| Playing college baseball is not easy. The season | | | | out his ability to handle stress on the field. |
| itself is long, and there are the hopes of a post | | | | During the season a player may wish to simply |
| season tournament. Added to this is the never | | | | find a quiet way to relax. Using a pottery wheel is |
| ending work to be done in the off-season. Players | | | | easier to use then raku glazes, and the single |
| look for outlet to help them relax. One place | | | | point to concentrate on helps eliminate the rest of |
| baseball players can find an outlet is in a school's | | | | the stress in the artist's life. A player who takes |
| pottery class. Expressing oneself in clay pottery | | | | pottery wheel clay out of the barrel is going to |
| art is often a good way to relax and relieve | | | | feel good as the smooth clay covers his palms. |
| tension. College baseball players feel the pressure | | | | Then, as he puts the clay onto the wheel and |
| of the school and its alumni, so pottery classes | | | | works to create a project the stress of |
| are a good fit. | | | | performing at a high level on the field will spin |
| In a pottery room students are put under a | | | | away. The wheel allows a player the opportunity |
| different type of stress. A teacher can add | | | | to forget and then move forward. |
| stress to a class by working with difficult | | | | Sometimes players need ways to forget their |
| compounds and glazes. For example, raku glazes | | | | stress without a lot of hard work or |
| are not easy to use. One needs to understand | | | | concentration. Putting clay into clay molds does |
| that raku kiln firing is intense, but extremely | | | | not take a lot of concentration. One way to |
| rewarding. Working with these temperamental | | | | create ceramic art is to use slump molds. This |
| glazes for a moment can be as stressful as trying | | | | technique allows the player to produce something |
| to hit a ninety-mile an hour fastball, but the | | | | that is worthwhile, thus making him feel good |
| reward for a properly fired pot will be rewarding | | | | about himself. This self-confidence boost may help |
| to the eyes for years to come. A player has the | | | | him a great deal the next time he is in the |
| opportunity to attune his senses, thereby rounding | | | | batter's box. |