THINK MENTAL MODELS

I remember when I was a bigger fan of Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger and read the graduation speech Munger made outlining how students should have a "latticework of mental models" I was so smitten by the brilliance and simplicity of the concept that I kept repeating the words in my head over and over.

You get an PhD. in the game of life if you can learn the concepts and models outlined in this site.

A neat illustrative story at the end demonstrates how these models blend together in how you are talking about playing bridge or playing baseball. Interesting parallels in terms of mind-set.


Think Mental Models website:
http://www.thinkmentalmodels.com/

“The better decision maker has at his/her disposal repertoires of possible actions; checklists of things to think about before he acts; and he has mechanisms in his mind to evoke these, and bring these to his conscious attention when the situations for decision arise.”
(Herbert Simon, Nobel Laureate)

How the exceptional mind works

According to Warren Buffett, his business partner, Charlie Munger has ‘the best 30-second mind in the world. He goes from A to Z in one move. He sees the essence of everything before you even finish the sentence’ (Forbes, January 22, 1996).

How does he do it?

Well, fortunately, Mr. Munger has explained his approach in lectures and books. Essentially, he thinks by using the BIG IDEAS from disciplines as diverse as physics and psychology. He has a list of these ideas (mental models) in his mind and quickly picks the one(s) applicable to the given situation, much as a pilot automatically goes through a checklist prior to take-off.

This website, inspired by the work of Charles Munger, provides over 100 models that can be brought consciously to mind to aid the thinking process.

Each model is described by at least one distinguished user. Examples include Warren Buffett, Richard Feynman, Robert Rubin and Peter Drucker, among others.

Wikipedia defines it as follows:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_model

A mental model is an explanation of someone's thought process about how something works in the real world. It is a representation of the surrounding world, the relationships between its various parts and a person's intuitive perception about their own acts and their consequences. Our mental models help shape our behaviour and define our approach to solving problems (akin to a personal algorithm) and carrying out tasks.

A mental model is a kind of internal symbol or representation of external reality, hypothesized to play a major role in cognition, reasoning and decision-making. Kenneth Craik suggested in 1943 that the mind constructs "small-scale models" of reality that it uses to anticipate events.

FROM CAPITALISMMAGAZINE.COM:
http://www.capitalismmagazine.com/culture/books-non-fiction/4669-Latticework-Mental-Models.html

Excerpt from Chapter I of "Investing: The Last Liberal Art" by Robert G. Hagstrom

A Latticework of Mental Models

How does one achieve worldly wisdom? To state the matter concisely, it is an
ongoing process of, first, acquiring the significant concepts--the models--from
many areas of knowledge and then, second, learning to recognize patterns of
similarity among them. The first is a matter of educating yourself; the second
is a matter of learning to think and see differently.

He challenged the students to broaden their vision of the market, of finance, and of economics in general; to see them not as separate disciplines but as part of a larger body of knowledge, one that also incorporates psychology, engineering, mathematics, physics, and the humanities.
In this broader view, he suggested, each discipline entwines with, and in the process strengthens, every other. From each discipline the thoughtful person draws significant mental models, the key ideas that combine to produce a cohesive understanding. Those who cultivate this broad view are well on their way to achieving worldly wisdom, that solid mental foundation without which success in the market--or anywhere else--is merely a short-lived fluke.

To drive his point home, Charlie used a memorable metaphor to describe this interlocking structure of ideas: a latticework of models. "You've got to have models in your head," he explained, "and you've got to array your experience-both vicarious and direct-on this latticework of models." So immediate is this visual image that latticework has become something of a shorthand term in the investment world, a quick and easily recognized reference to Munger's approach.

from the book: Poor Charlie's Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger
http://www.poorcharliesalmanack.com/intro3.html

The quotes, talks, and speeches presented here are rooted in the old-fashioned Midwestern values for which Charlie has become known: lifelong learning, intellectual curiosity, sobriety, avoidance of envy and resentment, reliability, learning from the mistakes of others, perseverance, objectivity, willingness to test one’s own beliefs, and many more. But his advice comes not in the form of stentorian admonishments; instead, Charlie uses humor, inversions (following the directive of the great algebraist, Jacobi, to “Invert, always invert”), and paradox, to provide sage counsel about life’s toughest challenges.

Charlie also employs historical and business case studies to great effect. In these presentations, he makes his points with subtlety and texture, often using a story-like context instead of abstract statements of theory. He regales his audience with humorous anecdotes and poignant tales, rather than with a blizzard of facts and figures. He well knows, and wisely exploits, the traditional role of the storyteller as purveyor of complex and detailed information. As a result, his lessons hang together in a coherent “latticework” of knowledge, available for recall and use when needed.

It is clear throughout these talks and speeches that Charlie places a premium on life decisions over investment decisions. His mental models, drawn from every discipline imaginable, recur repeatedly and, in no way, focus on “business portfolio strategy” or “beta” or “Cap M.” Rather, they center on fundamental truth, human accomplishment, human foibles, and the arduous path to wisdom. Charlie once said, “I wanted to get rich so I could be independent, like Lord John Maynard Keynes.” Independence is the end that wealth serves for Charlie, not the other way around.

HANDLING LOSSES IN AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE WINNING IS IMPORTANT:

"After all is said and done, learning to handle losses will be your greatest triumph." -- Robert Prechter.

More from Prechter:

There are many denials of reality which automatically disqualify millions of people from joining the ranks of successful speculators. For instance, to moan that "pools," "manipulators," "insiders," "they," "the big boys" or "program trading" (known today as "high-frequency trading" -- Ed.) are to blame for one's losses is a common fault.

Anyone who utters such a conviction is doomed before he starts. [My] observation, after eleven years "in the business," is that the biggest obstacle to successful speculation is the failure merely even to recognize and accept the simple fact that losses are part of the game, and that they must be accommodated.

The perfect trading system does not exist. Expecting, or even hoping for, perfection is a guarantee of failure. Speculation is akin to batting in baseball. A player hitting .300 is good. A player hitting .400 is great. But even the great player fails to hit 60% of the time! He even strikes out often. But he still earns six figures a year, because although not perfect, he has approached the best that can be achieved. You don't have to be perfect to win in the markets, either; you "merely" have to be better than almost everybody else, and that's hard enough.

---

I read an investment article recently from the Hussman Funds titled "Why Warren Buffet Plays Bridge" and it is especially appropriate to the craft of hitting in baseball in addition to long-term success in investing.

FROM HUSSMAN.NET:
http://www.hussman.net/wmc/wmc061127.htm

The reason relates to the story Buffet's mentor the legendary investor Benjamin Graham tells about the game of bridge. Focus on the process not the results.

"I recall to those of you who are bridge players the emphasis that bridge experts place on playing a hand right rather than on playing it successfully, Because as you know, if you play it right you are going to make money an d if you play it wrong you lose money - in the long run.

There is a beautiful little story about the man who was the weaker bridge player of the husband-and-wife team. It seems he bid a grand slam, and at the end he said very triumphantly to his wife 'I saw you making faces at me all the time, but you notice I not only bid this grand slam but I made it. What can you say about that?' And his wife replied very dourly, 'If you had played it right you would have lost it."

The author rightly observes that it takes restraint to play the game " the right way", with an established "discipline" or approach and let the law of averages work out in your favor. You don't try to win every hand. He describes having the right "temperament" to execute the "approach" and not deviate from it.

The same temperament and approach leads to success in baseball.

----

"Anytime you and I question the schemes of the do-gooders, we're denounced as being against their humanitarian goals. They say we're always "against" things — we're never "for" anything. Well, the trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so." - Ronald Reagan

My early season front-runner for Coach of the Year - Tom Walter

A great demonstration of a coach who doesn't just "talk the talk" about a team becoming a family or sacrifice. This guy "walks the walk" in a way that shows he has a true understanding of the concept of the servant-leader. It's easy for coaches to call for sacrifice in the name of team unity when the direction of the sacrifice is moving from others and towards enriching them. This coach stood tall when the equation was flipped in reverse.

According to the founder of the concept of servant leadership, Robert K. Greenleaf, a servant leader makes sure the highest priority needs of others are being met, which leads them to become "healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants. The goal of servant leadership is to serve others. You change yourself and then you change one person at a time. And the movement grows. The change you desire to see in the world begins with yourself. Coach Walter definitely fits the mold with his actions.

A truly remarkable story. I believe either the coach or one of the players parents referred to the circumstances that led to this as "divine intervention". Amen to that.

The most discouraging part of the story and evidence that the NCAA is an out of control bureaucracy is that the Wake Forest athletic department felt compelled to check-in and make sure that this selfless, benevolent act was in violation of the NCAA's rules regarding extra benefits to athletes.

Something is rotten in college sports in general and that organization in particular when an act like this could even remotely be considered questionable while at the same time it takes them years and years to see the wrongdoing surrounding athletes like Reggie Bush and (S)Cam Newton.

http://sportscasm.com/2011/02/10/wake-forest-coach-donates-own-kidney-to-one-of-his-players/

Coaches are often to do whatever it takes for their players. These kids are often like the coach’s own children. They not only see the kids as athletes, but as young people who need to be mentored and pointed in all the right directions.

