soul of baseball

Chapter 684 Don't Watch Pitching Amnesia 2
Four years!

After the technical season, you tried everything, tried everything to try to overcome your pitching handicap, but it was affecting you more and more.

At first you will try to ignore its existence, and then you will try to find out the reason.

You'll spend hours talking to a sports therapist about your childhood and about your father, who calls you horrible names and doesn't want to show you a little love for his child.

Then you start drinking beer and smoking weed, and you try to shoot hundreds of balls at a certain spot on the wall, just to prove that you never lost control of the ball!
You'll also be reading related articles about Steve blass, steve sax, chuck knoblauch, and other players who also suffered from YIPS, but still returned to the game in the end.

You will try anything possible to improve yourself!

And when you come back to the field in spring training next year, you will see [-] cameras watching your every move at any time!
I wish there was a way to give you some advice, but I really can't!
That would be a situation I don’t know how to face!

Every day at that time will be a torment, and before you realize it, you will change from a child who does not know what difficulties and setbacks are, to a child who is playing with the ball and does not know what will happen after the ball leaves your hands. Where are the lost lambs flying to? ! !
And you don't know what to do about it!
The next question is how to face the fans in the auditorium!
Every time you play, your body and mind feel like you are going to hell right now!

Even so!You can still make it through! (He was only 21 years old at the time! I was really going crazy! I still remember when I was 20 years old, I suddenly couldn’t get old sex, no matter what, I smashed the room. Then I shut myself up for three days all night 2 nights, fortunately it finally succeeded. Well, after I came out, I was beaten up by my family. I said that since I was fine, I would beat me up, perfect haha~)

But those days between starters and...

Those are the hardest!
It was a war without interruption!There is no chance to breathe!

When you wake up in the middle of the night, you will repeatedly see yourself standing on the mound and not throwing any strikes.

No matter how hard you try, each ball you throw will end up in a far worse place than the last.

Every time you think things can't get any worse, something even scarier happens again!

I know you are scared!I woke up from my dream covered in cold sweat!

And because of that, you never go onto the court in a well-rested state of mind.

And in the locker room, many people will give you a respectful distance. (This is a tact! Obviously, almost no pitcher is willing to get close to you!)

Because in baseball, no one wants to suffer from this frightening disease because of talking too much to or thinking too much about YIPS patients!

But there are still some seniors who will come to you to sit down and talk!Trying to help you!
You will be surprised to find that everyone seems to have their own version of the solution!

like...

Think of a catcher's mitt as a brick in a wall?OK!why not?

How about a few gentle steps on the pitcher's plate before every pitch?No problem at all!
Have some vodka on your starter day?How about repacking it in your water bottle?
Ok……

No!
This is too much! (Actually ankiel tried it!)

I will never cross that line.

wait...you know what?
whatever!This might work!
Let's try it out!

Because you are so desperate!You'll struggle to try anything the hard way!

So you'll step on the pitcher's plate a few times before pitching to the imaginary brick, and you'll even try to start at the plate a few games while a little tipsy from drinking!
bro~ There is no easy solution to this kind of thing!

But in fact, it doesn't bring you down, you'll grow a little because of it!

And this is why I hope you can try to get this thing out of your life!

Please keep it in mind!You are a powerful person!
***And the Cardinals won't give up on you***
They're going to put you in the minor leagues, start over, back to the original rookie league.

And give you unlimited support and patience!As long as you can put this misery of pitching amnesia to customer service!
So you listen up!
This is very important!

Don't let the Cardinals and the fans think so!
Do your best to repay their kindness!

Don’t take anything for granted!

Facing every day's challenges wholeheartedly!Tell yourself that you will definitely come back to the Busch course!Back to those fans!
Because as long as you do it!I promise you'll be back at Busch Field!
Back in 2004 you'd be coming out of the bullpen and throwing 10 innings!

Although everything you do in the minor leagues is nothing compared to those 10 innings.

But stress here!do not give up!

Be more creative!
When it's been multiple seasons in the minor leagues and the pitching still hasn't gotten better!

Those dreams still haunt you, plus you're not getting any younger!

At this time, you should be open to any possibility!
A strange possibility you've never thought of!

At some point in 2005!You decided to hang up your sneakers from now on!
But you've only just retired for four hours!You will receive a call!
"Are you ready to play?"

That call was from your agent, Scott Boras! (The reason why the vampire agent makes people willing to be sucked by him is indeed... affirmation.)
One call right after you've just informed Cardinals head coach Tony La Russa of your decision to retire!

You were silent for a moment!

Boras said, "Rick, I think you can be an outfielder!"

And at first you think this guy is crazy!

But do you know?
You can always swing the ball far during batting practice!

Even in official competitions, you can come here and there from time to time, so!Why can't you do it?

After hearing the idea, you start to see yourself hitting big home runs after hits at Busch Field!
You seem to be starting to hear the fans cheering for you!
again!
Just like your rookie season!
So I'm here to ask you!It's time to rediscover your former grace!And put all your energy into it again! (Remember golf from above?)

bro~become an outfielder!
Okay~ I know how crazy this sounds!
Just a few minutes ago, I told you you were going to be a major league pitcher!
And now, I'm telling you you're going to be a major league outfielder!

But trust me!
When I tell you that you will pass and play and bring another glory that belongs to you!

