At the moment of glory, no one is as revered as much as the successful athlete. Few people go through as rigorous training and preparation as the world-class athlete. Everything that they do is designed for success. They have another special quality. It is how they prepare mentally and emotionally that help them to make quick decisions, perform flawlessly, under pressure in a highly public forum. This preparation is the basis of this blog. Enter their world.
"He talked about belief in his stuff, and all I told myself last night and today was the same thing. I went out tonight with confidence, and just, you know, the game just rolled by."
--A.J. Burnett, New York Yankees pitcher, who learned from the Philadelphia Phillies' pitcher Cliff Lee, about how to mentally prepare for his appearance in the 2009 World Series.
Prior to Game 2, Burnett was walking through the home clubhouse when he noticed Lee, Wednesday's winning pitcher, giving an interview on a nearby television. Burnett stopped to listen as Lee talked about trusting his stuff, pitching with confidence and using positive self-talk.
HANDLING PRESSURE
"All I told myself last night and today was the same thing," Burnett said. "I went out tonight with confidence, and the game just rolled by. I was in a good rhythm."
Burnett found himself in a pressure-packed situation in game two of the World Series. The Yankees did not want to go down 0-2 at home.
Rather than fail under the pressure, Burnett succeeded, outdueling Pedro Martinez, Phillies' starting pitcher and leading the Yankees to a 3-1 victory, evening up this best-of-seven World Series.
MENTAL PREPARATION
"I knew I had a big task ahead of me with Pedro on the mound, and I wanted to go out and pitch the best I could," Burnett said.
“You try to prepare for yourself for these games and this city and this crowd, but I think I fed off the crowd tonight,” he said. “They were up every time I got one strike, they were up every time I got two, and instead of over throwing, I kind of just stayed within myself. I was just trying to keep that going for them.”
HAVING FUN
"Nothing compares to today," Burnett said. "That was the funnest I've ever had on the baseball field."
CLOSING IT OUT AND DOING YOUR JOB
"You know what you have and what you can do. It's always difficult to pitch in those situations, but you have to do your job."
--Mariano Rivera, who came in as a relief pitcher to close out the win against the Phillies.
Excerpts from Yahoo Sports.com and MLB.com (October 30, 2009)
"We have confidence. We know we have a good team."
--Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies' slugging secondbaseman, who hit two home runs to lead the way to victory in game one of the 2009 World Series. Utley set a major league postseason record by safely reaching base in his 26th straight game.
Utley also became the first left-handed batter to hit two home runs off a left-handed pitcher in a World Series game since Babe Ruth in 1928.
“I guess that’s pretty good,” Utley said. “But like I said, you try to take it game to game and keep working. So no, it doesn’t really matter that much.”
Pitcher Cliff Lee also contributed a pitching masterpiece.
"To be honest I really never have been nervous in the big leagues. This is what I wanted to do my whole life. This is what I take pride in. For me there is no reason to be nervous.
"Game time is the time go out there and have fun and let your skills take over. It's kind of weird. Boils down to confidence and trusting your teammates."
--Cliff Lee, Philadelphia Phillies pitcher, who opened the World Series with a six-hit, ten strikeout, 6-1 win over the New York Yankees.
FLOW
“What I call, he handles the flow of the game, if you know what I mean, everything about it,” Manager Charlie Manuel said. “Not only does he have command of the game, but he has the flow of the game. To me he sets the tone by his rhythm, getting the ball back, and he knows what he’s going to do and he knows what he’s going to throw. I like the way he pitches. I like everything about how he goes about it.”
Ryan Howard of the Phillies, the National League Championship Series Most Valuable Player, also contributed with two doubles.
The Phillies have won 19 of their last 24 postseason games and the first game in six consecutive series. But, it is only one game in a seven game series.
"They're a great team," first baseman Howard said of the Yankees. "Believe me, we still have got a long ways to go."
The Yankees are already trying to put the game behind them.
"You think about tomorrow. You don't think about this game."
--Jorge Posada, Yankees' catcher said of the first game.
Excerpts USA Today, Yahoo.sports.com, the New York Times and Reuters, October 29, 2009.
“Kein ayin hora !!"or "Kenahora !!"...It literally means "There is no evil eye" or “without the evil eye” in Yiddish. It is said after complimenting, as in “not to jinx it.” It's a response to someone saying something that, if it would happen, would be very,very good or very,very bad.
And, so, here is an excerpts from an NBA season preview article “Welcome to the NBA Preview" by Bill Simmons from October 23, 2009, ESPN.com. The article discusses Blake Griffin, the NBA Los Angeles Clippers rookie and the first draft choice of the 2009 NBA draft.
Flicking channels earlier this week, I stumbled across a Clips preseason game and ended up watching the first half for my first taste of the Griffin Era. You know what? Blake Griffin is just good. It's one thing to talk about it, think about it, sketch out the fake lineups … but you can't really know until you watch a blue-chip rookie play with NBA guys for the first time. Even if it's the preseason. It's a series of tiny checkmarks on an unofficial mental list.
Does he look like he belongs? Do things come easy for him? Does he have the right level of confidence? Athletically, can you see that elite DNA at all times? Does he have an innate feel for the game? Could you see him becoming a star? Is he compelling to watch? Does he seem like a good guy? Does he know how to rotate on D? Does he help instinctively when his teammate gets beat? Does he look like an professional out there?
Griffin nailed every checkmark for me. All of them. He's just good. He's a pro. You know it when you see it. You would want to play with Blake Griffin.
