SB Hangover

After New Year's Eve

 
many people greet January 1st with a hangover.

While the original Hangover movie was a classic

drinking hangover's are sluggish, painful and difficult to shrug off. You pay a price the next day. Water and Sleep are two of the best cures.

In softball you don't necessarily need Johnny Walker, Bacardi, or Champagne to get a hangover as they are common. Let's identify a few:

Common Softball Hangovers

• Coming Off a Big Win Hangover - The everyday relentless nature of the game makes maintaining an emotional high very difficult especially when you play different opponents. You can have a thrilling post season comeback win one day to advance in the playoffs and the next day come out flat and get shut out in the Championship. I've seen it happen. Far too often.
• Bad Loss Hangover - Giving games away with poor play and mental mistakes can be very difficult to shrug off no matter how much water and sleep you get.
• Quick Turnaround Hangover - Playing a late night/afternoon game one day and then an early morning affair the next is definitely one of the hardest things about this sport. Again the game is relentless. 
• Lag Hangover - Not playing ball for long periods of times makes you sluggish and throws off your timing and muscle memory. 
• "Trap Game" Hangover - Your team has just beaten it's top competition and then you lay an egg against a quote unquote "inferior opponent". You essentially lose a game that you were "supposed to win". This type of losses sticks in your craw all season as deep down you realize there is something wrong with your team. Tough to shake off.
• Returning Season Hangover - That Championship glow from last year makes you complacent this year. A great player once told me "Anyone can win one year. Dynasties define greatness". Keep the confidence from prior success just don't drink the last year Kool-Aide too much.
• Drinking Hangover - Very few players can play at a high level and drink at the same time. Even fewer can function/play on a 4 alarm alcohol hangover. It's Painful.
• Public Fighting Hangover - An out in the open teammate/manager fight/argument always has a price and lingers. Take it from me I've had hundreds. Avoid as much as possible.

In softball and life, sometimes your lucky and you can look back and laugh at a hangover. Other times not so much. We all have to live a little so hangovers come with the territory just remember you always pay the  price for overindulgence.