Guilt trips damage relationships and should never work.You may have noticed that the NLCS just ended, and the World Series is set to begin. As an analyst for FOX Sports, this is perhaps my busiest time of the year. I’m not only in studio for a large part of the day, but I spend additional hours buried in a computer prepping to make sure I’m ready to talk numbers. It is a … [Read more…]

Much in life is outside of our control. As a Major League Baseball player, I learned the importance of taking charge of areas within my control. Small adjustments can have major impacts.Baseball is a game of centimeters. Let’s look at a recent example.Jordan Zimmermann tossed the Washington Nationals’ first no-hitter on Sunday. Steven Souza Jr., brought in during the … [Read more…]

I am constantly toying with ways to improve my focus and attention through nutrition, sleep and exercise.When I was a child, I was diagnosed with attention deficit disorder. I didn’t like being labeled (I despise labels in general) but I wasn’t alone. I rubbed elbows with 13.5% of boys 3-17 years diagnosed with ADHD, according to the Centers for Disease Control and … [Read more…]

Lars Anderson was the most cerebrally unique member of the club I managed in 2007 in Greenville, South Carolina. He and I chatted about world topics with baseball sprinkled in. Even then, at just 19 years of age, he had conscientiousness unfamiliar in the pro sports world. His thoughtful post comes as no surprise to me. I was proud to call him a friend then, I’m even prouder … [Read more…]

Sometimes it seems as if there aren’t enough hours in the day. I found 720 that I would like to get back.I gather I wasted 30 hours a year from the time I became a serious athlete until the day I retired as an MLB player on a single, worthless pastime – icing injuries and sore muscles. The worst part of this? I knew better.Jason Varitek, my spectacular teammate in … [Read more…]