Now …
I hate the lottery system because it puts good rookies on bad teams, then expects them to turn those teams around. Sometimes it happens; other times it doesn't. But those young players end up assuming an enormous amount of pressure during a point in their career where, actually, they'd be much better off blending in with a good team and easing along into whatever they end up being. Of the past 15 years of blue-chippers, only Duncan and Kobe were given this luxury. Griffin is the luckiest blue-chipper since them: not only does he play for a potential playoff team, but he doesn't have to fight with someone for minutes or carry the scoring load. He just has to worry about running the floor, rebounding and finishing. A cushy situation, to say the least. For once, it appears as if becoming a Clipper was the BEST thing that could have happened to someone.
(Note: Please don't e-mail this paragraph to me in three weeks if Blake is rolling around on the floor holding his right ankle. Thank you.)
Cut to October 27, 2009: Yahoo Sports.com……..
Headline: Clippers Lose Griffin to Broken Kneecap
LOS ANGELES -- Blake Griffin's NBA debut has been pushed back indefinitely after the Los Angeles Clippers revealed late Monday night that their No. 1 overall draft pick has a broken left kneecap.
The stress fracture could sideline the Oklahoma star for six weeks, the team announced, promising further information Tuesday.
Griffin, who averaged 13.7 points and 8.1 rebounds per game during the preseason, won't be in the Clippers' lineup when they face the Lakers in their opener Tuesday night, and he could be out much longer. The Clippers play 20 games in their first six weeks of the regular season.
Griffin apparently broke his kneecap during the Clippers' final exhibition game against New Orleans last Friday, perhaps after a dunk that left the power forward wincing in pain. The team initially said Griffin only had a sore left knee, making him questionable for the opener, before revealing the break.
The Clippers had planned on passing out Blake Griffin jerseys at the game. Do we blame Bill Simmons? Some fans blame the frugal , long-suffering, and insufferable Clippers owner, Donald Sterling? I say bring on the exorcism. By the way, the Clippers lost to the Lakers in the opener. There is an evil eye.
What is the antedote, you ask? Spit three times...pfft....pfft....pfft. That should take care of it!
The New York Yankees are American League Champions for the first time since 2003 because of their talent, their skills, their preparation and their confidence level. They were also aware of the danger of complacency despite leading 3 games to 1. They were keenly aware of the need to finish, to close out the Los Angeles Angels.
VISION OF A CHAMPIONSHIP
"We came in here with a goal in spring training of winning a championship and we're a step closer. It's really not a surprise that we're here. I hate to sound like that, but we're really a good team."
--C.C. Sabathia, New York Yankees' pitcher and MVP of the American League Championship Series. Sabathia will probably start Game 1 of the World Series again the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday.
Sabathia pitched 16 innings in his two starts in the ALCS, giving up only two runs , one in each game, and nine hits. In his three postseason starts, he is 3-0 with a 1.19 ERA.
“It’s been a dream of mine since I was a five-year-old boy to play in the World Series, and it’s been a long time waiting. In order to the win the World Series, you have to get there first, and this is pretty incredible -- especially with all the stuff I’ve been through.”
--Alex Rodriguez, Yankees' thirdbaseman.
Through nine postseason games, Rodriguez is batting .438 (14-for-32) with a .548 on-base percentage to go with five home runs and 12 RBI. In the Division Series, A-Rod’s homered twice and tied the score each time, once in the Yankees’ final at-bat.
ANTICIPATION OF DANGER
"The danger against a team like that is they can just sort of let things go, as far as the pressure, and just go out there and actually start to play to their ability because they have nothing to lose. So the important thing is to make sure to close it out, to understand there could be that kind of danger. We have to make sure we're aware of that.
"We believe we're playing at a high level in all aspects of the game. I think it's important to have that attitude, and I truly believe that we are a team that is very capable."
--Hideki Matsui, New York Yankees outfielder, discussing their mindset against the Angels, even with a 3-1 lead in the series.
STICKING WITH THE GAME PLAN
Andy Pettitte was orginally scheduled to start Game 6. Then, it rained. Manager Joe Girardi decided to start Andy Pettitte for Game 6 even after Saturday's rainout rather than going with his hot pitcher, C.C. Sabathia. Girardi would then have fellow left-hander Sabathia ready for Games 1, 4 and 7 of the World Series.
"We stayed with our plan," Girardi said. "We were going to use CC in Game 7 if we needed it. We didn't need it. And now we have him for Game 1 [of the World Series], and that's good for us."
PREPARATION
"We worked hard, since spring training, for this and we are here. I can't be more proound of my teammates and the organization."
--Mariano Rivera, Yankees' relief pitcher.
EXPERIENCE AND LEARNING
"You go in there, you see Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada," Sabathia said. "Those guys have been through this situation a lot. You have to lean on those guys and talk to them in situations."
Excerpts from Yahoo.com, The New York Times, ESPN.com, The Hartford Courant, (October 26, 2009).
"The show we create here has to have people leaving and not being able to turn it off. They shouldn't be able to go to sleep. They have to see the sun come up and still be talking about it."
--Michael Jackson, as recalled by Kenny Ortega, the director of the "This Is It" concerts. Ortega said that the goal was to produce something unforgettable.
The "This Is It" film is opening on Wednesday, October 28, 2009 for a two-week run. It was drawn and edited from 120 hours of rehearsal footage.
Excerpt from the New York Times, October 22, 2009.
"Considering the stage, this was the best game I've played. It's something you visualize before the game. I saw myself making shots and those shots went in in the second half."
