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Archive for February, 2012

NFL Combine as Crystal Ball

Swamped with a book deadline, I won’t be writing much today or for the rest of the week. I’ll try to send something each day. My friend Carl McGown came through bigtime, sending this gem of a link on how well the NFL combine can predict how much success a college player will have in […]

Sacha Baron Cohen and You

Sacha Baron Cohen did more than pull the prank of the night at last night’s Oscars. By dumping the supposed ashes of North Korea’s Kim Jong Il all over Ryan Seacrest, Cohen gave us all a peek into where greatness comes from — outside the comfort zone. “The skills and actions you need to be […]

Jeremy Lin and Al Pacino

Few thought he could do it. All he needed was a chance. When he finally got one, the whole world noticed. Are we talking about Jeremy Lin? No, we’re referring to Al Pacino, whose portrayal of Michael Corleone helped make “The Godfather” a smash hit 40 years ago. Pacino had to work hard to make […]

How Jeremy Lin Did It

There’s no such thing as an overnight sensation. By the time a star has emerged before the public, he has put in thousands of hours of work behind the scenes. It was true in the case of the Beatles, who worked years in a night club in Germany. They honed their craft and by the […]

Red Sox Ban Beer in Clubhouse

Sometimes a rule is more than a rule. The Boston Red Sox have banned beer in their clubhouse this year, and the edict reminds them that they have only one job: to win games. That’s something they neglected to do at the end of last year, when the team went missed the playoffs in what […]

Ryan Braun Lost His Case

The best lawyer in the world can’t help in the court of public opinion. Now that Ryan Braun has won his appeal of a positive drug test, he gets to try his case with the fans. He better win that case, because even though the arbitrator overturned his 50-game suspension, Braun looks like the loser […]

Beyond Qnexa

An FDA panel has given its thumbs-up to diet drug Qnexa, clearing the way for a final decision on whether or not the drug should be approved. Qnexa is designed to help those struggling with obesity. Tests have shown that it helps, but they’ve also shown side effects that include heart problems and birth defects. […]

How Leaders Set a Tone

Davey Johnson is at it again. Johnson, who told the 1986 New York Mets to go out and dominate the National League, is trying to put a manager’s imprint on this year’s Washington Nationals. He told Florida Today columnist John Torres he’s so impressed with his team that it has a chance to be better […]

What John Glenn Can Teach Us All

Fifty years later, we have learned how dangerous John Glenn’s space flight really was. One expert says there was a one in six chance that Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, would die in the attempt. Glenn made it, but not before enduring a tense re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere. “There were flaming chunks […]

The Hardest Part of Coaching

“Honesty is the best policy,” George Washington once wrote. Too bad he can’t be in the gym when it’s time to make cuts. Sometimes coaches must be brutally honest with those whom they lead, and no one I know likes this part of the business. Whether you have to cut players, send them to the […]