Mind Over Sports

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.