Sometimes, however, coaches go above and beyond what anyone would expect. Such is the story of Wake Forest Baseball coach, Tom Walter, who gave one of his players his own kidney.
Wake Forest’s slogan for the baseball team in 2011 is “What are you willing to sacrifice to help make this team better?”Head coach Tom Walter’s intent was to have his players thinking about sacrifice bunts, moving runners over, and giving up personal glory to help the Demon Deacons improve as a team.

But what Walter chose to sacrifice is greater than simply hanging in on a curve ball and taking one for the team.

Walter gave up a kidney.

In a procedure performed Monday (Feb. 7) at the Emory Transplant Center in Atlanta, Walter had one of his kidneys removed and donated to Kevin Jordan, a freshman member of the Wake Forest baseball team.

Jordan suffers from ANCA vasculitis, a type of autoimmune swelling caused by autoantibodies. The immune system produces normal antibodies to fight infection in the body. However, an autoantibody is an abnormal antibody that attacks a person’s own cells. ANCA stands for Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Autoantibody and when these autoantibodies are present in the kidneys, it causes a leaking of blood and protein into the urine and eventually results in kidney failure.
Dr. Kenneth Newell, the lead surgeon on the team that removed Walter’s kidney, was pleased with the procedures.

“Both surgeries went very well,” said Dr. Newell. “We are pleased with how each patient is progressing. We expect each will recover fully.”

Wake Forest actually took to time to find out if the donation would have been considered an NCAA violation – a gift from a Wake Forest employee. Todd Hairston, associate athletic director in charge of compliance did some research. But it looks like the NCAA is willing to bend the rules on this one Deadspin reports:

Life's Lessons Learned at a Baseball Game

SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DON'T LISTEN TO YOUR L.L. COACHES

OK, follow me here.

When we coach kids, especially when they get to be older than 12-13, we ALWAYS tell them, "get in front of the ball", "knock it down", "make a play". And we reinforce it with a macho chaser like, "It's going to hurt more if you let it get past you, then if it hits you" implying that letting the team down is a fate worse than taking one in the jewels.

And thankfully, most of the time, the team moms are out of earshot when this advice is dispensed, because if they hear this type of Neanderthal mind-set spewed to their youngsters, you are pretty likely to go in front of the board or your A.D. and have your jobs on the line.

But here we will see how these life lessons taught and learned on the fields across America have lasting, life-long value. Even if the message occasionally get side-tracked or watered-down by today's P.C. / bull-spit environment.

I give you America's newest YouTube sensations:

The appearance on CBS The Early Show



Dude gets his manhood seriously questioned on National TV!!!

I mean that was painful to watch. He got raked pretty good by that overbearing Harry Smith, who appears like he should be the last one questioning anyones manhood, BTW. Is an appearance fee -- or a trip to NYC -- that valuable that you would subject a perfectly respectable young man from having to go through this sort of televised emasculation.

I mean, you can bail out like that if you are with one of your buddies and he takes one in the nachos or his beer gets splashed all over the yard. It's all good then, everyone's a hero - no losers - high-fives and laughs all around, you both end up on the Jumbo-Tron, nobody gets hurt. You buy the next round. ALL GOOD!!

But THIS!!!

Thank goodness they didn't go on The View. He might have had his genitals served up to him on a Shish Kabob. And they are the first ones to squawk about equality and spit. If that's the case, GF is on her own, right? Of course not. See how the messages get mixed?

So let this be a lesson to all the young men out there. Fellas, take one for the team. We got ice. The old horsehide will NEVER, EVER hurt you as much as this. I don't care where you get hit. His boys would be in better shape if he got nailed right in the package, then the way he bailed out on his women. And if you think appearing on national TV is going to help your chances with Ms. Future GF, think again son.



You're young, you'll learn but I'll tell you, girls talk, they share stories like this. You think the first video went viral fast, this one ought to leave that bad boy in the dust. Change your name, shave the goofy 'stache, maybe you'll get another chance.

This is getting world-wide attention.

FROM THE TELEGRAPH - IN ENGLAND - THEY JUST LOVE TO KICK THE COLONISTS WHEN WE'RE DOWN

'Cowardly' American baseball fan 'Bo the Bailer' caught on TV 'dodging foul ball'

An American baseball fan dubbed “Bo the Bailer” has become an internet hit after being caught on television ducking to avoid catching a ball hit into the stands that then struck his girlfriend.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7939554/Cowardly-American-baseball-fan-Bo-the-Bailer-caught-on-TV-dodging-foul-ball.html

And to the women, who at times question why we cling to the SEEMINGLY cavemen-like traditions that we do - PLEASE, SHUT-UP!!! Don't question how we raise the boys. It's for their own good. We know what we're doing and we also know that someday -- at a time and place not of our choosing -- something like this is going to happen to all of us.

This is Exhibit A in our case for why these traditions will not, can not and should not ever die.

See, I maintain that chivalry is not dead, it's just having it's head held underwater by goofy feminists. But you can never win, I guess. It's the world we live in nowadays.

THE INITIAL HIT - "BEAU THE BAILER"



I don't know, maybe it's me, I've been to tons of games and I've never come near catching a foul ball. I would be more likely to push my girl out of the way to GET TO the ball. This guy bails, lets his girl take the shot, and still gets the ball on the rebound.

Life's not fair.


NY DAILY NEWS ACCOUNT OF THE CBS INTERVIEW:

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/2010/08/12/2010-08-12_boyfriend_who_let_girlfriend_get_hit_by_foul_ball_dumped_but_couple_visits_cbs_e.html

The video of a young woman being struck by a foul ball at Monday's Houston Astros game when her boyfriend moved out of the way may have contributed to the couple's break-up.

Bo Wyble and Sara Saco-Vertiz, the pair who became famous on the internet after the video of the foul ball went viral, made a trip to New York on Thursday to appear on CBS' "Early Show," where they were interviewed by Harry Smith.

Towards the end of the interview, Smith asked if they were still together.

They looked at each other and giggled, before Saco-Vertiz said "I mean, it's not over because of the ball." Before she could continue, Smith cut her off, saying "There's more than we want to know."

The two admitted they moved up from their original seats at Minute Maid Park during the game between the Astros and the Atlanta Braves, to the seats where the foul ball landed.

Saco-Vertiz said the pain after the ball hit her was "a six out of ten."

Then, Wyble was given a stern lecture on chivalry by Smith.

"In normal human life, if a foul ball comes your way, you know what men do?," Smith said. "They stand up and they catch the foul ball. That's what men do."

"Oh," Wydle replied sheepishly.

Smith then gave Wydle a chance to explain himself.

"I stood up to catch it and when it got close, I lost sight of it, so I moved," Wyble said. "I figured she wasn't sitting still, I figured she had moved."

A couple seconds of awkward silence follwed before Smith incredulously asked "That's it? That's all you got?"

Wyble said if he had the chance to relive that night, he would stand in front of his then-girlfriend and let the ball hit him in the back.

The thin line between good and bad behavior in sports.....

One of the most interesting dynamics in youth sports is the interplay between the interests and motivations of parent, coaches and the young athlete to participate in youth sports programs.

There is a growing disconnect between the reasons for participation and the value received from participation that causes a natural and growing friction from each constituent in this "love-triangle" of sports.

Parents generally see participation as competition. There is a natural competition between the child and his peers, the child and himself and the parents themselves built into participation.

Kids generally see participation as an extension of their social network. Many are involves primarily because their friends are.

Coaches also see the games as competition and are stressed by attempting to balance their own need to win games versus the parents interest in their child's development and the child's need to develop athletically as well as socially.

This competition between the needs of each group provides much of the friction that comes between the groups as they interact with each other throughout the season. It sets up a circle of anger or frustration that can rapidly deteriorate into a vortex that sucks life out of a team and removes the joy of participation in the sport.

And as we can see by looking at the following column, if we are not continuously reminded to stay focused on the positive values and goals that come from participation, then it can be very easy to take the step over the line from good behavior to bad.

---------


From Pschology Today:

December 16, 2009, Evolutionary Psychology
The Morally Questionable Lessons of Formal Sports II: Moral Disengagement in the Drive to Win
How athletes justify cheating, lying, and deliberately hurting a person.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/200912/the-morally-questionable-lessons-formal-sports-ii-moral-disengagement-in-t


1) What is disturbing here is the the link between the length of time participated in sports and the moral justification of bad behavior.

2) Interesting as well that this behavioral process is no longer seen a gender-specific. It is no longer "boys will be boys". Apparently, the march to equality brings with it some unwanted baggage for the Title IX-ers.

Maria Kavussanu, at the University of Birmingham, in the UK, has for a number of years been studying sports morality. In one of her studies many college basketball, soccer, rugby, and field hockey players admitted (on anonymous questionnaires) to lying, cheating, and deliberately injuring others within the context of the game.[1] Interestingly, she also found that the longer a person had been playing formal sports, the more likely they were to say that such behaviors are justifiable. This relationship between time in sports and acceptance of transgressions applied to women as well as well as to men, though the former claimed less acceptance of such behaviors, overall, than did the latter.

There is some good news here as well. But this study demonstrates that the onus may belong on the coach, as the pack leader, to model and demonstrate the proper values.

