I'd agree with this pretty closely.

Some guys are just better able to perform at or close to normal in key spots than others. Some guys are able to focus even a little bit better or have the confidence they will get it done in that spot (and that can make them a little better). The best "clutch" hitters are usually the guys with the most confidence in their approach. Same thing with pitchers. The guys that trust their stuff the most tend to be more "clutch."

I played with some chokers in my baseball days. As hitters... they're the guys who don't trust their approach. Who grip the bat too tight. Who overthink or overguess. As pitchers, they're the guys who overthrow the ball, which leads to elevated fastballs, hung breaking pitches, and flat changeups.

Clutchness, though, is overrated as a factor in most cases.

Darn tooten fig newton.

I mostly agree with this, especially as it relates to baseball. However, I do think that some players do hold something back for the most important times.

When you look at great pitchers, some of them can reach back and put a little something extra on a fastball in a critical situation. When you get into sports like basketball, veterans routinely save themselves for the fourth quarter our even the playoffs. It's not do much being clutch as it is intentionally putting fourth a level of effort at critical times that might not be sustainable over the course of an entire game, season, etc.

Might be true for pitchers (amping up velocity), but there isn't a direct correlation for hitters, since power is more about quickness than biceps/triceps. Trying to "muscle up" is damn near a sure-fire recipe for fail.

http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/new...ook_kc&c_id=kc

Damon reminisces about time in Kansas City

By Dick Kaegel / MLB.com


CLEVELAND -- Johnny Damon played nearly five and a half years with the Royals at the start of his 18-year career and still has a fond spot for Kansas City. In fact, he had thoughts about possibly returning this year.

"It's still my longest-tenured team and great memories," Damon said. "I hoped something in this offseason would have transpired to bring me back there and try to finish up there perhaps."

As it turned out, Damon never discussed coming back with the Royals and he wound up signing with Cleveland.

"I think every team was kind of waiting to see what their young guys can do and, unfortunately, that kind of leaves the older guys out -- until the middle of April for me and other guys, too," Damon, 38, said. "Teams worry about when a certain guy is going to break down and that's never been a question with me, but teams are always wondering if this is the year something will happen."

Damon, entering Monday's game against the Royals, had 2,735 hits in his career, 265 shy of the prestigious 3,000 mark.

"It's never been a goal of mine, but I'd love to get it, obviously," he said. "The way I'm hitting right now, it'd take about five or six years."

Damon laughed at his own expense because, since joining the Indians on May 2, he'd had just 12 hits and had a .158 average in 21 games.

It was Aug. 12, 1995, when Damon, called up from a hot season with Double-A Wichita, broke into the KC lineup, batted first and played center field wearing No. 51. He went hitless twice, then got the first of his three hits in a 7-2 win over the Mariners at Kauffman Stadium.

"Yeah, that 30-hopper past first base, went for a triple off [Tim] Belcher," Damon said.

Since leaving KC in a trade to Oakland after the 2000 season, Damon has been in postseason play in eight years while the Royals have been in none. Twice Damon has been on a World Series champion, with the Red Sox and the Yankees.

"It's something that I always want to do, to have that chance to win the championship and I was able to do it twice, so I've accomplished everything that I set out to do in this game -- No. 1 was always winning a championship and I did that," Damon said. "Do I have anything to prove now? No, except to show that I can still play."

Damon says he can still get down the first-base line in 3.9 or 4.0 seconds and play the outfield despite being primarily a designated hitter in 2010 with Detroit and 2011 with Tampa Bay.

"Can I still play like I did in my Royal days? No. But I know I can still run, I can still do OK out there, but the main thing with me staying in the game is if I can hit and I've showed some signs, but I've got to show a lot more to keep this gig I do have," he said.

Damon is not pretentious enough to view himself as a Hall of Fame player, although 3,000 hits would enhance his chances, but last year in an MLB Network interview he was asked, if ever elected, which cap he'd prefer to be wearing on his plaque.

"I said Kansas City. I've more hits, more runs scored, more stolen bases, most time with the Royals," he said.

Naturally, by playing four years each with bitter rivals New York and Boston, he riled fans in both cities.

"So you're going to have some people that love me, some people that hate me, but that's how I've been everywhere I've gone -- loved and hated and that's mostly due to my play on the field, and that's OK," Damon said. "I've proved I can be a big deciding factor in winning or losing a game."

I'm pretty sure Dick trots out the same article every year. Just changes a few things up to make it seem relevant to time.

Yeah, that Damon....what a classy guy:
http://www.thebrushback.com/damon_full.htm




pssst....it's a parody site.

His first wife truly was a nag. I remember waiting to get his autograph after a game one night. Anyways, as he signed autographs, I remember her yelling at him from their SUV to hurry up because she was ready to go home. I was around 13 at the time and could even recognize then that she was a nagging bitch.

Unfortunately, if Damon were to get into the HOF, the HOF will probably only give him the choice of going in as a Red Sox or Yankee IMO.

Man I loved Damon as a Royal and Red Sox, but he ruined it for me when he signed with the Yanks.

Me and 7 buddies from KC went to Camden Yards Saturday & Sunday and had an absolutely blast cheering the Royals during their two wins. Some notes:

We chanted "let's go Royals clap clap clap" like mad men both games. Orioles faithful were somewhat annoyed, but they were accommodating nonetheless. We also got a ton of tv time, as the 30 texts from back home showed.

Met Ryan Leferbe and Rex Hudler and I must say they were both cool as shit. Ryan was the man, spent some time talking to us. Rex was his usual overly complimentive self telling us "we were a big part of the win". Yes he's still a tool, but I really like the guy now for the way he was to us when he didn't have to be.

Greg Holland is my new favorite Royal, dude took picks with us, signed the baseballs that Chen threw some of my friends, and just shot the shit. He got a kick out of us asking him to describe what it was like to throw a no-hitter. At first he was like," I can't take credit for that, just one inning...." but then we pressed him and he was like, "yes that was pretty ****ing cool."

Tim Collins was kind of an ass, but it's hard to judge what it'd be like to be in his shoes. I wear size 12's. He basically told some kids after the game to get lost when they asked for his autograph and muttered "crazy ass fans" as he blew past them. Literally like three 10 year olds, just who MLB needs to be into baseball.

Paulino is huge in person.

Al Escobar has a wife/gf that reminds me of a younger hotter version of Ice Ts Coco. Huge, I mean ridiculous, chest with blonde hair and a stripper body. Tall too. Funny as shit to see her on his arm. He was cool too, as was Pena, but then of course Brayan was.

Moose spent 15 minutes before Sundays game signing for every kid, collector, you name it. Hosmer was cool too, even taking photos with fans.

I'm not a get things signed kind of guy, but I was still impressed with the young Royals Stars and the way they treated the kids there, both Orioles and Royals fans alike.

Camden's a crazy cool park, but way to small of dimensions for my liking. Last note, I loved seeing the Royals emblem on the million all star ballots at the stadium.

Very cool.

^^ sucks to hear about Collins.

ehh, screw him. napolean complex!!!!ROFL

With a curve ball like that, Tim Collins can be a mega douchebag as far as I care.