Sports Psychology and Hitting - How to Survive a Hitting Slump - Eight Simple Tips
By Jay Granat

A hitting slump has physical, psychological, emotional components to it. For the professional baseball player or the player seeking a scholarship, a slump can have significant financial and career implications.

Players, coaches, parents and agents can become quite frustrated by prolonged hitting slumps. Here are a few suggestions for managing hitting slumps.

1. Make sure you are technically and mechanically sound in the cage and in front of live pitching.

2. Keep accurate diaries and spreadsheets about pitchers who you face. Record all relevant data. Knowing what they threw you in specific situations is very helpful. Similarly, knowing how they like to pitch and how you did against them is essential information for a hitter who wants to excel at the sport of baseball. I know this record keeping seems laborious, but it will pay off with a shorter slump and a higher batting average.

3. Determine if you hit best with an empty mind or with one mental thought or idea at the plate. Most hitters do best with a simple thought or with a mind which is crystal clear and ready to allow the body to do what it is capable of doing at the plate.

4. Go back to some important basics: Keep your head very still. Don’t grip the bat too tightly. Hit the ball into the gaps. Focus on the path of the ball. Utilize a ritual which allows you to feel comfortable in the batter’s box. Know the strike zone very well.

5. Watch yourself on video when you are in a slump and compare this tape with a video of you when you were hitting well. You will be amazed at what you will learn from this exercise.

6. Use a new hitting coach to get a fresh outlook and a few new tips.

7. Consider a sports psychologist to help you master the mental aspects of hitting.

8. Learn how to use self-hypnosis to get your mind into a confident, focused, relaxed and optimistic state in the dugout, in the on deck circle and at the plate.

Jay P. Granat, Ph.D. is a psychotherapist and the founder of http://www.stayinthezone.com He has written several books and developed several programs to help people perform to their fullest potential at sports, at work and at school. Dr. Granat, a former university professor, has appeared in The New York Times, Good Morning America, AP, ESPN, Golf Digest, The BBC and The CBC. His books include Zone Tennis and Get Into The Zone In Just One Minute. He is also the author of How To Get Into The Zone With Sport Psychology And Self-Hypnosis, How To Lower Your Golf Score With Sport Psychology And Self-Hypnosis, 101 Ways To Break Out Of A Hitting Slump and Bed Time Stories For Young Athletes. Golf Digest named Dr. Granat one of America’s Top Ten Mental Gurus. He was recently featured in a documentary film on long distance running. Dr. Granat writes a weekly column for three newspapers.

Baseball players, coaches and parents who want learn more about the psychology of hitting and breaking batting slumps should visit http://www.stayinthezone.com/baseball.htm

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Why is Tendonitis Such a Danger For Baseball Pitchers?
By Joshua Tucker

Read through baseball sports news, blogs, fantasy baseball sites, etc, and if you aren’t already aware of how dangerous pitching is to baseball players, you quickly will.

Why exactly is Tendonitis such a problem for Baseball Pitchers?

Managing a pitcher and how active he is major strategy in baseball, especially in Major League Baseball.

Every day I see news reports of various pitchers getting benched, being placed on the injured list, and sent off to surgery and weeks and months of recovery.

It’s too bad. All that could be avoided.

Tendonitis is an occupational hazard for major league baseball pitchers, and young men that work hard to join the ranks of a big league team.

Most of this kind of injury shows up in the arm anywhere from shoulder to fingers. Watch a pitcher throw a few times, it’s no surprise. Even then pitching efficiently and effortlessly, there is A LOT of force, torque, internal movement of tendons, and muscle contraction happening over and over.

Over time after hundreds or thousands of throws, after muscles firing powerfully and pulling forcefully on their tendons, the muscles get set tighter and tighter. This starts a long Downward Spiral of increasing tightness, then increasing pain and tightness.

