A New Pitching Philosophy

Baseball, as is well known, is a sport rich in tradition, history, and heritage of the game. As America’s Pastime, it is a game in which younger stars will always be measuring up to the greatness and glory of past heroes. From pre-season training to pre-game warm-up, many strategies in baseball have remained unchanged through the ages.

Alan Jaeger has pioneered a new philosophy in pitcher training since the early 90’s. His regimen includes breathing and meditation exercises and yoga for up to four hours a day followed by throwing workouts for forty minutes or so. Star clients and include Barry Zito and Joel Zumaya. One of Jaeger’s specific mental techniques includes a rehearsed, practiced breathing exercise on the mound by which the pitcher relaxes himself and focuses his attention and nervousness on his breathing routine, not the pitch itself. By the time anxiety over the pitch enters the pitchers mind, it’s already been thrown for a strike.

Click here to read the full article from February 11^th’s New York Times, and be sure to follow the Giants Barry Zito and the Twins Joel Zumaya to see how Jaeger’s tactics pay off this season.

Quotes of the Week

Reactions from around the NBA to ex-NBAer John Amaechi's announcement that he is gay, and kept it a secret during his playing career:

"That's his own sexual preference. I had no problem with it when I played with him. You kind of had a sense. It didn't bother me. As long as a guy is producing on the basketball court, I don't care what he is." - Tracy McGrady

It might be "a little awkward." - Jamal Crawford

"I don't care what you do in your private life, as long as it doesn't affect our team." - Chauncey Billups

"I'm definitely not a fan of gay-ness. But I would rather a person go ahead and admit they're gay rather than be undercover." - Amare Stoudemire

"We're like family and you take showers with each other. We're on the bus together and we talk about a lot of things and if you're not trustworthy, like admitting you're gay, you can't be trusted. It's a trust factor." - LeBron James

From ESPN and the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Tragedy from USC

In continuing news from a tragic story in college football, ESPN and the AP reported on February 5th that USC kicker Mario Danelo had a blood-alcohol level of .23 when he plunged off an over-100 foot cliff in early January. Nearly three times California's legal limit for driving, a BAC of .23 would cause significant intoxication. Several USC players have stated since the incident that they believed Danelo did not commit suicide.
Amid the swirling controversy regarding substance abuse in all sports, the incident brings college abuse to the forefront. 2002 research by the Higher Education Center reported that college athletes actually exhibit much higher rates of alcohol use than non-athlete college students - 57 percent of male athletes reported heavy alcohol use, as compared to 49 percent of male non-athletes; 48 percent of female athletes used alcohol heavily, versus 40 percent of non-athletes. Heavy alcohol use was defined in the study as 5 or more drinks in a row for men and 4 for women; the time period in which the use occurred was two weeks prior to the study.
It is apparent that alcohol use is relatively common among collegiate athletes - to what level does this affect their performance? It seems unlikely that alcohol use had nothing to do with Danelo's death, given his high BAC. For those college athletes who compete professionally, are they being primed to live a high-profile, hard partying professional life? Keep checking with SPINw as further research investigates the subject. As in most things, responsible alcohol use in moderation is most likely the best way to go.

Read the ESPN/AP story here.

Read the Higher Ed Center report here.