August 22, 2000

Baseball, a game full of paradoxes and cliches, can lift you on its shoulders and carry you or drop you off and run over you. It is unforgiving and perfectly arbitrary in all of its outcomes. The rhythm and simplicity of the game allow for a sort of loss of consciousness while playing and watching. Fans fall in love with the rhythm of the game, players fall in and out of that rhythm.

The time before a baseball game is always the same. The bus arrives, the players dress, the players stretch, the players throw, the players hit and then the players field, every day and in every town. The players dress the same, do the same routine and frequently play the same as a team. Amidst the tranquility and meticulous order of the activities surrounding a game on the outside, on the inside of a player's head the days are never the same. The mental side of the game can eat you up or set you free. The next time you go to a game watch the shortstop who has hit .400 the last ten games and imagine how great you would feel. But then look to the second baseman who has eight errors in the last ten games and watch him field ground balls. Imagine how hard it must be for him to continue to work through the monotony and rhythm of a game that is beating him. Many players bring this baggage with them.

The calm exterior being fueled by a forceful and unpredictable inner state is one of the most human aspects of the game. For example, one must be mentally aggressive while physically holding their weight-shift back. A batter must mentally be ready to attack the baseball, but in fact must be balanced and keep his weight on his back leg. A pitcher must do the same with his pitches. Maintain mental attack mode without jumping to the batter and instead come to a perfect balance point.

The interesting thing though about these paradoxes are the ways in which players try to deal with them: the cliche. See the ball, hit the ball. Get ahead of the batter. Just throw strikes and let the defense work for you. Don't overswing. Charge the ball. Take it one pitch at a time.

Everyone has heard this type of cliche in their own life and I know any player reading this has heard at least one cliche every time his manager has held a team meeting. So do these overused cliches have any value for the player try to solve some the games paradoxes?

The cliche is the difference between a major league baseball player and a minor leaguer. Most of the time, the cliches are so overused that most players immediately stop listening when they hear them. For many it just doesn't help because they don't truly understand what the small phrase generally means.

But in these little phrases are the keys to unlocking the keys of the game. Most scouts would agree that most everyone in the minor leagues has the physical tools to make it to the big leagues. But there is something that separates them; perhaps the knowledge of the cliche is the hidden secret. I guess I realized the importance of understanding the game's cliches, after I realized the importance of just one of them.

I have heard "Hey fellahs, let's just go play one pitch at a time," about 14,231 times in my life. And to be honest, it took 13,976 times to really think about what that meant. Most of you are way ahead of my slow-minded thinking on such a seemingly simple statement but these phrases: "take it one day at a time," "just be in the moment," "don't worry be happy," etc., are all the same ways people everyday use the same idea. After reading the "Mental ABC's of Pitching," I think I finally understood what this particular cliche meant.

The only thing I can control is the execution of my next pitch. I don't control what the people in the stands think, scouts' opinions of me, the umpire, the defense, what my manager thinks, what that girl in the stands thinks, how my defense plays, how well the batter hits the pitch, what happened on my last pitch, what I want to do with my next pitch, if my catcher will catch a passed ball, the quality of the mound, the lights, the elevation, whether or not I will be promoted, my team needs this win, what is my pitch count etc. When it comes down to it, the only thing any player can do is control the execution of each pitch. Ordering out and thinking about all these other things will never work while playing. Your body and mind have just enough talent to throw the ball towards the plate. It shouldn't have to handle anything else and usually can't. The pitcher, the batter, and the fielder cannot control anything apart from the execution of each pitch.

So in fact the rhythms and patterns of the game, all the way down to the uniforms we wear, do conceal the inner demons and unpredictability of our thoughts, but one powerful cliche can eliminate all the inner turmoil by allowing the player to focus on the only thing he can control: the pitch. And after the execution of that pitch, another and another until the player has played an at-bat, an inning, a game, a week, a month and finally a season.

Maybe one of these days I will figure out what pitch to throw a "good fastball hitter." If a guy is a good fastball hitter, should I throw him a bad fastball?

Anyway, thanks for all the emails. I appreciate the support.

Will

You can contact Will Rosellini at Rumi54@aol.com.