Razor Thin: The Difference Between Winning and Losing (VIDEO)

Razor Thin: The Difference Between Winning and Losing

Matt Ryan's Resilience Keeps Falcons Flying

"What's impressed me more than anything is probably his resiliency of not playing our best the last two weeks and still being able to have success and get the outcome that we wanted. His ability to handle those types of situations is impressive. He's had 18 fourth-quarter comebacks in four years and six games. Matt, he's a guy that doesn't get rattled easily. You've got to have that. He's a calming influence across the board for the entire team."

--Mike Smith, head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, talking about quarterback Matt Ryan's mindset and leadership.

The Atlanta Falcons are the only undefeated football team in the NFL after a last second field goal defeated the Oakland Raiders on Sunday afternoon. 

Excerpt from "Ryan shows he knows how to win" by Ashley Fox, 10/12/2012, ESPN.com.

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Alex Rodriguez Shows Leadership

"I couldn’t be happier for Raul.  Ten years ago, I might have reacted differently. I admit I might not have taken it as well. But I have matured. I told Joe when he came to me that he had to do exactly what he felt he had to do." 

--Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees All-Star, celebrating a winning home run by the Raul Ibanez, who replaced him in the lineup in the ninth inning.  

Wednesday night in the Game Four of their best-of-five American League division series with the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium, with the New York Yankees behind and facing a 2-1 series deficit, Alex Rodriguez saw Yankees Manager Joe Girardi walking toward him.  It was the ninth inning, the Yankees were trailing by a run, and Rodriguez had gone 0 for 3 in the game, with two strikeouts.  Girardi told Rodriguez that he was going to replace him with Raul Ibanez, a pinch hitter.
Ibanez tied the game, 2-2, with a home run to right field. Perhaps surprisingly to many people, Rodriguez was the first Yankee to greet Ibanez at the top step of the dugout after he rounded the bases.

Then, in the 12th inning, Ibanez did it again, winning the game, 3-2, with a second homer.

Asked if he was insulted by Girardi’s decision or if he would harbor any hard feelings, Rodriguez shook his head.

“No, no way,” he answered. “I’m one of the leaders of this team now. It’s about winning. We won; I’m pleased. Whatever it takes.”

Excerpts from nytimes.com (October 11, 2012), "Slumping in Middle of Lineup, Rodriguez Is Center of Attention" by Bill Pennington.   

Has Lionel Messi Got the Right Idea?

"I prefer to win titles with the team ahead of individual awards or scoring more goals than anyone else.  I am more worried about being a good person than being the best football player in the world. When all this is over, what are you left with?  When I retire, I hope I am remembered for being a decent guy. I like to score goals but I also like to have friends among the people I have played with."

--Lionel Messi, considered by many to be the best soccer player in the world.  

Messi has won three consecutive world Player of the Year awards and may win a fourth in 2012 after scoring a record 73 goals last season.

Excerpt from nytimes.com "Messi Wants More Than Just Accolades" (Reuters, 10/1/2012).

QB Geno Smith's Vision is Artful

“His visions of things have always been beyond his years."
--Tracey Sellers said of her son, Geno Smith.

Smith is West Virginia’s quarterback and a serious Heisman Trophy contender for the ninth-ranked Mountaineers (4-0), who beat host No. 25 Baylor 70-63 on Saturday. Smith had a remarkable, video game-like 656 yards passing. He was 45 for 51 and threw for 8 touchdowns.

“On the field, he’s visualizing,” his mother said. “It’s like a puzzle, his masterpiece."

On-the-field vision requires sharp visual acuity but also requires much more.

Quarterbacks must see the field in three dimensions, in real time, as well as like in a chess match. A great quarterback also must see and anticipate several moves and plays in advance throughout the game.

Excerpt for nytimes.com (09/29/2012) "West Virginia Displays the Art of Quarterbacking" by Tim Rohan.

Watch the highlights and interview with Geno Smith below.

Robinson Cano Can't Remember, and That's Good

“I’ve been struggling with men on base.  You just go out there every game, every at-bat, and forget about what happened in the past.”

--Robinson Cano, New York Yankee second baseman.

One of the most useful mental conditioning techniques that elite athletes use is the ability to quickly get past a mistake or error quickly.  During game conditions, it is highly valuable to be able to erase, recover, and move on.

