by Danny Orr
The Oakland A’s have long been an atypical baseball organization. The current “Moneyball” era of the team was preceded by several out-of-the-box approaches that have made them a huge success despite their small market. In my time as a pitcher with the organization we had a full-time instructor of a different kind. Harvey Dorfman, who is now employed by Scott Boras as a sports psychology consultant, was there to help players and pitchers approach the game with a healthy mind. It was a cutting edge approach to helping baseball players face the game without taking any unnecessary emotions or worries to the field.
In a memorable conversation I had with him, Dorfman referred to the mound as “an island in the midst of a sea of green.” He talked about the pressures that go with being on center stage and how it really was a unique position in the game. He went on to talk about how so many pitchers deal with fear. Some fear failure while some fear success. Some deal with fear before the game, some during, and there are some who contend with fear after the game while worrying about having to repeat a successful outing. As I look back at my time in baseball, I can distinctly remember experiencing both kinds of fear, and at all three times.
Curt Schilling has been interviewed countless times since the historic Bambino-curse-breaking World Series win last season. His unforgettable courage and poise while pitching with the blood-stained sock will always be remembered and talked about, but what hasn’t received a lot of attention is what he overcame, and overcomes with each outing: A pre-game fear of failure. He, like many pitchers, has to win the battle in the mind before he can win the battle on the field.
Schilling talks about his need to step on the mound with a “calm mind.” Anyone who has seen him pitch can recall his distinct look of calm concentration as he prepares for each pitch. No distractions. No fear. Just peace. Getting from fear to peace is his key to success.
From my experience with pitchers, I would make the following recommendations when helping pitchers prepare for performance:
1. Don’t add to the pressure. Fearing to fail or fearing to succeed are big enough obstacles in themselves. Fearing the disappointment, or worse yet the wrath of a coach (or parent) shouldn’t be on their list.
2. Coach at practice, not during competition. An occasional word or cue can be helpful, but overloading them with information as they are trying to pitch can cloud an otherwise clear mind.
3. Allow them the freedom to fail. Pitchers have to fail when trying new things. If a pitcher, for instance, is going to learn how to throw a change-up in a fastball count, he has to throw it in that count. This takes time to do it well in competition, and he has to experience the freedom to make mistakes without someone “in his ear.”
4. Teach pitchers the importance of the ‘next pitch’ rather than the ‘win.’ Wins happen when teams handle the game one pitch at a time. If pitchers are fearful of losing, they aren’t focusing on the next pitch. They are focusing on a final score.
5. From a Christian perspective, recognize the source of fear and the source of peace. 2 Timothy 1:7 reads “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” There is no greater source for peace, and for an escape from fear, than the “Prince of Peace” - Jesus Christ.
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