Interesting quotes from Tampa’s own Lou Piniella today on MLB.com.

He hits two big mental game issues…. the deep breath and perfectionism.

Here’s a quote lifted from the article…

—————————–

Bradley will be back in the Cubs’ lineup Wednesday, and the hope is he will be more relaxed. That’s been Piniella’s message to the outfielder the past two days. Is it as simple as taking a deep breath?

“Yeah, get out of the box, take a nice breath and relax,”
Piniella said. “What happens invariably is you create a little tension, and I’m not talking about Bradley in particular, but you start using your bigger muscles and you don’t get through the ball.

“It’s the same thing as when you play golf — the first thing they tell you is to hold the club nice and loose.
When you hit the ball, that’s when you tighten up. It’s the same thing hitting a baseball.”

Bradley’s biggest problem may be his need to be a perfectionist.

“There’s nothing wrong with being a perfectionist,”
Piniella said. “Don’t get disappointed if you’re not perfect all the time. You’ve got to be a realistic perfectionist.”

Baseball players get three hits in 10 at-bats and they’re considered successful. Bradley isn’t alone with his struggles at the plate.

“I’ve got every confidence that some of the guys who have struggled here will get much better as the year goes on,”
Piniella said. “I hope it’s sooner rather than later.”
[read www.BaseballConfidence.com/TYP.html