Although you want to be able to learn from your mistakes, often game situations are not the place to dwell or analyze.  The time to analyze and evaluate is through debriefing and videotape sessions scheduled after one's competition is over.

As Robinson Cano emphasizes, a poor memory is perhaps the best tool that a hitter can utilize. Despite a recent slump, Cano's "poor" memory has allowed him to hit 30 home runs, knock in 82 runs, and hit for an average of .297 with 177 hits.

In addition, the Yankees are leading their division and have the second best record in the American League.  

Quote from nytimes.com (9/27/2012).  "With  Swisher and Cano, It's Trust and Symmetry" by Pat Borzi.

Patience Leads to Success

“You never drop a ball you take the time to catch.”
--Hall of Fame receiver Fred Biletnikoff of the Oakland Raiders.

Your success is highly dependent upon the quality of your execution. It is not always the quantity or speed of your actions that breeds success. Excellence is about the precision of your actions. Are you always rushed? When others ask how you are, do you usually tell people that you are "crazy busy?" For many, that may be impressive or a badge of courage.

However, you may be sabotaging your success by being too concerned with speed and not concerned enough with proper planning and execution.

Slow down and get more quality in your performance. You might even get some more satisfaction out of your life.

Try it.

Quotation taken from nytimes.com (09/22/2012), "Jets Rookie Wide Receiver Is in a New World of Zigs and Zags" by Ben Shpigel.

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Michael Vick Keeps Firing

"He finished the way a great player finishes, and you see this all the time in basketball, where shooters, the great shooters, they're going to have an off-day and they keep shooting. When it comes down to the end, the great ones end up sinking the winning shot. So Michael, that's what he did. He kept firing."

-- Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles head coach, discussing Michael Vick after his quarterback led the Eagles on a winning 91-yard drive in the 4th quarter to beat the Cleveland Browns, 17-16.

Vick bounced back from a disastrous 3 quarters in which he threw four interceptions. More importantly, the Eagles have won five regular season games in a row including last season.

Excerpt from ESPN.com & the Associated Press (9/12/2012), "Michael Vick Vows to Improve."

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Adversity Fuels Championship Runs

“You’ve got to embrace the adversity. Otherwise, you are going to be miserable and don’t belong in this clubhouse. Adversity is to be expected when you put on the pinstripes.”

-- Russell Martin, New York Yankees catcher, responding to a sustained late-season losing streak.

Championship are not easily won.  Championship seasons do not go smoothly.  Injuries, slumps, trades, travel, difficult scheduling, fatigue, family issues, etc. are all part of the adversity that all teams must face.  However, it is the championship teams that deal with adversity well.  

Winners welcome pressure and embrace the challenge of adversity.  Teams that understand that adversity is to be expected and are willing to take on the challenge are the teams that succeed. Frustration, stress and pressure must be met head-on.  

Most importantly, successful teams and franchises that win consistently understand that mental toughness and the ability to deal with adversity must be part of their team DNA.  

Historically, the New York Yankees are a franchise that has been highly success at dealing with adversity.  Will this year's Yankees team successfully meet the challenge of adversity?


Excerpt from nytimes.com, "A Study in Pinstripes: ‘Embrace the Adversity’", Bill Pennington, September 8, 2012.

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Champions Prepare

"Champions do not become champions when they win an event, but in the hours, weeks, and months, and years they spend preparing for it. The victorious performance itself is merely a demonstration of their championship character."


--Michael Jordan.


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Angel McCoughtry Grows Up A Little

"I was so excited. It felt so good to be back on the floor. I'll never take basketball for granted again." 

--Angel McCoughtry, the WNBA's and the Atlanta Dream's leading scorer, after coming back from a multi-game suspension. McCoughtry led the team to a win after scoring 18 points in the fourth quarter.

The Atlanta Dream are starting a push toward playoff success.  WNBA finalists two years running, the Dream have caught late-season fire both years and need to do so again to get a favorable seed in this years' WNBA playoffs.  They need McCoughtry if they are to be there again.  However, they recently fired their head coach, Marynell Meadors.

Will new coach Fred Williams be able to handle the previously tempermental McCoughtry?  Has Angel turned the corner toward maturity?  

Excerpt from espn.go.com (9/2/2012).


