Positive thoughts

By Kurt Wagner

Hall of famer and former New York Yankees catcher Yogi Berra once said, "baseball is 90 percent mental -- the other half is physical."

Although Berra, who was famous for his off-the-wall maxims, may have been a little off mathematically, his message couldn't be clearer. The game of baseball is a mental one.

Just ask the Broncos.

Baseball head coach Mark O'Brien, who is a proponent of strengthening his team's mental approach to the game, brings in a sports psychologist to speak with his players about five times per year.

In the game of baseball where the season is long and slumps can occur at any time, the importance of staying mentally strong is not to be overlooked, said O'Brien.

"The most mentally-tough players succeed, and the most mentally-tough teams succeed," said O'Brien before the start of the season. "There's no question that the mental game at this level separates a lot of good players from great players and good teams from great teams."

A lot of what the team's psychologist does is geared toward preparing the players to be successful and find ways to overcome obstacles when they are thrown at them.

The biggest part of the mental game that O'Brien emphasizes is preparation, he said. "A lot of preparation is physical of course, but a tremendous amount of preparation is mental."

Sports psychologists help players visualize success before it ever happens, encouraging the players to think positively.

Other techniques, like different breathing exercises or the use of focal points to increase relaxation, can all be a part of a baseball player's mental repertoire during a game.

In a season often consisting of close to 60 games, the tools come in handy, said short stop Jon Karcich.

"It's definitely a grind," said Karcich. "You get tired, but that's why coach O'Brien pulls in our sports psychologist to mentally overcome that."

Karcich, along with senior and fellow team captain Matt Long, both admitted to underestimating the importance of the mental game coming out of high school. Their time at Santa Clara playing under O'Brien has changed their minds.

"It's helped me a lot," said Long. "It's helped our team a lot too. I know last year there were a lot of guys on our team who finally bought into it and were doing it and it helped and it showed."

Added Karcich, "Slowing the game down, taking deep breaths and finding a routine and working that into the physical aspect of the game is a huge part of it. It just helps tremendously."

Santa Clara isn't the only baseball program that is investing time in mental coaching. In fact, some major league franchises -- including the New York Yankees, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Kansas City Royals -- have also hired sports psychologists to work with the team.

"To me, it's another tool that can make a difference," said Dodger's manager Joe Torre in an interview with The Press-Enterprise last April.

One of the things that makes the mental approach to the game of baseball different from other sports is the need for players to be able to accept failure as part of the game and be able to move on the next pitch or at-bat.

"Our game is different," said O'Brien. "If you fail 70 percent of the time in our game as a hitter, then you're a multi-millionaire, and you're going to be a Hall of Famer."

The Broncos will put their mental training to work Saturday 7 p.m. against Gonzaga at home.

Contact Kurt Wagner at (408) 551-1918 or jwagner@scu.edu.