THE MAJOR LEAGUE MYTH

In this "Five-Minute Friday" episode, JP dispels an MLB myth that continues to dangerously mislead hitters at all levels.  

(Five-Minute Friday episodes are short-form podcasts roughly five to ten minutes in length, intended to provide a quick-hit of inspiration for hitters heading into the weekend.)

Transcript

RECENTLY I FIND MYSELF HEARING THE SAME TROUBLING NARRATIVE OVER AND OVER NO MATTER WHERE MY BASEBALL TRAVELS TAKE ME. 

WHETHER I’M AT A BIG LEAGUE GAME… OR AT A COLLEGE BALLPARK… ATTENDING A HIGH SCHOOL MATCHUP… OR WATCHING A 12U TOURNAMENT…

IT’S ALWAYS THERE. 

BEING PASSED ALONG FROM ONE PERSON TO ANOTHER. 

FROM COACH TO PLAYER. FROM COACH TO PARENT. FROM PARENT TO PLAYER. FROM PLAYER TO PLAYER. 

OR SIMPLY AMONG FANS OR SPORTSWRITERS OR EVENT ORGANIZERS. 

YOU’VE HEARD IT TOO. I KNOW YOU HAVE. 

IT SOUNDS SOMETHING LIKE THIS: 

MAJOR LEAGUERS HAVE SUPREME CONFIDENCE. THEY NEVER WAIVER. 

THOSE GUYS ALWAYS BELIEVE THEY ARE THE VERY BEST WHEN THEY STEP ON THE FIELD. NO MATTER WHO THEY ARE PLAYING WITH. OR AGAINST.  

BIG LEAGUERS AREN’T AFRAID OF ANYTHING ON THAT DIAMOND. 

THEY DON’T GET NERVOUS.

THEY AREN’T AFRAID TO FAIL.

MAJOR LEAGUE HITTERS THINK THEY ARE GETTING A HIT EVERY TIME THEY COME TO THE PLATE. NO QUESTION. 

BIG LEAGUERS DON’T HAVE DOUBTS ABOUT THEIR TALENT OR SKILLS. THEY JUST KNOW THEY BELONG. 

THOSE GUYS ARE JUST MADE DIFFERENTLY THAN THE REST OF US. THEY KNEW THEY WERE GREAT FROM BIRTH. 

AND ON AND ON AND ON. 

YOU GET THE POINT. 

MAJOR LEAGUE HITTERS ARE BASICALLY SUPER HEROES.

MARVEL HAS NOTHING ON THE MLB!

BUT THE TIME HAS COME TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT. SO I WILL SAY THIS IN THE MOST POLITE WAY POSSIBLE UNDER THE RESTRAINTS OF A CLEAN PODCAST. 

THAT IS ALL COMPLETE AND UTTER HORSE CRAP. 

THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS NARRATIVE BEING PERPETUATED BY FOLKS WHO ARE IN THE MYTH-SELLING BUSINESS — EITHER FOR PERSONAL GAIN OR OUT OF SHEER BASEBALL IGNORANCE.  

SO LET’S SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT. 

AND EMBRACE THE TRUTH. 

BIG LEAGUE HITTERS DO NOT HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS. THEY ARE NOT SUPREMELY CONFIDENT BEINGS. THEY WORRY… THEY DOUBT… THEY STAY UP AT NIGHT THINKING ABOUT THEIR FAILURES… THEY OBSESS ABOUT THEIR SWINGS… THEY SEEK GUIDANCE FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE TO HELP THEM DEAL WITH THE STRUGGLES OF A 162-GAME STREET FIGHT.

BIG LEAGUERS WANT TO PLEASE OTHERS… 

THEY WANT TO PLEASE THEIR PARENTS. THEIR WIVES. THEIR COACHES. THEIR TEAMMATES. THEIR FANS. 

THEY WANT TO BE LIKED. THEY WANT TO BE APPRECIATED. THEY WANT PEOPLE TO SAY NICE THINGS ABOUT THEM AND TO THINK HIGHLY OF THEM. 

THEY DON’T ENJOY BEING CRITICIZED. 

THEY STRUGGLE TO MAINTAIN THEIR CONFIDENCE. 

THEY ARE OFTEN RIDDLED WITH ANXIETY AND SELF-DOUBT. 

THAT… IS THE TRUTH. 

BUT WE WOULD RATHER BELIEVE THESE GUYS ARE SUPER HEROS. 

WHY?

BECAUSE FOR SOME IT GIVES US AN EXCUSE — THAT THOSE GUYS ARE BORN WITH SOMETHING THAT WE SIMPLY DO NOT POSSESS. AND NEVER WILL. IT LETS US OFF THE HOOK. 

