Mind Gym

PARALYSIS BY ANALYSIS

Slumps are like a soft bed, easy to get into and hard to get out of.

—JOHNNY BENCH

A full mind is an empty bat.

—BRANCH RICKEY

Several years ago the Cubs selected Rick Wilkins in the first round of the draft. The young catcher was labeled a can’t-miss prospect. To use a sports cliché, his future was all ahead of him, which is where the future should be. While playing for Peoria in the Class A Midwest League, Wilkins began struggling at the plate. Forget hitting a baseball. “I couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn with an oar,” the youngster said, voicing his growing frustration after a loss.

The next day I went to Peoria, Illinois, at the Cubs’ request, to work with the farm club. That afternoon I gave an inspired talk to ...