Are you Mentally Tough Enough?

From the Sports Performance Bulletin:
http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/are-you-mentally-tough-enough-42023

Good article explaining what mental toughness is and how it can be developed and improved.

Four factors that allow athletes to have mental toughness include:

1) Self belief -- an unshakable belief in your ability to achieve something.
2) Motivation -- an internal desire to succeed and to respond to setbacks with increased determination.
3) Focus -- an ability to concentrate only on the task at hand and completely ignores any distractions from others or from your own internal voices.
4) Composure -- regaining psychological control after any unexpected events or distractions.

A seven-step program to develop mental toughness would include:

1) Have the right attitude -- have confidence and stay positive, through thick and thin.
2) Develop your mind for success -- use visualization or mental imagery techniques.
3) Develop Good Habits -- develop systematic routines.
4) Develop poise and composure -- let go of mistakes and trust your stuff.
5) Control negative self-talk -- give yourself positive suggestions.
6) Know that failure can lead to future success -- stay focused on the process, not the results.
7) Be a Clutch Player -- be willing to step it up and do your best when it matters most.

RIP: Whitney Houston (1963 - 2012)

Whitney Houston (1963-2012) - Super Bowl XXV (1991) - The National Anthem of the United States

In Tampa. We were living right around the corner from the game basically. Giants versus Bills. Performed with the wonderful Florida Orchestra -- who we had the privilege to watch and listen to so many times, courtesy of my employer at the time, Raymond James (in a stadium that would later bear their name). With the shadow of the first Gulf War hanging over the nation, Whitney Houston takes the stage and just belts one right out the park. Nails the National Anthem like nobody I had ever heard before.

One of the most stirring and memorable renditions of all time. JUST BEAUTIFUL. I can hear it a thousand times and still get goose bumps.

RIP and God Bless Whitney Houston and her family and friends. Such a tragic, senseless loss.

Super Bowl XXV (Pregame) part 3



Another wonderful song, beautifully done.

Whitney Houston- "Battle Hymn Of The Republic"

Parcells Snubbed by HOF

Americas Game 1986 New Giants part (1).mp4

I could watch this documentary on the Giants 1986 season a million times and still get goose bumps. The Parcells-Simms relationship drama, the genesis of the Gatorade dump, the Parcells - Taylor marriage, the ups and downs of how a team is built under one of the biggest microscopes in sports.

At the time, I thought Parcells was the best coach I had ever seen (in some ways, I still do). He was the BCOPE (Best Coach on Planet Earth) to Barry Bonds' BPOPE (Best Player on Planet Earth).  Apparently, greater minds than mine disagree. For now.

Bill Parcells not elected to Hall of Fame
http://espn.go.com/blog/nfceast/post/_/id/35973/bill-parcells-not-elected-to-hall-of-fame

INDIANAPOLIS -- It was the first year in which former New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots and New York Jets coach Bill Parcells was eligible for election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, so the fact that he did not make it is not devastating. There's reason to believe he will get in eventually, but on Saturday night, he was not among the final candidates. Neither was former Cowboys great Charles Haley. My personal opinion is that they both should be in, but Parcells is the more surprising omission, so let's take a look at it.

I get some of the reasons stated, if they are what kept Parcells out, but some of the "logic" makes no sense at all.

Parcells should be in and Phil Simms should be in. You watch how fast the debate begins around "Is Eli a HOF QB?" now that he has two rings and Coughlin will be debated as a coaching candidate as well.

Folks forget that Simms has two rings as well, and he led the Giants team and organization through the wilderness.  They helped blaze the trail and lit the path for those that followed.

 It was a much tougher road traversed by the Simms - Parcells combo than Manning - Coughlin. And in many ways -- they actually made things easier -- if "easier" is a term that can be lightly tossed into a discussion about winning Super Bowls.

Hopefully, you get my point. If Manning - Coughlin are deemed worthy, I'm not sure why Simms and Pacrcells are meeting with such resistance.


Parcells 11 Comandments



Parcells on Responsibility
http://youtu.be/9ztDGM7qYj4

All quiet on Tim Lincecum contract front, but Giants say talks with Matt Cain have been “healthy, ongoing” | Extra Baggs

Good news for Giants fans. It seems like down the road we may have to reconcile the staff to include Lincum OR Cain rather than Lincecum AND Cain, but this may have pushed that date down the road a little bit.

Lincecum, Giants agreed to $40.5M, 2-year deal

http://www.northjersey.com/sports/012412_Lincecum_Giants_agreed_to_405M_2-year_deal.html



All quiet on Tim Lincecum contract front, but Giants say talks with Matt Cain have been “healthy, ongoing” | Extra Baggs:

"The Giants are known to prefer a four-year structure that would take Lincecum through arbitration and buy out his first two seasons of free agency. Lincecum’s camp has preferred a one- or two-year deal that would preserve his ability to hit the open market after the 2013 season, although they proposed an eight-year structure that the club had no interest in pursuing.