--Derrick Byars, 2006-2007 SEC Player of the Year from Vanderbilt University, who scored 27 points and made five 3-point shots to lead his team to an NCAA basketball tournament double overtime upset of 3rd-seeded Washington State in 2007.
VISUALIZING SPEED AND CONTROL
A few years ago on television, a close-up shot of former world motor racing champion Damon Hill showed him in his Formula 1 car as his head swayed from side to side. The most interesting thing about this shot was that Hill was sitting in a stationary car, waiting to exit the garage in an attempt to qualify for the race.
Like many other championship athletes, he was using his time leading up to a performance to mentally rehearse and imagine steering the correct racing line through each corner.
RYAN HOWARD OF THE PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Throughout the major league baseball postseason, television cameras have caught Ryan Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies in a trancelike state before his at-bats. He sits in the dugout with his head down, eyes closed, hands resting on the knob of his bat and visualizes what he's going to do at the plate.
"I think that's his way of focusing and basically getting ready," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "I think that he's thinking about his at-bat and things that he has going for him and how he wants to feel and everything when he gets up there.
"Visualization is part of hitting. You can do it once you walk up to the plate and you can step out and look around, things like that, and kind of gather your thoughts, or you can sit in the dugout there, too, and kind of visualize things and really concentrate on what you want to do. It depends on the person and how he feels."
Howard is visualizing results and getting them. No one has driven in more runs this major league postseason than Howard. He set a major league record Sunday by driving in a run for the seventh consecutive game in one postseason. After a home run in his first at-bat in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series on Monday night to extend that streak, he had 14 runs batted in this postseason, more than he had in 17 playoff games the past two years. After Monday’s 5-4 victory for the Phillies, Howard was batting .379 with seven runs scored and two homers in eight postseason games.
“He goes to his quiet place,” the Phillies’ hitting coach, Milt Thompson, said. “When he’s there, he’s ready to hit.”
Thompson said Howard had been using visualization techniques all season, as a way to focus on the present, to enjoy the moment. When players see him meditating on the bench, they know not to interrupt.
“I’ve noticed it,” Manager Charlie Manuel, who is an advocate of positive thinking, said. “I haven’t talked to him about it because it’s something I think — that’s his own thing.”
Howard is in a zone, but it is simply the continuation of his impressive regular season, in which he had 45 home runs, with 141 runs batted in.
TECHNIQUES FOR SUCCESS
To augment the hours and hours of time spent honing fundamental skills and developing peak physical readiness, world-class elite performers from all kinds of sports complete many practice throws, catches, swings, laps of the track, lengths of the pool or throws of the javelin in their minds before major competitions.
Training your mental skills can also make a better athlete and winner out of you. We encourage more businesspeople and professionals to use and develop their imagery skills and to advise them on how to use these skills to maximum effect.
Creating, or recreating, an all-sensory experience can have profound effects on physical performance and psychological functioning. However, recent research evidence suggests that to achieve maximum benefits athletes and coaches should select the content of their images very carefully.
Imagery can be applied in many different ways to aid sports performers, and is one of the most regularly used tools of sport psychologists. It should be the tool of all executive coaches as well.
What performance psychology has to teach us about imagery
Scientific research strongly supports the use of imagery in sports and business as an adjunct to physical practice.
· Elite athletes and coaches use imagery regularly. Do you really think world-class performers would devote time to a technique that didn't aid their performances?
· Case studies of the use of imagery programs tailored to individual needs have demonstrated some dramatic performance improvements.
· Most importantly, a number of controlled scientific studies have shown that imagery can significantly benefit the learning and performance of a variety of sports skills.
Excerpts from the Associated Press (October 22, 2009) and New York Times (October 20, 2009).
"The thing I'm most pleased about, probably, is coming here after leaving New York and inheriting a team with a lot of talent, then being able to add some special pieces and being able to have the success we've had in the last couple of years."
--Joe Torre, Los Angeles Dodger manager.
Strong Track Record
After taking the Yankees to the playoffs in each of his 12 seasons as their manager, he has led the Dodgers to the postseason in his two years in Los Angeles. In his two seasons in L.A., the Dodgers have won consecutive NL West titles for the first time since 1977-78The 14 consecutive playoff appearances equal the record set by Atlanta Manager Bobby Cox. Just as impressive is that only 2 of those 14 Torre clubs made it to the postseason as a wild-card team.
Calm Sense of Urgency and Immediacy
“They’re the familiar fingerprints of being very, very steady,” Frank McCourt, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ owner, said of Torre’s influence. “For us, this was a very up-and-down season, and Joe provides a certain leveling ingredient that prevents the team from getting too carried away in one direction or the other.”
“The one thing that separates Joe from everybody else is he knows how to defuse a bomb before it goes off,” said Doug Mientkiewicz, a backup Dodgers first baseman who played with the Yankees in 2007. “Whenever you see a team not playing well, or he sees something happen that he doesn’t like, he gets it right there before it gets out of hand.”
He added, “You know when he’s not happy.”
Consistency
"If the team is going in a certain direction that he doesn't like, he addresses it right away. He doesn't like to let things carry on," Randy Wolf said. "He doesn't get caught up in every moment, but at the same time, he realizes that you've got to keep the same attitude every day."
--Randy Wolf, starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Does A Manager Make a Difference?
"I definitely think a manager makes a difference," says Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson, a special adviser to the Yankees who played for six different managers in 11 different postseasons. "Not nearly as much for the great players because the great players have a drive and are going to play for themselves, the spirit they respect, their family, their fans, the mirror they look in.
"All players attempt to do that. Some players don't have those ingredients in order. Some players' ingredients are different."
