People are asking, what's wrong with Brad Lidge and why is Albert Pujols so good?

In a word, confidence.

Baseball is played by men who by most accounts are almost all in the same talent range, with maybe a select few above the rest as far as ability. Now some people might think they could play on the same field as some major leaguers, but don't kid yourselves, these men are so talented they can hit a 95-mph fastball, or keep their hands back long enough to pick up an 88-mph slider and have enough power to hit it 400 feet.

Now once they all get to The Show they are almost all on the same level, but confidence is what makes All-Stars and lack of confidence is what ultimately results in others being sent back to the bushes.

There's nothing wrong with Brad Lidge that a confidence boost couldn't cure.

Brad Lidge hasn't lost anything on his fastball or his slider. I watched him Monday night and he was throwing an easy 97, but once your level of confidence goes down, even just a slight bit, lifetime .250 hitters become a problem. They look like they could all crush your best pitch, so you start to doubt yourself and go against what made you an All-Star.

What's worse is that everyone has an opinion on how you can get the "C" word back. Now there's too many voices in your head and you are really in trouble.

Now my advice for Brad or anyone who needs a little help is KISS -- Keep it Simple Stupid. Golfers use it, and it gets them back on track. Just get the ball, pick up your catcher and try and throw it right through him like you used to. Block out all the other voices except your own, and KNOW that no one is going to hit your stuff. Listen, there's no easy way to explain this except when I asked Pete Rose about hitting, and he told me he never changed his batting stances. He said that he KNEW he would come out of a slump.

Confidence, it's easy to say, but hard to keep. I was watching Albert Pujols the other night. He missed badly on one pitch, then took a second or two outside the batters box and talked to himself. I think he basically told himself to calm down, and on the next pitch hit it 450 feet over the fence. It was all about confidence. And because he had it, Albert KNEW that only he could beat himself.