Issue #110
by Wayne Ellis, Sports America

Bonds, A-Rod, Glavine Were Pressing Too Hard…
Perhaps a Little Unconventional Wisdom
Helped Them Out

This past weekend, three struggling future Hall of Famers finally passed milestones… And for all of the pain it caused them, they could have passed kidney stones as well. 

Barry Bonds finally hit 755, to a rousing standing… well stand from Commission Bud Selig.

Alex Rodriguez (A-Rod) finally hit his 500th homer after watching nearly everyone of his teammates go on a round-tripper frenzy.

And Tom Glavine finally hit 300 wins, after the Mets bullpen didn’t wipe out another strong showing. 

Each struggled for what seemed like an eternity to pass their respective milestone.  Many will think that conventional wisdom finally caught up with these all stars.  That is, they were simply pressing or trying too hard to make it all happen, when all they really needed to do was relax and let the situations take care of themselves. 

But, there’s another idea out there.  That each of these guys simply shrugged off conventional wisdom, and went with a little “unconventional wisdom” to ultimately reach their goals.  Here’s what I mean. 

Falling Bonds Market?  The Solution is to Press On

There’s no way to deny that up until Bonds shot this past weekend, he was pressing… and pressing hard. 

If you’ve watched him since he hit 754, it seemed like with each swing, he was trying to hit the ball harder and harder.  Some times, he almost appeared to screw himself into the ground. 

Perhaps the pressure of chasing Aaron over time is finally getting to him.  Or perhaps it’s the merciless booing and jeering from opposing fans in opposing stadiums that’s getting to him.  Or perhaps it’s the media’s relentless pursuit of him.  Or, maybe it’s just time that’s getting in his way.  Whatever the case, Bonds has been swinging so hard trying to connect with any pitch that’s close, that he was actually robbing himself of good swings at good pitches.

Conventional wisdom would have said that Bonds needed to relax, and trust the instincts that brought him to 754 homeruns.  Sure some of those blasts may have been fueled by the “clear” or the “cream,” but chances are most haven’t. 

All he should have done is watch video of himself swinging prior to this year and compare that to this year’s swings… Conventional wisdom said Bonds needed to slow down and not press. 

I’m sure he knows that, and I’m sure that his teammates and coaches drilled that into his large head.  But, it’s obviously wasn’t working…  So, did Barry turn to unconventional wisdom. 

Bonds may have taken his typical do-it-his-way mentality and actually tried harder.  You’ve heard the baseball expression, “come out of your shoes” for taking a big, big cut.  Well, if you check out Bonds swing for 755, he may have been doing just though.  In fact, I’m surprised the armor on his right arm didn’t fly off. 

Better yet, maybe he’ll keep that mentality while going for 756.  And perhaps he’ll sustain a serious double knee injury.  It would at least get him out of this race this season.  So we could all get back to focusing on the feel-good stories and pennant races. 

Then, after the season’s over.  Other teams could contemplate taking him, and all of his baggage next year.  Or not.  Truly a win-win.

Turn a Choke Into a Chokehold On the Fans

Then there’s A-Rod.  At just 32 years old, A-Rod’s hit 500 home runs faster than anyone else ever.  And if he’s able to stay healthy and maintain the average of 44 homeruns he’s put together so far in his career, he’ll clear Bonds final tally easily. 

Unfortunately, for all his talent, A-Rod’s been labeled as a “choker” by some, when the pressure’s on.  Certainly, his recent 0 for 22 streak doesn’t dispel that theory.  

Sure he has great numbers during the regular season.  But if you ask a Yankees fan to sum up A-Rod’s playoff performance to date, you’ll probably get a Bronx Cheer. 

So for those disgruntled fans, it was par for the course to watch A-Rod flail away when the pressure was on, when he was trying to get over the 500 homerun hump.  They’ll tell you that’s how he operates. 

Depending on who you asked, there’s a number of different reasons why A-Rod was having a tough time breaking through 500.  Baseball analysts will tell you he was having trouble because of the subtle differences in his swing.  His manager, Joe Torre would tell you that A-Rod’s chasing too many bad pitches, saying that he’d even swing at the rosin bag if someone tossed it at him.  However it manifested itself, the real reason was, A-Rod was pressing. 

So did he go with conventional wisdom, and rely on his sweet swing that has gotten his to this point?  Like Bonds, A-Rod’s probably heard that enough by now that people telling him to relax does just he opposite… and winds him up tighter and tighter. 

It may be, that for A-Rod to do something unconventional, to truly change his image as a choker for Yankee fans. 

He needs to embrace the role of choker.  Make it his own, and turn it on its ear.  What I’m saying is sometime soon, just do it.  Choke, literally. 

Simply suck some water down the wrong pipe, or half-swallow a wad of sunflower seeds before going to the plate.  And start gagging.

If he hits a home run while actually, physically choking, then he’ll have both confirmed the title and turned it into an accolade.  From that point on, when fans call him a choker, they’ll do so with the best intentions.

Glavine – Go Vince McMahon on Your Team

Finally, we get to Tom Glavine, the only player of the three who may be the last to surpass the milestone he chased.  That is, he may be the last pitcher to ever win 300 games in a career.  Why?

The pitching game has changed.  Five man rotations are now the standard, not four, meaning less starts per year.  Next, pitchers are now held more strictly to pitch counts.  And Dice-K’s aside, that max pitch count number is nearing double-digits. 

With shorter starts, the greater the role middle relievers and closers play.  What that means is that there are more and more people getting involved with every game.  And less and less power to control the ending for the starting pitcher.

In addition to the changes to pitching itself, the starter has never had as much control as the hitter in attaining milestones.  Glavine needs to rely on his team to hold a lead, and he needs to rely on defense while he’s out there.  Wins for a pitcher are never a sure thing. 

Add it all up, and then factor in Glavine’s age, and it may be that Glavine knew his chances were dwindling, so he went with a little unconventional wisdom…

He left last night after 6 innings, after having given up just two runs.  I’m not sure what happened in the dugout when he got to the bench.  But conventional wisdom would have been to simply entrust the game to his teammates and cheer them on. 

I’m not sure how to confirm this, but I wouldn’t bet against him raging against his teammates… adopting an anti-Glavine approach, one more likely to appear on the WWE.  If he started firing out challenges to his teammates manhood, their ability, and their desire to play, that may have been what got him over the hump. 

Sometimes The Winner’s Edge is Found in Doing the Unconventional

All three, Bonds, A-Rod and Glavine were all hung up on chasing milestones.  And you can bet your bottom dollar that everyone around them urged them to follow conventional wisdom, and not press.  Well, it wasn’t working.

And sometimes, in sports that’s the way it is.  Sometimes in sports, athletes need to do something unconventional to break through – it worked for U.S. swimmers when they introduced the butterfly during the breaststroke competition.  They not weren’t disqualified, they won medals and established a new sport. 

It worked for Rocky Balboa in Rocky III, when he went on to dance circles around Clubber Lang and win back the title. 

And it may have worked for each of the above.  I’m not saying that Bonds, A-Rod or Glavine went to such extremes, but they might have.  What’s important is knowing when conventional wisdom isn’t enough…

When conventional wisdom comes up dry, it’s time for unconventional wisdom.  Take the path less traveled, and see where it takes you.  And that could be your Winner’s Edge. 

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