Whether a tendon gets irritated or actually has some micro tear to the tissue, the body kicks in an Inflammation process. This enhances the Downward Spiral by making things hurt more, which makes muscles get tighter….which makes things hurt more.

If treated the usual way, injury comes and goes, players lose time and stats to time resting and recovering from surgery. Look at all the players that have had surgery. How many of them are back to 100%, months or years later? How many of them aren’t still dealing with tendonitis issues?

Tendonitis can end careers. It is a serious threat to a pitcher and his career. Whether it is Tennis Elbow, Wrist Tendonitis, a problem in the hand, Shoulder Cuff Tendonitis, or something similar, teams work hard to keep their pitchers healthy and able to play.

The problem really isn’t pitching.

The problem is that the pitchers aren’t doing the RIGHT self care to keep their bodies happy and healthy, as opposed to their bodies getting slowly more and more unhappy, until the pain is enough to stop them from pitching.

Rest, anti-inflammatory drugs like Ibuprofen, corticosteroid shots, and splints and braces really are not preventative measures. They just don’t work. Want proof? Watch sports news for a while.

Tendonitis is a threat to baseball pitchers because it is a natural result of how they use their bodies, how their bodies naturally respond to that kind of ongoing stress, and because pitchers don’t do the right kind of self care that successfully reverses the first two factors.

Joshua Tucker, B.A, C.M.T is The Tendonitis Expert. He educates, leads workshops, and trains individuals how to ELIMINATE their Tendonitis related issues like Tennis Elbow, Carpal Tunnel, Plantar Fasciitis, and Wrist Tendonitis. Joshua says “When you have tried all the usual options and they have failed, it’s still not to late to become pain free. It’s also never too early to start.”

For more of the RIGHT information about how to Eliminate your Tendonitis, no matter how bad it is or how long you’ve had it, visit http://www.TendonitisExpert.com

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Replay in Baseball
By Jason Mesch

Last season the amount of buzz generated by the topic of replay in baseball was more than we have ever seen before. I can remember the catalyst behind all of these discussions and that was about a two week span where four or five calls were made incorrectly on home runs and foul balls that ultimately impacted the outcome of the game. The major concern was letting a wrong call determine the outcome of a game in the playoffs where both teams have a lot at stake among the players and among the team’s business operations.

So the big questions was whether or not there should be replay used in baseball. The anti-replay pundits will tell you that the human error part of the game is just a part of the game that should not be tinkered with. Baseball has gotten through a long history without having to resort to replay. But I believe that the pro-replay group has a very valid argument. Teams are playing for more than they ever have before. Baseball is seeing the best attendance league wide in the history of the game. There is a ton of money out there from merchandise and television contracts. So if a call is going to determine if a team goes to the World Series or even win the World Series the umpires absolutely have to get that call right.

The issue is that some people think that replay should only be used in important games like a one game playoff to determine a division winner or every game in the playoffs. But the problem there is that every single game is important in a professional sport. If the umpires blow a call early on in the season that ultimately results in a loss for a team and that team finishes one game out of a tie for first in the division, they miss the playoffs partially because that one call was blown. Of course it is up to the team to win enough games to get to the playoffs but if they had one more win they would at least have a shot. I do not think that you can pick and choose with which games to use replay. I do not want replay to invade every single aspect of baseball. I think that part of the magic of the game is when a close play happens and an umpire has to make a judgment call that he may or may not get correct.

That sometimes leads to unforgettable encounters between managers and umpires that gets crowds excited. Replay should only be used for the most important calls in a game and that usually boils down to whether or not a ball went over the outfield fence for a home run. We actually saw replay get used in this regard last season and it was helpful in getting the call correct. I have absolutely no problem with the crew chief looking at a replay on a disputable home run call to determine whether or not that player gets to trot around the bases. A home run can completely and totally change the complexion of a game and I fully believe that the umpires have to make sure that they get that call right. We have the technology available to us today that can enable us to do many different things that we were incapable of doing in the past.

