// archives

Archive for July, 2009

Attitude Wins

If your team is like most teams, it will win a few and lose a few. The secret of being successful is winning the tossup games. What are tossup games? Those are games in which the teams show equal skill and preparation. The score will depend on which team wants it the most. Ron Darling, […]

The Game of Life

Today’s quote is so powerful that we can let it speak for itself. Let me just add that it coincides nicely with the recent announcement that John Wooden has been named the greatest coach in U.S. history. Wooden preached “Make every day a masterpiece.” Here is the quote, provided by Lauren Shears, assistant women’s volleyball […]

Playing with Passion

This happened years ago on Old Timers Day at Yankee Stadium, and Hall of Fame player Ty Cobb was being interviewed by a sports writer. “Ty,” the scribe wanted to know, “what do you suppose your batting average would be if you played in this era?” “About three-hundred,” Cobb replied. “Three-hundred,” the writer exclaimed.”Why so […]

How Football Coaches Think

With football training camps underway, it seems like a good time to check out some of the musings offered by championship football coaches. “ Failures are expected by losers, ignored by winners.” — Joe Gibbs “The first step toward creating an improved future is developing the ability to envision it. Our vision is what we […]

On Being Well-Rounded

Has anyone ever told you to be well-rounded? Many people, from parents to guidance counselors, offer these well-intentioned words of wisdom. The trouble is that being well-rounded is not the best way to achieve extraordinary things. In fact, the two are opposite. Just think. If you spend your time becoming pretty good at lots of […]

Rickey Henderson’s Self-Talk

Teammates love to tell stories of Rickey Henderson, a superstar character who is to be inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame today in Cooperstown, N.Y. Henderson, for instance, once neglected to cash a $1 million check. Instead, he had it framed. But one incident makes perfect sense. It came one day after he struck […]

The Critic

Many thanks to David DeNotaris for inspiring today’s message. David offers a daily motivational hotline, called “Do You Have a Minute?” It’s at (206) 888-8121, and earlier this week it contained this quote: “No one ever built a monument to a critic.” What’s the difference between a critic and a coach? A critic is someone […]

What Is Ability?

Yesterday, Mark Buehrle of the Chicago White Sox pitched a perfect game — only the 18th in the 133-year history of big-league baseball. This masterpiece added to lustre to a resume that seems to grow in stature every year. Buehrle pitched a no-hitter in 2007, won a World Series title, and was the winning pitcher […]

The Urgency of Today

A friend of mind loves to recall his favorite example of a call to sports talk radio. He was driving on the New Jersey Turnpike at 3 o’clock on a Sunday morning, when someone called the radio station and asked this question: “How do you think the Portland Trail Blazers will do this season?” My […]

The Company You Keep

You know the old saying, “You’re known by the company you keep.” It’s only partially true. What’s closer to the truth is: “You’re DEFINED by the company you keep.” There is another saying: “You are the average of the five people with whom you spend the most time.” For instance, if you hang around a […]