If Michael Jordan was Pegasus, the winged stallion galloping across the sky, then John Stockton was the sturdy plow horse who relished putting on the yoke each morning for another trip through the fields.
If Jordan’s brilliance was impulsive and rule-breaking, then Stockton’s was as relentless and single-minded as the stone masons who constructed the great pyramids.
For nearly two decades they were the yin and the yang of the NBA, each one the counterweight to the other. While Jordan soared over the game, Stockton bored right through it like a diamond-tipped drill bit.
It is then quite fitting that the pair should be inducted into the Hall of Fame together, Class of 2009. But with so much attention focused on the highlight-reel career of Jordan, it is easy to overlook the down-to-earth exploits of Stockton.
The sheer numbers are mind-bending. Stockton is on top of the NBA career list for assists with 15,806, and that’s more than 5,000 ahead of the No. 2 man, Mark Jackson. He’s also the league’s all-time leader in steals with 3,265, and that is ahead of the runner-up – Jordan – by more than 700.
Stockton owns five of the top six assist seasons in NBA history, holds the record for most seasons and most consecutive games played for one team and he’s third behind only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Robert Parish in total games played.
In 19 grueling NBA regular-season marathons, he missed only 22 of 1,526 games, 18 of those in a single year when doctors told him he needed knee surgery, but Stockton chose merely to sit out a few weeks and returned to finish out the schedule.
“He worked harder than you,” said Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan. “That was his secret.
“He’s one of the most unique players you’ll ever run across. You can talk about all the things he tried to do. But first of all, you’ve got to look at his stature. He’s not a very big guy. And yet he played as strong and tough as anybody could.”
While Jordan changed even the style of the game, ushering in the era of the long and baggy shorts, Stockton’s sartorial simplicity showed off his legs at mid-thigh from his rookie year to his final season. As Jordan progressed from curly-haired youngster to shining bald marketing icon, the guy-next-door Stockton wore the same hairstyle from junior high.
In the hip-hop world of the 21st-century NBA, he was a throwback.
All the while and all the games and all the seasons, he and Karl Malone lived and thrived on the most basic play in the game, the pick-and-roll, and they did it again and again and again because it worked. Nothing fancy. No need to change.
While Jordan seemed to always challenge the rules of physics each time he stepped onto – and floated above – the court, Stockton was all about the geometry. He saw every angle for every pass and every play that constantly unfolded in his mind’s eye ahead of everyone else.
“I try to take what the defense gives me and never think ahead that I’m going to try to get this or that,” he said. “I just do what I have to do. I try to keep it simple.”
When somebody once asked him why he never dunked the basketball, even in an open-court, breakaway situation, Stockton merely looked back with those piercing eyes, shook his head and grinned. If you had to ask, you couldn’t understand.
“There absolutely, positively will never be another John Stockton,” said Malone.
Black and white. Short and tall. Poetry and prose. For all of their differences, what Stockton brought to the game was as singular as Jordan’s bag of tricks. The raw talent was never as important as the raw determination.
Sloan’s favorite memory of Stockton is in practice.
“He was beaten one time in 19 years running laterals, suicide drills, across the floor,” Sloan recalled. “That’s after he was 40-some years old. It wasn’t about him proving that he was still the best. He just wanted to do everything the best he could to try to help the team, try to win.”
If Michael Jordan was as spectacular and jaw-dropping as a Maui sunset, John Stockton was as relentless as the tides, no less a force of nature.
9.13.2009
Matt Barkley - USC Starter
Freshman Matt Barkley was named Southern California's starting quarterback on Thursday.
With an outstanding performance at training camp, Barkley beat out sophomore Aaron Corp to get the start in the Trojans' season opener.
"He has exceeded all our expectations," Carroll said in a statement. "He has all the physical ability. He has the mentality and temperament to handle the position. His personality is very well received by all the players, and he's extremely talented. At this point, he's ready to be the guy for us."
Barkley was perhaps the nation's most sought-after football recruit last year at Orange County's Mater Dei High School. After choosing the Trojans, Barkley graduated from high school one semester early to participate in spring practice.
Aaron Corp, in his third year at USC, was named the Trojans' starter out of spring ball, but Barkley took advantage when Corp missed two weeks of workouts this month after breaking a small bone below his left knee Aug. 10.
Barkley is the first non-redshirt freshman quarterback to be picked to start a season opener for the Trojans.
"He's the starting quarterback at USC — it's not a one-game deal," Carroll said. "He seized the opportunity that was in front of him and took control. He deserves all the credit in the world, and we expect nothing but great things from him."
Barkley also beat out Mitch Mustain, the former Arkansas starter who played eight games as Mark Sanchez's backup last season. Sanchez, now the New York Jets' starting quarterback, left USC with a year of eligibility remaining.
