Focus Before...Focus During!!!

Hello Passion for Pitching Family!!

So the other night we played a tough one in Princeton, WV against the Rays Organization.  The game went into extra innings and we ended up pulling it out to the tune of 9 to 8.  It was an exciting game and the guys battled back twice from deficits during the game.  The pitching finally stabilized towards the back end of the game and put it away for us once we grabbed the lead in extra frames.

There were a couple things I noticed about not only the nights game but also the entire time I have been with the Cardinals Organization.  The young starting pitchers are really not sure how to get themselves ready mentally or physically before a start.  Sometimes they don't really even know what to do during a game as well.

My example is from the Princeton game.  We had a young man go out to the mound where you could just see it in his face that he was not up for the challenges that the game was going to bring.  I wish I would have had a camera in the dugout because he went through three different types of focus during the game and each one showed on his face like you were staring at yourself in the mirror. 

First off, starting pitchers need to make sure that they understand that preparing yourself before the game is not just about physically moving your body and then starting to throw.  There should be a build up of intensity, concentration and focus that happens throughout the day and into the start.  Heck, there are even times where you hear of pitchers getting going the day or the night BEFORE their next start.  There is a certain tuning that needs to be done so you are ready to commit your emotions and mentality to the battle you are about to take on.

In the rookie league you see young pitchers walking out of the clubhouse maybe 10 minutes before they need to start throwing.  Then you see them do a couple tugs on their body and a couple light jogs and then they pick up a ball and start throwing.  There is a lack of realization that the physical work is not just to prepare your body to start throwing so you can get on the mound.  The physical work is also a fine tuning, a mental preparation to bring forth the focus and intensity needed to allow your body to perform how you want it to.

Let me get back to my example though.....ok, so during the bullpen prior to the game you could just see he wasn't into it.  His body language was lazy, his focus was flat and because of that his bullpen session was below average at best.  Before he threw a pitch in the game I knew he was in for a rough one.  It had nothing to do with his physical ability whatsoever.  It had everything to do with his facial expressions and his body language.  So he went out in the first inning and was hit quite hard.  He was lucky to get out of it with just two runs scoring in the inning.  When he came back in the dugout you could see he looked defeated.  That is the first point where I wish I would have taken a picture.

So the 2nd inning comes and out he goes.  The first guy got on in this inning as well but he was able to calm down enough to start making some better pitches.  Then he got the defense behind him to make a couple plays and you could see him starting to turn it around.  When he went back out for the 3rd inning you saw a whole new pitcher out there.  This was the second time in the ballgame where I wish I would have had a camera.  The focus was there and the intensity was in his face.  He sat quietly and confidently on the bench and at this time it was a 2-2 game.

But then came the top of the fourth and we scored three runs.  This is the third point in the game where I wish I had my camera.  You should have seen this kids face.  He went from out in the ozone, to intently focused, to overly cocky and not paying attention, all in a time frame of just four innings.  When we were scoring runs for him in the fourth he was joking with teammates and basically not realizing he still had a job to do.

So what do you think happened next???  Well, he went back out for the bottom of the 4th and we were up 5 to 2.  He never made it out of the inning and we ended up giving up the lead in that very inning. 

Focus is a goofy thing.  You either have it or you don't.  You either understand it or you don't.  You either feel it or you don't.  But either way, you better be able to understand how you lose it and how you get it back if you want to survive as a pitcher in professional baseball.  There are way too many things that can go on in a ballgame that can turn you all different ways.  You must be able to focus on your job and your job only.  You must be able to know how to prepare yourself before the game and then maintain that preparation and focus during the game, no matter the circumstances.

The next time you go to a major league game or watch one on TV check out the starting pitcher.  See what he does before the game and during the game.  See what his facial expressions are.  See if he is hooting and hollering in the dugout or if he is cool, calm and collected and mainly keeping to himself to maintain his concentration and focus.

That's all for now Passion for Pitching!!!

Happy Pitching!!!

Special Guests

Spring Training has unfolded very well this season.  Just when I have been writing blogs on consistency we have had the perfect guests to come in and reiterate the thoughts I have been writing down.  This month we have had Tony LaRussa, Albert Pujols, Bob Knight and Mike Matheny come and talk to all the young minor league players.  The best part of it was that not one of them talked about mechanics or talent or ability or anything that relates to physical capabilities.  The focus to all their talks was mental toughness.  Being able to understand that to be good in the game of baseball and to achieve the highest level of success you must be mentally tough. 