Other researchers, studying youth football (soccer) in Norway, have found that the degree of acceptance of such behavioral transgressions depends on the "motivational climate" set by the coach.[2] If the coach emphasizes the importance of winning, then acceptance of morally questionable actions goes up; if the coach emphasizes the joys of the game, good sportsmanship, and the value of developing your own personal skills, then acceptance of such transgressions goes down.

This part of the article is fascinating as well in a very chilling and disturbing way. If you look at the reason cited for the concept of "moral disengagement" to justify unsportsmanlike behavior, they are eerily similar to the behavior slide cited by Dr. Philip Zimbardo in "The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good people Turn Evil", Stanley Milgram's "Obedeince to Authority" and to a some extent Hannah Arendt's book "Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil".

So the same psychological and situational issues that led to Holocaust, the Stanford Prison Experiment, the abuses at Abu-Gharab, etc. are at work to explain the prevalence of bad behavior in sports.

 LOVELY!!!

In subsequent research, Kavussanu and her colleagues found that athletes used eight psychological means of moral disengagement to justify their transgressions, both to themselves and others.[3] Here they are, with my own examples to illustrate them:

• Moral justification (describing the transgression as morally right, not wrong). "I had to do it to protect my team's honor. We're not patsies."

• Euphemistic labeling (using language that disguises culpability). "I bent the rules a little," instead of "I broke the rules." Or, "I dusted him off," instead of, "I deliberately hit him with a pitched ball."

• Advantageous comparison (comparing your actions to others' worse actions, which make yours look good). "I hit him, but I didn't throw at his head, like others would have in this situation."

• Displacement of responsibility (claiming that your action was not your choice, but that of a higher authority). "It was the coach's decision; my job is to do what the coach asks."

• Diffusion of responsibility (attributing the action to the whole group rather than yourself personally). "It wasn't just me; the whole team charged the pitcher."

• Distortion of consequences (minimizing the damage done). "Hey, it's a small injury; he'll be back in no time."

• Dehumanization (speaking of the opposition in ways that deny their humanity). "They're a bunch of animals. When you play them you have to treat them that way."

• Attribution of blame (blaming the victim). "He started it with his trash talk." Or, "If he's got a weak ankle he shouldn't be playing."

Bad news in the 'burbs

From the Daily Herald:

Youth sports leagues find fewer suburban kids are signing up to play

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=358994

Many experts and coaches blame the computer and video games for a decrease in softball and baseball enrollment this year.

And while the finger can be pointed at everything from the recession to competition from other sports, experts increasingly are blaming children's habitual video game playing as a key reason why droves are ignoring America's No. 1 pastime.

And the better children get at video games and more used to the fast-paced action they get, the less likely they'll give them up to play the real game, experts say.

"Instead of going out to play sandlot baseball, kids today are content to sit in front of a computer to play a video game," said Rich Honack, a professor at Kellogg School of Management.

Studying generations, he says his data shows the computer is the reason for the decrease in kids playing competitive sports.

It seems like this may have more to do with the economy but if the DH wants to knee-jerk it into a "TV / video games causing the downfall of the country" thing than who am I to argue with them?

The "experts" have been blaming video games since "Pong", "Pac-Man" and "Super Mario" were de-rigeur.

I completely agree with them here however.

Rizzo agrees that video games are playing a part in the demise. "My concern is if kids aren't playing baseball," he said, "they're likely doing something that could get them in trouble."

He believes parents must take a more active role in assisting their children in finding physical activities.

"Parents have to reassert control," said Shifrin, who serves on a council studying the impact media has on the health of children.

"I'm concerned with any statistic that decreases a child's physical activity."

If team enrollment figures are declining, he says, parents need to be aware. "It's a wake-up call."

And here.

And when kids are in front of the computer or texting for countless hours, there are other negative consequences. Children are failing to learn life lessons about achieving goals, building esteem, the commitment it takes to be on a team as well as how to interact with others.

"Social skills are lacking in these kids," Honack says.

Another fear is what will happen to sports teams at higher levels?

"I'm hearing that this trend is already creeping into the high school level," Honack said. "The numbers are dropping everywhere. It has no boundaries."

Again, the cuts at the HS level, in most cases, are due to budgetary / economic considerations more than the kids interest levels.

I agree with most of the conclusions, I just think the emphasis on the reasons for the decline are a bit misplaced. There is no need to over-hype this issue.

Actually in this area, I applaud Mrs. Obama's efforts to "reach across the aisle" and work with former Arkansas governor and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee to work on the issues of childhood obesity.

She could teach the President a couple of things about how things can get done in Washington.

The Larger Lessons from Tiger Woods / Michael Vick fall from grace (and possible redemption)

IT SEEMS FAIRLY EASY, RIGHT?!? - TEN SIMPLE RULES TO FOLLOW. - WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?!?

If we review both cases, we can see from the stunning story lines of both athletes rise and fall from grace a similar, oft-repeated path in their lives--a road-map if you will--that can provide some larger life lessons for those who deal in sports at the youth level.

Sometimes, these negative stories can provide valuable examples of what we need to look out for and prepare for to prevent similar occurrences in the future.

We preach how sports participation can help provide a moral framework for parents to pass on to our children and yet we hear the arguments over whether participation in sports DEVELOPS character or whether it in fact REVEALS character. A nature/nurture type of debate.

Some of the research coming out has pointed in the direction that--in the early stages of participation at the youth level--sports can be a valuable tool to teach strong values that kids can use throughout their lives. As athletes travel further and further up the ladder into the professional ranks however, these values are eroded and deteriorate.

We need to find out why this happens so we can figure out how to avoid this erosion and deterioration in the future. We can't of continually bang our heads against the wall in frustration, continually doing the same things over and over and expecting different results (definition of INSANITY alert).

I submit that the examples provided in the Michael Vick and Tiger Woods sagas provide classic, text book examples of how we get into this mess and how we can get out.

CONFORMING TO THE WORLD'S VIEW OF RIGHT AND WRONG SEEMS TO LEAK IN - TIME AND AGAIN. - RIGHT ?!?

In Michael Vick's example, we find that when Tony Dungy began his involvement with Vick he asked him point-blank "Where was the Lord when all this was happening?"

Vick's respose was very telling.

http://www.bpsports.net/bpsports.asp?ID=6088

Dungy said Vick told him about going to church almost every week with his mother in Virginia and knowing there was a God. He said Vick talked to God while growing up and continued to pray during college at Virginia Tech.

But when he finally made it to the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons, his faith and his life took a turn for the worse.

"Michael said he felt God had answered his prayers by getting into the NFL and maybe he didn't really need Him anymore."

Let's review the key points:

- In the early years, he had a strong value system in place.

- As he advanced, he drifted away from that value system.

- He felt he didn't need it anymore once he reached a certain level.

Now we see that Michael Vick is continuing on the proper path and hopefully he will stay on this path the rest of his life.

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/at-super-bowl-breakfast-michael-vick-talks-about-faith

Vick spoke standing beside Dungy before 1,100 fans, in his first-ever retelling of the role faith played in his life at the maximum security prison in Leavenworth, Kansas.

"I wanted to redeem myself," Vick said. “Pre-incarceration, it was all about me. When I got to prison, I realized I couldn’t do it anymore. The one thing I could rely on was my faith in God."

--------

From the Tiger Woods apology:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/02/19/tiger.woods.transcript/index.html

I knew my actions were wrong. But I convinced myself that normal rules didn't apply. I never thought about who I was hurting. Instead, I thought only about myself. I ran straight through the boundaries that a married couple should live by. I thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to. I felt that I had worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me. I felt I was entitled. Thanks to money and fame, I didn't have far -- didn't have to go far to find them.

I was wrong. I was foolish. I don't get to play by different rules. The same boundaries that apply to everyone apply to me. I brought this shame on myself. I hurt my wife, my kids, my mother, my wife's family, my friends, my foundation, and kids all around the world who admired me.

I've had a lot of time to think about what I have done. My failures have made me look at myself in a way I never wanted to before. It is now up to me to make amends. And that starts by never repeating the mistakes I have made. It is up to me to start living a life of integrity.
I once heard -- and I believe it is true -- it's not what you achieve in life that matters, it is what you overcome. Achievements on the golf course are only part of setting an example. Character and decency are what really count. Parents used to point to me as a role model for their kids. I owe all of those families a special apology. I want to say to them that I am truly sorry.

Part of following this path for me is Buddhism, which my mother taught me at a young age. People probably don't realize it, but I was raised a Buddhist, and I actively practiced my faith from childhood until I drifted away from it in recent years. Buddhism teaches that a craving for things outside ourselves causes an unhappy and pointless search for security. It teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint. Obviously, I lost track of what I was taught.

Again, virtually the same story,

- Once he got to a certain level of success, the value system eroded and he became disconnected from them.

"I knew my actions were wrong. But I convinced myself that normal rules didn't apply."

"Obviously, I lost track of what I was taught"

- He became self-centered.

"I thought only about myself."

- He was able to justify his behavior to himself because of who he was and what he accomplished.

"I ran straight through the boundaries that a married couple should live by. I thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to. I felt that I had worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me."


We hear a lot about how important these guys are as role models to kids and how sports participation itself is important to kids growth and development. Then we get these rich, powerful teaching moments and what are the top issues the MSM puts the focus on?

- Why wasn't the media allowed to ask questions?

Who cares? Irrelevant!! And yet, that was one of the lead issues these whiny babies brought to the fore. Why were we left out?

- A lot of useless speculation on what he said, what he didn't say, what he should have said, what he was wearing, not wearing, blah,blah,blah,blah,blah.

Who cares? Most of it useless, pointless speculation based on the talking-heads own biases and experiences. Sorry Chief, YOU ARE NOT Tiger Woods!!!

- A lot of useless speculation based on what Elin should do or not do.

Again who cares? That's between Elin and Tiger. I wish them the best of luck. It's pointless speculation from dim-witted talking heads who haven not heard her position in the first place and can not even do enough research to properly pronounce her name. But we should accept that they know exactly what she should or should not do, or will or will not do about such a personal matter. We don't care what you would do, YOU ARE NOT Elin Woods!!!

- The lack of acceptance of said apologies offered by the self-appointed heads of Forgiveness Nation (the MSM). In most cases, this is after the MSM hounds the athletes publicly to ISSUE an apology!!!

WOW!! How forgiving is that? The lame-stream media refuses to accept Tiger's apology since they didn't get a chance to run the inquisition...UH press conference. That's a good example to set for kids. Tiger crafts one of the most complete and comprehensive public apologies yet offered, when in fact--he only needs to apologize to his wife and family--and the media spits on it. Yeah buddy, that's where I want to get my values from--the mass media. Let's stop asking any of these guys to apologize publicly if the self-appointed representatives of public opinion are going to reject all of them. What do they want, for someone to come out and slit their own throats? Oh, wait a minute, that would probably help ratings, wouldn't it?

If they were really concerned about the effect that Tiger's actions had on fans or on the nations youth and anyone else foolish enough to IDOLIZE him or any other athlete (Charles Barkley looking smarter every day) then at least be concerned and intelligent enough to present the core issues that seem to be common and recurring every time the story is told.

- Don't forget who you are or where you came from.
- Don't compromise your values--they were good enough to get you there, they should be good enough to keep you there.
- Build your house on solid rock not on sand.
- Don't let the ways of the world change your value system.
- Your value system requires daily care and maintenance, no matter who you are and what you have accomplished. The high and mighty simply have further to fall.

I guess I expect too much out of the Mainstream Media. It seems so simple, really.

Does the stock market imitate baseball?

BULLS OR BEARS? FUNDAMENTALS OR TECHNICALS? SCOUTS OR STATS?


Fundamentals or Technicals, that is the question.
Is DOW 10,000 an important psychological number or just a number?
Time will tell.

FROM MARKETWATCH.COM

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/traders-mark-50-retracement-for-sp-500-2009-10-14

Yet traders who rely on technical analysis were focused on a different number and index. Specifically, 1,121 on the S&P 500 (SPX 1,088, +14.37, +1.34%) , another popular benchmark to take the market's pulse. Chart watchers have marked 1,121 for the S&P 500 as a crucial point because it represents a 50% retracement of the epic market crash that played out between October 2007 and March 2009. The 50% level is a favorite among traders because stocks have historically tended to move even higher once they clear that hurdle. Retracements of 38.2% and 61.8% are other key points, based on the Fibonacci series. 'Important level' The 50% retracement level of 1,121 is the midpoint between the S&P 500's all-time high of 1,576 in October 2007, and the bear-market low of about 666 in early March.

In regard to the lingering Moneyball debate of employing statistical analysis vs. old-school scouting of physical tools to evaluate players, I do see a bit of a parallel. The stock market has its own philosophical divide in the battle between those who employ fundamental analysis and those who believe in technical analysis to guide their evaluation of the market and how to trade.

And why not? Michael Lewis, the author of Moneyball, previously wrote "Liar's Poker" which was about the financial industry and the big money players on Wall Street.

I think one of the lessons that baseball should have been learned from Moneyball was not to rely on just one method or the other, but an intelligent blending of the most effective information obtained from both methodologies. They complement rather than compete with one another.

One of the lessons learned the hard and expensive way from the recent market collapse was being blind or ignorant to the signals given by one methodology that are not looked at through adherence to the other can lead to repeated errors and frustration.

For what it's worth, my predictions for the market:
The DOW reaches 11,300
The S&P500 reached 1,295

mainly because,

The Dollar Index continues its slow death spiral and moves from $75 to $65. But hopefully, it does so in an orderly fashion. Doesn't that sound like how one would exit a burning building?

"The dollar worth less (two words) on the road to worthless (one word)"

The Treasuries are about to get their come-uppance with
The 30 year rising from 4.25% to 4.75% or higher shortly. Get your refi or your mortgage now, people.

which dovetails to,

Oil rising from $75 to $95 on the road back to triple digits.
Gold marches from $1,050 to $1,300--but it is....
Silver that shines brightest moving from $17.50 to $25
Ag Prices will rise with the Goldman Sachs Ag Index rising from 325 to 400
The CRB index rises from 270 to 320

So if you eat it, fuel your vehicle with it, produce anything with petroleum products, or use dollars to buy it, it will be more expensive in the future.

And tell your damn CPI to shut the heck up.

If the frauds in government had not criminally manipulated that statistic to rip off grandma and grandpa's Social Security cost of living adjustments, then we wouldn't be offering them $250 dollar "guilt" checks after the fact now would we?

These can't be any worse than my baseball predictions, can they?

Enjoy DOW 10K while you can folks, because we will ALL surely pay for it in the future. Let the great shell game of life continue.

More Participation Fees = Less Participation

Today it is hard to find an area of society that has not been adversely affected by the current economic turbulence we are experiencing.

Many schools districts are charging students "pay to play" fees for participation in high school athletics and extra-curricular activities. This is not necessarily a new phenomena but it appears to be on the increase. Some schools are going further and reducing the number of contests or eliminating programs entirely.

This news report is typical of what is going on throughout the nation.

http://www.leadertelegram.com/story-news.asp?id=BL0CF5CT0M8&userid=d1a38dbaf3c5c3b7d2fad43e9b99a392&messageid=558

Fewer Eau Claire public high school students will participate in athletics this fall after the school board raised fees for nearly all sports.

District officials can't say for certain that the $100 hike in all but one fall sport is the only reason student participation at Memorial and North high schools is down this year.

One can assume that the participation fees are the smoking gun that is leading to less participation. It's simple economics. The problem is many of these school boards and districts use the athletics program and sometimes the entire extra-curricular activities as hostages to extract higher property taxes to fund school district overall.

Now we know intuitively the positive benefits that these programs bring to our kids. To say nothing of the way it can bring communities together in pursuit of a common goal or shared experience.

Numerous studies have shown the positive life lessons passed on to our youth via these programs including: teamwork, leadership and perseverance. Other studies show that these intrinsic values lead to more positive results in areas such as improved grade-point average, improved chance of college acceptance and greater economic success later in life.

To say nothing of its affect in combating childhood and adolescence obesity and involvement in gang activity or recreational drug use.

Why does school board after school board take the short-term budgetary fix to the problem instead of tackling the root causes of their budget mess, which generally has little or nothing to do with athletics and extra-curricular activities?

Isn't taking short cuts something we encourage our kids not to do as an overriding life lesson? So why do we tell them one thing and then demonstrate with our actions something entirely different?

We need to more to defend our children from this creeping incompetence that is attacking this high school sports and all extra-curricular activities.

Lying to ourselves is more deeply ingrained than lying to others.
– Fydor Dostoyevsky, Russian novelist (1821-1881)

As this story from USA Today from 2004 shows, this is hardly a new issue:

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/preps/2004-07-29-pay-to-play_x.htm

Pay-to-play programs began in the 1970s and grew in the '80s and '90s, according to Scott Smith, assistant professor for sports management at Central Michigan University. "Now, as education budgets shrink, more and more schools are trying them," he says. "It's a national phenomenon."

Smith says user fees can be found in city, suburban and rural districts but are most common in suburbs, where parents are accustomed to paying fees for travel soccer and basketball teams.

Smith studied the issue of how much participation rates fall at schools charging user fees."When the fees are small, $50 or $100, participation rates don't go down much," he says. "When fees are high, more than $300, they drop noticeably," sometimes by a third or more. Fairfield officials are anticipating a drop of about 35%.

And there has been some push back, but apparently not enough over the last five years or so. I'm not sure I understand the logic of paying it so your taxed don't rise, when in most cases they appear to rise anyway, but what do I know?

In Fairfield, city of warring acronyms, Arnold Engel is founder of CARE — Citizens for Accountability and Results in Education. The group has succeeded in helping to vote down three levies since 2001.

Engel says he opposes a rise in taxes because he believes the school district does not spend its money responsibly. Superintendent Robert Farrell disputes Engel's charge. "We're fiscally responsible," he says. "We spend 14% less than the state average" per-pupil.

Engel says he does not oppose the pay-to-participate plan. "The only reason to cut sports and extracurriculars is to blackmail the public to pass the levy," he says. Engel's son Josh, a rising sophomore, was in the band last school year. Engel has not paid $350 for his son to return to the band, but he says that has to do with scheduling issues rather than cost.

Lee Maloney, another CARE member, says he plans to pay $630 for his son Jeff, a rising senior, to run track in the spring: "I'd much rather pay it than raise taxes and force senior citizens to move out."

MIRACLE GAME-CHANGING SHOT ENDS GAME

YOU HAVE MAIL: THIS MESSAGE IS TO SOMALI PIRATES, FROM THE U.S. NAVY SEALS, YOU'RE GOING TO NEED A HARDER HAT THAN THAT, BITCH!!!

From the story title, you probably think this is about the heroics of a Lebron James or Kobe Bryant or any one of a number of athletes who are lionized for their ability to perform in the clutch.

Under normal conditions it would be. I always marvel at the ability of these guys to come through for their teams under though situations. We define it as clutch situation. There's nothing better you can say about a player than he comes through in the clutch.

A lot of guys don't even want to be in the position of taking the last shot to win or lose a game for their team. So we elevate the guys who step up and accept the responsibility of winning or losing a game on their shoulders.

I don't want to get to Barkley-esque but the real-life heroes revealed themselves far away from home--outside of Somalia--in what will be known as the "Easter Miracle" for more than just the family and friends of Capt. Richard Phillips.

Three Navy SEAL snipers stepped up and took the last shot--in a game of life or death for Capt. Phillips--and the GOOD GUYS WON.

The details of the game changer can be found here and they are phenomenal:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/04/13/somalia.rescue.breakdown/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

In the end, it was a single moment that brought the hostage crisis to its dramatic finish.

Three gunshots. All three fatal. Fired in the dark by three specially trained U.S. Navy SEALs as the pirates' boat rocked in the water off Somalia.

"Phenomenal shots -- 75 feet away," said Navy Vice Adm. Bill Gortney, who oversees the region.

Even with the small boat "moving up and down a couple of feet," the SEALs hit their targets. "Remarkable marksmanship," Gortney said.

This was a last second shot in a high stakes game of life of death and these guys took it and made it.

In his CNN commentary, Bob Greene asks the question "where heroes like this come from":
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/04/13/greene.seals/index.html

Part of it is adherence to the following creed.

"My loyalty to country and team is beyond reproach. I humbly serve as a guardian to my fellow Americans, always ready to defend those who are unable to defend themselves. I do not advertise the nature of my work, nor seek recognition for my actions. I voluntarily accept the inherent hazards of my profession, placing the welfare and security of others before my own. I serve with honor on and off the battlefield. The ability to control my emotions and my actions, regardless of circumstance, sets me apart from other men. ... In the absence of orders I will take charge, lead my teammates and accomplish the mission. ... I will never quit. I persevere and thrive on adversity. My nation expects me to be physically harder and mentally stronger than my enemies. If knocked down, I will get back up, every time. I will draw on every remaining ounce of strength to protect my teammates and to accomplish our mission. I am never out of the fight."

They may not want the adulation that we instead shower on our "heroes" in the sports world, but events like this show that they will always deserve it.

Loyalty beyond reproach....
humble service as guardian to their neighbors....
defender of those unable to defend themselves....
service with honor.....

We know that there are arenas where kids are learning lessons like these all over the country.

We know that those, like the Somali pirates will never be able to match the strength of character--that comes from righteousness of mission--that these guys have. In the aftermath, in some strange, perverted, twisted logic they continue to shake the stick at America for their "aggression" in rescuing a kidnapped hostage.

Sorry, save that speech for the United Nations, if you dare. The Navy delivered a message that even the historically docile French seem to understand. The best way to handle bullies and thugs is to stand up and smack them across the mouth.

What a wonderful world-view these folks seem to have. We seem like we would have a lot in common. I'm sure we could negotiate with knuckleheads like this, perhaps we could begin with no preconditions and a blame the U.S.-first apology chaser.

NO THANKS. I'LL TAKE THE NAVY SEAL APPROACH, IF YOU PLEASE.

At times we may question where we will find the likes of these young Navy SEALS, I would just say this Easter, Thank God they are on our side.

IF YOUR SCORING AT HOME, IT'S U.S. NAVY 4, SOMALI PIRATES 0.

MARCH CANDIDATE(S) FOR COACH OF THE YEAR

I had a really tough time with this one with two great candidates. But the solution was easy, co-winners.

FROM MARCH MADNESS TO FILLING SANDBAGS IN FARGO N.D.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2009/03/25/sports/BKC-Tim-Dahlberg-032509.php

1st Candidate: Coach Saul Phillips, North Dakota State basketball coach.

Thousands of people from all walks of life, many of them with vivid memories of the disastrous 1997 floods, are racing around the clock to keep the city dry. With school canceled, students are stacking sandbags, while others are taking time off from work to do what they can to help.

Working right alongside them, shovel for shovel, are coach Saul Phillips and the Bison basketball team.

The coaches quote at the end of the story says it all and transcends wins and losses.

"If this is our country's future," Phillips said, "then we're in awfully good shape."

We hear a lot about spoiled, self indulgent, self centered athletes at this level and beyond.

We hear a lot about the missteps and mistakes that go with competing in this type of high stakes, big money atmosphere.

We generally do not hear enough about kids like this, doing things like this. Humble service to their community in its time of need.

The North Dakota State fans provided support to he team in its time of need and the players are now able to return the favor. They will learn more and gain more value out of the work they are doing at home than they could have learned if they were still playing in the tournament.

Great job Coach Phillips.
-------------

KANELAND H.S.(IL) BASEBALL HONORS TEAMMATE:
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=281987

PHOTO GALLERY FROM DAILY HERALD:
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=281983

2nd Candidate: Brian Aversa, Kaneland High School, baseball coach

The sun made an appearance in Maple Park only moments after the Kaneland baseball team honored a fallen son.

"It didn't feel whole out there today," Kaneland coach Brian Aversa said. "We felt like we were missing something."

After a pre-game ceremony in which the Knights retired the No. 41 jersey of Jeff Malewig, Kaneland put on a near-flawless performance against visiting Burlington Central Thursday afternoon.

Jeff Smith and Steve Colombe combined on a 3-hit shutout as the Knights opened the season with a 6-0 victory over the Rockets.

Malewig and fellow senior Blake Denton were killed in car accident last December while on the way to school.

Malewig would have been the starting second baseman for the Knights this spring, and one of many tributes to his memory was the team vacating his position in the top of the first inning.

From my experience as a coach I know that many times you get tunnel vision and so immersed in wins and losses and competing for championships that you forget what is really important in life. The Kaneland baseball family suffered a loss greater than any they will suffer from an opponent this year: the loss of a player.

Kudos to Coach Aversa for allowing his players and school to take the time to honor and remember their teammate.
----------------
So now there are four:

So here we go, the early candidates for Coach of the Year:
January - JEREMY CIVELLO, DALLAS ACADEMY (TX) HS
February - DAVE ROHLMAN, DEKALB (IL) HS
March - SAUL PHILLIPS, NORTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY
March - BRIAN AVERSA, KANELAND (IL) HS

MY SECOND CANDIDATE FOR COACH OF THE YEAR

Dakalb (IL) HS coach Dave Rohlman now becomes February's candidate for Coach of the Year after demonstrating that he gets it. That being a coach is about more than wins and losses. It once again demonstrates the power of sports to offer opportunities to teach important life lessons that transfer beyond the field of play. We need more coaches like Coach Rohlman that are able to recognize those opportunities and have the strength of character to do the right thing.

So here we go, the early candidates for Coach of the Year:
January - JEREMY CIVELLO, DALLAS ACADEMY (TX)
February - DAVE ROHLMAN, DEKALB (IL) HS
--------------

http://sports.espn.go.com/highschool/rise/basketball/boys/news/story?id=3914375

Two missed free throws, ordinarily the cause of a coach's headache, became the symbol of sportsmanship in a Milwaukee boys' basketball game earlier this month.

Milwaukee Madison senior Johntell Franklin, who lost his mother, Carlitha, to cancer on Saturday, Feb. 7, decided he wanted to play in that night's game against DeKalb (Ill.) High School after previously indicating he would sit out.

He arrived at the gym in the second quarter, but Franklin's name was not in the scorebook because his coach, Aaron Womack Jr., didn't expect him to be there.

Rules dictated Womack would have to be assessed a technical, but he was prepared to put Franklin in the game anyway. DeKalb coach Dave Rohlman and his players knew of the situation, and told the referees they did not want the call.

(click link to read the rest of the story)

100-0 COACH FIRED

"Baseball is like church. Many attend, few understand." -
Leo Durocher

This quote comes to mind in the aftermath of The Covenant School-Dallas Academy debacle. Reading some of the comments that attempted to defend this type of behavior and the coaches comment that follow indicate that indeed, many are involved in youth sports as coaches, but few understand what their true purpose as coaches are: To develop the player as a person as much as their sports skills. To win on and off the court.

As reported in the Dallas Morning News, the coach of The Covenant School who ran up the score on an over-matched Dallas Academy team - Micah Grimes, was fired. But not for running up the score, instead Coach Grimes was fired for not apologizing for the offense along with the school.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/012609dnspocovenantnu.2781526.html

"I respectfully disagree with the apology, especially the notion that the Covenant School girls basketball team should feel 'embarrassed' or 'ashamed,' " part of the post says. "We played the game as it was meant to be played and would not intentionally run up the score on any opponent. Although a wide-margin victory is never evidence of compassion, my girls played with honor and integrity and showed respect to Dallas Academy.

