Summer Baseball and Basketball Coaches - WOODEN lesson is delivered. Please contact me at 714-334-4023 if you didn't get it. The lesson is an article about Coach John Wooden, written by Rick Reilly.
Incidentally, Rick has a new book out: Sports From Hell (http://www.amazon.com/Sports-Hell-Search-Dumbest-Competition/dp/0385514387/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277398519&sr=1-1). In conversations with him about the book, he said ithat it was likely age-appropriate for adults, and maybe kids aged 12 and over (you might want to review a few of the "sports" before handing it over to your kid).
I've ordered my copy - if it's anything like his other books, I plan on a few long reading nights when it's delivered...
Ted
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Welcome Summer Sports Teams...
In this shortened casual summer season, we'll be giving you an abbreviated BALL lesson plan. Appropriately enough, we'll be kicking things off with ESPN/SI author and TV personality Rick Reilly's excellent visit with John Wooden. Expect it in your e-mail box early this week...and make sure your parents read it with their kids.
As a bonus to your readings, you might want to pick up Rick's new book, Sports From Hell. I just ordered it on Amazon. I spoke to him about the book. He said that there's nothing in it that's inappropriate for high school kids, but you might want to preview it for your pre-teen. If it's anything like his previous books, we're in for a bunch of late nights with the lights on at the Browne House...
Make each day your masterpiece!
Ted Browne
As a bonus to your readings, you might want to pick up Rick's new book, Sports From Hell. I just ordered it on Amazon. I spoke to him about the book. He said that there's nothing in it that's inappropriate for high school kids, but you might want to preview it for your pre-teen. If it's anything like his previous books, we're in for a bunch of late nights with the lights on at the Browne House...
Make each day your masterpiece!
Ted Browne
Friday, June 4, 2010
Don't Look Back
Don't Look Back
by John Wooden
May 2003
The years have left their imprint
On my hands and on my face.
Erect no longer is my walk
...And slower is my pace.
But there is no fear within my heart
because I'm growing old
I only wish I had more time
To better serve my Lord.
When I've gone to Him in prayer
He has brought me inner peace
And soon my cares and worries
And other problems cease.
He has helped me in so many ways
He has never let me down,
Why should I fear the future
When soon I could be near His crown.
Though I know down here my time is short
There is endless time up there.
And He will forgive and keep me
Forever in His loving care.
May I not waste an hour
That's left to glorify the Name
Of the One Who died, that we might live
And for our sins, took all the blame.
-----------
God bless you and keep you, sweet man. You will be greatly missed!
-----------
by John Wooden
May 2003
The years have left their imprint
On my hands and on my face.
Erect no longer is my walk
...And slower is my pace.
But there is no fear within my heart
because I'm growing old
I only wish I had more time
To better serve my Lord.
When I've gone to Him in prayer
He has brought me inner peace
And soon my cares and worries
And other problems cease.
He has helped me in so many ways
He has never let me down,
Why should I fear the future
When soon I could be near His crown.
Though I know down here my time is short
There is endless time up there.
And He will forgive and keep me
Forever in His loving care.
May I not waste an hour
That's left to glorify the Name
Of the One Who died, that we might live
And for our sins, took all the blame.
-----------
God bless you and keep you, sweet man. You will be greatly missed!
-----------
John Wooden Hospitalized
UCLA: Former UCLA coach John Wooden hospitalized
By BETH HARRIS, AP Sports Writer – Fri Jun 4, 3:10 am ET
LOS ANGELES – Former UCLA basketball coach and Hall of Famer John Wooden has been hospitalized in Los Angeles. The university said in an e-mail late Thursday night that Wooden is at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center but that his family didn't want anyone with the school to comment on his condition.
Former UCLA star Bill Walton said earlier Thursday that he visited with the 99-year-old Wooden at the hospital two days ago.
Walton spoke at the NBA finals, where he declined to comment on Wooden's condition. "He's the greatest," Walton said, his voice catching. "We love him."
