Something Interesting I Heard Today

[jct32]

I was talking with a teammate of mine during our baseball game today. He was 0-2 with 2 K's off a pretty good pitcher and he was frustrated like he usually gets when that happens. He comes over by me and just looks frustrated like none other. I looked at him and then said

"Hey Man are you getting paid to play out here?"
He gave me a simple no so I said
"Just take it easy man, you're not getting paid to play, just play and have fun"
I told him that because when I get frustrated or stop having fun I don't play so well. Then he told me that Baseball was his life.

I didn't say anything back but I kinda felt sad for him. He is sitting here completely stressing out over something that is supposed to be fun. I mean we still are playing at the high school level its supposed to be competitive but its only JV right now. Now I'm not saying to not try or anything but I realized that I play alot better if I go out there to have fun.

So what do you guys think about what I said to him?

[MassNole]

Re: Something Interesting I Heard Today

You're playing JV Baseball, what you said was completely appropriate and perhaps wise beyond your years. I am sure even Tony Gwynn struck out a couple times in a HS game.

[bsb13]

Re: Something Interesting I Heard Today

You never know, like that movie "The Fan" someone in his family may have been kidnapped and then he was told he would have to hit a homerun that game, or the person kidnapped would be killed.

[MassNole]

Re: Something Interesting I Heard Today

You never know, like that movie "The Fan" someone in his family may have been kidnapped and then he was told he would have to hit a homerun that game, or the person kidnapped would be killed.

LMAO.

[Brandon 2006]

Re: Something Interesting I Heard Today

My friend get all stressed out when we play pick up basketball. If his team starts losing he starts yelling at people, throwing the ball, and just being a jerk. One day he got really mad and my other friend bounced the ball off his back while running up the court and he turned around and pushed him to the ground and left.

[nyisles16]

Re: Something Interesting I Heard Today

You never know, like that movie "The Fan" someone in his family may have been kidnapped and then he was told he would have to hit a homerun that game, or the person kidnapped would be killed.

"C'mon Bobbbyy"

[Scottdau]

Re: Something Interesting I Heard Today

I don't know, if baseball is his life then he should be stressing. You have to be wanting to get better every day. You have to be driven, unless you have talent. If he wants to go pro, he needs that desire to want to get better.

[jct32]

Re: Something Interesting I Heard Today

Well, yea I went and had basically the same conversation with one of the underclassmen on our team. He just got pulled from the game after about 5 strikeouts and 4-5 runs with only about 2-3 of them being earned. He comes in and sits by me on the bench and we had a conversation and I was encouraging him, saying that he threw solid. He told me that he was frustrated because he went 8-2 last year with a 3.something ERA as a freshman. I said "Dude that's a helluva season, if you go out and try to strike everyone out or have them groundout so you can do as good or better then your going to fail. You just need to go out there and to the simple and little things right and just have fun and then you might succeed. Baseball is a sport when you can fail 2 times out of 3 and still be good, don't worry about it man" He said he understood what I was saying. The thing that made me kinda proud was that he got up to bat the next inning and while he was up he fouled one out of play and I had to go get it. When I get back I see that he winds up on second, he comes back in and when we go back out on the field I went and sat by him and asked him "I saw you on second did you get a good hit?"
He told me "Not really it went between the pitchers legs and then the shortstop overthrew it and I ended up on second"
So I asked him "Did you go up to the plate to just put the ball in play and have fun, you weren't stressing or anything were you?"
He told me that he didn't. That made me kinda proud whether he said that or whether he actually applied it is something I might never know, but he did break a drought of getting on base that inning. So I hoped he took my advice because it makes it alot better when you not out there stressing on every single thing you do.

[jct32]

Re: Something Interesting I Heard Today

I don't know, if baseball is his life then he should be stressing. You have to be wanting to get better every day. You have to be driven, unless you have talent. If he wants to go pro, he needs that desire to want to get better.

I understand that statement, and don't get me wrong I'm one of the hardest working guys on the team and I would like to go play college ball at least and it would be wonderful to go play pro ball. But thing is, he goes to a hitting coach and still strikes out alot, and he gets ticked off every single time he strikes out whether its against a crappy pitcher or a good pitcher. That's why I told him that he isn't getting paid, its not like its life or death for him out here. He has the same goal of me to go play baseball at a higher level but he already has a step further in the future than alot of people and sometimes I don't think he realizes it. His mom works at a college so he will get to go there for basically nothing, and yet he stresses out every single time he fails in baseball, and in baseball you need to accept that your going to fail more times than you will succeed.

