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Vision of the future: a new type of contact lens might allow baseball players to see a real boost in their performance

Sporting News, The , April 29, 2005 by Stan McNeal << Page 1Continued from page 1.Previous|

Shortstop David Eckstein says he is unlikely to try them simply because he can`t stand the idea of putting something directly on his eyes. Slugger Albert Pujols turned down an invitation to try them.

But plenty of others are excited at the prospects. When Nike made its spring training stop in Fort Myers, Fla., it found Twins outfielders Torii Hunter and Jacque Jones "superexcited" about trying them. But before they could get checked out by a vision specialist, manager Ron Gardenhire was shooing the Nike reps out of the clubhouse because the team was almost ready to take the field for an exhibition. "We`ll get back to them," says Chipote, who spent spring training visiting the clubs that train in Florida.

Although it seems hitters would gain a bigger advantage from the lenses, there`s an edge or two that can be gained by pitchers. For one, pitchers can`t wear sunglasses on the mound, so the performance-enhancing contacts give them a way to fight the sun`s glare. Just as important, there can be an intimidation factor: Imagine looking out at a pitcher and seeing two bright amber eyes staring back.

"They make you look kind of evil," Graves says. "Hitters might look at you like you`re possessed."

Until the night lenses are available, anyway. Those are expected to be lighter and a little less menacing-looking. Roberts, for one, also expects them to be much more popular.

"Because so many games are played at night, I`m not sure if these will take off," he says of the amber version. "But the most popular ones would be the ones in the works for night games. There won`t be a phenomenon until then."

That will be a sight to see, through lenses of any color.

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Relax for peace of mind, spirit

Spokesman Review, The (Spokane) , Nov 1, 2004 by Cheryl-Anne Millsap The Spokesman-Review

Most of us aren`t very smart.

Even when our bodies tell us to stop, we continue to work and play and muddle through everything that needs to be done. (Or everything we like to think needs to be done.)

Last week, after fighting a nasty cold for almost two weeks, I surrendered: I took a sick day.

The mornings in my house are busy. My older children get themselves up and ready for school, but each budgets the absolute minimum amount of time. So that means there`s trouble if anything goes wrong. And like a long chain of dominoes, when one thing goes wrong, everything goes down. I hold my breath until they`re all out the door.

My youngest sleeps later, but she moves slowly and needs to be watched or she`ll miss the bus.

Finally, when the last one left on the morning of my sick day, I made a pot of tea, wrapped myself in a blanket and curled up on the sofa. I had exactly seven hours to myself.

I tried to watch TV but there was nothing worth watching. So I closed my eyes and let my mind wander.

Stretched out, the warm weight of my little dog on my feet, I luxuriated in the feeling of repose.

It`s a shame how little time we give ourselves to rest. I mean a pure rest, without the background chatter of the television, or radio; without giving in to the temptation to jump up and do one more thing.

Everything else in nature takes time to recharge. Why do we think we are different? Why do we continue to plod on until we are sick? And worse, plod on after we`re sick.

Occasionally, when my children were small, especially after they had stopped taking naps, we would all curl up together like a mother dog and her puppies in a basket. I called it quiet time.

We didn`t sleep; we just cuddled and enjoyed the break.

The babies would sing softly to themselves, or hold a favorite stuffed animal, touching its eyes, tugging on its ears and running dimpled fingers over the fur.

Other times they would press close to me, twisting one of my curls or exploring my face with their hands.

These breaks didn`t last long - who gets a toddler to cuddle for more than a few minutes? But they were restorative, and in retrospect, precious.

Our society celebrates being overworked and working sick. Why? Most of us don`t have life-or-death jobs. If we`re not well, there are contingencies in place. A co-worker steps in to lend a hand. A substitute is called. Meetings are delayed and plans are changed. Life goes on until we can catch up.

But for some of us, it is a point of pride to show up with red eyes and a runny nose, coughing, hacking and groaning in misery.

I gave myself one sick day. And I got lucky. For seven hours no one knocked on the door and I didn`t get a single phone call.

I drank pots of tea and listened to the quiet. Instead of a toddler, my dogs and cats stayed close to me. It was good medicine, but to be honest, I needed more.

Rest should be more than a now-and-then thing. It should be as important as the vitamins and supplements we take, and the sunscreen we put on each morning.

A quiet day, or even a quiet moment snatched out of a busy day, isn`t just good for our bodies.

It`s good for the soul.

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