Setting aside for a moment the Christian spirit aspect of the whole incident (if that is possible). This whole fiasco demonstrates what is fundamentally wrong with youth sports in this country.

You have kids, parents and coaches treating these games with a blood lust that simply should not be there. And then we wonder why the participation figures show that kids tend to drop out of youth sports around the age of 13, ironically the age when they should just be STARTING to accrue and understand the benefits of exercise and competition. We're kicking them out at precisely the time they should be involved in sports.

If you read the story further, you can begin to see where perhaps the aims of the school and the coach began to diverge before the apology that led to the firing. In fact, it appears like the coach and the school may have been a poor fit from the beginning.

At the end of his post on the Web site , which identifies him as co-founder of Flight Basketball, Grimes wrote, "So if I lose my job over these statements, I will walk away with my integrity."

Sorry Grimey, I'll have to disagree with you a bit here. You will walk away with your integrity DAMAGED as a result of this incident. You may get some support from some anonymous commentators on the blogosphere and other Pat Riley wanna-be youth coaches, but the reason this story got the play it did, aside from the 100-0 eyeball-catching score, is you are FUNDAMENTALLY WRONG in your approach here.

Your little puppy-kicking tactics really shouldn't impress anybody of merit. DIDN'T MOMMY EVER TELL YOU TO PICK ON SOMEBODY YOUR OWN SIZE? Whatever other social deficiencies you carry, I hope you resolve them before you continue to coach at the youth levels.

“Even a dog knows the difference between being stumbled over and being kicked”

By not at the very least acknowledging some culpability and contrition, you are only demonstrating that you cannot figure out what the family dog can.

Grimes did not teach or work at The Covenant School. He was in his fourth season as girls basketball coach, having built the program from a 2-19 record his first season to a state championship contender last season. Covenant, which plays larger out-of-district schools, is 6-3 this season and undefeated in its Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools district. It has informed TAPPS headquarters that it has chosen to forfeit the Dallas Academy game.

So although the coach was willing to use the school as a stepping stone to further his coaching aims, he clearly did not buy into the vision or mission of the school. So the school did the right thing in recognizing their mistake and letting him go. If they lose a player or two along the way as well, so be it. They'll be better off in the end.

Many say that sports doesn't build character so much as it reveals it. Although, I don't agree with that statement fundamentally, in this case character was revealed under the stress of sportsmanship.

Sportsmanship is defined as those qualities which are characterized by generosity and genuine concern for fellow players, which includes opponents. Somewhere we have drifted away from that ideal, which is emphasized every year, and allowed our sports to deteriorate into some form of glorified gang warfare.

Sports are supposed to give kids an alternative to some of the lessons they could learn on the streets. If we are simply demonstrating the same lessons, only substituting school colors and mascots for gang colors, then everyone involved in youth sports will have failed in their mission.

-------------------
IDEALS OF SPORTSMANSHIP:

http://www.tothenextlevel.org/docs/principles/sportsmanship/default.asp

* Play fair, take loss or defeat without complaint, or victory without gloating
* Treat others as you wish to be treated Respect others and one's self
* Impose self-control, be courteous, and gracefully accept results of one's actions
* Display ethical behavior by being good (character) and doing right (action)
* Be a good citizen

"Sportsmanship is defined in the dictionary as, "a person who can take a loss or defeat without complaint, or victory without gloating, and who treats his opponents with fairness, generosity, courtesy."

Sportsmanship is a learned skill. Our nature is to seek victory and put ourselves first no matter what the situation. It takes direction, coaching, and understanding in how to conduct yourself (whether in victory or defeat); being moral, being mature, being a person of character, or just simply being the person to walk away from controversy, a potential fight, a cheap shot, or trash talk.

Sportsmanship is always thinking of the consequences before you talk or act. What you say and do as an athlete does affect others.

Sportsmanship is a character quality. The time to build character is now! Just as the building that stands the test of time must have a strong foundation, so must you. If you don't build that foundation, you will have a hard time reaching your goals.

Sportsmanship is simply an athlete or a coach who behaves fairly, honestly, and generously in the heat of battle. It is playing and competing within the rules of the game. It is training and competing with honesty and integrity in everything you do.

* In football, sportsmanship is not holding, tripping, or leg whipping to take your opponent out of the play.
* In wrestling, sportsmanship is making weight without the use of diuretics, saunas and plastic suits.
* In basketball, sportsmanship is keeping your tongue under control, not talking trash up and down the floor.
* In hockey, sportsmanship is keeping emotions in check, not high sticking, slashing and tripping, or holding an opponent.
* In baseball, sportsmanship is not throwing high and inside at a batter to leave a message.

Start building a solid foundation now! Do it with character, do it with integrity, do it with class, and do it as a true sportsman!

Life Principle

"Sportsmanship for me is when a guy walks off the court and you really can't tell whether he won or lost, when he carries himself with pride either way." - Jim Courier, Professional Tennis Champion

Some people define good sportsmanship as the "Golden Rule" of sports - in other words, treating the people that you play with and against as you'd like to be treated yourself. You can demonstrate good sportsmanship when you show respect for yourself, your teammates, and your opponents, for the coaches on both sides, and for the referees, judges, and other officials. Good sportsmanship take maturity and courage; when you work really hard at a sport, it's not easy to admit that you made a bad play or that someone has more skill than you do.

People who have developed the skill of good sportsmanship usually find that the positive attitude they've learned on the field carries over into other areas of their lives. At school, for example, they're able to appreciate the contributions made by their classmates and they know how to work as part of a team to complete a project. They may enjoy more success at work as well, because good sports are respectful of others, including costumers and co-workers.

It can be just as hard to be a good sport when you've won a game as when you've lost one. You've probably seen athletes who take their own successes too seriously. They celebrate a goal with a prolonged victory dance or constantly brag about their abilities. After a while, you get tired of hearing them talk about how great they are.

Individuals who possess the character of sportsmanship, on the other hand, are gracious and generous winners. They can acknowledge their victories without humiliating their opponents. They are quietly proud of their success, letting their victories speak for themselves. Even if they win by a landslide, they still find ways to compliment their opponents.

When it comes to losing, people who are good sports congratulate the winner promptly and willingly. They accept the game's outcome without complaint and without excuses, even if they suspect that the referee made some questionable calls. They understand that in sports - as in life - you may not always win, but you can learn something from losing. In fact you learn more from defeat than you will ever learn from victory.

Although it's great to be champion, it's even better to have enjoyed the process of trying to reach the top. Good sports know how to play fair and how to have fun while they are doing it.

So what does it take to demonstrate good sportsmanship in real-life situations? Here are some examples of things that you can do:

* Learn as much as you can about your sport. Play by its rules. Show up for practice, work hard, and realize that if you're on a team, everyone deserves a chance to play.
* Talk politely and act courteously towards everyone before, during, and after games and events. That includes your teammates, your opponents, your coaches and theirs, the officials presiding over the game, and even the spectators (who can sometimes be loud with their opinions).
* Stay cool. Even if others are losing their tempers, it doesn't mean you have to. Remind yourself that no matter how hard you have practiced and played, it is, after all, just a game.
* Avoid settling disputes with violence. If you're in a difficult situation or someone's threatening you, seek help immediately from your coach or an official.
* Cheer your teammates on with positive statements - and avoid trash talking the other team. Acknowledge and applaud good plays, even when someone on the other team makes them.
* When officials make a call, accept it gracefully even if it goes against you. Remember that referees may not be right every time - but they're people who are doing their best, just as you are.
* Whether you win or lose, congratulate your opponents on a game well played.

MY EARLY CANDIDATE FOR COACH OF THE YEAR

Sometimes you read a story that just demonstrates what the true spirit of sports and competition are and should be. I believe this is one of them and I submit that this coach clearly gets it and his team and school are better off for it.

Watch the video and read the excerpts from the article (or the entire article if you'd like) and see if you don't agree that Dallas Academy although defeated 100-0 was the clear winner over The Covenant School.

I HEREBY NOMINATE, JEREMY CIVELLO, DALLAS ACADEMY FOR HS COACH OF THE YEAR
---------------------
DALLAS ACADEMY TEAM TALKS ABOUT THE GAME:
http://www.hsgametime.com/dfw/videopage.html?nvid=324099&shu=1

DALLAS NEWS ARTICLE ABOUT THE GAME:
Academy basketball coach sees a win in 100-0 loss

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/012209dnsposhutout.40d72ee.html

The final score of the high school girls basketball game was 100-0, and his team had the nothing. Still, a week later, Dallas Academy Athletic Director Jeremy Civello was chalking up the game in the win column.

"My girls never quit," he said. "They played as hard as they could to the very end. They played with all their hearts at 70-nothing, 80-nothing and 100-nothing. I was really proud of them. That's what I told them after the game."

The game took place Jan. 13, on the road, against The Covenant School. Civello didn't expect his girls to win. He never really does. His girls haven't won a game in his four seasons at the White Rock Lake-area school, renowned for its work with students with a variety of learning problems. In most games, they haven't come close.

The Bulldogs play, Civello said, for more than the final score. They play in hope of improving skills, learning teamwork and picking up whatever life lessons athletics may bring.