Instant replay has been around for a long time now and I was not at all surprised when I heard that it was going to be used in football and it was only a matter of time before baseball jumped in and adopted a similar system. Do I like that replay is being used? Not really. I like that human error aspect of the game but when it comes to a home run call the umpire has to get it right. Not only for the team, the fans, and the league; but for all of those fantasy baseball players out there who got robbed of an Alex Rodriguez home run last year. I am only slightly kidding about the fantasy baseball aspect but it is something that Major League Baseball needs to start considering in its advertising and revenue generating. I will get into that at a different time though.

I hope that instant replay hangs around but only for the home run calls. I absolutely do not want to see it used on calls concerning whether or not a runner was safe at a base. If we start using cameras and replays to make every call…well then the umpires basically become obsolete. The overuse of replay could literally lead to labor problems between the umpires and Major League Baseball. I realize that is a pretty far stretch but stranger things have happened in labor wars between employers and employees. I just feel like there is some sort of magic within the game that revolves around asking the question of whether or not the umpire is going to get a call right. The only reason we even ask or get upset half the time is because we can actually see the replay after every single call if we want to.

Back in the day when replay did not exist people had to just kind of wonder whether or not an umpire got a call right and there was not as much talk about whether or not a call was right or wrong. We live in a different time and so the game is going to have to adjust. Purists will not like the adoption of instant replay but I honestly think that it will ultimately help the game and end debates about right or wrong calls that last entirely too long. This season will be the first in which replay will be used throughout the entirety of the regular season. We will see whether or not the institution of replay will help Major League Baseball usher in a new era.

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2009 Major League Baseball Predictions
By Michael Porto

Here are my predictions for the upcoming baseball season. Division winners through the World Series. Let me know your thoughts!

NL East - New York Mets - The Mets might have the best back end of the bullpen in the league. Aquiring JJ Putz and K-Rod in the offseason solved the achilles heel of the Mets from 2008. Look for them to rebound from another late season collapse and finish strong at the end of the season

NL Central - Chicago Cubs- Even without Jake Peavy in their rotation, the Cubs are clearly the team to beat in the central. They became more balanced with the addition of Milton Bradley and have reworked the bullpen that blew a fair amount of games last year.

NL West - LA Dodgers - As long as Manny’s hamstring isn’t a problem all year, look to see the Dodgers defend their crown. Maybe even with a healthy Jason Schmidt (yea right) they could have a better staff than last year.

NL Wild Card - St. Louis Cardinals - Not many people have this one but the Cardinals always seem to hang around all season. Even last year they were able to stick close to the Cubs until the last few weeks. With a healthy Chris Carpenter, they could surprise a lot of people.

AL East - Boston Red Sox - Hard to go against them despite the Yankees offseason shopping spree. Adding Smoltz and Saito to their pitching staff definitley helps to solidify it and having Jason Bay around all year will help.

AL Central - Chicago White Sox - Coming off last year’s AL Central championship, the White Sox certainly got younger and faster. They should be a more balanced team and if their pitching stays healthy all year, look to see them towards the top again and surprise a lot of people.

AL West - Anaheim Angels - Adding Bobby Abreu was a nice upgrade and signing Brian Fuentes was the best they could do after losing K-Rod. They are clearly the best team in the west and I don’t see any reason why they won’t win another AL West crown.

AL Wild Card - Oakland Athletics - They might be the suprise team of the year. Picking up Giambi, Nomar, Holliday, and Orlando Cabrera were looked over my many this offseason. They have stockpiled young pitchers like they usually do and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them make a run at the Angels.

Cubs vs Mets - Cubs in 4

Dodgers vs Cards - Dodgers in 4

Red Sox vs A’s - Red Sox in 3

White Sox vs Angels - Angels in 5

Cubs vs Dodgers - Cubs in 6

Red Sox vs Angels - Angels in 7

Cubs vs Angels - Angels in 6

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