I am watching a high school baseball game today on Memorial day and I heard two players complaining about how hot it is. It is very warm...96 degrees, but you cannot control the weather, but you can control how you react to it. Complaining about something you can't control gets your mental focus off what needs to be done, play baseball. I have coached baseball for 20 years and you can always see mental toughness in a few instances. When it rains, some teams/players cannot handle the conditions, those that can are usually the successful ones. In a low scoring game, if one team finally scores a few runs, you will see few teams go 3 up, 3 down in the next half when they are on defense. Watch a guy throwing a no-hitter deep into a game and then when the no-hitter is broken up, he sometimes needs to come out of the game or at least also loses the shutout.
It's not just baseball, in basketball, if we have a half day of school or a snow day and then try to play a game, the players are not as focused. If a good player on the other team is out injured or suspended, often your team will take them a little more lightly. Few players can maintain that focus to then not just beat a team, but to bury them.
I notice it very much with my children. They are 6 and 3 and they complain about so many things that they cannot control. The weather, cleaning up the room, each other, going to bed, not liking what they are given for lunch or dinner, what's on television. Their excuse is that they are young and haven't had to develop as much mental toughness. Their lives have been easy. It is only when they start school, as my daughter has, when they realize that life isn't all about them. Bad things happen and how will they handle them?
Great teams and players are those players who are able to get past things they can't control. Sure, they notice and are affected by changes and differences, but they are capable of going out and still get the job accomplished. I often tell my players that certain situations are provided each season, each game where if you are "tougher" mentally than your opponent, we will win.
I absolutely love morning games and I absolutely love listening to players on the other team whine about conditons. I feel that if I have done my job that we have a chance to win even against superior teams.