[Scottdau]

Re: Something Interesting I Heard Today

I understand that statement, and don't get me wrong I'm one of the hardest working guys on the team and I would like to go play college ball at least and it would be wonderful to go play pro ball. But thing is, he goes to a hitting coach and still strikes out alot, and he gets ticked off every single time he strikes out whether its against a crappy pitcher or a good pitcher. That's why I told him that he isn't getting paid, its not like its life or death for him out here. He has the same goal of me to go play baseball at a higher level but he already has a step further in the future than alot of people and sometimes I don't think he realizes it. His mom works at a college so he will get to go there for basically nothing, and yet he stresses out every single time he fails in baseball, and in baseball you need to accept that your going to fail more times than you will succeed.

Some times you need to have that attitude. It sounds like he is not really talented. So he needs to drive him self to do better. I hear what are saying and agree, but your friend wants to get better, so to him this is life or death. Baseball is a very hard sport. Even though you can fail at it 70% and still be a super star. It is what it is. I think what you are doing is great for your friend. But if he is really driven he wont listen to you.

[jct32]

Re: Something Interesting I Heard Today

Some times you need to have that attitude. It sounds like he is not really talented. So he needs to drive him self to do better. I hear what are saying and agree, but your friend wants to get better, so to him this is life or death. Baseball is a very hard sport. Even though you can fail at it 70% and still be a super star. It is what it is. I think what you are doing is great for your friend. But if he is really driven he wont listen to you.

Ok I can see that, I mean he has played baseball since he was little and has a tremendous love for the sport just like me. But he's a above average player like me (well atleast at our high school) and while we both may have a future in pro or collegiate ball. I think he is stressing out too much in the games and missing out on all the fun he could be having. Like I said that's what I realized recently. I haven't been preforming the best but I went and looked and we were 6-1 (now 6-2) and out team was playing really well. Now I'm going to work hard in practice and then going to give it my all during the game and do all the little stuff right. But because you have a couple of at-bats doesn't mean you have to get all frustrated, and if you do, save it for practice where it will motivate you to work harder to get better. Don't let it build up during the game because it will kill you and you won't preform well. I think when I get frustrated its like when I get fear or doubt in my head, and like they say about fear "If you don't conquer fear, fear will conquer you." So I think him getting overly frustrated like he does, is the result of him not trying hard during the games or not trying hard during practice, or I have another theory what it might be but that would take a whole new topic and it is a longer explaination and a lot deeper into the whole situation.

[RAZRr1275]

Re: Something Interesting I Heard Today

My friend get all stressed out when we play pick up basketball. If his team starts losing he starts yelling at people, throwing the ball, and just being a jerk. One day he got really mad and my other friend bounced the ball off his back while running up the court and he turned around and pushed him to the ground and left.

I have a friend just like that in the same sport. When someone misses a shot he gets super pissed off and even if you make every other shot he says you played a bad game even if your team won.

[jct32]

Re: Something Interesting I Heard Today

I have a friend just like that in the same sport. When someone misses a shot he gets super pissed off and even if you make every other shot he says you played a bad game even if your team won.

Yea, you know being his friend I just want him to have fun because nothing is guarenteed in this world. You could have an accident the next day and no longer be able to play. You know because I know one day I will look back and think about how frustrated I have gotten this year, and realize it was silly and I should have just worked hard and tried to have fun.

[Scottdau]

Re: Something Interesting I Heard Today

Sound like your Basketball friend sound very competitive. Competitive people with talent become pros. Competitive people without talents become *******s. Go figure. I never had that win at all cost attitude. I had some talent in baseball and little talent in football, but my drive just wasn't there. Some of my friends that had that drive made it to the pros. So who knows! I think it is all come down to talent and drive.

[Blzer]

Re: Something Interesting I Heard Today

I get very frustrated when I strike out, but it's because I'm looking back at the sequence of pitches that I got and I always see how a strikeout could have been avoided, and always hope for that last pitch back. I get even more frustrated if I make the same mistake twice, like chasing a low-away change up for strike three twice. This could have been his frustration, which I would understand.

Thing is, I tend to outperform myself when I get frustrated, because adrenaline starts to run through me. Things just start to go right after that. There is frustration, then there is depression. If I commit an error, it feels like the end of the world. Then I don't play as well.

How did he fare the rest of the game?