Why do batters get tight and anxious at the plate? I blame their walkup music.
Think of your favorite hitter. You know heâs coming up to the plate when his music starts blasting. He selected that song to get fired up, spitting nails.
Now conjure up images of Muhammad Ali. I see speed, power ... and a peaceful mind. I hear classical music. Can you hear Mozart as Ali floats, carefully picking Foreman apart in the Rumble?
Calm minds and muscles fire faster. The music we walk up to impacts our performance. I have scientific proof. In 2003 in Colorado, I blasted Metallica's "Motorbreath" and hit .224. In 2008, I strolled up to DJ Krush's "Beyond Raging Waves" and hit .301. The evidence is clear and conclusive.
Seriously, why would we want to be ready to run through a wall at the dish? We want to encourage the calm before the storm. We want optimal conditions to see the ball, correctly identify pitches and keep our bodies in balanced positions before gracefully and powerfully striking.
I gotta run. I'm sending Yasiel Puig this Greg Reiter track:
