Too tired to link up some stories but he’s talked about being mentally drained during the season a year ago and how he needs to learn how not to freak out and such. There’s probably a really good connection to his slumping mid year. He’s also talked about turning to English literature to try to help him relax his mind. English Lit always stressed me out more. I could barely even read Shakespeare and don't get me started on Chaucer. Could he be speaking of English poetry possibly? I'm much more of a Sophocles and Dostoyevsky fan, although they are not very relaxing in their own right I suppose. Thames turns to literature to aid consistency ---- "currently working on Alexandre Dumas' adventure novel "The Count of Monte Cristo." Thames given time off to clear mind at plate ---- "Oh my god, yeah," Thames said. "I had a good talk with Counsell. My mind's been working way too much. This gives me a few days to kind of relax and be able to breathe. When you start to slump a little, you start doing more work, and so it's going to be the opposite for me -- read, relax, take a step back and breathe, and then take on the Marlins."