We cannot plug athletes into generic approaches for their respective sports. They are snowflakes. John Baker's guest post today serves as anecdotal evidence. Enjoy. The end of a playing career comes like a plunge into an ice cold ocean. Abrupt, unpredictable and shocking. A moment ago I was comfortably on land, but now I feel like Tom Hanks in Castaway, … [Read more...]
I didn't even know NHL teams had play-by-play dudes (probably because I know nothing about hockey). Turns out they do, they're intense, and they have stories to tell. Ralph Strangis brings his below, and we're grateful.I’m 54 years old, but I still describe myself as a seeker. I do life differently than I used to. I endeavor to have body and mind present for everything … [Read more...]
If you’ve been reading this blog for a bit, you know one of our themes revolves around mining for the answer to the question “why?” I believe strongly in this concept. The modern day baseball player does too, and we are lucky to be in a generation where players don’t blindly follow direction. They require explanations and data. This makes working with them more gratifying. It … [Read more...]
Todd Jones was a great teammate. He and I rode Vespa scooters to Fenway Park together for home games in Boston in 2003. That's the shit you remember. Not the 319 career saves. He is a genuine human being and is a solid evaluator of character. Read below; you'll see why I'm sharing this. So I’m flipping channels, ‘cause I’m old and that’s what I do now. I ran … [Read more...]
I learned a ton about playing catch from Pudge Rodriguez. He riffed on how important it was to throw the ball to your partner with authority. He said, "When I play catch, I'm trying to knock the other guy down. That trains my arm to know what to do when I try to throw a baserunner out instead of training it to toss the ball." John Baker learned his lessons from Huston Street. … [Read more...]