Mind controls the body, be strong both ways.

Athletic ability is useless without the right wiring upstairs: just look at how many extremely talented athletes fail in their professional careers.

Just remember, for every Ryan Leaf there is a Doug Flutie: a man whose (sometimes wanting) athletic ability is directly improved by his mental capabilities.

Pitching, more than any other position in sports (except perhaps the quarterback in football), requires mental prowess.

Hitting, while requiring a good approach for constant success, still comes down to reactions.

Being smart helps, but not like it does a pitcher.

Greg Maddux would never have won a single Cy Young without his brain. Mental toughness is also not something that can be gained quickly. It takes just as much hard work to be mentally prepared and mentally tough as it does physically.

It also requires a huge leap of faith: abandoning "just going out there and throwing the ball" in favor of a mentally-focused and prepared approach is very, very difficult.

For that reason I recommend heartily The Mental ABC's of Pitching by H.A. Dorfman. (Amazon.com has sample pages for you to read, if you'd like.) It takes a one-by-one approach to the mental challenges a pitcher faces, arranged alphabetically for easy access in times of need.

Only by being mentally tough can you be a complete pitcher.

Work Hard....