Greinke mania 2

Here is the article from SI.

I feel like a kid, I'm going to run home after school today to get my SI.

The article is written by Joe Posnanski, a local KC Star reporter and terrific writer.

It's nice to see KC getting some national love. I've waiting my entire life for the Royals to mean something.

"The rise of the young Royals ace has been spectacular"

Greinke mania

With Greinke being on the cover of SI, a lot of other media outlets have started to try to get a piece.

I feel very fortunate to have watched him his entire career.

Greinke - Foxsports.com

Baseball

For those of you who are die hard baseball fans like me, I've got an interesting challenge for you.

Next time you're watching a game (try to watch the entire 9 innings), count how many times you see a player swing and miss.

Major League players don't get nearly enough credit for how good they are hitting the baseball. Also, pitchers don't get enough credit for how well they work the hitters. Notice...hitters will swing and foul it off, but very rarely do you see a player swing and miss. You especially don't see the player swing and miss more than once in the same at-bat.

That is probably the biggest different between

Coach Snyder

Great article about one of my idol's...

Coach Snyder - SI.com

Coach Cal's house

On the subject of coaches houses, take a look at the 7 bedroom, 8 full bathroom place Calipari is planning on moving into.

Lexington, KY - 2.295 million

Denver

When the Bronco's fired Mike Shanahan a while back I thought it was a curious move. I thought he had proven himself enough at that place that he would be able to go out on his own terms. Instead, they fired him and brought in a 32 year old assistant who will have to prove a lot to people who are Bronco fans in year one.

Once I received this email from a good friend I decided it was no longer time to feel sorry for Mike Shanahan. I'd say he did just fine.

If you put 20% down, your monthly payment would only be $90,000

20 Cherry Hills Park Drive, Denver, CO

Proof reading

If you've ever underestimated the importance of proof reading something before you send it...here's a little tid bit.

*This post is also coming from a guy who spelled his boss' name wrong on his last reference list. So take it for what it's worth...

You better proof it!

Leadership

Interesting perspective on leadership from Coach Williams at Marquette via, mucoach2coach.com

The Sahara plays tricks on the eyes of its travelers. As the desert sun beats down on the sand, heat waves rise from the ground. Light bends as it passes through the superheated air, painting illusory pictures on the horizon. To thirsty travelers moving through the Sahara, it often appears as if an oasis looms in the distance. However, as the voyagers journey on, the oasis proves to be nothing more than a mirage.

Unfortunately, the ranks of leadership are inhabited by a host of mirages: people who look impressive from a distance, but end up being disappointments. After being fooled by a few mirages, followers become jaded about leadership. That seems as true now as it ever has been. Our trust in leaders has been shaken as politicians have reneged on promises, CEOs have squandered money entrusted to their firms, and managers have advanced self-interests above all else.

To restore society's confidence with those in power, leaders have to be able to inspire. I'm not talking about inspiring someone to buy into the corporate vision statement, to meet quarterly sales goals, or to work more efficiently. These aren't bad things, but right now, people are looking for a leader attuned to their personal needs. They want leaders who will encourage them, believe in their potential, and help them grow.

Agree or disagree?

This is a really interesting story...

Which side do you take? Nationals? Dukes?

$500 fine for talking to Little League team

Newspaper

Melynda and I are still trying to figure out how this was printed in the Salina paper. As a point of reference for the article, Salina has over 46,000 people.

If I was the editor, I would be nervous if I published this to 46 people.

Prom Dancing...

Carl's Jr

In case you're planning on going out to eat anytime soon, take a look at this...

THE WORST DRIVE-THROUGH MEAL IN AMERICA
Carl’s Jr. Double Six Dollar Burger with Medium Natural Cut Fries and 32 oz Coke

2,618 calories
144 g fat (51.5 g saturated fat)
2,892 mg sodium

Of all the gut-growing, heart-stopping, life-threatening burgers in the fast food world, there is none whose damage to your general well-being is as catastrophic as this. Consider these heart-stopping comparisons: This meal has the caloric equivalent of 13 Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Donuts; the saturated fat equivalent of 52 strips of bacon; and the salt equivalent of seven and a half large orders of McDonald’s French fries!

NBA

One of the reason that so many people love college basketball more than the NBA is because they feel like all of the college guys play every game like it's their last. There is no coasting in college.

Well, I have a hard time believing not every game matters in the NBA too. That's why depth is such an issue and if you need to rest your "stars", you should be able to play elite level players behind them.

Now, take a look at this from NBA TrueHoop, and tell me, "Not every game matters"

It was a February 3 game against the Nuggets. Chris Tomasson of INDenverTimes remembers it well:
The Spurs J.V. team battled well. But they fell 104-96 to assure that Denver won the season series 2-1.

Well, guess what? The Spurs and the Nuggets both finished the season 54-28, with Denver, due to the tiebreaker, getting the No. 2 seed in the West and San Antonio settling for No. 3.
Had Popovich used his top players that night and the Spurs won, San Antonio would be the No. 2 seed and would be in line for homecourt advantage for the first two rounds of the playoffs.
Of course, an extra loss would have meant the Nuggets would have finished the season 53-29. That would have resulted in them losing the Northwest Division to Portland (54-28) and losing a tiebreaker to Houston (53-29) for the No. 4 seed.

