WHO WAS WILLIE KEELER AND WHAT WAS HIS MOST FAMOUS QUOTE?
Posted by: mindoversports on: January 10, 2012
Here’s something in the little-known fact department. Willie Keeler was an old major league baseball player who played from 1892 – 1910 and is in the Baseball Hall of Fame. His last year in the majors was spent with the New York Giants. He was the smallest man ever to play major league baseball (some say he was 5’4″) and used the smallest bat in the history of major league baseball. He was sometimes called “Wee Willie.” When he was once asked “What’s the secret of hitting” he replied: “Hit ‘em where they ain’t.”
WHY BILL PARCELLS SHOULD BE INDUCTED INTO PRO FOOTBALL’S HALL OF SHAME, NOT THE HALL OF FAME.
Posted by: mindoversports on: January 9, 2012
I read in today’s newspaper that Bill Parcells “moved one step closer to Canton on Saturday when the Pro Football Hall of Fame released a list of 15 modern-era finalists for enshrinement that included the Super Bowl-winning coach.”
By way of background, one of the biggest complaints NFL players have about coaches is that they feel some really don’t care about players’ personal problems and issues and are only interested in exploiting them to win games. Which seems to have been the case when you look at Bill Parcells’ treatment of Lawrence Taylor when Taylor was a New York Giant and Parcells was head coach. As we now know, Parcells looked the other way and allowed Taylor to continue to use illegal drugs and cheat on his urine tests, and to constantly violate team curfew hours, all in the name of winning. Parcels did not do Taylor any favors since he (Taylor) later tearfully admitted on national television (60 Minutes) that he was an addict. When this happened, it didn’t sit well with some of his Dallas Cowboys’ players who Parcells was then coaching in his first year as their head coach. And I don’t believe it was a coincidence that the Cowboys lost two out of their next three games and were eliminated from the playoffs. Parcells should not be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but rather the Hall of Shame.
WAS ALBERT PUJOLS BEING GREEDY WHEN HE ACCEPTED $250 MILLION IN COMPENSATION FROM THE ANGELS?
Posted by: mindoversports on: December 30, 2011
- In: Baseball | Sports
- 2 Comments
I was appalled by a recent column that appeared in the Springfield (MO) News-Leader where a retired chaplain made the ridiculous claim that Albert Pujols was greedy and “grasped for $250 million instead of settling for $210 million where he was loved.” That is one of the most stupid comments I’ve ever read or heard. Let’s set the record straight.
First, it’s important to remember that Pujols was reared near an ocean by his grandmother in the Dominican Republic and I’m sure that he and his wife, Deidre, missed being near an ocean. Who in their right mind would rather live in St. Louis than have a beautiful home overlooking the Pacific?
The columnist further stated, referring to Pujols, that “covetousness is epidemic in our society” without giving any thought to where the money paid Pujols is going to be going. I lifted the following from an article about Pujols on the Internet: “In 2005, Albert and Deidre Pujols launched the Pujols Family Foundation which is dedicated to their ‘commitment to faith, family and others.’ The organization promotes awareness of Down Syndrome and works to support those who have it and their families, aids the poor in the Dominican Republic, and supports people with disabilities and/or life threatening illnesses. Among other activities, the foundation hosts events for people with Down Syndrome. The foundation gave the Down Syndrome Association of Greater St. Louis the resources to open and office and hire staff. A center for adults with Down Syndrome bears Pujols’ name (‘Albert Pujols Wellness Center for Adults with Down Syndrome’) opened in 2009 in Chesterfield, Missouri. Pujols has taken several trips to the Dominican Republic, by taking supplies as well as a team of doctors and dentists to the poor who need medical care. The Pujols Family Foundation also holds an annual golf tournament to raise money to send dentists to the Dominican Republic.” The columnist should have known better than to attack Albert Pujols as one who practices what he referred to as the “deceitfulness of greed.”
And finally, I’m sure the people of California will love Albert just as much as those in St. Louis. Albert is one of those star athletes who will be loved no matter where he goes.
WHEN PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES ARE LIVING A LIE, IT WILL NEGATIVELY AFFECT THEIR PERFORMANCE IN THEIR SPORT. SAME FOR COACHES.
Posted by: mindoversports on: December 28, 2011
When Tiger Woods was going through his difficulty regarding his extra-marital affairs, former NFL running back Eddie George, when asked what percentage of NFL players, in his opinion, we’re having extra-marital affairs, he replied: Ninety Per Cent. If this is true, that means 90% of all NFL players are living a lie and are not performing anywhere near their skill levels. And this lie will show up in the form of fumbles, dropped passes, and missed blocks, not to mention excessive penalties. And I feel confident the percentage of NBA players is probably similar. When athletes and coaches “withhold” about having extra-marital affairs, it’s definitely lying, and it’s this lying that demeans them and lowers their feelings of self-worth creating psychological baggage that affects their ability to focus and process information. When coaches are having extra-marital affairs, it will show up in how they interact with their team members. They are generally short tempered because they have anger that is often “misdirected,” they take fewer risks when making coaching decisions, and if they make an error in judgment, they will make excuses and not accept responsibility because they fear the consequences of their being honest, such as: being fired. These coaches will often experience stress which they’ve created for themselves, and in many instances it will show up in the form of a life-threatening illness.
NCAA DIVISION I MEN’S BASKETBALL COACH MAKES ERROR, BUT DID NOT ACKNOWLEDGE HE ERRED.
Posted by: mindoversports on: December 23, 2011
It doesn’t serve any purpose to name him, but here’s what happened. His team was playing another team from the East Coast Conference and with only a few second left on the clock, his team was ahead by three points. When the other team was about to put the ball into play, instead of calling time-out and instructing his players to immediately foul the player the ball is thrown to, he allowed the opposing team to bring the ball down the court and take a 3-point desperation shot with only 1.6 seconds remaining. The shooter was completely off balance but somehow, the ball managed to go in sending the game into overtime and his team eventually lost. “We had our chances” the coach commented after the game and proceeded to make a few flimsy excuses.
What he should have said was, “You know what? I messed up and allowed the other team to take that shot instead of having one of our players foul them. It was my fault and I apologize.” But he didn’t. Which tells you a lot about the coach. It’s possible he is keeping some feelings and emotions bottled-up, resulting in his having a low sense of self-worth (self-esteem) and one of the characteristics of someone who does not feel good about themselves is: they fear the consequences of their honesty. It takes a confident coach to admit he or she made a mistake. People are very forgiving if you admit you made an error, but he didn’t do it. Or couldn’t do it. Of course, if he wasn’t even aware that he made an error in judgment, that’s even worse.
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