Last night I saw a big-league baseball game, my first in many years. Some thoughts.
One thing that stood out was how ORDINARY the game was. I don’t mean that in a bad way; the game was exciting and well-played. By ordinary I simply mean that at its essence, this event consisted of nothing but men batting and catching a ball. The fact that the game was on TV, was watched enthusiastically by thousands of people, and had its statistics recorded for all time had NOTHING to do with what happened on the field.
Richard Quick, legendary collegiate and Olympic swim coach, died earlier this month of cancer.
I had never heard of Quick, but anytime a coach is accomplished enough to have his obituary appear on the national wires, I want to know more . And everything you need to know about Quick comes from the way his former athletes describe him.
Team-building guru Gary Pritchard has sent a gem of a quote: “Ask for greatness in yourself first…then you can ask for it in others.” It’s beautifully inspiring and thought-provoking, and goes well with yesterday’s theme, which was role models.
“People never improve unless they look to some standard or example higher and better than themselves.” — Tryon Edwards
Now that Phil Jackson has coached his NBA record 10th championship, some people are calling him the greatest coach in league history.
The Positive Coaching Alliance is calling him something else — a great role model.
“A free lunch is only found in mousetraps.” ~ John Capuzzi
“There is nothing so fatal to character as half finished tasks.” ~ David Lloyd George
How exactly did the Pittsburgh Penguins win the Stanley Cup? What elements went into their championship season?
Lots of them, of course. Good players. Good coaching. But there was at least one other factor, and an article by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette laid it out way back in September. The Pens spent part of their pre-season in Stockholm, Sweden, where, among other things, they participated in a city-wide scavenger hunt as a team-building exercise.
“There is nothing wrong with dedication and goals, but if you focus on yourself, all the lights fade away and you become a fleeting moment in life.” – Pete Maravich
“The same things win. It doesn’t matter where you coach them. The game’s the same.” – Mike DuBose