"Confidence, and knowing what to do in a crisis," Jackson, the Hall of Famer, says. "I know La Russa will be good with this. I know Mike Scioscia, Terry Francona, Joe Torre, Charlie Manuel and Jim Leyland are good with this. Jim Tracy. And Joe Girardi, he comes to the table with postseason history as a player.
"Watching those managers when things are difficult is much more interesting to me than when things are going well for them. Seeing a manager do something that's needed."
However, the manager's influence and leadership has its limits. The players have to perform.
"I think managers can make a difference in October because they've already established what they've done during the regular season," says Dodgers third-base coach Larry Bowa, who has played and coached under five different managers in six different postseasons. "In other words, they're not going to change what they do because it's the playoffs. They're going to be consistent with their players, they're going to treat their players the same whether it's a game in July or a game in October."
"If your guns don't do what they're supposed to do, it doesn't matter who's managing then," Bowa says. "Joe or Bobby Cox or Tony La Russa, you're going home. It's that simple. People don't realize that. They say, 'He's the manager, the guy should go further.'
"It doesn't work that way. He steers the ship, but it's the guys who go out there and make sure we get the runs for him to steer it and keep it in good waters. He can't make a guy go six innings if the guy doesn't have his stuff.
"That's how the playoffs are. If you don't get pitching, you're going to be in trouble. As great a lineup as the Yankees have, if they don't get pitching, they're going to be in trouble."
Management Experience
"He's just as relaxed whether we were winning 15-0 or losing 20-0. He keeps the same mentality," Hudson said. "When things weren't going well for us, he'd throw a speech in every now and then. But no matter what we were going through, he's seen it all already. So nothing that we do is new to him."
--Orlando Hudson, Los Angeles Dodgers' secondbaseman.
"I think it's harder to manage a team that's [expected to be] successful," said Jason Giambi, who spent seven years under Torre in New York. "It's tough to keep a team good year after year after year. It's like with Pat Riley when he was winning with the Lakers. People say 'Oh, it's easy to win with the Lakers.' It's not true. Sometimes you have a great team, but if you can't get that team to play together, it doesn't matter."
"The thing Joe is underestimated about is he has a great baseball mind," said Giambi, now a pinch-hitter for the Rockies. "He works well with people and puts people in successful situations. The biggest thing I've noticed is when we were [in New York] there was this aura about him where people feel comfortable."
"What Joe does day in and day out is deal with issues as good anyone I've been around," said Dodgers hitting coach Don Mattingly, who was also on Torre's staff in New York. "He doesn't let anything go. I think in New York people might have felt he wasn't tough enough on them, but that wasn't the case. He was on every issue that happens. ...
"That's as important as anything I learned from him, you can't let issues go. You have to address them right away and keep moving."
Excerpts from the New York Times and Philadelphia Inquirer, October 6, 2009; CBSsports.com and Associated Press, October 5, 2009.
''You're always frustrated and disappointed when you don't play to what you feel like you're capable of. That was me last week. There's a lot of adversity you have to go through at different times, and if you keep plugging away, playing hard and just trying to get better, it'll come out the right way. ... This week was all about trying to execute better so we could come out and get a win.''
--Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys' quarterback, discussing his ability to bounce back from a last-minute loss to the New York Giants with a solid, but unspectacular 21-7 win over the Carolina Panthers.
Romo, who has been roundly criticized for his inability to win a playoff game for the Cowboys as well as his ability to put up great passing statistics (17 career 300- yard passing games) without scoring enough touchdowns, is on the hot seat in Dallas, a city that is hungry for a Super Bowl winner. Many people feel that he has been given too much notoriety for very little performance.
"Tony Romo was anointed as a star without doing anything in the NFL," said former Cowboys running back Tony Dorsett.
"He's still young, still learning, growing," Dorsett added. "He's on that curve. It kind of reminds me of where the Giants were a couple years ago with Eli (Manning), who had a dominating guy on the offense in (since-traded tight end) Jeremy Shockey, similar to what was going on here with T.O. Now maybe his growth as a quarterback will speed up. He doesn't have this T.O. guy in his ear. I don't know exactly how much of an issue it was with T.O., because I wasn't there. But you sure heard a lot about it. So now that's gone."
"I thought Romo really was determined to be smart, relative to turnovers and was taking what was given to him," Jerry Jones, Cowboys' owner said after the Carolina game.
After throwing three interceptions against the Giants, Romo was careful with the football. Romo finished 22-of-32 for 255 yards and no interceptions.
Romo appears to be immune from the criticism and continues to try to learn and improve.
"The criticism is meaningless to me," Romo said about fallout from the Giants loss. "If I throw four TDs last week, everyone thinks you're amazing and might be this or that. It's the same as if people tell you you're no good. It doesn't matter. It's all about improving and doing it on the field."
"I am much tougher on myself than any of you guys ever will be," Romo told the media. "I have goals I hope to achieve as an individual and collectively as a group. I get frustrated and disappointed when I don't live up to what my standard is. That's why I come back with a purpose to improve. My sole focus this week was to understand why I did certain things and not make those mistakes again.
"Sometimes you have to go through the growing pains to get there."
For many Cowboy fans, their patience is wearing thin.
Excerpts from ESPN.com, Dallas Morning News and FoxSports.com, September 29, 2009.
"I'm loving every part of this. This is all I could ever dream of."
--Mark Sanchez, New York Jets rookie quarterback, after a 24-17 victory over the Tennessee Titans that brings the Jets' early season record to 3-0.