So, if Popovich had used his top players that night and the Spurs won, the Nuggets now would be the No. 5 seed instead of having homecourt advantage to start the postseason for the first time since 1988.

Hypotheticals can drive you crazy. And who's to say the extra wear and tear wouldn't have cost the Spurs another game or two somewhere down the line.
To me the point is, more than anything: It's a very close contest, and every little decision has the potential to matter.

UofA Coach

I've always respected the way that Sean Miller's teams played while he was at Xavier. They always played "tough." I'm sure he will have success when he starts up at UofA.

I guess not only can the guy coach, but he's got some other skills too...

12 year old Sean Miller

Catch

Now THIS is an impressive catch...one of the best you'll ever see...

ASU practice catch

(By the way, how about the 3 chicks just walking along the side of the field during practice...hmmm...)

Beasley

Good article from the SunSentinel about Michael Beasley and Pat Riley.

I've always had a lot of respect for Pat Riley. As the saying goes, "can't argue with results."

That means it's time for Beasley to grow up

Memphis Coach article

I've been in Coach Pastner's "network" for about the last 8 years. I reached out to him as a Senior in High School because I was so amazed at his story. (At the time, he had just became a 23 year old assistant at Arizona). He has always been great about staying in touch. The point in the article about him maintaining a network is very true. I can attest.

I've kept close tabs on Coach and occasionally trade emails with him during the year.

This is a terrific article, trying to somehow summarize Coach Pastner.

Doesn't this stuff only happen in movies?

So you want to be a Navy SEAL huh?

Check out the vivid description about the pirate hostage situation.

"3 phenomenal shots"

How about these seats...

Yesterday was able to go to the Royals and Yankees game at the "New K." The stadium is absolutely incredible and has everything you could possibly want a stadium to have. Since the stadium is better, I would think more fans are going to come, more money is going to be generated and then Dayton Moore is going to be able to get a couple more pitchers in here to set this team over the top.

Okay, my point...We had terrific seats and sat directly beside the Yankee dugout. Section 123, row A, seat 1 to be exact. As a die hard baseball fan my entire life, to see the Royals and Yankees basically sitting in the dugout was close to a dream come true.

So, I thought my experience was the coolest of cool's...well, try this one...

Try these seats

Jay Bilas on Tom Izzo

From Jay Bilas from ESPN:

Who wouldn't want to play for Tom Izzo? While he is an extraordinary coach, teacher and strategist, he always makes it about the players and he has a humility to him that is incredibly refreshing. I was fortunate to go with Izzo to the Middle East twice to coach U.S. Servicemen for Operation Hardwood, and the soldiers that Izzo coached told him that they would take a bullet for him. They absolutely loved him. He told them that a charge would be more than enough.

Actually, the first year we were in the Middle East, Izzo's team was unbeatable and ripped through the tournament without a loss. The second year, his team was not quite as good. After a loss, Izzo had his team on an outdoor court, in 120 degree heat, practicing! Even in the Middle East, it was about working hard and winning. Nobody appreciated the troops more than Izzo did, and nobody was affected by the experience in a more profound way.

Top pickup ballers we love...

This is a terrific read. All of us that have played basketball growing up know someone who fits exactly in these categories.

Top 11 pickup ballers we love to hate...

This is a good one...

Good stuff...

A woman takes a lover home during the day while her husband is at work.
Her 9-year old son comes home unexpectedly, sees them and hides in the bedroom closet to watch.

The woman's husband also comes home. She puts her lover in the closet, not realizing that the little boy is in there already.

The little boy says, "Dark in here."

The man says, "Yes, it is."

Boy: "I have a baseball."

Man: "That's nice"

Boy: "Want to buy it?"

Man: "No, thanks."

Boy: "My Dad's outside.."

Man: "OK, how much?"

Boy: "$250"

In the next few weeks, it happens again that the boy and the lover are in the closet together.

Boy: "Dark in here."

Man: "Yes, it is."

Boy: "I have a baseball glove."

The lover, remembering the last time, asks the boy, "How much?"

Boy: "$750"

Man: "Sold."

A few days later, the Dad says to the boy, "Grab your glove, let's go outside and have a game of catch.."

The boy says, "I can't, I sold my baseball and my glove."

The Dad asks, "How much did you sell them for?"

Boy: "$1,000"

The Dad says, "That's terrible to over charge your friends like that...that is way more than those two things cost. I'm taking you to church, to confession."

They go to the church and the Dad makes the little boy sit in the confessional booth and closes the door.

The boy says, "Dark in here."

The priest says, "Don't start that shit again; you're in my closet now."

Diamondbacks

Everyone knows how much of a fan I am of the Royals...

Well, The D-Backs are now #2...

Some dreams do come true...

Another Reilly article

Another blog post from Rick Reilly.

Reason to root for THABEET!