I wrote an article a couple weeks ago about being shy, and I talked about  Social Anxiety Disorder.  Then yesterday I realized that baseball season is only about two months away.  Then I got thinking about how my own anxiety affects me as a softball pitcher.  And, my train of thought ended on Zack Greinke.

Greinke won the Cy Young award last season as a pitcher for the Kansas City Royals, but he has also been sidelined in the past for Social Anxiety Disorder.  And, he’s not alone; Dontrelle Willis (Tigers), Khalil Greene (Cardinals), and Joey Vatto (Reds) have also been placed on the Disabled List for anxiety issues.

It’s also important to note that SAD is a relatively new disorder. Professional athletes have always experienced some sort of anxiety or another. In fact, many probably strive off of it. But, what made it too much to handle for these men, and how was Greinke able to cope with his anxiety so well that he could perform when they couldn’t?

With the impending season, it’ll be interesting to see if they can bounce back or if they’ll be joined by anybody else.