Sanchez, from USC, is the quarterback of only the fourth 3-0 Jets team in franchise history. He's the first NFL rookie QB in 40 years to win his first three starts. The victories included an upset of the New England Patriots.
Sanchez, the fifth player taken in the NFL draft in April, received a five-year, $50 million contract ($28 million guaranteed).
"I'm not winning these games," Sanchez said. "We are winning these games."
Sanchez did not have a great game. He went 17-of-30 for 171 yards, with two passing touchdowns, one rushing score (14 yards), one interception and two fumbles (one lost). He made some rookie mistakes.
"I like the way he bounces back; he doesn't let one play get him down, and he learns from his mistakes,"
--Jerricho Cotchery, New York Jets wide-receiver, who caught a 6-yard touchdown pass and set up another with a 46-yard reception.
Excerpts from ESPN.com and the New York Post, September 28, 2009.
"He's a very focused kid. Far more focused than kids his age. He compartmentalizes things. My impression is that in his mind, he's compartmentalized this as saying, 'Hey, my job is to be ready to play when my people put me in position to play.' He doesn't think he's part of that. He's just focused on getting himself physically and mentally ready for the NFL. And he thinks the business side of it -- of signing or not -- is a whole separate issue, and he's not concerning himself with it."
--Trent Dilfer, describing the mental mindset of Michael Crabtree, who is holding out for a larger contract than the team that drafted him, the San Francisco 49ers, are willing to offer. Michael Crabtree, a rookie wide receiver out of Texas Tech University, is considered a great NFL prospect.
The 49ers have offered him $20 million to sign. Crabtree was the second wide receiver taken in the 2009 NFL draft.
Dilfer is a retired NFL quarterback and current broadcaster who has worked out with Crabtree.
Crabtree is being advised by the quartet of Eugene Parker, Crabtree's agent (who represents NFL veterans Hines Ward, Richard Seymour and Larry Fitzgerald), former NFL superstar Deion Sanders, Texas state Sen. Royce West and Crabtree's cousin, David Wells. Wells is in the bail-bonds business, served as a bodyguard for former Dallas Cowboys players Michael Irvin and Adam "Pacman" Jones, and is widely known in the Cowboys organization. Wells says it takes a village to raise a young African-American man, and that he always wanted to make sure Crabtree had someone strong for support.
Many consider Crabtree to be ill-advised and think he is likely to badly hurt his rookie season, if not his career, by holding out. He is the only rookie out of 256 to holdout.
The 49ers have until Nov. 17 to sign him if he's going to play this season. After Aug. 14, the club was no longer permitted to trade Crabtree's rights. The next point he can be traded is at the start of the 2010 trading period on March 5. If Crabtree is not signed and he is not traded, he would go back into the April 2010 draft.
“When you’re over that putt, all you think about is where you’re playing that ball. All the other stuff takes care of itself. It’s nothing else but starting that ball on that line with the correct speed. That’s it.”
--Tiger Woods, talking about his mindset, as the Tour Championship gets under way at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.
Woods is the odds-on favorite to win the tournament and regain the championship trophy he won by eight strokes in the inaugural tournament in 2007. A win would also give him the FedEx Cup for 2009.
Excerpts from the New York Times, September 24, 2009.
"The interception was a really bad play. You can't do that. You learn from them, get focused and concentrate on what you have to do."
--Tom Brady, New England Patriots quarterback, discussing his resiliency and ability to bounce back after throwing a interception to defensive end Aaron Schobel was rambling 26 yards with an interception for a first-half TD by the Buffalo Bills.
How do the Patriots do it? How do they keep winning in the NFL?
Composure and Resilience
Brady threw two touchdown passes in the final 2:06 as New England beat the Buffalo Bills 25-24. The Patriots have not lost a regular-season game with Brady at quarterback since Dec. 10, 2006. Brady had a great game statistically. He completed 39 of 53 passes for 378 yards. He still has great receivers: Randy Moss (12 catches, 141 yards), Wes Welker (12, 93) and tight end Benjamin Watson (6, 77, two TDs).
Confidence
“Get your hats on. We’re gonna score before the two-minute warning, get the ball back, then we’re gonna score again and win this thing!”
--Tom Brady, in the huddle at the end of the gam.
"You see Tom coming off the sideline and he comes into the huddle, talking about 'We're going to win this game,' " Moss said. "And when you have guys like that saying positive things and then going out there and making it happen, you have to have your hopes high and really think positive."
Competitiveness and Hard Work
"We have a real competitive locker room, a real competitive team," Brady said. "When you're in a situation like we were, it's when you really have to step it up. It takes every guy on the field to step it up. Hopefully, we will continue to do that."
"It's a great feeling to have that rhythm and that aspect of the game back," offensive tackle Matt Light said. "Not that we didn't have it last year, but (Brady) was out there making all the right plays and delivering the ball downfield, and those guys were making huge catches."
"A lot of composure. A lot of great throws," Watson said. "A lot of confidence, and he would say we as an offense have a lot to work on. ... In six years, I've seen him do it plenty of times."
"I know he had to be nervous, but you can never tell with this guy. Nothing he does is ever a shocker," new Buffalo Bills cornerback Shawn Springs said. "When they say 'hard work pays off,' he symbolizes that. There are no coincidences with Tom Brady."
Sharing the Credit
"He ran two great routes," Brady said of tight end Watson. "The first was an incredible route, great protection. And the second one was an incredible catch. It was the same play. Same coverage, and the safety really squeezed him on that one, but he recognized it. I told him it was the best catch I'd ever seen him make."
On the final two drives, Brady finished 12-for-14 for 112 yards and two touchdowns. This was Brady's 29th winning fourth quarter drive of his career.
