The Mental Toughness Advantage by Douglas Clydesdale Comstock

Author:Douglas Clydesdale Comstock
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Rockridge Press
Published: 2018-01-25T05:00:00+00:00

“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorns have roses.”

–Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr

CHAPTER 4

STEP 3: PRIORITIZE THE POSITIVE

DURING GAME FOUR of the 2004 American League Championship Series, the Boston Red Sox were down by one run in the ninth inning. Not only that, they were in the midst of an 86-year wait for a World Series championship. And they were down three games to zero. They would go on to become the first and (so far) only baseball team in history to win a postseason series after dropping the first three games. The team won the final eight games of that postseason to end their eight-decade drought.

In game three, the Yankees—their bitter rivals—beat them 19-8. In the ninth inning of game four, the feeling that the Red Sox didn’t stand a chance was reinforced by the closing pitcher for the Yankees, Mariano Rivera, the greatest at the position in baseball history. He needed just three outs to put the Yankees in the World Series. After Kevin Millar got a walk, speedster Dave Roberts was sent out to run for him. Back on July 31st of that year, the Red Sox had traded for Roberts from the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was a trade no one noticed, because the Red Sox had traded their franchise icon Nomar Garciaparra on the same day. As Roberts arrived at first base, the voice of legendary base stealer Maury Wills came to him. Wills was a coach with the Dodgers and spoke with him often during spring training.

“I remember Maury Wills on the backfield in Vero Beach,” said Roberts. “He said, ‘DR, one of these days you’re going to have to steal an important base when everyone in the ballpark knows you’re gonna steal, but you’ve got to steal that base and you can’t be afraid to steal that base.’ So, just kind of trotting out on to the field that night, I was thinking about him.”

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