When I was with the St. Louis Cardinals, I saw Matt Carpenter do one of the strangest things. He always had a bat in his hand. Before the game. In the clubhouse. In the tunnel. Walking around the stadium. And he was constantly taking swings. No baseball. No tee. No pitcher. Just swing after swing after swing. We call them dry hacks or dry swings. One day I finally asked him about it. I said, "Carp, why do you take so many dry swings?" His answer surprised me. He said: "I'm visualizing success." That was it. I remember standing there thinking about that for a second. Because I had always viewed dry hacks as physical work. Matt viewed them differently. Every swing was a confidence rep. He wasn't just moving a bat. He was seeing himself drive a fastball into the gap. He was seeing himself stay on an off-speed pitch. He was seeing himself compete and succeed before the game ever started. That's when a light bulb went off for me. Think about it. Every player wants confidence. But most players wait for a hit before they allow themselves to feel confident. Matt was doing the opposite. He was building confidence before he ever stepped into the batter's box. By the time the game started... He had already seen himself succeed hundreds of times. So I decided to try it myself. When nobody was around, I'd grab a bat and take dry hacks. But this time, I wasn't just swinging. I was visualizing. I saw myself driving balls into the gaps. I saw myself competing with two strikes. I saw myself getting big hits in big situations. And over time, I noticed something. I felt different on the field. More confident. More relaxed. More prepared. And the results started improving too. Not because I magically became a better hitter overnight. But because I stopped waiting for confidence to show up. I started building it before the game ever started. So if youre struggling with confidence... Here's my "Confidence Booster Plan" I'd Do Tonight: 1. Dry Hacks (10 Swings) Visualize yourself driving a line drive into the gap. 2. Dry Hacks (10 Swings) Visualize yourself battling with two strikes and winning the at-bat. 3. Dry Hacks (10 Swings) Visualize your next game. See yourself stepping into the box confident, aggressive, and ready to compete. 30 swings. 30 confidence reps. One thing I've learned from Matt Carpenter: Most players practice their swing. Elite players practice confidence. Thank you for reading, Jermaine Curtis P.S. - If you enjoyed this and thought it was helpful, please share it. (When you share it, it tells me you want more content like this.)

UConn and Michigan on Monday?

The Illini dominate VCU, winning 76-55 to advance to the Sweet 16, and will play Houston Thursday night! GIVEAWAY TIME: If Illinois beats Houston, we will give away this Chief Illiniwek cornhole set! TO ENTER: Like this post, Repost. @cody_illini @BTolan72 @Ecnerwal23 @traceywilson67 @IlliniMort @illiniduce @Fuhgedaboudit04 @traceywilson67 @spookysweet13 @Benchpressers @SSN_ILLINI @LisaPierce__ @DPessman @windycityrebel4 @AmsalKhimani @Chef_Illiniwek

Wisconsin fans watching other Big Ten teams in the NCAA Tourney

🟠🔵🏀 We have a big one tomorrow, and shorthanded too. So if Illinois goes into Mackey for the first time since 2020 and leaves with a W, one lucky fan will win this TSJ rookie auto. To enter, like, RT, and be following! ILL

Our BRANDT Agronomic Services team has been busy harvesting Community Trial plots across Central Illinois. These trials help us evaluate the top corn and soybean genetics, trait packages, and agronomic practices so we can make the best recommendations for next season. Check out the latest results here: brandt.co/harvest

Midwest priorities: 1.Finish the field. 2.Avoid the tornado. Share your gnarly weather pics in the comments. This one was captured by @mdmeyer2 📷

Noooooot

Inject this hype in to my veins! #ILL

One more week...bring back the war chant #illini

I still think this is one of the greatest videos ever created, and the fact that it is actual audio from a Presidential debate makes it even funnier.

Pretty proud and excited to have played a small part in this one. Caleb Traugh and all the guys have got this thing looking jam up and have put a ton of work into it this year. We got folks from all over the country and even a few from across the globe gonna be there. Dr Eric Winans, David Hula, Cody Goins along with several other speakers will be there presenting and will be hands on with us in the field all day. Y’all come on out August 6th and join us! Message me or Caleb if you need more details 🌽 🫛 🌱

Athletes of all ages are welcome!

Don’t see this every day Y-dropping corn.

What sets BRANDT Smart System apart from other foliar products? In our latest Info to Grow video, Dr. Marcos Loman breaks down the technology behind our flagship nutrient line – trusted by world record yield growers and proven in the field. This is the first of a three-part video series focused on BRANDT Smart System. Watch Part 1 to learn more. #BRANDT #InfotoGrow #BRANDTInsights #CropProtection #CropNutrition #PlantNutrition #BRANDTSmartSystem #SmartSystem #FoliarNutrition #Agriculture #Farming

The Cardinals are currently on a nine game win streak… and it’s got me feelin’ pretty NICEY

THE ST. LOUIS BLUES ARE IN THE HOUSE Being down 2-0 gives you the chance to do something really special! Become the NIGHTMARES you know you can be tonight against Winnepeg! Thank you Coach Montgomery, Jordan Binnington and all the @StLouisBlues let's get a win tonight!

This could be the greatest drive in College Football history. Juice Williams, Ron Zook, and the Illinois Fighting Illini put away the Buckeyes in Columbus.