Having Fun
"Two-minute drives always are fun for a quarterback," Brady said. "Spread it out, the pass rush gets a little tired, you get a feel for the coverage, you just have to be patient.
Continuous Improvement Mentality
Still, there is much room for improvement.
"I'm glad it's over, glad we are moving on, got a win, and we'll learn from it. We've all got to improve, we've all got to make better plays," Brady said. "You can't just leave it to chance."
"We made a lot of mistakes, but we'll just look at the film, make the corrections, and move on," Adalius Thomas, New England linebacker said.
Excerpts from ESPN.com, Associated Press, The New York Times and MetroWest Daily News, September 15, 2009.
Prior to her championship doubles match at the U.S. Open, Serena Williams issued this amendment on her blog:
Hey guys!!!
I want to amend my press statement of yesterday, and want to make it clear as possible - I want to sincerely apologize FIRST to the lines woman, Kim Clijsters, the USTA, and tennis fans everywhere for my inappropriate outburst. I'm a woman of great pride, faith and integrity, and I admit when I'm wrong.
I need to make it clear to all young people that I handled myself inappropriately and it's not the way to act -- win or lose, good call or bad call in any sport, in any manner.
I like to lead by example. We all learn from experiences both good and bad. I will learn and grow from this, and be a better person as a result.
"If I could, I would take this ... ball and shove it down your ... throat."
--SerenaWilliams, in the heat of battle at the U.S. Open.
This tirade has been seen thousands of times on YouTube. This meltdown was unacceptable. It was totally out of line and inappropriate. All tennis players, established and aspiring, young and old, amateur and professional are watching. Everyone wants to see where the boundaries are set, where the limits of bad behavior lie.
On Saturday night, in the midst of a tense second set in the women’s semi-finals of the U. S. Open against Kim Clijsters, Serena Williams was called for her second foot fault of the match on a second serve at 5-6, 15-30. Defending champion Williams then walked toward the line judge, screaming, cursing and shaking a ball in the official's direction, threatening to "shove it down" her throat. Williams was penalized a point for unsportsmanlike conduct that gave a 6-4, 7-5 upset victory to unseeded, unranked Kim Clijsters.
When Williams was through yelling, Engzell called the linesperson to the chair. Following a brief chat, Engzell requested that tournament referee Brian Earley come onto the court.
Another discussion ensued, with Williams joining the mix. In the end, Williams was called for her second code violation of the match – this time for unsportsmanlike conduct. As tennis rules dictate, a player’s second code violation is a point penalty.
Since Williams’ point penalty came with the Williams serving at 15-40, the game was awarded to Clijsters. And since Clijsters led by a set and 6-5 at the time, the match was hers.
The U.S. Open officials who have earlier fined Serena for $500 for racket abuse in the same match, reporterd fine her $10,000 and gave indications that further penalties may be imposed on the player after the investigation over the entire incident is over.
“The grand slam rule book allows for an investigation to be conducted by the grand slam committee administrator to determine if the behavior of Ms Williams warrants consideration as a major offence, for which additional penalties can be imposed. This investigation has just now begun,” said referee Brian Earley in a statement.
Reports say that the WTA tour chief Stacey Allaster had reportedly termed Serena Williams’ behavior as both “inappropriate and unprofessional”. John McEnroe, reportedly said that Serena should be suspended for breaching the code of conduct. It had been reported that Williams had reportedly refused to apologize. She seemed quite unrepentant.
However, later, in a statement released by Serena, the player has reportedly said that she should have kept her cool during the altercation.
“Last night everyone could truly see the passion I have for my job. Now that I have had time to gain my composure, I can see that while I don’t agree with the unfair line call, in the heat of battle I let my passion and emotion get the better of me and as a result handled the situation poorly. I would like to thank my fans and supporters for understanding that I am human and I look forward to continuing the journey, both professionally and personally, with you all as I move forward and grow from this experience.”
--Serena Williams, in an apology.
Right after the match, Serena was in denial.
“I haven't been called for a foot fault all year until I got to New York, so maybe when I come to this tournament I have to step two feet back,” said Williams, whose first foot fault was called by a different linesperson in the sixth game of the second set.
“Kim played really well, and I think she came out with a really big plan,” said Williams. “I think that the next time we play I'll know a little bit more about her game, what to expect, and what to do.”
About 20 minutes following her tirade, a composed Williams said she likely foot-faulted.
“I'm pretty sure I did,” said Williams. “If she called a foot fault, she must have seen a foot fault. She was doing her job. I'm not going to knock her for not doing her job.
After the match, Williams did not acknowledge her poor sportsmanship. Asked in her postmatch news conference what she said to the line judge, Williams wouldn't say, replying, "What did I say? You didn't hear?"
Williams also minimized the incident. "I've never been in a fight in my whole life, so I don't know why she would have felt threatened," Williams said with a smile.
The line judge went over to the chair umpire, along with tournament referee Brian Earley. Williams then went over and said to the line judge: "Sorry, but there are a lot of people who've said way worse." Then the line judge said something to the chair umpire, and Williams responded, "I didn't say I would kill you. Are you serious? I didn't say that." The line judge replied by shaking her head and saying, "Yes."
Williams already had been give a code violation warning when she broke her racket after losing the first set. So the chair umpire now awarded a penalty point to Clijsters, ending the match.
"She was called for a foot fault, and a point later, she said something to a line umpire, and it was reported to the chair, and that resulted in a point penalty," Earley explained. "And it just happened that point penalty was match point. It was a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct."
