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Happy Wednesday. Yes, I know I usually publish on Mondays but this past Monday I was sick with an upper respiratory infection so - no newsletter. I’m better now, so away we go!

In this issue we’ll look at something I happen to love - donuts! And how sprinkles and donuts, oh and tennis, can help give our pitchers a much stronger mentality.

Let’s Go!

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Should You Focus on The Donut or the Sprinkles?

Another terrific newsletter I’ve stumbled on is called Wisdom Made Easy, and not only does it have great messages, but they’re delivered in awesome pictures and graphics. Super fast and easy to digest.

I especially loved their latest one on the Donut Philosophy. From someone who loves donuts, I was especially pleased to see this. This theory basically says:

• Focus on the donut, not the hole.

• Gratitude grows when you notice what’s there - not what’s missing.

• Joy isn’t found in having it all - it’s found in recognizing what you already have

In addition to great pictures like this one 👆, they also synthesize it all into a neatly wrapped-up explanation:

Here are 3 ways to practice this “donut” gratitude way of thinking today:

1. Express gratitude daily. 

   This could be a few quick scribbles in the journal, starting a photo album on your smartphone or even something you share publicly on social media.
   Small acts of thankfulness add up overtime, helping you to recognize all that you have to be grateful for.

2. Catch your “hole thinking.”

   Notice when you’re obsessing over what’s missing, pause, then gently shift your focus to what’s already there.

3. Celebrate small wins. 

   Blessings shouldn’t be counted just when they reach round numbers.

   Don’t wait for everything to be perfect - cheer for the sprinkles, not just the whole donut.

(Thanks @wisdommadeeasy. Check out their newsletter: https://www.wisdommadeeasy.com/)

How You Can Lose the Points But Win the Game

As we work this summer to enhance our teams, and ourselves for the upcoming season, we can take a lot of lessons from all over the sports world. I’ve found 2 such incredible lessons from the world of tennis:

• Lesson #1: 2025 French Open Men’s Singles

  This was a marathon match between the #1 and the #2 ranked men’s players in the world. It lasted 5 ½ hours and ended with Carlos Alacaraz beating Jannick Sinner. And yet, the graphic below shows that Sinner actually won more points than Alcaraz.

  How can this happen? How can the ultimate loser score more points than the eventual winner. Doesn’t make sense on the surface, but when you peel back the match, Sinnick shot out to a quick lead, and in fact had Match Point 3 times. But, Alcaraz won because he just put up a wall of resistance one point-at-a-time. Ultimately winning 3 sets and the match, all while being outscored.

KEY TAKEAWAY - no matter how close you are to losing, as long as you have a point, or an out or a pitch left, you haven’t lost. You might be down by a million, but just climb back one point-at-a-time.

Lesson #2 - Roger Federer’s Commencement Speech:

Last year Roger Federer gave the commencement speech to the Dartmouth graduates. And while he’s known for his tennis mastery and not his academia, his message was packed with some incredible lessons.

Incase you live in a cave and don’t know who Roger Federer is - he was the #1 ranked men’s player for over 10 years, won Wimbledon 9 times and considered the best player in history.

The one that applies to pitchers was much like the lesson above from the French Open (and now I’m quoting Roger Federer):

• In tennis, perfection is impossible... In the 1,526 singles matches I played in my career, I won almost 80% of those matches... Now, I have a question for all of you... what percentage of the POINTS do you think I won in those matches?

  Only 54%.

• In other words, even top-ranked tennis players win barely more than half of the points they play

• When you lose every second point, on average, you learn not to dwell on every shot.

• You teach yourself to think: OK, I double-faulted. It’s only a point.

• OK, I came to the net and I got passed again. It’s only a point.

• Even a great shot, an overhead backhand smash that ends up on ESPN’s Top Ten Plays: that, too, is just a point.

• When you’re playing a point, it is the most important thing in the world.

  But when it’s behind you, it’s behind you... This mindset is really crucial, because it frees you to fully commit to the next point… and the next one after that… with intensity, clarity and focus.

KEY TAKEAWAY - The mindset of when the bad thing is behind you keep it there, it’s vital to allowing you to commit to the next play!

This really struck me for pitchers! We consider balls getting hit as “loses” and yet the BEST in the world lose points 46% of the time!!! And they STILL go on to win the game/match/whatever. It’s not about winning 100% of the plays - it’s about winning the plays that will win you the game.

Here’s a transcript of Roger’s commencement speech in it’s entirety. It’s worth a read for you and your team! https://home.dartmouth.edu/news/2024/06/2024-commencement-address-roger-federer

Thanks for reading this week’s Curveball Chronicles. I hope it helped give you some insight to help your pitchers, and to give yourself some grace.

Have a Great week - See ya Monday!

PS - anytime you want to read a back-issue check them all out at https://pitchingcoachcentral.com/curveball-newsletter/