There's an aspect to the life of a professional athlete many fans don't think much about, but can be the difference between success or failure, and that is the comforts of home.
Business trips—whether it be at the beginning, middle, or end of a season can be fun being away from the choirs of everyday life, just you and your teammates. But they can also be incredibly depressing if you fall into a slump.
In the Phillies' case, after a disjointed Spring Training, they are off to an ugly 1-5 start in the regular season. Spending most of your waking hours at a ballpark or a hotel room can take it's toll when nothing seems to work the way it should.
Being stuck in your thoughts can send you down a rabbit hole causing a player to press at the plate, on the base path, on the mound, or in the field, worsening what was already a struggle. A blunder, brief loss of command, or strikeout can turn into an embarrassing avalanche.
Following their 4-2 loss in the Bronx on Wednesday afternoon to wrap up the team's opening six-game road trip, Phillies manager Rob Thomson noted, "It's going to be good to get home in front of our fans," mentioning how the energy in South Philadelphia should help his team get back on track.
Joel Embiid once told me, "Give me my bed, my family, my surroundings" after returning home from a tough road trip.
While coaches and executives may love the time away—no distractions, possible bonding which creates a cohesiveness—sometimes eliminating those distractions can get a player out of a rut and bring the sport back to basics.
Whether it be expectations, or an overload of analytics, an onslaught of info hitting you left and right can sometimes worsen a situation, where a blank mind allows instincts take over.
The Phillies are not a team who just rode a wave to the World Series. They're a stacked roster with immense talent that has gotten off to a rough start and has been snake bitten with early season injuries.
Let's get them back to the Bank, where they belong.
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