The Mental Game Powered by The Pazik Performance Group

#280 - Daily MG - The Only Rule Is It Has To Work by Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller - 2 of 6

"We have a friend, Russell Carleton, a clinical psychologist by day and a sabermetric writer on the side. He consulted for the Cleveland Indians for a while, and has since written about clubhouse chemistry for us at Baseball Prospectus. Ben writes to him in mid-May: “Our players report to spring training this weekend, and then we have about 10 days before Opening Day. Do you have any recommendations or suggestions? Surveys or personality tests we should administer? Spring training group activities? You name it, we’re probably willing to try it.” Russell immediately writes back with some suggestions. “As hokey as they seem, there’s evidence that those corporate icebreaker things actually work,” he says. “My personal favorite is ‘two truths and a lie.’ You write two truths and one lie about yourself on an index card and walk around to meet everyone else and vote for which one you think is the lie. Then everyone reveals which things are which. In a group of 25–30 guys, it will get kinda bawdy, but whatever. Everyone gets a turn. Everyone reveals a little bit about themselves, but has control over how much. It’s a good, safe, get-to-know-you game. “I’d recommend water balloons one day. It will be summer. Cheap and so much fun. Guys love them because you can throw them at each other, but it’s not an actual thing that will hurt you. If there’s a theme to any of this, it’s ‘12-year-old birthday party.’ The baseball stuff kinda takes care of itself. “Start a star sticker chart. 10 stars and you get a burrito. Use food to your advantage. Stars can be given for anything you want to reinforce. Yes, I’m treating them like 4-year-olds. The first rule of child psychology is that it applies throughout all of life. They will scoff at it and three days later be checking out how many stars they have. “Have an absolute non-sequitur item that is given out to someone each day, by team vote. Funny hats always work. Smith gets the funny hat because he went 3-for-4. A ritual will develop around the presentation of this hat. Go with it. When I worked day care, we had ‘The Golden Dustpan’ for the cleanest room. The kids went crazy over the Golden Dustpan. You might also try a crazy toilet plunger (spray paint works wonders…). The guy who gets it gets to keep it in his locker as a sign that he had the best day, but with the caveat that if the toilet gets clogged up, he’s gotta go in there and plunge it out. A little scatological humor. You are both being honored and humiliated. “Eat together as a team as much as possible. For the first few days, have a ‘don’t sit with the same person twice’ rule. Watch to make sure that everyone has a buddy. Actively approach guys who are friendly, team-leader types and ask them to keep an eye out for loners. Some guys do like to just be by themselves and that’s okay, but loneliness might be the most dangerous thing a baseball team has to guard against." - Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller

#279 - Daily MG - The Only Rule Is It Has To Work by Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller - 1 of 6

"The boys scatter to their positions, and we migrate to scouting spots thirty feet behind them, where we can see their movements, gauge their arm strength, and hear everything they give away in their small talk. (“Fucking thing took a shit hop on me,” one says, and we scratch out his name. There are going to be a lot of bad hops this year, and it’s way too early for complaining.)" - Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller

#278 - Daily MG - Golf‘s Sacred Journey by David L. Cook - 6 of 6

“The only thing more powerful than calling your shot is recalling a shot. What you just did is recall the shot from Wednesday. Always savor your shots, so you can take advantage of this most powerful tool in your armor, the recall.” - David L. Cook

#277 - Daily MG - Golf‘s Sacred Journey by David L. Cook - 5 of 6

"There is only one thing in golf that you control, and that is your thoughts." - David L. Cook

#276 - Daily MG - Golf‘s Sacred Journey by David L. Cook - 4 of 6

“Take the black book and after every few shots write something that comes to mind with regard to what you sensed or felt. Get rid of other people’s words and find your own. Be creative, use word pictures, illustrations, anything that will help to return to this place and time.” - David L. Cook

#275 - Daily MG - Golf‘s Sacred Journey by David L. Cook - 3 of 6

"Finally he asked if I was warmed up. I said I was. He then asked me why I gripped the club in the manner in which I did. I said that I hadn’t given it much thought, that it just felt good this way. “Completely unacceptable,” he replied. Thinking he was talking about my grip, I asked him what was wrong with it. He said, “The grip is fine. It is your answer that is unacceptable.” With this he pulled out a small pink note pad, scribbled my name on the top page with the word FIRED underneath, tore it off, and handed it to me. I sheepishly took the piece of paper while asking why I was being handed a pink slip at our first lesson. “Son,” he said with a certainty to his voice, “You just got fired. You are the CEO of a potential multimillion dollar company. If you want to be rehired by the end of this day you better learn to answer your board of directors with a competent and well-thought-out answer to such a strategic and crucial question. If you want to lead a successful organization, you better build a bullet-proof foundation for why you do what you do and how you do it. Or you should hang it up right now.” - David L. Cook

#274 - Daily MG - Golf‘s Sacred Journey by David L. Cook - 2 of 6

"His emphasis was always about playing the game in front of the ball, not the game behind the ball." - David L. Cook

#273 - Daily MG - Golf‘s Sacred Journey by David L. Cook - 1 of 6

"As I hit shot after shot with the skill of a true marksman, I was struck by the simplicity of the game. I chose a target, felt the swing, and allowed it to happen." - David L. Cook

#272 - Daily MG - MVP Machine by Ben Lindbergh and Travis Sawchik - 6 of 6

"The same goes for any hotbed of talent development: all that’s required are ideas, information, passion, and reps." - Travis Lindbergh

#271 - Daily MG - MVP Machine by Ben Lindbergh and Travis Sawchik - 5 of 6

"In 1988, Braves pitcher Tom Glavine led the major leagues in losses. But in the spring of ’89, while standing in the outfield during batting practice, he picked up a ball that rolled toward him and happened to grip it in an unusual way, with his middle and ring fingers along the seams. He threw it into the infield, and the release felt right. He’d discovered his signature circle changeup. “If I hadn’t found that pitch, picked up the ball that way… I don’t know,” Glavine told Sports Illustrated in 1992. In 1991, he’d led the majors in wins, and twenty-five years after his pitching epiphany, he entered the Hall of Fame."

"More happily, Hall of Famer Harry Heilmann was a run-of-the-mill regular for several seasons before his Detroit Tigers teammate Ty Cobb, newly named to the position of player-manager in 1921, had him back up in the batter’s box, move his feet closer together, hold his hands farther away from his body, and crouch while waiting for the pitch. Using the new stance, Heilmann surpassed Cobb to become the most potent hitter of the next ten years not named Ruth or Hornsby." - Travis Lindbergh