It began for Kole Calhoun the way it had for so many other hitters in recent years. Looking to get better, he changed his swing. It had worked for others. He thought it could work for him.
Instead, what resulted was a vicious spiral of failure. It led him to a blazing hot batting cage at Tempe Diablo Stadium in the middle of what had been a miserable season. It led him to a pair of hitting coaches he did not know but whom he would soon consider friends.
It led him to a week of his life that he believes – and he says this often, without a hint of hyperbole – is responsible for him now standing in the Diamondbacks clubhouse, a still-employed big leaguer.