my  block

where uzairs roam

Ooh, I might be able to make a series out of these :)

Charley Rosen, basketball analyst and grumpy old man, explains in his latest mailbag why Rasheed Wallace isn’t a superstar on the scale of Kevin Garnett or Tim Duncan. His analysis is pithy and hard to argue with:

Besides talent, there’s a huge difference between winners and losers. Winners always play hard no matter what the score is or where their teams might rank in the standings. Accordingly, after a game, win or lose, winners are totally drained physically and emotionally. Wins quickly replenish their energies, but losses leave them empty and needing extra time to recover. Time to brood. Time to apportion, and accept, blame. Time to reconstitute their depleted psyches. What usually fuels their recovery is anger and frustration. Also, the desire for revenge and the prospect of kicking the stuffing out of the next team on the schedule. On the other hand, losers always keep their sense of self intact by rarely (if ever) making an all-out effort for every play in every game. The very notion of risking even a temporary psychological annihilation is too frightening for them to consider — even subconsciously. After losses, their anger and frustration is bogus — or else directed at somebody else, most often the refs.

Good stuff, Mr. Rosen.