Why Bryan LaHair never says, ‘I told you so'

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KANSAS CITYThere have been so many microphones in Bryan LaHairs face that you wondered if at any point he wanted to scream: I told you so.
LaHair didnt last beyond his freshman year at Clemson University, and wound up at St. Petersburg College. He fell to the 39th round of the 2002 draft. The Seattle Marinersa team desperate for offense at Safeco Fieldreleased him. The Cubs didnt give him a real chance until the age of 29, after more than 3,600 at-bats in the minors. He could have gone to Japan to make some good money.
So the All-Star Game would seem like an ideal platform to fire back at anyone who doubted him along the way.
You aint going to hear that from me, LaHair said Tuesday. I wont say that. Im not a I told you so kind of guy. Im just grateful for all the opportunities Ive been given. Its just obviously a different road to get here. But you dont want to have enemies in this game.
So LaHair probably wont take this as a slight: Tony La Russa replacing Joey Votto at first base with David Freese in the fifth inning. Freesea third baseman and World Series MVP for La Russas St. Louis Cardinals last seasonhad only played nine games at first base since 2009.
Instead, LaHair ran out there two innings later and followed Ryan Dempsters advice: Take as much stuff as you can. He made sure to get his bat and jersey signed by his teammates.
LaHair, of course, doesnt even play first base for the Cubs anymore. That job went to Anthony Rizzo, who might keep it for the next decade, as soon as he was promoted from Triple-A Iowa two weeks ago. LaHair patiently answered all the Rizzo questions and explained how much those two big left-handed bats could do damage in the same lineup.
LaHair thinks his sense of calm and purpose can be traced back, in part, to the visualization exercises he began years ago in the Mariners system with Dr. Jack Curtis, a sports psychologist who began consulting for the Milwaukee Brewers in 1987, when future Cubs manager Dale Sveum played there.
I just know that if you believe you can do something, LaHair said, and you put your mind to doing something, youre capable of doing it. I know that if you put those visions in your head consistently of having successit just ends up being dj vu, because youve seen it happen before it happened.
The players voted LaHair onto the All-Star team during a first half in which he hit .286 with 14 homers and 30 RBI. He says he continues to work with team psychologist Dr. Marc Strickland, who divides his time between the Cubs and the minor-league affiliates and is seen around the batting cage and in the clubhouse.
We just go in a quiet room and close my eyes, LaHair said. I talk to him about what my plan is for that day or how I want to keep it moving forward. We just kind of go through at-bats and situations that may appear.
LaHair will picture that nights starting pitcher or how the game might unfold. He does it once or twice a series, sometimes on his own.
Most of the time when Im finished, LaHair said, I open my eyes and I get ready (and) I feel really relaxed.
Theres a difference between being relaxed and being too comfortable, and LaHair definitely isnt resting on this All-Star trip. He wants to play 10 years in the big leagues. How he responds in the second half will be one of the storylines to watch around the Cubs.
You got to make adjustments to perform and stay here and have success in the long term, Sveum said. The guys on the other side of the fence learn how to pitch you and all that. So you need to make adjustments on a constant basis around here to learn how to deal with this kind of pitching on an everyday basis.
LaHair still has to prove that he can hit left-handers and do it for an entire season. He knows how hard this game is, and how cold the business can be, which is why he wont tell the world: I told you so. Hes going to close his eyes and look at the big picture.
Youre not going to go 4-for-4 every day (or) hit three balls off the wall at Wrigley, LaHair said. Hopefully, it works enough to where you have enough success to where Im sitting here today.

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