NYT sports columnist George Vecsey has some Taoist advice for Alex Rodriguez:
The instinctive A-Rod of the first two rounds seemed to have vanished. He was squeezing the bat. Gone was the guy who lashed home runs in the postseason, attacked the bases, dashed home on defense when it was momentarily left unprotected.
Instead, he was, omigosh, thinking.
...
Not that he needs to be told — these people are professionals — but the message should be clear to Rodriguez. He was thoroughly unconscious during the first two rounds of the postseason, playing up to his immense abilities. The most impressive part of him in those rounds was his instinct, the freedom to get beyond thinking, and just do. He was unleashed.
But players can get out of their rhythm, particularly in these long autumns when teams sit around and wait to be told by the networks that their services are required on such-and-such days. It’s easy to lose instinct, to have time to think.
He ends the piece with a simple statement: Rodriguez "...should henceforth stop thinking."
Indeed. How does passage 20 of the Daodejing start?
Give up learning and troubles end.
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