{"product_id":"the-phenomenon-pressure-the-yips-and-the-pitch-that-changed-my-life-9781541773653","title":"The Phenomenon: Pressure, the Yips, and the Pitch That Changed My Life","description":"\u003cb\u003eRick Ankiel had the talent to be one of the best pitchers ever. Then, one day, he lost it.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Phenomenon\u003c\/i\u003e is the story of how St. Louis Cardinals prodigy Rick Ankiel lost his once-in-a-generation ability to pitch -- not due to an injury or a bolt of lightning, but a mysterious anxiety condition widely known as \"the Yips.\" It came without warning, in the middle of a playoff game, with millions of people watching. And it has never gone away. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Yet the true test of Ankiel's character came not on the mound, but in the long days and nights that followed as he searched for a way to get back in the game. For four and a half years, he fought the Yips with every arrow in his quiver: psychotherapy, medication, deep-breathing exercises, self-help books, and, eventually, vodka. And then, after reconsidering his whole life at the age of twenty-five, Ankiel made an amazing turnaround: returning to the Major Leagues as a hitter and playing seven successful seasons. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e This book is an incredible story about a universal experience -- pressure -- and what happened when a person on the brink had to make a choice about who he was going to be.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRick Ankiel\u003c\/b\u003e was a major-league pitcher and outfielder with the St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals, among other teams, for eleven seasons. Born in 1979, Ankiel debuted with the Cardinals a month after his 20th birthday, and became the first major-league player since Babe Ruth to win at least ten games as a pitcher and hit at least fifty home runs. He retired as a player in 2013. He is currently a studio analyst for Fox Sports Midwest. With his wife, Lory, and sons Declan and Ryker, Ankiel lives in Jupiter, Fla. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eTim Brown\u003c\/b\u003e is an award-winning writer with twenty-five years' experience covering Major League Baseball at the \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eNewark Star-Ledger\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eCincinnati Enquirer\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Daily News\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eYahoo! Sports\u003c\/i\u003e. He co-wrote, with Jim Abbott, the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestseller, \u003ci\u003eImperfect: An Improbable Life\u003c\/i\u003e. He resides with his wife, Kelly, in Venice, CA.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"PublicAffairs","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50515732562194,"sku":"9781541773653","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_1fa3dbe9-c883-4874-ba5c-2f5ba2c470c7.jpg?v=1731010395","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-phenomenon-pressure-the-yips-and-the-pitch-that-changed-my-life-9781541773653","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}