You can be sure that snow-weary New Englanders do not want to hear that others have had it worse. But it’s true. Roald Amundsen not only endured harsher conditions, he pursued them. Amundsen, a Norwegian explorer, became the first person to lead a successful journey to the South Pole. In doing so, he showed us […]
“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 […]
Jeremy Lin has become a dream for the NBA and the New York Knicks, but he’s a nightmare for coaches. That’s because Lin and his performance with the Knicks force all of us to wonder what we may be overlooking on our own team. Since joining the Knicks, Lin has brought skill and energy to […]
Three factors — the NHL’s recent Winter Classic, the cold wave in the Northeast, and a conversation with mental toughness guru Craig Sigl — made me think of the Canadian game of shinny. Shinny is a simple variation of ice hockey in which one player tries to keep the puck, and all the others try […]
Yesterday we talked about the biggest addiction, namely, the addiction to comfort. There’s no question that comfort feels good. The trouble is that everything you want in terms of skill and achievement lies outside of this zone. To become better at anything, you must leave the comfort zone. And to become the best at what […]
Feb. 22 marks 31 years since the U.S. Olympic hockey team upset the Soviet Union en route to the gold medal. Those of us old enough to remember saw the jubilation and the celebration on the ice. But no one saw the hard work behind the feat. Except the players. They will never forget. After […]
Expect the restaurant kitchens in New York City to get cleaner. That’s because the city’s Board of Health has voted to publicly post the cleanliness grades where customers can see them. These grades have previously been available online or at the Department of Health and Mental Hygeine. But now they must be posted in the […]
Anyone who thinks that success is complicated should look at the Grey Cup final — the championship of the Canadian Football League. Montreal won because Saskatchewan received a penalty for having 13 men on the field. Damon Duval missed a field goal that would have won the game, but got a second chance because of […]
This year’s baseball Hall of Fame ballot is on its way to the voters. No matter who gets voted in — if anyone — you can be sure he passed the test of consistency. No one gets in on a fluke. One or two great seasons aren’t enough. To even be eligible, a player must […]
Remember the other day, when chef Thomas Keller was saying that the steps in cooking are not particularly difficult? Well, today we have legendary soccer coach Anson Dorrance saying the same thing in a different way. Dorrance, whose team plays in the NCAA quarterfinals today in pursuit of the program’s 21st national championship, discusses excellence […]