"Most of these girls would never play on any other school in the state," he said. "But they can say they were high school varsity players here. And they can say it with a sense of achievement."

Later on the 100-0 night, Civello told his girls the life lesson they could take from their loss: "I told them someday they will be on top in a similar situation and they should remember how they felt when some people were cheering for a team to score a hundred points and shut us out. Hopefully, my girls all learned a lesson in sportsmanship that will last them a lifetime."

-------------------------
Let me step back and define what I mean by the "true spirit of sports and competition" are because apparently we have different opinions on what that term means.

Competitive sports offer the best opportunity for personal growth and character development that will continue to serve us throughout life. It is our strength of character that will have the greatest impact on those with whom we deal with daily.

Really, there is nothing about wins and losses that truly defines the spirit of sports and competition. The games themselves are zero sum. Ultimately, if you can leave the field or court with your head held high, you're a winner. You haven't been defeated.


When I saw the headline of the article, Academy basketball coach sees a win in 100-0 loss the first thing that came to my mind was the line from the movie White Men Can't Jump where Gloria tells Billy

"Sometimes when you win, you really lose, and sometimes when you lose, you really win, and sometimes when you win or lose, you actually tie, and sometimes when you tie, you actually win or lose. Winning or losing is all one organic globule, from which one extracts what one needs."

This is central to the plot of the movie and the lesson it provides shows why, as I've been trying to convince my wife, this is a truly underrated movie.

See, when Billy was losing games and money and continuing to behave foolishly, his girl stood by him, but when he won the "big" game and the "big" bet, he lost his girl. She left him. His focus was on the wrong things and he lost even though he though he had won. He lost the most important thing in his life, the most valuable thing, by pursuing less important things.

This is where I see The Covenant School heading. Because I see from The Covenant School athletics page, the school states that its philosophy is:

"To glorify God by equipping students with the tools necessary to pursue a lifetime of learning so that they may discern, reason and defend truth in service to our Lord, Jesus Christ"

It sounds more like, based on this game and some others from it results page, that The Covenant School girls basketball program is more interested in glorifying themselves than in glorifying God. That's both sinful and shameful.

They should be ashamed of themselves and I believe they are. You know why I believe that? Because if you look further on the teams game results page, they have every other game score posted, except for the 1/13/2009 Dallas Academy game where they simply posted a W. And these rascals have not been strangers to running up the score, previously defeating Ursuline Academy 139-48, Terrel High School 133-79 and Prince of Peace Christian School 147-51.

My question to The Covenant School coach and AD would be as follows:
How do these results fit in within your schools published Athletic Program Goals?

1. To enable Covenant student/athletes, coaches and spectators to glorify God and be witnesses for Jesus Christ.

8. To build Christ-like character traits and develop servant leadership skills through discipline, and physical and mental training.


From the Dallas Academy web page I learned that the Dallas Academy defines their mission as: "restores the promise of full academic enrichment to students with learning differences." And they report their results as "by incorporating a strong curriculum, team sports and a wide variety of extra curricular student activities, Dallas Academy strives to prepare our students for further study (80% to 90% of DA's graduates attend 2 or 4-yr colleges) and more importantly a successful and satisfying life."

It sounds as if the Dallas Academy understands what the "true spirit of sports and competition" means better than The Covenant School does.

Therefore, I believe that the Dallas Academy should reconsider its cancellation of the January 30th game. And I believe that The Covenant School should take the time in between to re-examine its goals, philosophies and priorities and demonstrate that they have learned something that goes beyond wins and losses.
-------------------
UPDATE: APPARENTLY WE HAVE A WIN-WIN SITUATION

I e-mailed my concerns to the headmaster of The Coventry School and here is their response. Apparently, the school has been doing appropriate soul searching since the game was played and formulated a very equitable response. So the Dallas Academy will get an additional "victory". And The Covenant School gains a "greater" victory as well. GREAT NEWS.


Mr. Slavik,
Thank you for your email. I appreciate your honest feedback. Please know that we are truly sorry this happened. Below is our extended response to this situation.

Sincerely,



Kyle Queal
Head of School


Statement Regarding Dallas Academy Game

1/22/2009

The Covenant School , its board and administrators, regrets the incident of January 13 and the outcome of the game with the Dallas Academy Varsity Girls Basketball Team. It is shameful and an embarrassment that this happened. This clearly does not reflect a Christ-like and honorable approach to competition. We humbly apologize for our actions and seek the forgiveness of Dallas Academy , TAPPS and our community. The school and its representatives in no way support or condone the running up of a score against any team in any sport for any reason. The school’s board members, Head of School Kyle Queal and Athletic Director Brice Helton have acted to ensure that such an unfortunate incident can never happen again.

Covenant school officials have met with and personally apologized to Dallas Academy Headmaster Jim Richardson and Athletic Director Jeremy Civello and wishes to extend its highest praise to each member of the Dallas Academy Varsity Girls Basketball team for their strength, composure and fortitude in a game in which they clearly emerged the winner. Accordingly, The Covenant School has contacted TAPPS and is submitting a formal request to forfeit the game recognizing that a victory without honor is a great loss.

Kyle Queal
Head of School

Todd Doshier
Board Chair


Kyle Queal
Head of School
The Covenant School
7300 Valley View Lane
Dallas , TX 75240
214-358-5818 Office
214-358-5809 Fax
www.covenantdallas.com


-----Original Message-----
From: Charles Slavik [mailto:theslav1959@yahoo.com]
Sent: Thursday, January 22, 2009 1:36 PM
To: Kyle Queal; Kyle Queal
Subject: DALLAS ACADEMY GAME

It is apparent from this story that your school as represented by your girls basketball program has lost its way in representing Christian values.

You need to

1) seek forgiveness from the Dallas Academy

2) reinstate the January 30th game

3) demonstrate that your program is back on the right path in the rematch

And by the right path I mean glorifying God and not yourselves, your program or your school.

I pray you and your school will find the strength to make the right decisions going forward.

JUST ANOTHER CASE OF HISTORY REPEATING

STOCK MARKET CRASH OF 1929


STOCK MARKET CRASH OF 1987

I'm getting the same feeling about this stock market situation as I did when 9/11 occurred. At the time I felt like, "Wow, this must be what it felt like when Pearl Harbor was attacked". You knew that you were experiencing an event that would be in the history books of the future.

The same type of event continues in the stock market today. We experienced this as a nation in 1929 and 1987. The 1929 event was cataclysmic and changed this nation forever with the subsequent Depression and the ushering in of the New deal policies of FDR.

We will apparently go through similar changes today, which will cause government to bring about policy changes that will change our lives, and our children's lives forever.

Luckily, this time we have Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, an acknowledged student of the Depression, to guide us. In fact, one of his famous quotes is that we learned the lessons of the Crash of 1929 and won't repeat the mistakes that were made then which drove the nation into depression.
-------------------
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/innovation/2008/1006/1222959318754.html

ON THE occasion of the 90th birthday of the Nobel-prize-winning economist Milton Friedman - celebrated at a symposium at the University of Chicago, in November 2002 - Ben S Bernanke, then governor of the US Federal Reserve Board, lauded Friedman and his longtime collaborator, Anna J Schwartz, for their seminal work, A Monetary History of the United States 1867-1960.

In this classic tome of American economic history, Friedman and Schwartz lay the blame for the Great Depression squarely at the doorstep of the Federal Reserve by arguing that, at the point of acute crisis, its tight policies caused the failure of more than 40 per cent of banks in the US and led to massive deflation.

At the very moment when capital should have flowed into the economy, they argue, the Fed staunched it and by its policies unleashed instead the pervasive suffering that followed.

Friedman's and Schwartz's insights about the role of the Fed contradicted the conventional wisdom at the time, but have stood up well. "This achievement is nothing less than to provide what has become the leading and most persuasive explanation of the worst economic disaster in American history," Bernanke said in his speech. He praised the book for its "development of historical detail" and for its "previously untapped" use of primary resources to craft its argument. "Let me end my talk by abusing slightly my status as an official representative of the Federal Reserve," Bernanke said. "I would like to say to Milton and Anna: Regarding the Great Depression. You're right, we did it. We're very sorry. But thanks to you, we won't do it again."
-------------------
Unfortunately, Bennie Boy, that doesn't preclude you as the Fed Chairman and some combination of the Treasury Department and the Congress from making new and improved mistakes that will change this nation forever.

At the rate old "Helicopter" Ben is dropping money on the financial system, he's clearly due for a nickname upgrade along the lines of "C-130 Cargo Plane" Ben.

In seeking to steer the nations monetary policy since he took over from the equally incompetent Alan Greenspan, Bernanke has shown all the skills of a hallucinogenic, teenage diver would exhibit in his first foray down the highway in a high performance sports car.

All of these clowns were only too happy to sit back and watch the Greenspan "housing bubble" deflate when the only apparent losers were homeowners. Now that the blood has splattered closer to home, and by home I mean on the pin-striped suits of the bankers they serve, the crisis reached proportions requiring emergency actions.
And by emergency actions, I mean grabbing for the taxpayers wallet and the savings of middle-class Americans, as well as their children and grand-children.