First of all, the misery that plagued you when you were a pitcher will be far away from you, it will not be a construction industry at all.

And from the day you change your identity, you will regain the joy when you step into the stadium!
Like you need to learn how to hit those troublesome fastballs with tail.

But make no mistake, because the bat in your hand will bring you back to St. Louis.

When you come back to the first mat at Busch Stadium, (new course).Be sure to watch your front foot!

That's really not an easy task!

Because all the fans went crazy!

They rise from their seats to greet you!

Applause with all your might!Welcome back!This is a room like you've never experienced before!

But the joy of all this will be deeply imprinted in your heart!

I'm not telling you to ignore this moment, on the contrary!I want you to feel it with your heart!
But while doing so, take a little extra time to focus on your front foot while stepping into the strike zone!
When you get ready and move your center to the back foot, you will find that the front foot is shaking uncontrollably as you lift it up for the swing!

It's really trembling!

And you can't calm it down!
At that moment!You'll be reminded of what happened against the Warriors in the 2000 playoffs!
The audience will notice your trembling feet!

And everyone watching this game on TV will find that your feet are shaking like crazy and uncontrollably!

But this idea will eventually go with the wind!

And the Cardinals fans will be clapping like crazy for you even though the first ball you face hits a stick and hits an infield fly!
They use this applause to tell you that they will always have your back!

Just like the old days!
To them!
You are the one they care about!

(I think of the opening game in 2017, when the Cardinals played against the Chicago Cubs at home. At that time, Molina had just signed a 3-year 6000 million contract. When he finished his contract, he would be 39 years old. Everyone knew that he would die for the Cardinals. In the second game Standing ovation for him when he hits the field! Even a contract that's not worth it for his age! Still a catcher. But the fans are happy! Happy for their lifetime player! Thank you for staying in St.Louis! )
After seven games, you will repay the fans and the team for their persistence in a way that is almost too good to be true!

The second half of the seventh inning!Two out!There are people on second and third base!The number of balls is two good and one bad!
At this time, the Cardinals were trailing 0:2 to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

You're going to hit an outside curveball out of right field!
And when the ball went off the home run wall, the whole stadium went crazy!

As you round the bases, you'll feel as if you're floating on clouds!
It all happened so fast!

You don't look up until you're at home plate to look up at the crowd of fans standing in the stands!
Look carefully at the faces full of joy!

Feel the atmosphere full of the universe!
They all know what you've been through!
Just when you go around the bases!
You can feel like people all over St. Louis are trying to pull you towards them!

Trying to give you a warm and huge hug!

This is the moment!You'll understand why I told you earlier to be proud of the baseball jersey you're wearing!
Ever the Cardinals!Cardinal soul for life!
You will always have a special bond with the Cardinals and the people of St. Louis!

It has even reached an indescribable level!
(That's why I'm so angry with KB's boring remarks. St. Louis is a small market. The Cardinals have a lot of salary every year, but the market income is insufficient. If you think about it, a city with 30 people played almost every game in 163 regular games. The stadium is packed, it has to be the support of the fans!)

I'm pretty sure no other team will stick with you after what you've been through!

There are not many teams that will allow you to return to the field as an outfielder after you decide to retire!
(After anikel officially retired, the cardinals said that as long as he is ready, he can come back to pitch at any time! There will always be a place for him! Now! anikel is 39 years old! He will come back soon!)
Along the way, they can leave you alone for too long in the future!But the Cardinals and all the citizens of St. Louis didn't do that!They are always by your side!
Even though you played for a few other teams at the end of your career, and even after you retired back to your family in Florida, the people of St. Louis still showed you so much love!
Whenever you come back to the city, they always treat you like a Hall of Famer!It's like you're Musial or Ozzie smith instead of a crappy pitcher in the 2000's with a bunch of slams!
They already consider you a member of their family!A big family named Cardinals!

And this will never change!

Absolutely will not change!

So in the next growing process, you just need to keep one thing in mind!

Well, also remember to always have a backup plan!
Do your best to give back the love the city and its fans have shown you!

Then when you have kids of your own, remember to raise them up to be Cardinals fans!

Show them the love you have for the Cardinals!

Keep them cool The Cardinals are absolutely the best team in the world.

(Thinking about it is really amazing, such a small market team is only ranked behind the super giant New York Yankees~(`) Comparing)

Then one day when you're extra strong and your kids are old enough, sit down and have a good talk with them about your dad and how you and mom supported each other along the way!
And all the good food in your life!
Tell them you have never been defeated by these difficulties!

Use your own experience as an example to tell your children that as long as they put their hearts into it!
There is nothing in this world that is impossible!
……

Last year, anikel dedicated himself to the Bluegrass World Series. Is this how it was translated? (bluegrass world series) or bluegrass?I'm not very good at this.It feels a little strange.

In this game, players who have retired from professional baseball will play against 7 college teams.

Anikel hit the plate and performed a strikeout, with a ball speed of 89 miles. At this time, he has been away from the mound for 14 years and has retired for 4 years!I can't imagine.

When asked about his comeback idea, he said: Because my children have never seen me play or pitch!
He said that he will regularly pass and catch the ball this summer, and he will also be aware of those players who also suffer from pitching amnesia!
(End of this chapter)