BUT FOR OTHERS… IT PROVIDES A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION… THAT PERHAPS A SMALL PIECE OF THAT SPECIAL ABILITY OR SUPER POWER RESIDES WITHIN US, AS WELL. 

AND THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS… IT DOES…

IT IS CALLED RESILIENCE. 

IT IS CALLED FORTITUDE. 

YOU SEE, THERE MAY NOT BE SUPER HEROS ON MLB ROSTERS.

BUT THERE ARE HEROS. 

GUYS LIKE JAREN DURAN OF THE RED SOX… WHO AREN’T AFRAID TO DRAW THE CURTAIN BACK AND LET YOU SEE WHAT SOME BIG LEAGUERS ARE TRULY DEALING WITH INTERNALLY ON A DAILY BASIS. THE PROFOUND PRESSURE TO PERFORM. THE OVERWHELMING LACK OF SELF-WORTH WHEN THEY AREN’T PLAYING WELL. THE INABILITY TO FIND ANY SENSE OF PERSONAL BALANCE AMIDST THE FAILURES.

THE TSUNAMI OF NEGATIVE EMOTIONS THAT WASHES OVER THEIR EVERYDAY LIFE, LEAVING THEM DANGLING FROM THE CLIFF — BARELY HOLDING ON. FEELING LOST AND ALONE.

CHECK OUT NETFLIX’S INSIDE THE CLUBHOUSE… EPISODE FOUR… TO HEAR MORE ABOUT DURANT’S STORY. HE WILL SHED FURTHER LIGHT ON THE REALITY OF THE SITUATION. 

BUT JUST TO GIVE YOU A SMALL GLIMPSE OF THE SUBJECT MATTER:

DURANT WRITES TWO MESSAGES ON HIS TAPED WRISTS BEFORE GAMES…

ONE SAYS: F’ EM. 

THE OTHER SAYS: STILL ALIVE. 

DOES THAT SOUND LIKE A SUPER HERO TO YOU? 

OR A MAN ON A PERSONAL MISSION?

YOU SEE, MAJOR LEAGUERS ARE JUST LIKE YOU AND ME. 

THEY FEEL FEAR. THEY HAVE DOUBTS. THEY LOSE THEIR WAY.

BUT YOU DON’T HEAR ABOUT THE PERENNIAL ALL-STAR CONSTANTLY TEXTING HIS PERSONAL HITTING COACH… DESPERATELY SEEKING REASSURANCE THAT HE’S GOING TO BE OK. OR THE FORMER MVP BREAKING DOWN TO HIS AGENT AMIDST A BRUTAL MID-SEASON SLUMP, FEARING HE WILL NEVER HIT WELL AGAIN. 

BUT YOU SHOULD HEAR THESE THINGS. 

BECAUSE THIS MYTH HAS GOT TO BE PUT TO REST. 

DEAD AND BURIED. 

IT’S PAINTING A PROFOUNDLY UNREALISTIC PICTURE FOR EVERY NON-BIG LEAGUE HITTER OUT THERE. IT’S MAKING THEM THINK THEY HAVE TO POSSESS AN IMPENETRABLE PSYCHE IN ORDER TO BE A SUCCESSFUL HITTER.

IT’S HOGWASH. 

DON’T FALL FOR IT. 

DON’T BE FOOLED INTO HOLDING YOURSELF TO SOME UNREALISTIC EXPECTATION THAT DOES NOT EXIST IN THE BASEBALL WORLD! 

THE GAME WILL OFFER YOU THE CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME. AND THE BEST WHO PLAY IT ARE OFTEN LEFT BEATEN AND BATTERED BY IT. JUST. LIKE. YOU.

SO DRAW INSPIRATION FROM THIS TRUTH. 

DROP THE REVERENCE FOR MAJOR LEAGUERS. 

AND REPLACE IT WITH GENUINE RESPECT, EMPATHY, AND DEEP UNDERSTANDING — BECAUSE THEY ARE FIGHTING THE SAME FIGHT AS YOU ARE! JUST ON A MUCH BIGGER STAGE. 

THEIR SHORTCOMINGS AND MISSTEPS ARE WITNESSED BY THE ENTIRE WORLD. 

IN REAL TIME.

AND THEY HAVE NO PLACE TO HIDE. 

ISN’T THAT IMPRESSIVE ENOUGH? 

SO DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND FORGET THE FAIRYTALE. 

KILL THE MYTH.

AND LEAVE THE SUPER HEROS TO THE MARVEL UNIVERSE. 

BECAUSE WHAT THE WORLD REALLY NEEDS…

ARE MORE HONEST HITTERS.

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