Now Barkley must shoulder the enormous expectations of his position at USC. He's following nearly a decade of outstanding college quarterbacks, including Heisman Trophy winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart, along with John David Booty and Mark Sanchez.
USC opens the run for its eighth consecutive Pac-10 title next weekend but Barkley's ultimate early test: a trip to Columbus to face No. 6 Ohio State.
With an outstanding performance at training camp, Barkley beat out sophomore Aaron Corp to get the start in the Trojans' season opener.
"He has exceeded all our expectations," Carroll said in a statement. "He has all the physical ability. He has the mentality and temperament to handle the position. His personality is very well received by all the players, and he's extremely talented. At this point, he's ready to be the guy for us."
Barkley was perhaps the nation's most sought-after football recruit last year at Orange County's Mater Dei High School. After choosing the Trojans, Barkley graduated from high school one semester early to participate in spring practice.
Aaron Corp, in his third year at USC, was named the Trojans' starter out of spring ball, but Barkley took advantage when Corp missed two weeks of workouts this month after breaking a small bone below his left knee Aug. 10.
Barkley is the first non-redshirt freshman quarterback to be picked to start a season opener for the Trojans.
"He's the starting quarterback at USC — it's not a one-game deal," Carroll said. "He seized the opportunity that was in front of him and took control. He deserves all the credit in the world, and we expect nothing but great things from him."
Barkley also beat out Mitch Mustain, the former Arkansas starter who played eight games as Mark Sanchez's backup last season. Sanchez, now the New York Jets' starting quarterback, left USC with a year of eligibility remaining.
Now Barkley must shoulder the enormous expectations of his position at USC. He's following nearly a decade of outstanding college quarterbacks, including Heisman Trophy winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart, along with John David Booty and Mark Sanchez.
USC opens the run for its eighth consecutive Pac-10 title next weekend but Barkley's ultimate early test: a trip to Columbus to face No. 6 Ohio State.
MATT BARKLEY - USC COMEBACK
There are worse places for a freshman quarterback to be than his own 5-yard line facing a second-and-19 with a five-point deficit, time wasting and the entire state of Ohio screaming in his ears.
Like San Quentin. Or the mouth of a shark.
Other than that, the situation in which Matt Barkley found himself at Ohio Stadium was about as bad as it gets.
It was in this most dire football circumstance that Barkley entered the USC huddle and … smiled.
"Matt came to us with a smile on his face and was just like, 'Let's get it done,'" Trojans center Kris O'Dowd said.
Did you think he was nuts?
"Maybe," O'Dowd said, grinning himself. "But I'm going to roll with it."
Oh, they're all willing to roll with this kid now. The Barkley bandwagon, picking up momentum for a month, is stampeding now.
Freshmen don't start at quarterback at USC. And freshmen don't come into a certifiable madhouse like the Horseshoe and beat the Buckeyes. And freshmen certainly don't beat the Buckeyes by leading long, dramatic, game-winning drives in the final minutes.
Until Barkley did all those things.
"The questions everyone was asking about Matt are totally legitimate. All we can tell you is that the guy is really special," Trojans coach Pete Carroll said
After producing precious little offensively all night, Barkley conjured the kind of crunch-time magic that separates special quarterbacks from merely talented quarterbacks. Against an excellent defense Barkley led USC to an 18-15 defeat of the Buckeyes that sucked the sound from a record crowd of 106,033.
By the time this drive was finished, the Trojans were howling. Rejoicing. Embracing. Winning a potential national championship elimination game that had appeared lost for much of the night.
Pete Carroll gave his freshman quarterback the keys to the offense in the final minutes.
The official stats say Barkley led the Trojans for 86 yards in 14 plays, scoring the clinching touchdown and two-point conversion with 1:05 left. The truth is that after a sack and a false start, USC was 19 yards from a first down and 95 yards from a touchdown.
The Shoe shook with noise, as Buckeye Nation anticipated the validating victory that has escaped it since January 2003.
For USC, the situation wasn't hopeless, but you could see it from there. That's when Barkley's arm and tailback Joe McKnight's legs saved the night, one play at a time.
First came a McKnight draw for 11 yards. Then, on third-and-8 from the 16, Barkley found McKnight on an option route against a linebacker and hit him for 21 yards.
The spark of hope from that initial first down of the drive became a bonfire. Barkley then drilled tight end Anthony McCoy on a seam route for 26 yards down to the Ohio State 37. At that point, you could hear the entire stadium pucker and feel the Barkley legend building.
The next eight plays were either passes or quarterback sneaks by Barkley or runs by McKnight. Finally, on first-and-goal at the 2, Stafon Johnson took a handoff and danced outside the right end to score untouched. Then Barkley passed to McKnight for two points and an 18-15 lead.
