By falling to Dallas over the weekend, the New Orleans Saints lost a streak but gained a chance to fix what is wrong with them. Every team has problems, but victory has a way of hiding them. And losing has a way of spotlighting those problems. “You can learn a line from a win and […]
Today’s post will be brief because the massive snowstorm is disrupting my internet service. I’m posting early for the same reason. It reminds me of the old military wisdom that when marching armies reach a river at night, they cross it before making camp. The reason is: During the night, a storm can arise or […]
“Avatar” arrives in force this weekend, and soon the artistic and financial reviews will be rolling in for this long-awaited film. No matter how those reviews turn out, you have to give director James Cameron credit for the way he accepts risk as part of his job. Back in 1997, he spent lavishly to produce […]
Today we begin the end of the year awards by selecting the best quote of 2009. In terms of mind-body performance in the world of sport, nothing really compares with an observation heard during the World Luge Championships in Lake Placid, N.Y., in February. “Luge is a gravity sport. You can’t do anything to make […]
What a blue Christmas in the world of sports! Tiger Woods, with his image in tatters, faces a public divorce. Chris Henry, a wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals, is reported on life-support after a domestic dispute with his fiancee. Kansas football coach Mark Mangino resigns amid allegations he mistreated his players. One after another […]
For the second time in three years, the 1972 Miami Dolphins are getting nervous about sharing their place in history. The Dolphins, the only NFL team ever to go undefeated, now see two teams — The Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints — threatening to accomplish what they did nearly four decades ago. Two […]
Yesterday I worked with a high school basketball team, and began by asking the players to rate, on a scale of one to 10, how hard they had been working so far this season. Not one of them rated herself as more than an eight on the effort scale. One of them gave herself a […]
For an insight into the mind of a great coach, here’s an excerpt from Phil Jackson’s book, “Sacred Hoops.” The introduction begins this way: “This is a book about a vision and a dream. When I was named head coach of the Chicago Bulls in 1989, my dream was not just to win championships, but […]
Congratulations to Mark Ingram, winner of the Heisman Trophy. As a sophomore, Ingram is not concerned with pro football right now, but the question exists nevertheless: How well does the Heisman predict success in the NFL? Over the years the Heisman has produced great NFL players and great NFL flops. Sometimes the flops result from […]
Brian Kelly is the latest to try his luck of the Irish in the Notre Dame football program. Unfortunately for Kelly, the job is not what it once was. For sure, the prestige, visibility and the expectations are the same as ever, but one key factor can never be what it was in the old […]