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Tim Tebow's Take on Leadership

"You can't lead anyone unless you know where you're going and you can't lead anyone unless you've earned their respect. If they don't respect you, they're not going to follow you."

--Tim Tebow, New York Jets quarterback.

Excerpt from nytimes.com (9/2/2012), "Sharing the Stage," Ben Shpigel.

Sharapova Recovers to Get into U.S. Open Quarters

"I always think that, no matter how you start the match, it's always how you finish. Whether it's an hour or whether it's three hours that you're out there, I don't want to give up until the last point. That's pretty much the mentality I try to have going into a third set."

--Maria Sharapova, discussing her return to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open for the first time since her championship year of 2006.

Excerpt from The Associated Press, Howard Fendrich, "Sharapova gets past Petrova in 3 sets at US Open." (9/3/12).

Peyton Manning's Rehabilitation Mindset

“To me, it’s like he hasn’t missed a beat. Not his attitude or his drive or his will. That’s why he’s been able to play so well for so long. It’s always full speed ahead when it comes to football. I’ve never seen him not do that. That’s workouts, off-season, on the football field, in practice.

“In that aspect, I knew that would always be there. I knew from throwing with him early in the off-season. It seemed like every time we threw, he got better.”

--Brandon Stokley, discussing Petyon Manning's comeback attempt this year following neck surgery. Stokley played four seasons with Manning in Indianapolis and worked out with him at Duke before joining the Broncos.

Excerpt from nytimes.com (9/1/2012). "Forward Progress For Peyton Manning, One Pass, Then Many Steps," Judy Battista.

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Razor Thin: The Difference Between Winning and Losing

My book, Razor Thin:  The Difference Between Winning and Losing, is finished.

This book is about excellence. Winners and champions are fascinating. Whether you are an athlete, a performance artist, or an ambitious businessman, this book is written for you. It is about the hard work and tenacity involved in winning and achieving greatness. Attaining success is difficult, few are able to achieve it, and fewer still are able to sustain it. This book looks at the greatest athletes and teams of our time and identifies the critical factors in their success. Many books discuss the personality factors involved in success, this book identifies the specific behaviors that make a champion.

Read it and enjoy. I think you will find it useful as well as entertaining.

Thanks to all my readers, past, current and future.

Click on the title above or here to get the book: Razor Thin: The Difference Between Winning and Losing.

Darwin Barney, Shift in Mentality and Preparation Pay Off

"A lot of it was positioning around the bag along with positioning pre-pitch.   It all goes together.  Along with that, it was just putting in the hours and accepting the mentality of trying to be perfect every day." 

--Darwin Barney, Chicago Cubs second baseman, talking about his improvement as a fielder.

Barney, 26,  is in his second full season as a Cub.  With only one fielding error in 112 games, he is widely considered to be the best defensive second baseman in major league baseball.  He made the switch from shortstop to second base only two years ago.  He is four years older that the Cubs' current shortstop, Starlin Castro, a rising star in his own right.  Without the switch, Barney would be playing behind Castro.  This way, both young stars can start.  Along with their first baseman, Anthony Rizzo, 23, this young Cubs' infield trio has the makings of a great combination.  

Barney last made an error on April 17, 2012 against the Miami Marlins.  With the help of Cubs' infield coach Pat Listach, a former American League rookie of the year (1992), Barney has improved greatly. Barney and Listach study hours of game film to determine hitters' tendencies and help Barney expand his range through thorough pre-game planning and in-game anticipation.

Are you working on your fundamentals this hard every day?


Excerpt from "At Second, at Least, Cubs Are a Force", Benjamin Hoffman column Keeping Score, nytimes.com (8/19/2012).

Building Good Chemistry: 2012 Team USA (Basketball)

Yes, they are the best basketball players in the world and they proved it.  But, as it played out, Team USA developed teamwork.  When they had to take on roles: scoring, defense, rebounding, passing etc., they found a way.  When they had to respond to pressure they responded as a team.  

"They really like one another," Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski said during training camp. "You can see it."

"The chemistry is good," LeBron James said. "It's great, honestly."

Remember, one of the reasons that the gap between America and the rest of the basketball world closed over the past 30 years was because everyone else sent together teams of grownups who had been playing together since they were teenagers, while the U.S. cobbled together squads, gave them a couple of weeks and tried to make the best of it.  International teams beat Team USA individuals.

