For the second time in four years, the New York Giants have won the Super Bowl. And they couldn’t have done it without a great shortstop. Shortstop? Yes, back when Eli Manning was going through a rough stretch as a rookie quarterback with the Giants, he received a phone call from Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter. […]
People like to say that there is no such thing as a stupid question. They are wrong. There are plenty of stupid questions, and for proof all you need to do is hang around the Super Bowl. Over the years, the press corps has used the preview week to pose some questions that have gone […]
No aspect of coaching is as misunderstood as motivation is. Too many coaches think of motivation as a magic wand to be waved over their team before the big game. Great coaches know that isn’t the case. A perfect example is Mike Pope, who coaches the tight ends on the New York Giants. Pope uses […]
Groundhog Day fascinates me. Not the movie, but the fable of what a groundhog can tell us about the weather. No one I know uses the prediction of Punxsutawney Phil to decide how much salt to buy for the driveway or when to buy spring clothes. But lots of people live their lives according to […]
How do you even begin to talk about Novak Djokovic’s epic victory over Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final? It lasted five hours, 53 minutes, nearly as long as the marriage between Kris Humphries and Kim Kardashian. Both Djokovic and Nadal gave everything they had. At one point, after losing a 31-stroke rally, Djokovic […]
“If you have only two pennies left in the world, with the first penny, you should buy rice to feed your family. With the second penny, say the wise Japanese, you should buy a lily. The Japanese understand the importance of dreaming.” We all love to dream. But we also need to make a living. […]
My friend Ken Smith just sent out this quote: “Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.” It really struck me because recently I’ve been thinking a lot about the difference between knowledge and wisdom as it applies to coaching. At a recent coaching clinic, a […]
Martina Navratilova, perhaps the best female tennis player who ever lived, once said, “I just try to concentrate on concentrating.” Her phrase comes to mind as I digest a recent post on Larry O’Connor’s blog, Run4yr life. Larry is a marathoner preparing for Boston in April. From the sound of this post, he has reached […]
On Wayne Gretzky’s birthday — he turns 51 today — I always think of practice and of Gretzky’s father, Walter. One day, when Wayne Gretzky was already the greatest hockey player in the world, he was practicing with his team, the Edmonton Oilers. Walter watched from the stands. Afterwards, the two drove home together. “You […]
Let’s start with a trick question. Does your team have a culture? Remember, it’s a trick question. And the answer is yes. Whether in sports, in business or even in your family, your group has a culture. It may be weak or it may be strong, but it’s a culture. It may be positive or […]