Practice in the Present

OK, so two weeks from tomorrow is opening today. Granted, the chances of the field being playable are slim, so we’re likely three weeks away, but you never know. And as the season draws closer, I start breaking down my game and seeing if I’m ready to go. I’m not.

From the defensive perspective, I’m not blocking well. Granted, on a hard-wood gym floor, it’s difficult to really get in front of that baseball. Also, pitchers are all working on new grips and refining mechanics, which tends to lead to loss of control, and hence fifty-footers, which, as any catcher knows, it’s really tough to block a pitch that bounces ten feet in front of you.

I think my throwing has been pretty good, although that’s tough to gauge because being stuck in a gym inhibits me from using my throwing program and getting long toss in. Lately my elbow has been hurting and I need to make sure I keep my throwing at about 70% so as to not aggravate it further.

We finally got an indoor cage, which is a huge help. But we have one indoor cage, and while pitchers get to really work well off the mound and throw to batters, the batters get maybe 1-2 at bats a day, which leads to about 20 at bats left until the season starts. Thinking about it – it’s a lot – I got zero the past three years (and we know if we take out my first twenty at bats of every season where my batting average goes), but it’s tough to be satisfied - having real at bats is priceless before a season. I get just as many reps as the next guy, but I still feel like I’m being gypped.

So seeing this negative, like I’m not getting enough at bats – that’s completely positive! I’m actually getting at bats! And being honest with myself, I’m having good at bats, too. I’m focusing on timing and approach and really leaving mechanics aside. In two weeks from now, I could see myself really being ready to go.

It is important, in my opinion, not to over-think practice. It’s too late to think about what you could have done or even how much you need to do. It’s important to keep a very simple approach – do right now what you’re supposed to do, at 100% effort. Every swing, every throw, every repetition is done with a focus and specific purpose. I can relate this to life outside of baseball too. I’m someone who always regrets not going to class, not taking good notes. And when finals come, I spend time complaining how stupid I was, why didn’t I do a better job? But, at the end of the day, you need to look at right now. It’s finals, you’re behind, sit down, and get it done.

With this attitude, you spend less time thinking about things that are already over with. You are also maximizing the time you have left. Hopefully, I can keep this sort of attitude and go full swing into the season.

What Baseball Taught Me

OK, I definitely could have come up with a better title, but why beat around the bush? Everything about a blog is kind of cheesy, so no sense in hiding it. For those new readers who haven't read my first blog, Baseball was something that just sort of fell into my life, something I loved from the get-go and really tried my hardest to excel at it.

I was awful, but I didn't realize it. And I always say now: the better I get, the more I realize how much I suck (and this blog just became PG). I think it comes from trying to compare yourself to those at the next level, and there was just so much room to improve. Baseball made me appreciate professional athletes. These people have devoted so much time into their sport, they have become freaks of nature. And this applies to all sports. One a quick side note, I hate people who say, "Baseball is the best sport because it teaches sacrificing for a team." That is BS, every sport has passing and elements where players' role exist solely for teammates. Think of the offensive line. Anyway, it's incredible how effortlessly basketball players drain threes, how precise soccer players place the ball, and how many balls fly out of the park during a batting practice. Now, when I hear someone bashing a professional, "Oh, he's awful," I just can't stand it. I know, compared to the average professional he might be awful, but even he is so so good.

Related to that, I learned how in order to improve you simply have to work hard, be disciplined, and there are no two ways about it. There are very few shortcuts in life, and most of us took them on the way home from school in third grade. You aren't going to get stronger unless you put in your hours in the weight room. You can't improve your swing mechanics without taking a lot swings, specifically focusing on the adjustment you are trying to make. Simply put, you want it? Go get it. I wanted to be really good. I can't say I made it, but I sure came a long way. I never would be where I am without the amount of practice I put in. (For a list of people who helped me along the way, ask me another time, there are way too many on that list. Oh, and G-d.)

I'm starting to feel like everything I've learned is related. Next on my list (which comes in no particular order) is prioritizing. Baseball suddenly became a central part of my life. A group of friends I used to hang out with, I stopped hanging out with. I have to stress that is was not a conscious decision - I simply realized one day, wow, all of my friends are baseball players. When it came to choosing hanging out with friends or getting your workout and swings in, I chose the latter a huge majority of the time. I had to prioritize according to what I wanted. Even now, that Baseball is just not what it was, I think I'm better able to look at my plate and know what is important to me and what can wait.

Lastly (or at least the last thing I can think about), I learned that in life you need to control what you can control and nothing else. In Baseball, you can do everything right, hit the ball right on the barrel but right at the fielder (sorry for the cliche). You just have to get back to the bench and know you did the right thing. There are several factors in life you cannot control, namely, anybody else's actions. There is no sense getting frustrated about things you cannot change. You need to apply your effort to things that will practically make a difference.

Now that I am more focused on a career and other aspects of life, part of me thinks about the amounts of money and time I spent on baseball and to an extent I almost regret it. But I think it was a blessing and really glad it all happened. These qualities have already helped me so much in life outside of Baseball. Oh, what a great game.