Bizarre Saltalamacchia story

Here's a story from Gordon Edes about our former catcher/prospect overcoming some psychological issues. Usually, I'm all for getting help when you need it, but this story seems a little bizarre to me.

over 1 year ago Doghnut 12 comments 0 recs |

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

not so bizarre, or even necessarily bizarre at all. just unfamiliar to us.
BTW – the Braves had a sports psychologist speak to our top prospects at the development week thing. link

by fandave on Feb 13, 2011 6:27 PM EST reply actions

Just to clarify

I thought it was the doctor who is treating him who sounded bizarre — not his problem or treatment. His quotes didn’t exactly inspire confidence from someone who is charged with treating mental problems.

"If I have asthma, they won't let me scuba. And if I can’t scuba, then what’s this all been about?? What am I working toward??"

"You look like you should be married to one of the San Diego Padres."

by Doghnut on Feb 13, 2011 8:36 PM EST reply actions

Which quotes are you referring to?

"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone." A. Bartlett Giamatti

by sddbaker on Feb 13, 2011 9:13 PM EST up reply actions

Curiously, while Hanson’s website biography says he holds his doctorate in sports psychology and he refers to himself as “Dr. Tom Hanson,” he writes elsewhere on his site that his degree is actually in physical education, which he confirmed on the phone Tuesday night.
“People don’t care,” he said about the discrepancy. “It matters to me, it matters to psychologists, but I’m not a psychologist. I have a Ph.D. in physical education with a specialization in sports psychology. I am Dr. Tom Hanson. I have a doctorate.”

That wasn’t just a quote from him — my mistake. Still it’s a weird situation. A guy with a degree in PE “learned about [the treatment] by reading Gary Craig” and then starts treating people as a sports psychologost. I’m not saying the guy isnt on the up-and-up, but it seems very odd to me.

I mean, the guy seemingly has no formal training in therapy. Salty never actually met him. His dad finds his info on some random website and suddenly the guy is the key to allowing Salty to turn into a successful major leaguer. Doesnt that whole situation seem odd?

"If I have asthma, they won't let me scuba. And if I can’t scuba, then what’s this all been about?? What am I working toward??"

"You look like you should be married to one of the San Diego Padres."

by Doghnut on Feb 13, 2011 9:27 PM EST up reply actions

I agree he did sound a little defensive about his credentials, but there are, in fact, tons of counsellors with and without state licensure who are not MD psychiatrists or PhD pyschologists who are properly trying to help people work through a wide variety of issues and troubles, and who are in no way “treating mental problems.”

by fandave on Feb 13, 2011 9:26 PM EST up reply actions

Well, it is a mental problem.

That’s what the ‘yips’ are, no?

"If I have asthma, they won't let me scuba. And if I can’t scuba, then what’s this all been about?? What am I working toward??"

"You look like you should be married to one of the San Diego Padres."

by Doghnut on Feb 13, 2011 9:27 PM EST up reply actions

let me check all the psychiatric disorders listed in the DSM-IV and get back to you on that.

by fandave on Feb 13, 2011 9:46 PM EST up reply actions

sigh

As far as I know it’s not physical. I dont mean he should be in an insane asylum or that he’s deranged, only that it’s not a physical problem. I dont know of a type other than physical or mental.

"If I have asthma, they won't let me scuba. And if I can’t scuba, then what’s this all been about?? What am I working toward??"

"You look like you should be married to one of the San Diego Padres."

by Doghnut on Feb 14, 2011 1:51 PM EST up reply actions

I’ve been trying think of a good analogy. I don’t know that this qualifies, but here goes anyway …

Let’s say you’re spinichaphobic – the taste of spinich (although it is very delicious and great and wonderful for your health) makes you violently retch and gag. No idea why you are spinichaphobic, after eating and loving spinich all your life, but you are; and even sitting in front of a plate with spinich on it and thinking about the mere possibility of trying to take a bite of it makes you queasy.
But if you’re listening to your favorite rock ‘n roll at a high volume, then hey, frickin’ voila, you can eat your spinich. Cured by rock ’n roll.

Wierd, huh?

by fandave on Feb 15, 2011 6:34 PM EST up reply actions

I didn’t mean to imply that the methods dont work. Hell if I know if they do. Just weird that a (former) top prospect starts taking such crucial advice from someone hes never met, a man that his father found on the internet.

"If I have asthma, they won't let me scuba. And if I can’t scuba, then what’s this all been about?? What am I working toward??"

"You look like you should be married to one of the San Diego Padres."

by Doghnut on Feb 15, 2011 7:24 PM EST up reply actions