FOX Sports: Fraley: It’s no shame to be stressed

“Phlegmy Revenge: The Dick Ruthvendetta” (a team in my fantasy league) is destroying baseball!

Dusty Baker said there is more pressure in the game now than at any time in his career, which began when he broke in as a 19-year-old outfielder with Atlanta in 1968. He listed factors ranging from increased salaries to the proliferation of fantasy leagues.

To counter the pressures, Baker relates what famed NFL coach Bill Walsh told him in a private conversation shortly before his death. Maintain a balance in your life, Walsh told Baker. Keep everything in perspective.

Easier said than done.

“That is very tough to do in our game,’’ Baker said. “It’s a high-pressure world. Sometimes, they (anxieties) wake you up you up in the middle of the night. They do with me, and I’m not even playing.’‘

Playing can be the easy part, because the body takes over. It’s all the other times that can cause problems for everyone in the game.