Nationals Play DJ and Try to Make Mets Feel Like Dust in the Wind

The New York Times—April 9, 2015

New York Times reporter Tim Rohan reports on the Washington Nationals attempt to impact New York Mets performance ability on game day by playing slow, soothing music during batting practice. It was reported that when the Washington Nationals finished batting practice on Wednesday at National Park and the Mets took the field, the slow soothing tones of "Rainy Days and Mondays," by the Carpenters, came over the loudspeakers. All of this was by design. Starting this season, for now at least, the Nationals are playing slow soft-rock songs during visiting team's batting practice.

Julia Kim, a clinical psychologist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan, said in a phone interview that the slower music the Nationals drenched the Mets with would not necessarily have a noticeable effect.

Upbeat music is energizing, and positive lyrics can create positive thoughts, Kim said. But slower music can help some players slow down and relax, which is not a bad thing. The question is whether any Nationals' opponents will become too relaxed while listening to an unrelenting playlist of soothing tunes.

"It’s very individualized," Kim said. "It depends on the music, depends on what you like. But it also depends on if you believe it. If you believe that music is going to affect your performance, it will."

Read the full story at nytimes.com.