Do they have a rub-down guy, a hypnotist or a yogi? Anybody know a good personal mind trainer?

Keep him on call for Brandon Larson, who could benefit from the Lotus position every few innings. On Tuesday, the first day of live baseball, Larson slid headfirst into home. He said he did it to test his surgically repaired left shoulder. There wasn't a wall handy that Larson could slam into, apparently.

"I passed the test and failed it at the same time. I can't be taking chances like that, obviously," Larson said.

He wants to do well so badly. Larson wants .101 in 89 at-bats expunged from his record. He'll do just about anything. What he really has to do is relax.

"We need to keep him under control," said Chris Chambliss, the hitting coach. "If you believe in your skills, you understand 0-for-4 is part of life. You can't overpower the game."

The game overpowers you, most of the time. Baseball isn't the most physical sport. It is a mental Everest.

Said Barry Larkin: "Other sports, you can take your frustration out on the other man. In baseball if you act on your frustration, you're usually going to do worse. You need to be in a controlled state."

Only Larson knows how many hotel room ceilings he memorized at 4 a.m. in April last year, after yet another 0-fer. The best thing about baseball is also the worst: There is a game every day.

The problem with baseball is, you get caught up in thinking too much.

"In football you run around and try to avoid getting killed. In basketball, you just run around," said Larson, a four-sport athlete in high school who was offered a partial football ride to Notre Dame.

"One game I might hit two or three balls hard and I think, 'OK, I got it.' The next game, it's back down to earth."

Larson was in a tough spot last spring. The Reds announced Aaron Boone would move to second base, opening a spot for Larson. The move wasn't then-manager Bob Boone's call. Bob continued to refer to Aaron as the best third baseman in the league, even as Larson started wearing the 0-fer noose. A kid could feel squeezed.

It's not much easier now. Larson has the third base job, but his leash is so short, he could be a Pomeranian. Hit like you hit in Louisville. Show us we weren't crazy for drafting you in the first round. You'll be 28 in May, son. Players get a rep in this business.

This is your last best chance. Time to step it up or pack it up.

And, by the way: Play loose out there.

"I'm just trying to leave it all on the field," Larson said.

The effort, the worry.

"I want them to say, 'Larson's playing hard. He may not have got those hits we wanted, but he still played hard. He's dirty and he's making things happen.' "

Manager Dave Miley, as intuitive a baseball man as the Reds have had for a while, has been giving Larson mind-rubs. "It's not like Louisville," Miley told him. "(You) won't be hitting fourth. You don't have to carry us. Have some fun with it."

Fun is relative and totally dependent on two hits a night. Take yourself to your happy place, Brandon. Pack a few base hits.

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E-mail pdaugherty@enquirer.com

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