The Giants have been just as public in their desire to wrap up a long-term extension with Matt Cain, who is under contract for $15 million this season but will be a free agent at the end of the year. Unlike Lincecum, Cain isn’t tied to the arbitration schedule. So there was the assumption the Giants might wait until after they clear their arbitration docket (they have Angel Pagan, Melky Cabrera, Sergio Romo, NAte Schierholtz, Santiago Casilla and others to prepare for, too) before turning their attention to Cain.

But as Evans told me today, “Hey, I can multitask.”"

Report: Jets Rip 'Lazy' Sanchez

Paving the way for NY to become a "dual-Manning" town? Why not? The press will eat it up.

Report: Jets Rip 'Lazy' Sanchez:

A sampling of the criticisms:

- "He's lazy and content because he knows he's not going to be benched," said one player.

- "How can we when he's not improving at all?" another teammate said. "He thinks he is, but he's not. He has shown us what he's capable of."

- "So many games, he looked defeated before he ever took the field. He didn't have much confidence in what he was about to go do. ...He never felt comfortable with some of the things we were doing. It was too much for him," said a team source.

- "He just doesn't have the mental toughness to be great... especially in New York," added another source.

Ouch.

Hey, 99 Percenters, You Call This 'Fair'?

Too many people riding in the cart, not enough people pulling the cart. These 99% folks don't realize that they don't speak for about half of the people they think they do. Reality bites and it bites hard. Occupy a job.

Hey, 99 Percenters, You Call This 'Fair'? | Fox News:

A study by the New York City Independent Budget Office was released this week, and you didn't hear much about it in the mainstream media because it hurts their candidate's message.

"New York City has a little more than 8 million residents. Of those many millions, 1% -- ONE PERCENT -- pays 43% of the income taxes. You know how many people that works out to? About 35,000 people.

Picture in your mind's eye the City of New York, not just Manhattan, but all five boroughs. Imagine the throngs here right now enjoying the holidays. Think about the police presence, the sanitation, the schools brimming with children...East Side, West Side, The Village -- a hell of a town! 8 million people!

Now imagine Yankee Stadium, or any average Major League ballpark, and fill it except for the nosebleed seats. That tiny number pays almost HALF the operating costs for the city. How's THAT for fair?

Another kick in the head is that ten percent of New Yorkers pay 71% of the taxes. Guess how much income it takes to crack that ten percent?You don't have to be one of the millionaires or billionaires whom the Divider in Chief loves to vilify. You need not be an evil fat cat making $200,000 -- perish the thought! What's it take to crack the top ten percent in the most expensive city in America? $105,000. Yep, a buck five."

The top 1% of income earners, those who earn over about $400 thousand a year pay 40% of all the income taxes

*** FORTY PERCENT of taxes are paid by 1% of taxpayers ***

In other words, the government collects 40% of all the income taxes it gets from only 1% of the people who pay taxes.

The other 99% of taxpayers COMBINED only pay the other 60%.

And half of all adults DON'T PAY ANY INCOME TAX AT ALL.

If I have my math correct.

- The 1% pays 40% of the freight

Of the 99%

- 49.5% pay the Other 60%
- 49.5% PAY ZERO

Too many people riding in the cart, not enough people pulling the cart.

Raise taxes on the 49.5% of the free-loaders.

Is Eli the Greatest QB in Giants' History?

This is an interesting question. My wife asked me if Eli has made the leap over Phil Simms in my mind as the Greatest Giants QB of all time. And it was tough for me to answer.

Is Eli the Greatest QB in Giants' History?:

'via Blog this'

In the same way that the prior generations (my Dad) cling to Y.A. Tittle and Charlie Connerly as the best, for me, it comes down to the old saying "you never forget your first" and Phil Simms delivered the Giants first Super Bowl. Not only delivered it, but persevered in spite of many naysayers (the 'Simms Sucks' brigade) who continued chirping even up until the eve of of the Super Bowl. If you think that Tim Tebow has vocal (and sometimes irrational) doubters, you haven't spent enough time with full-throated Giants fans in unrequited heat.

So Simms will always be #1 in my heart, but Eli is slowly but surely building the case to be #1 if I'm leading with my head.

UPDATED: Giants reward Ryan Vogelsong with two-year contract plus option for 2014 | Extra Baggs

A long, frustrating road for Vogie, but he is being justly rewarded.

