Posts Tagged ‘Casey Stengle’
Now don’t get me wrong. The perfect game that Felix Hernandez pitched against the Tampa Bay Rays was something special. But one has to wonder if there’s anything going on behind the scenes with the Rays since he became the fourth pitcher in four years to no-hit them. As the late great manager Casey Stengel once said: “Most ball games are lost, not won.” Is it possible that the Rays lost the game more than Hernandez won it? Here are some of the reasons major league ballplayers often don’t perform up to their skill levels; why they’re not focused and often strike out at the plate: They are being unfaithful to their wives, they are smoking pot, anger at a teammate, anger at a coach, finding out your girlfriend is pregnant, family problems at home, financial problems and problems with a girlfriend. This was the sixth no-hitter this season and one has to wonder if many of the players are dealing with issues. As I’ve always maintained, what takes place away from the baseball diamond affects what takes place on the baseball diamond.
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What do these four professional athletes have in common: The quarterback who throws three interceptions and fumbles the ball twice in a single game; the basketball player who turns over the ball four times, misses free throws and goes 2 for 12 in a single game: the baseball player who strikes out three times, makes two throwing errors and goes 0-5 at the plate in a single game; and the golfer who keeps hooking and slicing the ball, misses short putts and shoots five over par. Most fans and sportswriters might say they just had an “off day” but I believe it’s more than that. The common thread among these athletes is that they have problems and issues in their personal lives that, for whatever reason, they’ve chosen not to resolve. As the great baseball manager Casey Stengle once said: “Most ball games are lost, not won.” And in mens professional sports, here are some of the reasons: Being unfaithful to your wife, anger at a teammate, anger at a coach, repressed feelings and emotions, finding out your girlfriend is pregnant, family problems at home, and a belief that you’re being punished by the Lord. That’s why it’s important that athletes not repress their feelings and emotions.