by The GM on August 2 at 10:09PM
When I ran cross country in high school, our coach always talked about hitting that mental wall in the middle of the race. He said to be a successful runner, you have to be able to overcome that wall or it will take you down every single time. I used that advice and put it to good use and became one of the top runners on the team. I was never first, but second or third a lot of times and that was good enough for me, a kid with asthma that didn't quite grow until the 10th or 11th grade. After cross country was over with, I sort of forgot about that little lesson of getting through the mental wall.
Recently I was told that I was giving up. I don't feel that I was, but I guess I had hit that mental wall in life and I was stuck and confused and I wasn't really sure how to overcome it. That wall ended up bringing me down and in the end, my relationship with a great person. It wasn't until the smoke cloud had dispersed and the dust had settled before I remembered this lesson. I wish I could have remembered it before the wall was in my face.
So, what does this have to do with baseball? It's simple. The Oakland A's have reached that wall and they have not learned how to get over it. So, piece by piece, they are falling apart and their season that started out promising, is now going down life's proverbial toilet. They have to identify when the wall hit them and what was working before they got there.
I think that it all started when Rich Harden was dealt away. Then Joe Blanton was sent packing as well. The team had lost their two "aces" and the team's identity and cockiness was quickly lost. Their swagger looked more like that of a frat boy after hell week and pledge inductions. With no real sense of direction this wall has taken them down and the whole team seems to be pinned under it.
It's funny to me that when simple lessons end up being some of the most important ones we learn in life. The whole time I thought I was learning something about the sport (and yes, cross country is a sport) I was in, I had learned a very valuable lesson about life and I didn't even know it. So, I am here to share this valuable piece of information with you, the reader, and with the Oakland Athletics. Learn how to overcome the wall and you will be successful.
Recently I was told that I was giving up. I don't feel that I was, but I guess I had hit that mental wall in life and I was stuck and confused and I wasn't really sure how to overcome it. That wall ended up bringing me down and in the end, my relationship with a great person. It wasn't until the smoke cloud had dispersed and the dust had settled before I remembered this lesson. I wish I could have remembered it before the wall was in my face.
So, what does this have to do with baseball? It's simple. The Oakland A's have reached that wall and they have not learned how to get over it. So, piece by piece, they are falling apart and their season that started out promising, is now going down life's proverbial toilet. They have to identify when the wall hit them and what was working before they got there.
I think that it all started when Rich Harden was dealt away. Then Joe Blanton was sent packing as well. The team had lost their two "aces" and the team's identity and cockiness was quickly lost. Their swagger looked more like that of a frat boy after hell week and pledge inductions. With no real sense of direction this wall has taken them down and the whole team seems to be pinned under it.
It's funny to me that when simple lessons end up being some of the most important ones we learn in life. The whole time I thought I was learning something about the sport (and yes, cross country is a sport) I was in, I had learned a very valuable lesson about life and I didn't even know it. So, I am here to share this valuable piece of information with you, the reader, and with the Oakland Athletics. Learn how to overcome the wall and you will be successful.
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