It’s been a while since I did a random thoughts blog; actually, it was October 6 – which is also known as the “Pre-Puppy Era” in the Cressey household.  As such, we have a lot to get to, so let’s not waste any time.

1. It’s been interesting to watch the Giants – a team without a true superstar (aside from Lincecum, who’s only thrown one game) – take control of the World Series.  However, the most interesting part of the World Series for me was when former president George W. Bush came out and threw an absolutely effortless SEED to Nolan Ryan for the first pitch of Game 4.

It was a nice change of pace from what we often see with ceremonial first pitch appearances, as I wrote about previous in Why President Obama Throws Like a Girl.  You almost have to wonder if him busting out the cheddar during election week was a calculated attempt to win some Republican votes!

Also, please refrain from political fighting in the comments section, kids; this is a bipartisan blog.  I will, however, encourage everyone to please get out and vote tomorrow, regardless of your candidates of choice.

2. I am still waiting for someone to convince me that cold water immersion post-training does anything for athletes other than cause serious shrinkage and irritate them.  It seems like it becomes more and more of “the rage” with each passing day, but I still haven’t seen anything in the scientific literature supporting the efficacy of ice baths for recovery.  This piece came out just recently: Post exercise ice water immersion: Is it a form of active recovery?

We do not advocate cold water immersion for our athletes right now because I feel that there isn’t any evidence to suggest that it has any favorable effects, and for such an annoying experience, you need to be getting considerable benefit in order to be using it regularly.  Moreover, I have seen a TON of pitchers who absolutely despise icing their arms after throwing outings, saying that it interferes with their arm bouncing back and gives them stiffness and difficulty warming up in the subsequent throwing outing.  There is going to need to be some definitive evidence supporting cold water immersion before I even consider experimenting with it in any of our athletes.

That said, what has your experience been with cold water immersion and ice baths for recovery?  Please share your thoughts in the comments section.

3. Agents paying college football players to sign with them is a very corrupt and unacceptable practice, but the most scary part of this article for me is that three of the 23 players in question were DEAD before they hit 30.  Does anyone else find that a 13% mortality rate among this guy’s potential clients kind of odd?  My guess would be that they weren’t the most ethical guys in question and probably were involved in some sketchy stuff on the side, but it is still pretty wild that the author of this article just tosses it in there as a quick closing sentence like it’s nothing worthy of consideration.

4. We are kicking on all cylinders with our professional baseball training crew.  As of right now, we have 44 guys from all over the country committed to getting after it this winter.  It’s shaping up to be a fun time and great atmosphere – especially when you factor in our high school and college baseball guys.

5. Speaking of Cressey Performance, we’ve got Nick Tumminello coming in this morning to do an in-service for our staff.  Nick’s a smart dude who teaches all over the world (he’s headed to China right after us), and we’re really lucky to have him.  In this dynamic industry, if you aren’t getting better, you’re falling behind – so be sure to seek out opportunities to watch industry leaders present whenever you can.  For more information on Nick, check out www.NickTumminello.com.  Here’s a little taste of some of Nick’s stuff:

6. Last, but not least, cute puppy pictures.

Asleep in my slipper:

Asleep in my wife’s gym bag:

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