Sports

Temper your ‘inner Patton’

November 8, 2010
After the death of George Steinbrenner, people asked whether a lower-key approach by the New York Yankees owner could have accomplished just as much. Research suggests that you need a balance between drive and domination. Steinbrenner’s hero—surprise!—was Gen. George Patton.

The man who reinvented b-ball

August 13, 2010

Turned down in his bid for a National Basketball Association franchise in 1961, Harlem Globetrotters owner and coach Abe Saperstein formed his own league: the American Basketball League. The league folded after only 18 months, but one of Saperstein’s innovations—the three-point shot—caught on …

Where will you stand in the 5th inning?

August 13, 2010

The poet E. Ethelbert Miller recently published a memoir, The Fifth Inning, powered by one metaphor: that in baseball, the fifth inning can represent a complete game. Mostly, he takes stock of how to measure success:

A Bronx bomber

June 14, 2010

Former CBS CEO William Paley is considered a genius of television management, having helped make CBS the most-watched network each year from 1955 through 1976. But not everything Paley touched turned to gold.

Jockey Martin Garcia’s lucky break

June 14, 2010

When superjockey Martin Garcia won the Preakness Stakes in May—and with it the second jewel in horse racing’s Triple Crown—Terri Terry deserved a chunk of the credit. The deli owner in Pleasanton, Calif., had given Garcia a job in her kitchen years ago, and then took him to her ranch, where he leapt bareback on one of her mares. He was a natural.

James Brown’s road to Sunday afternoons

January 11, 2010

Sports commentator James Brown is driven by values that show up in his choices. Brown started early with a deeply religious upbringing that culminated at DeMatha Catholic High School, where he came under the influence of Morgan Wootten, the winningest coach in the history of high school basketball, whose values were: God first, family second, academics third and basketball fourth …

Leadership made of Pittsburgh steel

December 11, 2009

One definition of leadership is looking for what needs to be done and then doing it. By that definition alone, Tom Mawritz is a leader. The volunteer football coach from Pittsburgh has been coaching the South Allegheny Youth Football Association for four years even though he has no one related to him in the program. Aside from his dedication, some other aspects of Mawritz’s leadership:

Kenny Perry and life as a simple guy

March 13, 2009

PGA golfer Kenny Perry loves cars, golf, his family and his hometown of Franklin, Ky. His dream was to win at the Ryder Cup for Team USA. Perry got exactly what he wanted, and here’s how …

A bit of inspiration for slow starters

October 1, 2006
Baseball legend Willie Mays went 1 for his first 26 at-bats in the majors.