All of these destructive events happened under the Fed's watch:
- The Great Depression, through monetary expansion of the 20's which burst in the 30's (sound familiar)
- The S&L crisis (sound familiar)
- Long Term Capital Management (a hedge fund, sound familiar) failure of 1998 almost crippled the financial system
- The dot.com bubble burst in the 90's
- The 90's easy money era under Greenspan, brought about the housing current housing bubble that just burst and is spilling blood all over the street

And as we can see, some of the events are clearly repeating. Maybe we should treat the Fed like a dog that continually pees on the carpet. Nah, too good for them.

The first responsibility the Fed has, and the only one the European central banks concentrate on, is inflation, Why is this?: BECAUSE INFLATION IS A THIEF. BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE.

- Inflation destroys savings making it impossible to save funds for life purchases like a home, college for he kids and retirement
- Inflation moves wealth from the poor and middle-class to the rich.
- Inflation distorts the economy by providing "easy money" to those who haven't earned it and since it is not "their own" money, they waste it on bad investments.
Think of people who were "flipping" houses and condos because of easy monetary policy. Where are those "flippers" now? Probably hanging out with the "day-traders" from the 1980's in some bar talking about the fortunes they made and lost.
- This economic distortion leads to subsequent unemployment, which affects the middle-class and poor disproportionately. Countries that have low inflation and solid economic policy tend to have very low unemployment (think Switzerland).
- Inflation allows governments to deficit spend. Borrow first, then print money out of thin air to attempt to eliminate or pay-back the borrowed dollars with cheaper dollars down the road.
- Inflation is a hidden tax on future purchasing power and the government spends the money in advance.

I don't even want to get into how the government distorts (hell, why don't I just say it - LIES ABOUT) the CPI figures released to the public. Why would they do this? To keep the public docile and many government payments are tied to the CPI. Think Social Security payment to grandma and grandpa.

It just seems like we get into some of the problems because the Fed also worries itself about economic growth as well. If someone can't handle one task very well, asking them to do two tasks simultaneously seems to be a stretch, right?

FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES, SEPTEMBER 30,1999:
In a move to help increase home ownership rates among minorities and low-income consumers, the Fannie Mae Corporation is easing the credit requirements on loans that it will purchase from banks and other lenders. The action will...encourage those banks to extend home mortgages to individuals whose credit is generally not good enough to qualify for conventional loans.

This step by the Clinton Administration, along with groups like ACORN and armed with provisions of the Community Reinvestment Act (CRIA), openly badgered and threatened banks with lawsuits (charging red-lining or racial discrimination) and with threats to block any future mergers the bank might entertain if they did not allow this type of lending to explode.

Combine this with the repeal of Glass-Stegall and the Graham-Leach-Blilley Act that the Republicans in Congress promoted allowed banks and Wall Street firms to run wild. They promoted the "casino" mind-set that we see in the market today that is dominated by short-sellers, hedge funds and other speculators.

The SEC under Chairman Christopher Cox has been almost as incompetent and possibly corrupt as the Federal Reserve. To allow short-selling with little or no restriction (no uptick rule), much less-naked short-selling (you don't even have to borrow the stock anymore) has allowed wanton speculation and wild, irrational trading that we still see daily. There are margin requirements to actually BUY a stock, but no requirements on the short-side. This is completely irrational.

Equally irrational and throwing more gasoline on the growing fire the SEC allowed investment banks to increase their profits by taking on more leverage (risk). We're suffering the consequences of that unwinding of leverage today.

I don't even want to scratch underneath the Federal Reserve and the SEC and get down the Federal Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the mark to market rules that exacerbated the problem. If the above failure do not occur, then mark to market is not even an issue, in fact it's a positive.

So to review, we had:
- The GSE's (Fannie and Freddie) running wild
- The Federal Reserve provide the elixir of easy money
- Wall Street unshackled from regulators
- Government blessing provided by CRIA and the destruction of the regulatory walls provided by Glass-Stegall.
- Lowered mortgage underwriting standards
- Corrupt credit rating agencies violating the public interest
- Predatory borrowers AND lenders

And from our leaders we get finger-pointing, with neither side willing to look in the mirror and point the finger at themselves.

And then we wonder why Congress has a lower approval rating then the President.


From the fiasco of the first Hank Paulson-Ben Bernanke "rescue bill", to the subsequent new-and-improved Pelosi-Frank-Dodd-Paulson bill to the G-7 or 8 or however many clowns-stuffed-into-small-car measures there were, we've seen the market spit all measures back into the bureaucrats collective faces like a colicky new-born.

Is there any wonder why I think the following video would be an accurate depiction of the effectiveness of our leaders fiscal problem-solving abilities?




Nobody is arguing that some of these steps were taken with the best of intentions. Who doesn't want to own a home? In hindsight, now I know how I was able to qualify for a mortgage when--at the the time I applied--using some of the old-school underwriting standards, I was probably not the best candidate for mortgage approval.

But we didn't go for any of those exotic mortgages, using the rationale that if the terms sound to good to be true they probably aren't, we went for a traditional 30-year mortgage with a 10-15% down payment. So, we had some equity stake in the house. It wasn't given to us freely or too easily. People don't value things that are given to them as much as things they have to earn.

The unintended consequence was they devalued the American Dream of home ownership for everyone by turning it into something that was almost as easy to achieve as the prize at the bottom of a Cracker Jacks box. Thanks again, leaders.

NO MONEY DOWN, INTEREST ONLY PAYMENTS, NO INCOME VERIFICATION, NO JOB, NO PROBLEM--HECK, WE DON'T EVEN CARE IF YOU PAY THE MORTGAGE--WE'RE GOING TO PACKAGE IT AND SELL IT ANYWAY.

That's what some of the radio ads sounded like from some of these fly-by-night mortgage companies, and where was the Fed or any of the regulatory bodies when these spiels were flying around the airwaves. I know I thought, "How the heck are these guys going to stay in business?" Now we know, on the backs of Uncle Sam and his seemingly bottomless pit - the taxpayers wallet.

They've all collectively pissed on the American Dream of home ownership.

They've all collectively and continuously pissed on the faith and confidence of the public in our JUSTICE SYSTEM, OUR FINANCIAL SYSTEM, AND FINALLY, OUR ENTIRE SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT.

My only question is when are we a nation going to say - NO MAS, NO MORE?

There's an election coming up, we have a chance to put our money (what's left of it) where our mouth is, so to speak.

I have to say, under the circumstances--if any incumbent gets re-elected to go back and FINISH THE JOB--then we do deserve the government we continue to get.

My advice to guys like Bush, Greenspan, Bernanke, Paulson, Cox and their newest best-est buddies in the Congress Pelosi, Reid, Dodd, Frank and others I'm sure I am leaving out should just quietly leave D.C., quietly go home and retire.

Don't write any books documenting your sorry-ass legacies.

Don't go out on any public-speaking tours, telling lies about what you did. We can see and feel the results better than you. We have to live with the consequences.

For all those guys, my enduring thoughts regarding their legacy can be summed up by former Tampa Bay Bucs coach John McKay's famous quote.

When asked about his team's execution during one of their many consecutive losses during their initial season, McKay replied, "I think it's a good idea".

SAME HERE.

I just have one simple question, just one. When do we get to this point, are we there yet?:

---------------------------
UPDATE-PAULSON EXPRESSES REGRET:

Washington (AP)- Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson on Thursday expressed regret for the many errors made that led to the biggest financial crisis in seven decades, but he insisted the administration is pursuing the correct course now to end the debacle.

"We're not proud of all the mistakes that were made by many different people, different parties, failures of our regulatory system, failures of market discipline that got us here," Paulson said in an interview on Fox Business Network.

Well, at least we have that. I'll give him credit, he's the first one I've heard take some sort of ownership of the crisis. Of course he should. When he was in charge at Goldman Sachs, he advocated heavily for the SEC to loosen the purse strings on the leverage restrictions under the guise of keeping our financial system competitive with international markets. To which of course is the "Mom's Wisdom" logic: "If everyone else was jumping off a bridge would you? Do the right thing, NOT what everyone else is doing"
-----------------------------
Can somebody tell me what is wrong with McCain? Is the Republican strategy to NOT WIN the election?

It seemed in last nights debate as if somebody had to tell him he should be angry and had to coach him up as to what he needed to be angry about. Something like this:

Campaign Flukie: John, tonight we need you to show some anger, some passion about this economic situation we're in. The markets are tanking, people's 401K's are melting away faster then the polar icecaps.

John McCain: That's OK, my friend. That just means they'll need more beer. Did I tell you my wife Cindy is a beer magnate. And she's pretty hot too. ;) ;)

Campaign Flunkie: JOHN, THIS IS SERIOUS. PEOPLE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT LOSING THEIR HOMES.

John McCain: Well my friend, I'll just explain to them that maybe they should have 7 or 8 homes like me and they wouldn't be so worried. In any event there's still lot's of beer. That should appeal to Joe Six-Pack. It shows I'm a regular guy, except for the glut of homes.

I think he has demonstrated that he's not much more than Bob Dole with a better personal story. And if it wasn't for Sarah Palin, he would have been down by 20 points and this election would have been over a long time ago. Good luck back in the Senate John.
------------------
SPEAKING OF MOM'S WISDOM: YOU'RE JUDGED BY THE COMPANY YOU KEEP. CHOOSE YOUR FRIENDS WISELY