Since, Jerry Colangelo and Mike Krzyzewski took over the program, the emphasis has been on teamwork and chemistry.

"When we're going overseas, we're playing against teams that have been together for a while," Kobe Bryant said. "So you have to have that chemistry and understanding of where you're going to be offensively, but especially defensively, knowing where guys are."

Team USA won the gold and teamwork is why.

To watch the Gold Medal game vs. Spain, click on:  http://www.nbcolympics.com/news-blogs/basketball/u-s-men-take-gold-from-spain-again.html?chrcontext=team-usa

Excerpts ESPN.go.com (07/13/2012).

Ryan Lochte Uses Visualization Techniques for Success (VIDEO)

The Michael Phelps Legacy: Changing the Sport of Swimming

“I wanted to change the sport and take it to another level.  

"It's kind of weird looking at this and seeing 'Greatest Olympian of All Time.' I finished my career the way I wanted to. It think that pretty cool."

--Michael Phelps, after collecting his 22nd Olympic medal and 18th gold as member of the USA men's 4x100 meter medley relay team. at the 2012 Olympics in London.

Missy Franklin, 17, who competed in seven swimming events in London, the most ever by a female Olympic swimmer, attributes her drive and ambition to Phelps, who made such a championship training regimen seem not only feasible but fun.

“He has done a world of difference for swimming,” Franklin said. “He has really brought swimming onto the scene and gotten so many more people involved. Just what he’s done is incredible, and he’s kind of made people rethink the impossible — rethink what they can do and how they can push themselves.”

She added: “I don’t think his shoes will ever be filled. I think his footsteps are huge. Hopefully, I can make little paths next to his.”
Le Clos, 20, said he watched Phelps win six golds and two bronzes at the Athens Olympics and was inspired to become a champion swimmer. It was not a coincidence that Le Clos swam six events in London, including the same four individual ones as Phelps. After watching Phelps win a record eight golds in Beijing, Le Clos added more events to his program to be like Mike. On Tuesday, he pulled off a monumental upset when he handed Phelps his first major international defeat in 10 years in the 200-meter butterfly.

“That’s why I was so emotional afterwards,” Le Clos said. “He was the reason I swam the butterfly. It’s not a joke. If you think about it, it’s kind of crazy.” He added: “That’s why I swim the 200 freestyle, both the I.M.’s. I don’t swim it for any other reason than just because Michael does.”

Phelps got choked up when he heard that he was Le Clos’s hero and role model, Bob Bowman, Phelps' long-time coach said. “It means Michael’s done what he wanted to do: affect the sport of swimming,” Bowman added.

Among those he turned back in the butterfly final was Milorad Cavic of Serbia, who nearly outtouched him in 2008. “I cannot be compared to Michael Phelps,” Cavic said. “I’m a one-trick pony. He does it all."

Excerpts from nytimes.com (08/04/2012). Crouse, Karen. "With One Last Gold, Phelps Caps Career That Inspired a Generation."

Texas Tech Running Back Has No Time for Mental Weakness

“I don’t have time to be mentally weak.  It’s my last year. Mentally I feel like I’m fine. It’s just a matter of getting the knee back to 100 percent.”

--Eric Stephens, senior Texas Tech running back, who dislocated his left knee and suffered a tear to the anterior cruciate ligament last season.

Stephens suffered the severe knee injury 10 months ago during a loss to Texas A&M. The subsequent swelling was so severe he wasn’t able to have surgery until late November. Ever since, all of Stephens’ energies have been focused on being ready for the start of his senior season.

“I’m about 95 percent right now,” Stephens said. “I’m not going to lie and say I’m 100 percent, but I’ll definitely be ready when the season starts.”

Tech coach Tommy Tuberville plans to have Stephens avoid any contact until near the end of preseason camp.  However challenging, Stephens will eventually have to clear the mental hurdle of cutting hard and taking hits to the knee.


Excerpt from lubbockonline.com (08/05/2012) at:  http://lubbockonline.com/sports-red-raiders-football/2012-08-05/stephens-i-dont-have-time-be-mentally-weak.  Article by Nick Cosmider, Lubbock Avalanche Journal, "Stephens:  I Don't Have Time to be Mentally Weak."