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“Just Thinking"
This week’s “Just Thinking” is based on a line from two of my favorites, Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper who were heard saying “well, hell just froze over” after Justin Verlander won his first game of the year and his first win as a Giant. Having gone winless in his first 16 starts and boasting a 0-8 record, he was not as bad as his record would have you believe, up until his last two starts, runs were hard to come by. His start against the A’s before the All Star break and the Blue Jays coming out of the break had me questioning weather or not he could come back, even in his 17 start, against the Braves he had a rough first inning, throwing 40 pitches and loading the bases, he was able to get out of it and settle down to chalk up the win. Up until this point Verlander’s greatest Giants moments were giving up 2 of Pablo Sandoval’s 3 home runs in game 1 of the 2012 World Series.
I don’t mean to diminish the accomplishments of Verlander, he has been a beast over the course of his career. This win was his 263rd career win, since coming up in 2005. He is a 9-time All Star, 2-time World Series Champion, AL MVP in 2011, ALCS MVP in 2017, he has won the AL Cy Young 3 times, has 3 no-hitters and will likely end up in Cooperstown 5 years after his last pitch.
What got me thinking was Kruk and Kipe’s line “Hell Froze Over”, it’s right up there with “When Pigs Fly” and “Do you Believe in Miracles”. Sports is a microcosm for life, discipline, failure, resilience, and the pursuit of something greater than yourself. Great coaches understand this, I have picked a few of my favorite quotes to reinforce my point.
Vince Lombardi, the legendary NFL coach.
"Individual commitment to a group effort – that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work." - "Confidence is contagious. So is lack of confidence." - "Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile." - "Fatigue makes cowards of us all." - "Winners never quit and quitters never win." – “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence."
Lou Holtz, the iconic football coach.
"I follow three rules: Do the right thing, do the best you can, and always show people you care." - "You were not born a winner, and you were not born a loser. You are what you make yourself be." - "Don't ever promise more than you can deliver, but always deliver more than you promise." - "No one has ever drowned in sweat." - "Adversity is another way to measure the greatness of individuals. I never had a crisis that didn't make me stronger." - "I never learn anything talking. I only learn things when I ask questions." - "Never tell your problems to anyone...20% don't care and the other 80% are glad you have them."
John Wooden, the legendary UCLA basketball coach.
"Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable." - "Failing to prepare is preparing to fail." - "Nothing will work unless you do." - "Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out." - "If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?" - "It's not what you do, but how you do it." - "Make each day your masterpiece." - "Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability."
Bear Bryant, the legendary football coach.
“When you make a mistake, there are only three things you should ever do about it: 1. Admit it. 2. Learn from it, and 3. Don't repeat it." - "If you believe in yourself and have dedication and pride – and never quit – you'll be a winner" - "The price of victory is high but so are the rewards." - "It's not the will to win that matters – everyone has that. It's the will to prepare to win that matters." - "There's a lot of blood, sweat and guts between dreams and success." - "Show class, have pride, and display character. If you do, winning takes care of itself." - "Never quit. It is the easiest cop-out in the world. Set a goal and don't quit until you attain it. When you do attain it, set another goal, and don't quit until you reach it. Never quit."
There are many more coaches and quotes that I could have pilled from, I have always loved Jimmy Valvano's quote “Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up”. Notice the consistency of the messages, hard work, never quite and the quality of character.
Let me know what you think.
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