UPDATED: Giants reward Ryan Vogelsong with two-year contract plus option for 2014 | Extra Baggs:

"Vogelsong made it clear he wanted to commit to San Francisco after resurrecting his career with the same organization that drafted and developed him a decade earlier. Vogelsong arrived last spring as a minor league free agent and pitched so well in camp that he became the first line of defense when the Giants needed a starting pitcher. He came up to replace an injured Barry Zito in late April and never lost his spot in the rotation, finishing with a 13-7 record and 2.71 ERA that ranked third in the NL — better even than heralded rotation mates Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain.

Vogelsong, 33, also joined Lincecum and Brian Wilson on the NL All-Star team — a huge accomplishment for a pitcher whose career was sidelined by injuries and inconsistency. Before replacing Zito, Vogelsong hadn’t appeared in a major league game in almost five years, spending most of the interim in the Japanese leagues."

Miami Heat's LeBron James says he can relate to Denver Broncos' Tim Tebow - ESPN

From ESPN:
Miami Heat's LeBron James says he can relate to Denver Broncos' Tim Tebow - ESPN:

Strange that the two best comments about the Tebow craze have come from Ben Roethlisberger and LeBron James. Players get it. Better late than never.

""I can relate to him a lot. I see how the media plays it sometimes and how the critics go at him," James said. "To see him prove them wrong ... he continues to stay positive and move forward. You respect that."

In August, James came to Tebow's defense on Twitter during Broncos training camp. When several analysts criticized Tebow on ESPN, James wrote: "Tim Tebow will succeed in the NFL. He's a hard worker, a student of the game, a natural born leader and most of all a WINNER! It takes time and he'll be nice.""

Roethlisberger's quotes before the Pittsburgh - Denver playoff game:

"I don't think Tim's really calling ESPN and asking them to talk about him," Roethlisberger said. "I would assume his teammates understand it. It's a tough thing. It's the position we play."

Interestingly enough, LeBron took a drubbing among fans and some in the media for his stance.


From somewhere in the Twittersphere:
http://tsminteractive.com/lebron-james-tim-tebow-twitter/

Citing James’ own inability to win a championship and the way he fell apart while playing for the Miami Heat against the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA finals, Twitter’s version of the peanut gallery sprang into action.

A few examples:

ESPN’s Skip Bayless tweeted: “Can’t wait to talk about LeBron’s tweet about Tebow. If only LeBron could say that about himself …”

Chris Burke of SI.com tweeted: “Takes one to know … oh wait.”

And Fufu Pounder tweeted: “I wish I could say the same about U in 4Q.”

In a nutshell, without all the talk-show histrionics, here is the crux of the debate.

From YahooSports:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ms-silver_tim_tebow_broncos_steelers_suggs_elway010612

Earlier this week, Baltimore Ravens All-Pro pass rusher Terrell Suggs took some shots at Tebow on ESPN’s “First Take.” T-Sizzle expounded upon those thoughts during a phone conversation on Wednesday, saying he had nothing against the quarterback personally but felt that “he’s held to a different standard than the other 31 quarterbacks” in the NFL.

“I’m a Christian,” Suggs continued. “I have no problem with him being a Christian. But it’s like, you know, God forbid anybody say anything against Tim Tebow. Oh, we’re just giving him a hard time because he’s a Christian? No, that’s not it! We’re giving him a hard time because he went 6-and-22 for 60 yards!

“That’s terrible quarterbacking. Are you kidding me? Donovan McNabb had a game like that [early in the season] and got the hatchet. The hatchet! And we never heard from him again. And then Tim Tebow plays in a game where they need to win the AFC West, and he had a game like that, and we’re still talking about the Tim Tebow phenomenon?”

The MAJOR differences between the examples that Mr. Suggs cites are a) Tebow is WINNING despite his lousy stats and lousy mechanics, McNabb was not and b) Tebow is a YOUNG QB who is somewhat expected to have statistical ups and downs related to his youth and inexperience, McNabb was a VETERAN QB.

BIG DIFFERENCES THERE, CHIEF. But thanks for your insight.

When and if Tebow combine lousy stats with losing, Denver will pull the plug on him in a heartbeat or two. Rest assured about that my little Schadenfreuders. Until then, how about a healthy dose of STFU?

Sandoval Agrees to 3-Year Extension -- Details Here

Sandoval Agrees to 3-Year Extension -- Details Here:

The Giants and Pablo Sandoval have agreed to a three-year extension, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. The deal is worth $17.15MM plus incentives, Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News tweets. Morgan Advisory Group represents the 25-year-old third baseman.



Sandoval, who was arbitration eligible for the first time this offseason, had a projected $3.2MM salary for 2012 and would have been in line for raises in 2013 and 2014 via the arbitration process. The deal doesn't delay his free agency -- he's still on track to hit the open market after the 2014 season.