We’ve all heard those infamous words “home field advantage” and in most cases it usually has an impact on the outcome of games. But what about the other significance of ‘being home’; not teams but players?
What made me stop and consider the importance and impact it makes if a player is home with his family or if he plays cross country without them, was Steve Nash’s decision to accept a deal with the Los Angeles Lakers. If it’s a ring he’s interested in wearing clearly he would have had a better chance of garnering one in South Beach. He would have had less of a chance of getting to the finals in New York but consider a starting five of Chandler, Stoudamire, Carmelo, Nash, and, if Dolan pushes the right buttons, O.J. Mayo. A finals team? Maybe not, but formidable just the same.
But Nash chose L.A. for another reason. He wanted to be closer to his family where he’s played for 10 of his 16 years in the NBA and the last eight straight seasons. L.A. to Phoenix is approximately a one hour flight which would get him there in less time than it takes me to get home during rush hour on most evenings!
Remember that Steve Nash never wanted to play for the Lakers and as recently as June 13th on a cell phone interview with ESPN, Nash said that there was ”no way he would ever play for Los Angeles”; one of the Suns’ most hated rivals. He said, “I could never see myself ever wearing a Laker uniform” and yet, that’s exactly what he’ll be doing because he couldn’t see himself uprooting his family and moving cross country, nor playing thousands of miles away from his wife and kids.
#13 Steve Nash with his new teammate #24 Kobe Bryant. Photo: thegrio.com
And so it gave me the impetus to find some examples where star players left their families behind to play elsewhere and what impact it had on their performances on the court or field. The first one that comes to mind is Albert Pujols. Now in his fourth month in Los Angeles and with half the season in the books, Pujols has become the poster boy for why some players do not perform well after being on one team in one city for so long and then opting to leave their families behind.
We’re talking about a future Hall of Famer here, who’s been trying to deal with the devastating effect of leaving his family in St. Louis after eleven years. His stats, most notably his batting average, which stands at .273, is some 53 points lower than his career .326. He’s on course to finish the season with around 26 home runs. His career average is over 41! Career OBP .417; 2012 .334. SLG. % is at .461; his career average is .609. Being away from his family is the only explanation for Pujols’ sudden downward spiral.
#5 Albert Pujols has had a tough time transitioning to Los Angeles after 11 years in St. Louis. Photo: zimbio.com
Another striking example, albeit more obscure, is former Mets infielder Edgardo Alfonzo who came up with the Mets in 1995 at age 22 and played in New York for eight years before being traded to S.F. The move to the West coast brought his batting average down almost 50 points from .308 to .259 in his first year with the Giants; that’s some 25 points lower than his career .284 average. He was never really the same after the move and a little over a year after his 3 year contract with Frisco was over he retired.
Another example, but more subtle than the previous two, would be LeBron James. After playing his first seven years in the league in Cleveland, James took his talents to South Beach for the 2010-2011 season. His numbers dropped less profoundly than say Albert Pujols, (from 29.7 ppg to 26.7), but it was his clutch shooting, which had been his calling card with the Cavs, that was affected more than anything else. Enter the 2011-2012 season-his first championship season- in which we all saw a different, more focused, more determined LeBron James. Why? It could be because before the start of the season he moved his family from Cleveland to Miami…
Moving his family to Miami might have given LeBron the edge he needed. Photo: sandrarose.com
FANTASY FURNACE 
They’re athletes being paid a great deal of money not military personnel being redeployed over and over again . C’mon man ! What are you trying to suggest that they should be pampered ?
Nash is a divorcee isn’t he ? So I guess his ex won’t be all that welcoming considering the circumstances of their divorce . It never pays to dip one’s pen in someone else’s quill , as Nash is alleged to have done .
tophatal ………..
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Just because someone gets divorced it doesn’t mean that they do not want to play an active role in their kids’ lives. That was one of the considerations that Nash took into account when choosing L.A. over N.Y. or Miami.
The article clearly is not about Nash and his ‘indiscretions’ nor about players getting pampered. It’s about how ‘some’ players are affected after playing most of their careers in one city and then find themselves far from home and their families.
It’s true that servicemen and women have it rough when forced to go to bases where families are not allowed to reside but again, this article is about professional athletes and not the military.
Thanks for the comment.
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Good idea for a post, and I’m sure families are a strong point for having difficult seasons, but I do have to point out that the west coast has been a boon for pitchers and really tough on hitters. I do believe the cold heavy air has a huge impact on hitters, especially in the spring months. Once the warm air came in, pujols (among other hitters) have also heated up. I do recommend doing some research on it. It would be a great story (especially for fantasy advice!). And like I said, its still a great post. Keep it up!
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Thanks!
Since June 20th, Pujols has upped his BA 15 points from .255 to .270 but has only hit 2 HR and has 6 RBI. He plays half his games in L.A. where the weather is not a factor. He’s just “off” and hopefully he will find a way to turn it around in the second half of the season.
Appreciate the kind words!
-Hank
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Excellent article. Same applies to the Cuban players who defect and leave their loved ones behind. Their performance level drops. Case in point: Cespedes of the Oakland Athletics. When he defected, he left behind his 2-year old son and his son’s mother (who is his girlfriend)…If the Athletics would fly her and the boy to Oakland I’m sure you’d see Cespedes’ numbers jump accordingly. As I’ve always maintained: What takes place away from the field of competition affects what takes place on the field of competition.
Marv Fremerman
http://www.mindoversports.com
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Your point is spot on and one that I completely overlooked.
Thanks for the comment and your kind words.
-Hank
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I just have one question in regards to Steve Nash. If being close to home was so important to him why did he talk about being open to talking to the Knicks about coming to New York and made it a point to say he lives in New York in the off season? If being close to his family means that much why not sign with the Utah Jazz and save the plane fare? It’s alot closer than Los Angeles!
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Don’t have a definitive answer to the first part of your question except to say that it wasn’t the first time you’ve seen a player say he’s ‘open’ to going to one team and then ends up with another. I know I did hear that the owner of the Lakers got a hold of Nash in the 19th hour and although what he said to Nash has not been reported, he apparently sold him a bill of goods which he couldn’t turn down.
As for going to the Jazz, I didn’t see him going to a non-contender at this stage of his career..
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