When the ruling was announced, Williams walked around the net to the other end of the court to shake hands with a stunned Clijsters, who did not appear to understand what had happened.
"I used to have a real temper, and I've gotten a lot better," Williams said later. "So I know you don't believe me, but I used to be worse. Yes, yes, indeed." Really? Worse than this? Really?
Serena also overshadowed and tarnished the achievements of Clijsters. In only her third tournament back after 2 1/2 years in retirement, the 26-year-old Belgian became the first mother to reach a Grand Slam final since Evonne Goolagong Cawley won Wimbledon 1980.
“I never really expected to be beating Venus and beating Serena,” said Clijsters, who upset Serena’s sister, Venus , in the fourth round. “You try and you try to bring your best tennis, but you don't expect things to be going this well this soon.
“That's why I, knock on wood, just try to stay focused and not lose my rhythm that I've been having over these last two-and-a-half, almost three weeks that we've been here. Just trying to keep that going until the whole tournament is finished.”
"The normal feelings of winning a match weren't quite there," Clijsters said. "But I think afterwards, when everything kind of sunk in a little bit and got explained to me about what happened, yeah, you kind of have to put it all in place, and then it becomes a little bit easier to understand and to kind of not celebrate, but at least have a little bit of joy after a match like that."
Clijsters hadn't competed at the U.S. Open since winning the 2005 championship. Williams came into the day having won three of the past four Grand Slam titles, and 30 of her previous 31 matches at major tournaments.
One could see this meltdown coming. When Williams hit backhands into the net on consecutive points at 5-4 in the first set, Clijsters had broken her for the second time and taken the opening set. Upset, the American bounced her racket, caught it, then cracked it against the blue court, damaging the entire frame.
When Williams walked to the changeover, she clanged it against the net post and was given a warning for racket abuse by the chair umpire. That would prove costly at match's end.
"I mean, the timing is unfortunate, you know," Clijsters said. "To get a point penalty at the time, it's unfortunate. But there are rules, and you know, like I said, it's just unfortunate that it has to happen on a match point."
Simply put, this is an ugly incident that tarnishes what should have been a special match and championship for Kim Clijsters and, thus far, remarkable career of Serena Williams. Serena has lost a championship and the respect of many. The U.S. Open organizers and the WTA officials should come down hard on Serena to ensure that others are not tempted to berate an official and to send a strong message to all elite athletes about their increasing boorish behavior.
Serena, the way to move forward from this and learn is to acknowledge the behavior and suffer the consequences, real consequences, not just a slap on the wrist. Everyone, let’s take this opportunity to take the high road.
--Melanie Oudin, talking with Good Morning America after being eliminated from the U.S. Open.
Oudin finally was sent packing by 9th-seeded Caroline Wozniacki, 6-2, 6-2, in the quarterfinals. Oudin had upset Maria Sharapova and Nadia Petrova to get to the quarters while garner a huge fan base who fell in love with her youth and energy. American tennis has been given a shot in the arm by Oudin's run and her personality.
Though she finally seemed overwhelmed and outmatched by Wozniacki, we should see much of Melanie Oudin in the future, due to her considerable talent and typically strong mental approach to the game. However, it was her coach who took the blame for the loss.
"I'll take the blame," said her coach Brian de Villiers. "I didn't prepare her mentally, didn't explain to her how this would be a long, tough match and how she needed to be patient. And then her legs weren't there, and she got irritated with herself ..."
Consequently, Oudin produced 43 unforced errors and only 11 winners.
“I try to pretend that it's not like Arthur Ashe Stadium playing Maria Sharapova. I try to just pretend it's any other match, even just practicing. Sometimes I tell myself I'm just practicing at my academy at home and I'm just playing one of my friends.”
--Melanie Oudin, discussing her approach to her matches.
The 17-year-old from Marietta, Georgia staged another upset Monday afternoon at the U.S. Open, extending her surprising run to the quarterfinals with another come-from-behind victory, 1-6, 7-6 (2), 6-3 over 13th-seeded Nadia Petrova. Oudin once again upset a more-seasoned, higher-ranked opponent.
Oudin, the 70th-ranked player already had wins over No. 4 Elena Dementieva and No. 29 Maria Sharapova, a former No. 1 and U.S. Open champion, along with one over former No. 1 Jelena Jankovic this summer at Wimbledon. Now, she's knocked off the No. 13 seed at the U. S Open.
Melanie Oudin defeated Sharapova 3-6, 6-4, 7-5.
“I learned, once again, proved to myself that I can compete with these top girls,” said the American, who once again rallied from a set down to beat her heavily-favored opposition. “And if I believe in myself and my game, then I can beat them.”
Previously, on Thursday afternoon, Oudin knocked out another top Russian, Elena Dementieva, in three-sets, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3. Dementieva was ranked No. 2 earlier this year. Oudin’s ranking will now rise to the low 50s from 70.
After beating Dementieva, Oudin said, “I didn't think that she was blowing me off the court. She wasn't hitting winners left and right on me. We had long points. I was right there with her. I knew if I could play well and keep being aggressive and stay in there that I could do it.”
Oudin has displayed a great deal of mental toughness, and an ability to reach back and gather energy late in the third set.
Hard Work, Passion and Focus
“Someone asked me at Wimbledon, how I would describe the whole experience,” said Oudin. “There's not really one word. Everything about it is just unbelievable. But basically I love to play tennis, and that's why I'm here. I'm loving it.”