Los Angeles television station KCAL and the Los Angeles Times first reported that Wooden was in "grave" condition. The Times cited an anonymous school source who said Wooden's health has been an issue in recent weeks and that he was briefly hospitalized about a month ago.
Wooden led the Bruins to 10 NCAA championships — at one time winning seven in a row — during a 27-year run that ended with his team cutting down the nets one last time in 1975. The Bruins won 88 consecutive games from 1971-74 and 38 consecutive NCAA tournament games from 1964-74, both records.
NBA commissioner David Stern was asked about Wooden's contributions to the sport of basketball before Game 1 of the NBA finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics on Thursday night.
"We decided that we would not declare his obituary now, other than to say that he's the winningest coach in our history, four 30-0 seasons, and the ultimate aficionado of our game," Stern said. "We hope he's in peace right now, and we'll wait on events."
By BETH HARRIS, AP Sports Writer – Fri Jun 4, 3:10 am ET
LOS ANGELES – Former UCLA basketball coach and Hall of Famer John Wooden has been hospitalized in Los Angeles. The university said in an e-mail late Thursday night that Wooden is at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center but that his family didn't want anyone with the school to comment on his condition.
Former UCLA star Bill Walton said earlier Thursday that he visited with the 99-year-old Wooden at the hospital two days ago.
Walton spoke at the NBA finals, where he declined to comment on Wooden's condition. "He's the greatest," Walton said, his voice catching. "We love him."
Los Angeles television station KCAL and the Los Angeles Times first reported that Wooden was in "grave" condition. The Times cited an anonymous school source who said Wooden's health has been an issue in recent weeks and that he was briefly hospitalized about a month ago.
Wooden led the Bruins to 10 NCAA championships — at one time winning seven in a row — during a 27-year run that ended with his team cutting down the nets one last time in 1975. The Bruins won 88 consecutive games from 1971-74 and 38 consecutive NCAA tournament games from 1964-74, both records.
NBA commissioner David Stern was asked about Wooden's contributions to the sport of basketball before Game 1 of the NBA finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics on Thursday night.
"We decided that we would not declare his obituary now, other than to say that he's the winningest coach in our history, four 30-0 seasons, and the ultimate aficionado of our game," Stern said. "We hope he's in peace right now, and we'll wait on events."
Monday, May 31, 2010
The Greatest Day In Baseball...Rick Monday
Preview of BALL Lesson: Rick Monday
The Greatest Day In Baseball...Rick Monday.
On this particular Memorial Day, this favorite baseball moment seems fitting...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ro3AeMchnDM&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3eI96hxh98
Rick Monday wasn't a flashy player. He wasn't the most gifted. But he had something that every team needs, every player eventually wants to be known for, and every manager wishes he could teach, but can't: Rick Monday had...
The Greatest Day In Baseball...Rick Monday.
On this particular Memorial Day, this favorite baseball moment seems fitting...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ro3AeMchnDM&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3eI96hxh98
Rick Monday wasn't a flashy player. He wasn't the most gifted. But he had something that every team needs, every player eventually wants to be known for, and every manager wishes he could teach, but can't: Rick Monday had...
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Where do you find good ideas?
From Seth Godin:
Do you often find ideas that change everything in a windowless conference room, with bottled water on the side table and a circle of critics and skeptics wearing suits looking at you as the clock ticks down to the 60 minutes allocated for this meeting?
If not, then why do you keep looking for them there?
The best ideas come out of the corner of our eye, the edge of our consciousness, in a flash. They are the result of misdirection and random collisions, not a grinding corporate onslaught. And yet we waste billions of dollars in time looking for them where they're not.
A practical tip: buy a big box of real wooden blocks. Write a key factor/asset/strategy on each block in big letters. Play with the blocks. Build concrete things out of non-concrete concepts. Uninvite the devil's advocate, since the devil doesn't need one, he's doing fine.
