Sportswriter Murray Chass just posted an interesting piece about the unusual training program that the Pittsburgh Pirates are putting their young players through this Spring. To make the players mentally stronger and more able to block out distractions, the Pirates have brought in Navy SEALS.
Per Pirates General Manager Neal Huntington, “The former SEALs were brought in with elements we can continue to give players as individuals and as a group.”
And Pirates manager Clint Hurdle remarked, “We have done nothing, other than introduce elite training, mental training, going to elite forces, the SEALs being one of them, to improve the players mentally.â€
“No! No different. Only different in your mind. You must unlearn what you have learned.” –Yoda
Hurdle explained what he sees as the four basic staples for success:
- Getting better every day will sustain success.
- We’ve got to learn to control the grind of the season, not let the grind control us.
- We have to set our focus. We’re playing for something bigger than the individuals. We have to stay purposeful. Everybody has a job to do; everyone has to do his job.
- The fourth is continuing to play the game. We’ve got to find a way to embrace the hard times. We have to play better baseball.
Will the Pirates manage to break their losing season spell (which stands at 19 consecutive seasons)?
Only time will tell. But at least they are taking some proactive steps in the right direction.
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Special thanks to Murray Chass for his awesome post (PIRATES WHACKED AND WACKY)!
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