you are part of a team whose goal is to score runs. Let’s say the winning run is on third and you crush the ball to the outfield and the fielder makes an amazing play. You don’t fail because your goal is to hit the ball solidly and you succeeded. You tip your cap to the defender and try again. This unfortunately is a scenario that’s happened to me many times. Another scenario would be if there is a full count and bases are loaded in the last inning. You strike out. Yes, this is failing, but it’s part of the game. It happens to everyone. All of this is part of the game and you just have to get used to it. No matter how hard you try, the game of baseball will always win. So you will always face adversity, but it is how you respond to it that makes the difference between good players and great ball players.
Negative Thinking = Contagion
On my traveling baseball team, many of the kids get very upset after committing an error or not batting well. ( Parents, it doesn’t help if you’re screaming or puting pressure on your kid.) If this ever happens to me, I just try my best to be positive and to keep my head up as well as encourage teammates. Otherwise, this can cause you to play horribly because you are not in a good mental mood. If one person starts having a bad attitude, it spreads like a disease. Everyone starts getting upset and frustrated and the team starts to fade. The other team smells this frustration and takes advantage of it and then uses it against you. They will crush you to pieces. I’ve seen this happen to my team numerous times. Kids crying, helmets thrown, missed grounders, bad throws -it’s ugly. I’ve heard that scouts hope to see errors when looking at players. They want to see how a player handles mistakes mentally and how/if they can recover. My advice: Let it go! Don’t mix offense and defense. Leave the error on the field. Leave the strikeout in the batter’s box. Each player needs to find what works for them – so learn to forgive yourself and move forward!!!
Hello David,
No-one forgets a blown save faster than Mariano Rivera. A short memory can be a great asset.
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And noting your comment on the Marlins, I wonder if you’ve seen this:
http://riveraveblues.com/2012/02/taking-baseball-a-little-less-seriously-63379/
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http://bizofbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5453%3Amarlins-homerun-structure&catid=41%3Afacility-news&Itemid=56
Very nice job. Baseball has always been a lot of fun to watch for me. There will always be those that play great and there will always be those that “slump” on any given day. That is what makes it so much fun.
Thank you for checking out my blog. I was wondering if you have any advice? I think you might know my cousins blog “Brewers Today.”
Excellent observations and very well put. Even when you’re young and just starting out, every team needs strong players that are also good ‘clubhouse’ guys, right? I did not know that scouts were looking for player reactions to errors now, but I think that’s really interesting and makes a lot of sense. How a player reacts to failure can make all the difference in the world between a good AAA ballplayer and a guy that can actually make the leap to the majors and stay there.
— Kristen
When I was doing some research I was very suprised about the scouting thing too. There’s been quite a few players that haven’t made it far because of not letting their mistakes go.
Great piece! Yes, baseball is not a game for the impatient or those who desire instant gratification. She makes you work for it, tests your resolve but in the end she rewards you so much.
Super great I am really likin this blog as others do. U explained it so well. I will be honest I have done that oh to many times and I am not happy. People say to let it go and that is exactly right. U r gettin good~he who must not be named online
Thanks for the encouragement Ry……….. he who must not be named online. I’m suprised it has gotten a lot of views fast.
Wow, man! I’m blown away. You do such a thorough job and offer up some advanced baseball knowledge for such a young guy. Keep it up!
-Marcus @RoyalBluesKC
Thank you so much for checking out my blog. I really liked your blog too.
Looking good man. I can see improvements from past posts up through this one.
-Curt
http://plushdamentals.mlblogs.com/
Thanks for checking it out. I liked your site too. Do you have any advice?
-David
Let’s see what I have. I’m no pro, but I’d suggest getting straight to the point with your lead-ins to stories, if that makes sense. And a season preview or something to get the fans interested is always a good stat-packer.
I appreciate the advice. Thanks a lot.
-David
Yup, keep me in the loop with whatever good stuff you have going on with your blog. Go Crew!
Great! Just great job!
It’s a pleasure to meet you. Here’s to another great year for the Red Sox!!
Pleasure to meet you as well! What is you prediction for the new year for the Sox? What do you think of the Big Papi contract situation?
I haven’t been keeping up the news as closely as I should, but it seems Ortiz will be staying – he does want to retire as a Red Sox. He is 38 now (and Boston used to get rid of a player at 36 in the past) and shouldn’t expect more than a 2 year contract. His spring training record so far looks great – so here’s hoping.
Ortiz is still producing at an old age! He deserves to get an extension.
How do you think Xander Bogaerts will contribute this year?
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