Have fun. Why not? It works.
Do you often find ideas that change everything in a windowless conference room, with bottled water on the side table and a circle of critics and skeptics wearing suits looking at you as the clock ticks down to the 60 minutes allocated for this meeting?
If not, then why do you keep looking for them there?
The best ideas come out of the corner of our eye, the edge of our consciousness, in a flash. They are the result of misdirection and random collisions, not a grinding corporate onslaught. And yet we waste billions of dollars in time looking for them where they're not.
A practical tip: buy a big box of real wooden blocks. Write a key factor/asset/strategy on each block in big letters. Play with the blocks. Build concrete things out of non-concrete concepts. Uninvite the devil's advocate, since the devil doesn't need one, he's doing fine.
Have fun. Why not? It works.
Monday, April 26, 2010
The Spare Part...
Every season, coaches need to make difficult decisions. One is deciding which player starts and which player sits. And sometimes, it's a coin flip that makes the decision.
How can a coach explain this to a kid? A parent?
An analogy I’ve used in this end was shared with me by Hall of Fame Wrestling Coach John Dahlem. It’s simply called “The Spare Part”.
It goes something like this:
I have a car that needs spark plugs. It’s an old car, so sometimes oil fouls the plugs and the engine doesn’t work as good as when the plugs are clean. So when I go to the store, instead of ordering 8 of them (one for each position in the engine), I order 12. And when one fouls, I replace it with one of the other four that are on the shelf. But when I replace one of the plugs, I don’t throw it away. A fouled plug isn’t broken, it just needs to be cleaned and re-gapped (adjusted).
After I take it out, I work with the spark plug to clean it up again so that it’s ready to be “plugged in” the next time it’s needed.
Here's the point: The fact that I am only using the first eight that I take off the shelf doesn’t diminish the value of the four that are still sitting there, does it? And if I take out one of the plugs and replace it with another, that doesn’t mean that the replaced plug isn’t going to be used again, does it?
This week's lesson about Brian Downing provides the perfect opportunity for this discussion. Confident yet unassuming, Downing was known as one of the hardest working players of his era. Downing was the type of player every manager loved having on his team…and every aspiring player should try to emulate. As legend has it, Downing was cut from his high school team, and only had three at-bats in two years of college ball. He was a spare part! The “gift of time” allowed him to hone his skills when no one was looking – and that made all the difference.
Make each day your masterpiece!
Ted Browne
How can a coach explain this to a kid? A parent?
An analogy I’ve used in this end was shared with me by Hall of Fame Wrestling Coach John Dahlem. It’s simply called “The Spare Part”.
It goes something like this:
I have a car that needs spark plugs. It’s an old car, so sometimes oil fouls the plugs and the engine doesn’t work as good as when the plugs are clean. So when I go to the store, instead of ordering 8 of them (one for each position in the engine), I order 12. And when one fouls, I replace it with one of the other four that are on the shelf. But when I replace one of the plugs, I don’t throw it away. A fouled plug isn’t broken, it just needs to be cleaned and re-gapped (adjusted).
After I take it out, I work with the spark plug to clean it up again so that it’s ready to be “plugged in” the next time it’s needed.
Here's the point: The fact that I am only using the first eight that I take off the shelf doesn’t diminish the value of the four that are still sitting there, does it? And if I take out one of the plugs and replace it with another, that doesn’t mean that the replaced plug isn’t going to be used again, does it?
This week's lesson about Brian Downing provides the perfect opportunity for this discussion. Confident yet unassuming, Downing was known as one of the hardest working players of his era. Downing was the type of player every manager loved having on his team…and every aspiring player should try to emulate. As legend has it, Downing was cut from his high school team, and only had three at-bats in two years of college ball. He was a spare part! The “gift of time” allowed him to hone his skills when no one was looking – and that made all the difference.
Make each day your masterpiece!
Ted Browne
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