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Posted 04/17/2007 at 12:00 PM
We're into the third week of baseball season, and there are already plenty of things to go over. When the season begins, you try to keep an open mind on all the teams, whether it's the Yankees or the Nationals. Then, things start to settle in, somewhat. With me personally, I started the season going with the definites, picking Roy Halladay and the Blue Jays to win on Opening Day against the Tigers, and Johan Santana and the Twins to top the Orioles. I won both those plays. But then, the uncertainty card comes in.
An 0-4 day highlighted by Jorge Julio giving up a two-run lead to the miserable Nationals in the 9th, and the White Sox stranding every runner known to man in a loss to the Indians. Did I mention Chris Burke dropping a routine flyball in center that kept an inning alive for the Pirates, to help them beat the Astros. Then, when you feel like nothing is going your way, you snap the skid when A.J. Pierzynski gets hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to bring home the winning run. Okay, that's a start. Maybe, that's the momentum swing. After that miracle plunking, I win eight of nine, then five of seven.
There's only so much we can do as handicappers, but the mental part is as important as the skills to accurately handicap games. If after a loss, you solve what went wrong, and fix it for next time, then the loss was worth it. There's nothing wrong with being upset when you lose, but know why (or sometimes make excuses like me). Hopefully the contagious winning continues and we can stay away from the losing plague.
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