Tip of the Week

Last month at Dartmouth College Roger Federer gave the graduation speech.  It has been seen and read by over a million people because his words were simple and timeless.  Here are his main points, briefly stated: “Effortless is a myth.” They say that about athletes as a compliment.  Everything takes work. “It’s only a point.”…

Hall of Fame slugger Reggie Jackson, in an open forum in Birmingham, Alabama, Thursday, was asked if he were a better person having come up through the city where Jim Crow laws existed and whether he was stronger after enduring the social inequities in Birmingham. “I paused for 30 seconds,” Jackson told USA TODAY Sports…

Bill Walton died recently.  In 1971 he had long hair.  He told Coach John Wooden that it was a principle for him and he was not going to cut it, even though it was a requirement of the team.  Wooden told him he admired people who had standards and who stuck to them – and…

On Memorial Day we remember with gratitude those who died in the service of our country.  They are the ultimate teammates, and for those who knew them, they are held in special memory.  We seek to be worthy of their friendship and sacrifice by how we live our lives.  The Code talks about the fact…

Golfer Scottie Scheffler was arrested and charged with four violations, one of them a felony.  Trying to get to the golf course, he drove his car around an accident scene disobeying a policeman.  He says it was a “misunderstanding.”  A policeman was injured in the incident, having been dragged by Scottie’s car. What does the…

You may have read about the controversy over Major League Baseball’s new uniforms.  If you’ve missed it, the controversy is about the material – apparently, it is so thin that you can see through it, so that what you see is whatever the player is wearing under the uniform.  Since the uniforms will be worn…

At a NHL hockey game last week the players waited for the opening whistle, and then rather than begin a hockey game, they began a fight.  We think that’s childish.  On the other hand, consider all the great positives that have come from women’s basketball this year.  We have read story after story of good…

We know we’re in the month of madness. The University of Houston had a 10 point lead with only 1:24 to go. Somehow they lost it, and found themselves in overtime. In overtime they found themselves without four of their five starters who had all fouled out – including their All-America point guard and Big 12 Player of…

There has been a lot of discussion about the Oscars – who would win what?   Some people think Hollywood is always praising itself, giving out awards in so many categories that it is all just an exercise in self-congratulating.  What do you think about giving out awards?  Should a young kid get a reward just…

The Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl but came in 31st out of 32 teams in the players’ assessment of the teams’ total environment (for details go to NFLPA.com).  The purpose of the survey is a positive one: “to highlight positive clubs, identify areas that could use improvement, and highlight best practices and standards.” …