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ALL of that seems so sound, that ... again I would assume (now that you lay it all out) that it's second nature to the athletes who do it for a living.
My question is why they don't mix in more rest days, like you describe. Seager's a nice case in point. There is some set of reasons, but they're opaque to me. (James used to say regarding Cal Ripken's streak: "I am completely opposed to putting personal goals ahead of the team."
.................
The point about sharpened mental focus seems like a good one too. I've gone through that cycle of, Okay, I'm back at it, great!, and the extra focus overcomes the pain. Then you get into a dreary grind...
Saunders didn't miss games, though, did he? Or did he -