Holiday Thoughts (Weird Science the Winner)

The holidays always put me in a weird state of mind. As a kid I had morose tendencies. I grew up in New York. The weather would get cold. The days would get shorter and darker. The relatives would visit. I liked reading and the New York Times kept me entertained with stories of sports heroes past and present. I always had lots of friends and valued their support, encouragement and laughter. So, what got me so depressed yesterday?

Maybe mortality? Time creeps forward. I get older and family members, some older than me. Friends get sicker, find themselves fighting disease... Where do I fit in within this cosmic organization? I've hit the sixth decade! I always heard time flies faster with each passing decade. It's true. I feel like science and technology has dwarfed our frail human forms and modest psychological tools for absorbing change.

We are overwhelmed with change at the speed of light. Too much information from every direction.  Syria, Paris, YouTube, Twitter, Fitbit, Texas floods, water level rise, Ariana Grande licking donuts. Yes, I'm at least six months behind on the Youtube revelation. Make that six years behind... or maybe 16 years!

Johnny Manziel dropped to third string. Tried to cover up video of his partying in Austin. It's not the crime-- it's the cover-up!

Science dwarfs sports. Weird science! NFL football players too strong for the game. Not enough time for a quarterback to launch a pass. The bionic, science-built defenders race in and devour the passer like so many merciless robots. The announcers drone on. Tony Romo bites the dust. No, make that bites the scientifically created artificial turf.

Weird Science 1- Humanity 0

Are things getting better or worse? I see lots of optimism in my grandchild, so things get better from his youthful perspective. He delights in everything, from books to video games.

Ah, I sound like a cranky old man... trying to make sense of this spinning globe!

Sports Heroes-- How to Get the Monkey off the Back?

Sportswriter do not like the psychological aspect behind athletic achievement. They much prefer statistics. Sportswriters and most fans misinterpret athletic performance as if players were as predictable as machines. Joe Blow has 50 home runs and so he is an important player to have in the batter's box at the key moment in the bottom of the ninth inning. Players are not machines. They are subject to psychological hang-ups, some of which derail their careers. Great athletes sometimes get overwhelmed and I'll give you a few examples of players who have struggled:

1) Peyton Manning-- cannot perform in NFL playoff games. Brother Eli does much better.
2) Alex Rodriguez-- powerful performer in regular season games, big bust in the playoffs.
3) Tony Romo-- wonderful athlete and good guy, but hates the playoffs. Lost this year to Aaron Rodgers of Green Bay and Aaron was playing on one leg.
4) Prince Fielder-- great hitter but hates the playoff environment.


And it can happen to coaches as well:
1) Rick Barnes-- coached University of Texas basketball for 17 seasons and made one Final Four.
2) Roy Williams-- got the North Carolina job for college basketball but now falters in the NCAA tournament.

You can bet against these guys in big games and make a fortune. I prefer not to bet on sporting events, but have watched them fail with clockwork regularity.

I have seen a couple of players overcome this Monkey on the Back of fear. The Monkey keeps you from achieving success at the very pinnacle of success. Do these players have a fear of success-- are they afraid to become absolute superstars? It goes deep and they could all benefit from psychological counseling. Every guy mentioned above is a fantastic athlete.

Two who overcame their fears:
1) Dirk Nowitski-- brought the Dallas Mavericks to a NBA Championship after faltering for years in the big moment.
2) Lebron James-- despite his other-worldly talents, Lebron took off after he beat the demon back and won an NBA championship. Much well-deserved success followed this accomplishment.

And, Tiger Woods, is an athlete with two careers-- pre-sex scandal and post sex-scandal
Tiger obviously played with the awesome consistency of a golfing robot till the scandal hit. He must have felt so guilty about the tawdry cheating stories that he never has recovered. He never made a thorough confession to his misdeeds. He should have gone on Oprah and spilled the whole truth. He could have continued his career as the best golfer ever. Instead, he grew a Monkey on the Back.