For this blog I thought it would be nice to share with all of you what the main points of each of their talks were.  Some more serious then others but all equally pleasing and beneficial.

Mike Matheny was first.  He spoke to us at the beginning of Spring Training because he is not around as much as everyone else.  Matheny works with the big leagues and minor leagues as a catching instructor.  Matheny played for a few major league teams and won a couple gold gloves while he was there.  I got to meet Mike Matheny last year when he came to work with the catchers in Johnson City.  He has a wealth of knowledge and a big time character guy to back it up.  Matheny spoke about the other things in baseball that are more in a persons control.  Such as being a good teammate.  His message was that to be able to be a guy around the clubhouse who sets a good example, who works hard and does his job quietly, who picks up guys when they are not going so well, who doesn't take their performance out on someone else or blame someone else when he is struggling, that that is what truly matters.  His point was that if you are able to do these types of things then the successes will come based on your attitude alone.  Your job is to come in and be a professional and truly understand what that means and to embrace it for all it is.  Learning to be a professional takes care of all the other stuff.

Bob Knight was next.  He came down about two weeks ago and had some amazing stories to tell about his time as the head coach of the 1984 summer olympics Gold Medal winning basketball team.  Again he talked about more then just having the physical attributes to play the game of baseball.  Knight spoke about how much he loved coaching guys who were mentally tough.  He was always trying to find ways to challenge his athletes and get the best out of them.  Bob shared a few amazing stories on his time with Michael Jordan during the summer of 1984.  The way they would banter back and forth, it really seemed like there was something special there between himself and Jordan.

Then came Tony LaRussa.  Tony has spoke to the camp each year that I have been with the Cardinals.  Each year he speaks in detail about what he looks for in a player that he wants to play for him in the big leagues.  Tony has a list of three things when referring to a player he wants on his team:  you must be mentally tough, you must be a good teammate, and you must be a professional (on and off the field).  LaRussa is not worried too much about all the physical things because he is aware that most of the kids here in this camp have those attributes already.  But to play for a team and compete for a championship, that is a different thing.  It takes a different type of player to win in the big leagues and that difference is much more mental then it is physical.  I got to ask Tony a question while he was speaking to all of us.  I asked him what the younger pitchers could do to make themselves better.  To be able to learn about the game more.  His answer was simple.  Tony said, while you are on the bench or in the bullpen during the game, you must watch the game.  Watch the game and see how the game shows you all you need to know.  The experiences that happen during the game will show you the answers.  That is so very true.

This brings me to the last speaker but of course not the least.  Mr. Albert Pujols, La Maquina (the machine)  Man, what a treat.  Every year I am here I get to speak with and hear from the best hitter/player in the entire world.  It is great to hear his story each year.  But I don't care about his story of how he got to the bigs because it wasn't really that big of one.  What I love the most about his talks are how much confidence he exudes when he speaks.  There is no question in the world of why Pujols is Pujols when you get to hear him speak and watch him go about his work on a daily basis.  The amount of focus, concentration, confidence, consistency that goes into his approach is why he is who he is.  It radiates from him.  Talk about habits of thought.  I remember Albert answering a young man's question about being positive with himself.  Albert said that for every time he says something negative to himself in his head, he counters that with five to ten positive things.  He has trained himself into his success and there is no two ways about it.  I also got to ask Pujols a couple questions.  The first one was about how he deals with the failures of the game and how he is able to turn those failures into successes.  People forget, even though he is the best player in the game, he still fails 7 out of 10 times when he walks to the plate.  His answer to that was to focus on the bigger picture.  Going 0 for 4 is not a bad thing if his approach at the plate was good and he hit the ball hard.  Sometimes the results won't be there but that doesn't mean his approach or preparation was bad.  He also said he does the best he can to turn the page and look forward to the next day if he happened to have a bad one.  The second question I asked him was how he created the consistency in his results.  Albert answered that with being able to keep his focus and concentration on a day to day basis.  He has his off days just like everybody else, but he doesn't let that get in the way of his work.  Being able to concentrate and focus his the reason why he is as successful as he is. 

Well, that is the wrap up of my fourth spring training experience with the St Louis Cardinals.  The next step for me is extended spring training.  I get to work with guys who are rehabbing and then all the young pupps who are working on their process to make it to the big leagues.  I love how each year brings me more clarity so that I can convey a clearer message each year to these young players.  If I can get them to see the bigger picture, to disregard results and get lost in the work, then I have done my job.  Until next time Passion for Pitching family!!!!!  Hope all is well and you are pitching your butts off!!