As we turn the calendar today, what groups of people and things are we supposed to pretend to care about more this month than during the other 11?
With today being the first day of June, it is imperative that you know it is now National Give a Bunch of Balloons Month, National DJ Month, National Iced Tea Month, and National Accordion Month.
You are welcome. You can now consider yourself that much more informed and aware.
Actually, we have also just entered the designated month for many other issues of more societal importance, and I’m sure you will hear more about them as the month progresses.
If I may, let’s return to May.
I’d decided to write about mental health in today’s column without realizing May was Mental Health Awareness Month — which it has been since 1949. That was a year before Jimmy Piersall — the first high-profile athlete to openly discuss dealing with mental illness — started his Major League Baseball career.
Maybe I didn’t think about it because widespread acknowledgment of the importance of mental health has outgrown its need for a designated month. And the willingness of elite athletes to share their struggles with the rest of us has heightened our awareness.
On Monday, I read what four-time tennis grand slam winner Naomi Osaka had to say after losing in the first round of the French Open (the same tournament she withdrew from in 2021 when she was seemingly near the top of the tennis world).
“I hate disappointing people,” Osaka said at her postmatch press conference last week. “Even with (coach) Patrick (Mouratoglou, who formerly coached Serena Williams), I was thinking just now that he goes from working with like the greatest player ever to like … what the f—- is this. Sorry for cursing. I hope I don’t get fined.”
Osaka, 27, has openly spoken of bouts with depression. She has cried while dealing with reporters after losses more than once — as was the case this time. She stepped away from the podium but returned after composing herself and briefly answered more questions.
The former world No. 1 player is now No. 49. She returned to tennis after giving birth to a daughter in 2023.
Osaka was a more sympathetic figure in 2021, when she first spoke of suffering from depression, going back to 2018 when she won her first major, beating Williams in the U.S. Open singles final.
Now, more tennis fans ask where the line is between mental illness and a lack of mental toughness. The answer is not easy, because it varies for everyone who deals with depression — which often recurs.
And with athletes, physical injuries and mental trauma can exacerbate each other. On Thursday, Osaka posted a photo of her hand, displaying three open blisters on her right (racket) hand that likely contributed to her loss on Monday.
Jarren Duran’s mental health challenges also include anxiety because of pressure to succeed. The Boston Red Sox outfielder was MVP of the All-Star Game last year, which was documented on “The Clubhouse: A Year with the Red Sox” — the same series during which Duran first spoke publicly about a suicide attempt earlier in his career, when he was struggling to adjust to the major leagues.
Duran, 28, said he made his struggles known with the hope of helping others, even though he knew not all public reaction would be positive.
“When you open yourself up like that you’re also opening yourself up to the enemies, but I have a good support staff around me, along with teammates and coaches, which is awesome,” said Duran, on mlb.com, after an incident with a spectator in late April during a game at Cleveland.
