More Injury Updating / What is Control?

So they were half right...there was a lower back muscle pull, but that wasn't the only thing going on. I had some inflammation in the SI (sacroiliac) joint, which you can feel if you lift yourself out of your chair using just your arms and let your hips feel like they're hanging. That stiffness in your back/hips? Your SI joint. That's still kind of sore, and that might be something that stays sore for a while and I just play through. Back to the hurt/injury dichotomy, I guess. Good news is I think the muscle is about healed, and swinging a bat today felt stiff but possible. I was probably at 60% today on those swings, so if I can go 80-90 tomorrow, I should be ready for the scrimmages this weekend.

A few guys got cut after practice yesterday. The fall roster is down to 43 names. Only 35 make the spring roster...and that might include redshirts, which isn't what I originally thought. I thought it was 35 active players, but it seems more like it's 35 players PERIOD. I've overheard some guys who were on the roster last year talking about being redshirts, so that seems to be evidence enough. I can still pick out 8 guys that I think I should make the team ahead of, but you could make an argument either way. And let's say it comes down to me and a catcher, or me and a pitcher, or someone else who I'm not directly competing against...how does the coach decide which one of us is more important to the team? Regardless of who he chooses, how can I make an argument that he's right or wrong?

It's nice to have a forum here to let these thoughts out, because I know I can't waste too much time worrying about things like that. A lot of the mental game of baseball concerns maximizing the things you can control, and not waste mental energy on the things you can't. A lot of players will beat themselves up, maybe even fall into a slump, after an 0-4 or 0-5 day at the plate. But a closer look might reveal that the hitter hit a long fly ball in the gap that the center fielder made a diving catch on; a sharp line drive right at the second baseman; a screaming ground ball down the line that the first baseman made a lucky stab at; and a grounder to the right side that advanced a runner. He had a fantastic day at the plate! The fielders and the plays they make are not something that he can control, so he can't spend time and energy worrying about them.

Obviously, I'm going to be thinking about my chances of making the team. I wouldn't be here unless I cared about making it. There's a reason that I took the fall roster, highlighted all the outfielders, and put marks by players' names designating what I think their chances of making the team are. At the same time, I need to focus on controlling my mental approach, the quality of my work in the cage, staying healthy, and making sure I NEVER get out-hustled. Those are all things I can control.