There’s an old saying in sports: don’t read your press clippings.
The mantra is supposed to keep players away from reading about themselves, whether the news is good or bad. If the news is too good, a player might relax too much. If the news is bad, that can weigh on a player negatively as well.
But reading news from the press before the season? That’s open game.
San Francisco Giants catcher Curt Casali recently reflected on the injury to his team’s starting pitcher, Johnny Cueto — he left with lat tightness in the Giants’ win over the Reds on Wednesday. As he reflected, Casali mentioned that the team is still “vibing,” especially given the low expectations had for the club, which is off to a 8-4 start and just completed a 5-1 homestand.
“We hear the expectations before the season. We read the article sometimes. It hasn’t really affected the way that we go about playing baseball,” Casali said. “We’ve got a really good group of guys in that clubhouse, a lot of older guys who have been around and know how to win.
“Getting off to a good start in the big leagues is hard to do, and I think it’s really important that we ride out this momentum to create some separation , stay above .500 and have a winning ballclub. But as the kids say, we’re vibing.
San Francisco Chronicle/Susan Slusser
Now that’s the proper way to use press clippings. Digital clippings, if we must.
The veterans of the Giants are indeed leading the way, as Casali mentioned. Catcher Buster Posey is playing like his year off did him well, and shortstop Brandon Crawford has already had some large moments. Cueto is down for now, but the hope in San Francisco is the veteran will be back before long.
It all adds up to a good vibe, per Casali. And it’s easy to believe. It’s fun to prove people wrong, especially reporters, I have to admit. The Giants will look to keep the party rolling in their upcoming series with the Marlins starting on Friday in Miami.
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