“I guess it’s kind of surprising, but it’s like I’ve worked so hard for this,” said Oudin. “Finally, everything is just coming together. I’m playing how I’ve been wanting to play, how I knew I could play. I just haven’t been able to do it continually for an entire match. These past matches here, I’ve been able to keep it up the entire time, not just a couple points here or there, a set here and there, but like the entire match.”
Confidence and Composure
“She’s just playing with such confidence now, and she thrives on playing in front of people,” said Brian de Villiers, Oudin’s coach since she was 9. “Before we went out, she was like: ‘I cannot let Sharapova intimidate me. I have to just hold my ground.’ ”
Oudin has now beaten two women who were once ranked No. 1 (Jelena Jankovic at Wimbledon and now Sharapova).
“I think she has a great amount of potential,” said Sharapova, who, like Dementieva, was gracious in defeat. “I thought she played really well. I thought she has many weapons. You know, she certainly held her ground.”
After looking average, anxious, and out of her league in the first set against Sharapova, Oudin regained her composure in the second set, jumping out to a 5-1 lead before Sharapova recovered. Sharapova fought through the next three games before Oudin won the set on her seventh set point.
Competitive Spirit
“I’ve always been so competitive, doesn’t matter what I’m doing,” Oudin said, adding: “I always want to win more than anything. I’m not going to give up, you know, no matter what the score is.”
She has become the youngest American to move into the quarterfinals at America's Grand Slam since Serena Williams in 1999.
All four of Oudin's wins have come against Russians and her next match could be against yet another. That's sixth-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 2004 Open champion and the only Grand Slam tournament winner left on Oudin's side of the bracket.
Tenacity and Determination
"It's kind of hard to explain how I've done it," Oudin said. "Today, there were no tears because I believed I can do it. Now I know I do belong here. This is what I want to do. I can compete with these girls no matter who I'm playing. I have a chance against anyone."
Oudin improved to 6-1 at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open this year when she's lost the first set. She is 17-4 overall this year in three-set matches. In all the matches, she has shown tenacity and determination.
"I don't actually mean to lose the first set," she insisted. "Sometimes, I just start off slowly. Maybe I'm a little nervous. Today, my timing was off a little. But I just totally forgot about it, started off the second set like it was a new match, and I started playing better."
With a serve that needs work (she won the match with Petrova without serving a single ace) Oudin is winning with high energy, footwork, technique, precision. Mostly, though, she is thriving in pressure situations that has destroyed so many others in her situation.
"You don't know if she's winning or losing," said her father, John. "She doesn't seem nervous out there -- and I don't know where that came from."
“It’s kind of hard to explain how I’ve done it,” Oudin said. “Like today, there are no tears because I believed that I could do it. And it’s like now I know that I do belong here. This is what I want to do, and I can compete with these girls no matter who I’m playing. I have a chance against anyone.”
Against Petrova, Oudin started slowly with Petrova serving well and Oudin unable to control her service games. A mere mortal would have had a difficult time bouncing back from a 1-6 beating. Petrova had been playing very well, beating her first three opponents without dropping a set.
“I think it’s just mentally I’m staying in there with them the whole time, and I’m not giving up at all,” Oudin said. “If they’re going to beat me, they’re going to beat me, because I’m not going to go anywhere.”
In The Zone
“She gets pretty much in her own zone,” John Oudin said. “Nothing breaks her focus. I don’t know where she gets it from.”
Oudin, though, kept her composure and got going in the second set and got the crowd into it with her.
“She has nothing to lose,” Petrova said of Oudin. “She has the crowd going for her. She’s just having a blast out there.”
“I know that I can compete with the best in the world now,” Oudin said. “And I will know that forever.”
“I think she’s very talented. She was in the court and not afraid to play. She was playing very aggressively, really enjoying this atmosphere, you know, the crowd support and really going for the winners.”
--Elena Dementieva, who lost to Melanie Oudin in an upset in the second round of the U.S. Open. Dementieva is still seeking her first Grand Slam title.
To help with motivation, Oudin has "Believe" written on her tennis shoes. After reaching the fourth round as a qualifier, she upset the former No. 1 player in the world, Jelena Jankovic at Wimbledon earlier this summer.
Oudin, from Marietta, Georgia, continues to excel at the U. S. Open at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Thursday by upsetting No. 4 seed Elena Dementieva, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, in the second round. She moves on the the third round to play Maria Sharapova.
The “Believe” message on Oudin’s shoes was her boyfriend's idea. Austin Smith, 15, is with her in New York. He said Oudin did not want to follow the lead of other pros by putting her name or nickname on her shoes.
“For me, it’s all about that,” Oudin said. “It’s believing that I can beat these girls.”
Excerpts from the New York Times, September 4, 2009.
"I think I used to get more up and down on an individual results or two. I maybe used to be convinced after two bad weeks that it was going to fall apart forever or after two good weeks that I'd probably never play a bad match again. I think maybe I have a little more confidence in the process than I used to."
--Andy Roddick, discussing his past problems with confidence and self-criticism.
Andy Roddick, who Roger Federer has beaten in 19 or their 21 meetings, comes to this year's U.S. Open seeded fifth. His classic five-set loss to Federer at Wimbledon has rejuvenated his career and increased his fan support.
"I would be lying if I sat here and said I totally understood it. But it definitely made it easier to get motivated to get back on the court," says Roddick about his fans' reaction.
Roddick also hired Larry Stefanki last year as his coach. Stefanski has helped him with confidence, his self-criticism and internal dialogue. Roddick has also seemingly benefitted from his marriage to model Brooklyn Decker.
Will Roddick be confident and play well this year at the U.S. Open?
Excerpts from the New York Times (August 30, 2009)
