I don't know what A.J.'s problem was when he pitched against Boston, but he just told the media that, at the time, he didn't "have his mind right".
A.J.: "I think over the past couple of starts I haven’t been as strong upstairs as I was today..."
OK, stop right there. Forget about this unfortunate game against the Rangers (in which the Yankee bats were curiously quiet).
Someone needs to tell Burnett to get his mind right or get out of New York. There's no excuse for not having your mind right when you're playing major league baseball.
Mental toughness and preparedness is extremely important in sports, in fact it's more important than most people realize. Championships in every sport are won and lost every year because of mental toughness. Some players have it, some don't. But more importantly, some coaches understand it, and some don't.
As a tournament-level racquetball player I learned about mental toughness because I thought it would give me an edge against my similarly skilled opponents. After learning about it I quickly learned to spot tennis players who practiced it (most of them try to) and who did not. For example, Andy Roddick was mentally weak until recently.
A.J.: "I think over the past couple of starts I haven’t been as strong upstairs as I was today..."
OK, stop right there. Forget about this unfortunate game against the Rangers (in which the Yankee bats were curiously quiet).
Someone needs to tell Burnett to get his mind right or get out of New York. There's no excuse for not having your mind right when you're playing major league baseball.
Mental toughness and preparedness is extremely important in sports, in fact it's more important than most people realize. Championships in every sport are won and lost every year because of mental toughness. Some players have it, some don't. But more importantly, some coaches understand it, and some don't.
As a tournament-level racquetball player I learned about mental toughness because I thought it would give me an edge against my similarly skilled opponents. After learning about it I quickly learned to spot tennis players who practiced it (most of them try to) and who did not. For example, Andy Roddick was mentally weak until recently.
I can also spot basketball, baseball, and football coaches who train their teams in mental toughness. Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and the Lakers' Phil Jackson do it. Terry Francona does it. And John Gruden is a master.
Back to baseball. Being a wealthy organization with vast recources means that the Yankees should be doing everything they can to win ballgames. If they don't have at least a mental toughness consultant, they need one, because the idea of an elite Yankee pitcher coming to Fenway for an important game without his "mind right" is completely unacceptable.
UNacceptable!
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