Posts Tagged ‘MLB’
CUBAN BASEBALL PLAYERS WHO DEFECT.
Posted April 30, 2014
on:I read in today’s newspaper that Noel Arguelles, who defected from the Cuban junior national team while in Canada and signed with the Kansas City Royals in 2009 for $6.9 Million, is considered a bust. Though it’s true that he’s had some shoulder problems, there’s also the possibility that he is concerned for his family that he left behind in Cuba and that these circumstances are weighing heavily on him and could be affecting his performance. This is very common among Cuban ballplayers who defect. When Yeonis Cespedes defected and joined the Oakland Athletics, he left behind his 2-year old son the mother of his son. When he won the 2013 Home Run Derby, it happened right after he had talked with his son in Cuba by phone. Any major league baseball team who signs a Cuban ballplayer who has defected, should do everything within their power to bring the player’s family to America as soon as possible. The benefits will show up immediately in the player’s performance. According to Wikipedia, “while some players who defect succeed in obtaining multi-million dollar contracts to play in MLB, many receive only minor league contracts and do not reach MLB. Players are often separated from their families, as Cuba often denies exit visas to the families of players who defected. This can lead to severed relationships, such as between Jorge Toca and the mother of his son.”
CUBAN BALLPLAYER YEONIS CESPEDES WINS THE HOME RUN DERBY TWO DAYS AFTER TALKING WITH HIS 4-YEAR OLD SON IN CUBA.
Posted July 17, 2013
on:- In: Baseball | Health | Sport Psychology | Sports
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I’ve written before about how many of the Cuban ballplayers, when they defect to America to play Major League Baseball, fear for the safety of the families they left behind. Just knowing their families are safe can have a powerful positive effect on their performance. A case in point was this past week when Oakland Athletics ballplayer Yeonis Cespedes won the Home Run Derby after speaking with his son in Cuba on the phone. According to USA Today: “After the Derby, Cespedes said he had talked on the phone two days before with his 4-year-old son, Yeonis Jr., and promised to dedicate his home runs to him. Cespedes’ family endured a life-threatening ordeal to join him stateside, and he longs for the day when he can bring his son as well.” And when that day comes, watch for Cespedes’ batting average to skyrocket. Maybe even reach .400 and beyond.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS’ TIGHT END AARON HERNANDEZ GETS INTO TROUBLE. AND THIS TIME HE’S ACCUSED OF MURDER.
Posted June 29, 2013
on:- In: Baseball | Basketball | Football | Health | Hockey | Sport Psychology | Sports
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It’s no small wonder that more professional athletes, like Aaron Hernandez, aren’t getting into trouble when you consider their background. For most of them, it all starts when they’re about 8 years old and show exceptional talent in their sport. They are fawned over by parents and fans and as they get older, coaches and others are quick to cover for them. Before long, they begin to develop a sense of entitlement and begin to believe they can do no wrong, seldom being held responsible for their actions. And many of them have anger issues, which when combined with a sense of entitlement, can be explosive and dangerous. As was the case with Hernandez. Some come from loving, nurturing home environments and they are the athletes who seldom get into trouble because of how they feel about themselves. But there are many who need help, and help could be made available to them if general managers and team owners weren’t so locked into their beliefs regarding the creation of internal support groups. Many GMs and front office executives consider support groups “sissy stuff” and believe if you pay an athlete enough money he (or she) should be able to take care of their own problems. One-on-one counseling isn’t the answer because there’s such a stigma attached to a player seeing a “team schrink.” But when team members share their personal problems and issues with their buddies, in a controlled environment, amazing things take place, including good team chemistry and team bonding…something money can’t buy.
SHOULD PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES BE SUSPENDED FROM THEIR TEAMS FOR COMMITTING ADULTERY?
Posted May 22, 2013
on:- In: Baseball | Basketball | Football | Health | Hockey | Soccer | Sport Psychology | Sports
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I just read in the newspaper where U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel suspended a top general at Fort Jackson in South Carolina over allegations of assault and adultery. Shouldn’t NFL, NBA and MLB athletes be held to the same standards? If athletes who were committing adultery knew they would be suspended if found out, they would cease and desist and you would probably see their performance levels increase considerably.