Post by sdm3 on Sept 14, 2020 13:02:48 GMT
Whether or not a player has to deal with noise, he still knows that a lot of people are watching (especially if they play in a huge market like Boston, Chicago, New York etc). And why is noise only an impediment when it’s hostile? Players tune this stuff out; some better than others. When a player has an awesome performance in front of a packed home crowd, we don’t chalk it up to all the people cheering him on. Even if we say that raucous fans in Philly shouting “you suck!” makes it harder for players to play, where do we draw the line in terms of the number of fans that need to be present before it’s officially more difficult to play well? I’ve never heard “sure, he threw a no hitter, but there weren’t a lot of fans at the stadium in Cincy on a Wednesday afternoon so it was easier.”
Like I said earlier, no asterisk required. It's not like I'm saying I could throw a no hitter in an empty stadium. But no fans in the stands does affect how some players perform. I wish the Bruins had played game 7 on the road last year in the Cup finals. They were so tight in that game because they were at home, you could see it in the way they frantically hacked at the puck while the Blues simply let the game come to them and took advantage of their scoring opportunities. Pressure to perform to expectations is absolutely real.
I’m not saying that pressure isn’t real. What I’m saying is that I don’t buy the idea that a pitcher throwing a no-hitter is somehow linked to the idea that it was in an empty stadium. We’re talking about regular season baseball, it’s not like the stakes are astronomical either way.
You talk about Peyton thriving in standard conditions. What, like ‘quieter’ conditions? The playoffs are the playoffs whether fans are making a lot of noise or not. The stakes are higher because it’s the playoffs and championships are on the line, not because fans are slightly louder. Let’s argue that Peyton wilted under pressure. That pressure would be there regardless of whether fans are present, because it’s still the playoffs and all eyes are on them, and players who are susceptible to “choking” know this.
The Bruins lost because they were at home? If they were on the road or in an empty stadium they’d forget that they were playing in a Stanley Cup Final game 7? Nope, I just don’t buy it. If they were tight it’s because of the occasion.