Pirates Are Trying to Visualize a Brighter Future for the Team

It’s difficult to visualize success after you’ve lost 104 games, but that’s exactly what Dr. William Harrison is asking the Pittsburgh Pirates to do.

General Manager Syd Thrift has hired Harrison to help the Pirates develop “positive visualization,” a technique Thrift said “worked wonders” several years ago with George Brett of the Kansas City Royals.

Harrison has worked the last three weeks in California with Pirates outfielder Steve Kemp, who had vision problems after being struck in the face with a line drive in Sept. 1983.

During spring training, Harrison “will evaluate all the players on their visualization,” to determine exactly what they see when they step to bat, Thrift said.

Not only will Harrison administer athlete-related eye tests, he will encourage the Pirates “to visualize things before they happen,” Thrift said.

“Good hitters see line drives before they go to bat, bad hitters see pop ups and fly balls,” Thrift said.

Thrift said recently that Pirates and their wives also will be offered courses in money management and tax laws as part of an overall instruction program aimed at improving a team whose 57-104 record last season was the worst in the major leagues.