The Real Athlete Blog

Athlete Development

• Here’s an interesting article on Chicago White Sox pitcher Jake Peavy, who discussed his decision to not pitch the rest of this season in order to fully rehab from multiple injuries. This quote really stood out to me: “You find out what you’ve got maybe in a couple of these younger kids and I can start the rest to recovery and start what I look forward to being a good winter of work, just coming back next year and being hopefully a brand new man.” [Peavy: Multiple Reasons for Shutdown]

• U.S. Open Champ Novak Djokovic and other elite athletes are using a secret weapon called a CVAC pod that they believe boosts performance by simulating high altitude. [Novak Djokovic's Secret: Sitting in a Pressurized Egg]

• VCU basketball players and the coaching staff endured Navy SEAL training to kick-start their pre-season. [VCU undergoes surprise SEAL training]  

• The specter of long-term brain damage from concussions is haunting the Major Leagues. The problem extends well beyond the NFL and NHL. [There’s nothing routine about head injuries]  

• As an illustration of how tough the business side of sports can be, the Jaguars recently released David Garrard, their projected starter, right before the start of the NFL season. The reasons? Garrard’s inconsistent play, documented over most of his 10-year career, along with the $9 million the team saved for cutting him. Head Coach Jack Del Rio speaks on making a “pure football decision”: "I had met with him a couple of weeks ago and brought him in and said, 'Hey, listen, you're my guy. I need you to get it going.' He was given every opportunity.” [Jaguars Release QB Garrard Days Before Opener]

• As a wake-up call to any aspiring athletes out there chasing the fortune that pro sports offers: proceed with caution! Two men, who played in different leagues during different eras, are now broke and struggling to make ends meet, like many of us. Read up on the stories of former NBA star Ray Williams and three-time Pro Bowl cornerback Chris McAllister, formerly of the Baltimore Ravens. [Desperate Times For Ex-Celtic Ray Williams] [Former Ravens DB McAllister Claims He Is Already Broke]

• So often athletes (especially college and pro) are usually hammered for shortcomings or scandals. It’s always refreshing to promote when they perform random acts of kindness. Kudos to the two Missouri Western football players who recently saved the life of a toddler. [Missouri Western Players Save Toddler]

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers DT Brian Price started against the Vikings this weekend, after undergoing two rare medical procedures and overcoming a broken pelvis to continue to play football. That’s major resilience! [Buccaneers' Brian Price Playing Again After Two Radical Surgeries]

• After his last-second foul on Butler's Matt Howard in the second round of last year's NCAA Tournament, Nasir Robinson has taken what could have been a negative situation and spun it into a positive one. [Pittsburgh’s Robinson rebounds from adversity]