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Willis turns to Books

Apparently it is like this in all areas of life - that when your struggling with something a friend always has a book to recommend.

Off to the worst start of his career, left-hander Dontrelle Willis is looking for answers in sports psychologist Harvey Dorfman's book The Mental ABCs of Pitching.

"A friend of mine said it was a good book and he doesn't even play baseball. I just started it," said Willis, who pitches tonight.

I guess that is what friends are for.

I hope the tome provides Dontrelle with some solace and maybe an answer or two.

Please don't read the above and think that I am putting down books of any kind.  It is just interesting to me the universality of the response of friends.

Speaking of friends, Dontrelle isn't only reading but is also calling old friends.

Willis, who is 1-4 with a 6.22 ERA, also has spent time on the phone with Juan Pierre, his close friend and former Marlins teammate. Pierre is having a miserable year, too, batting just.225 for the Chicago Cubs -- 77 points below his career average. His.269 on-base percentage is the lowest of any leadoff hitter in the majors.

"We're both consoling each other," Willis said. "It's not like we're crying on each others' shoulders. He doesn't want anybody feeling sorry for him when he does bad, and I'm the same way."

I'm sure it will work out for the both the them.  There is no reason it shouldn't.