"It's on his [Barkley's] shoulders, and he did it," linebacker Chris Galippo said. "He was so not like a freshman. [Mark] Sanchez, [Matt] Leinart, [Carson] Palmer -- I don't know whether they could have done that."
Barkley could. Barkley did. Then Barkley grinned and shrugged, less awed by his precocity than the rest of us.
"This is what it's supposed to be, and what I came here for," he said. "It is kind of surreal, but it's what I've always wanted."
And Buckeyes fans also can shake their heads over Pryor, the splendid physical specimen who often looks ordinary.
In this battle of young quarterbacks, sophomore Pryor had the ball last. More than a minute remained on the clock when the Buckeyes took over at their own 36-yard line, but they made nothing happen.
Just like that, the night was lost. And 15 games into Pryor's college career, he's still waiting to have the kind of moment Barkley enjoyed Saturday night.
Like San Quentin. Or the mouth of a shark.
Other than that, the situation in which Matt Barkley found himself at Ohio Stadium was about as bad as it gets.
It was in this most dire football circumstance that Barkley entered the USC huddle and … smiled.
"Matt came to us with a smile on his face and was just like, 'Let's get it done,'" Trojans center Kris O'Dowd said.
Did you think he was nuts?
"Maybe," O'Dowd said, grinning himself. "But I'm going to roll with it."
Oh, they're all willing to roll with this kid now. The Barkley bandwagon, picking up momentum for a month, is stampeding now.
Freshmen don't start at quarterback at USC. And freshmen don't come into a certifiable madhouse like the Horseshoe and beat the Buckeyes. And freshmen certainly don't beat the Buckeyes by leading long, dramatic, game-winning drives in the final minutes.
Until Barkley did all those things.
"The questions everyone was asking about Matt are totally legitimate. All we can tell you is that the guy is really special," Trojans coach Pete Carroll said
After producing precious little offensively all night, Barkley conjured the kind of crunch-time magic that separates special quarterbacks from merely talented quarterbacks. Against an excellent defense Barkley led USC to an 18-15 defeat of the Buckeyes that sucked the sound from a record crowd of 106,033.
By the time this drive was finished, the Trojans were howling. Rejoicing. Embracing. Winning a potential national championship elimination game that had appeared lost for much of the night.
Pete Carroll gave his freshman quarterback the keys to the offense in the final minutes.
The official stats say Barkley led the Trojans for 86 yards in 14 plays, scoring the clinching touchdown and two-point conversion with 1:05 left. The truth is that after a sack and a false start, USC was 19 yards from a first down and 95 yards from a touchdown.
The Shoe shook with noise, as Buckeye Nation anticipated the validating victory that has escaped it since January 2003.
For USC, the situation wasn't hopeless, but you could see it from there. That's when Barkley's arm and tailback Joe McKnight's legs saved the night, one play at a time.
First came a McKnight draw for 11 yards. Then, on third-and-8 from the 16, Barkley found McKnight on an option route against a linebacker and hit him for 21 yards.
The spark of hope from that initial first down of the drive became a bonfire. Barkley then drilled tight end Anthony McCoy on a seam route for 26 yards down to the Ohio State 37. At that point, you could hear the entire stadium pucker and feel the Barkley legend building.
The next eight plays were either passes or quarterback sneaks by Barkley or runs by McKnight. Finally, on first-and-goal at the 2, Stafon Johnson took a handoff and danced outside the right end to score untouched. Then Barkley passed to McKnight for two points and an 18-15 lead.
"It's on his [Barkley's] shoulders, and he did it," linebacker Chris Galippo said. "He was so not like a freshman. [Mark] Sanchez, [Matt] Leinart, [Carson] Palmer -- I don't know whether they could have done that."
Barkley could. Barkley did. Then Barkley grinned and shrugged, less awed by his precocity than the rest of us.
"This is what it's supposed to be, and what I came here for," he said. "It is kind of surreal, but it's what I've always wanted."
And Buckeyes fans also can shake their heads over Pryor, the splendid physical specimen who often looks ordinary.
In this battle of young quarterbacks, sophomore Pryor had the ball last. More than a minute remained on the clock when the Buckeyes took over at their own 36-yard line, but they made nothing happen.
Just like that, the night was lost. And 15 games into Pryor's college career, he's still waiting to have the kind of moment Barkley enjoyed Saturday night.
9.07.2009
MELANIE OUDIN
When Melanie Oudin wakes up each morning these days, sharing a king-sized hotel bed with her mother, she's basically your average teen visiting the big city.
Then the 17-year-old from Marietta, Ga., gets out on court at the U.S. Open in those pink-and-yellow sneakers with the word "BELIEVE" stamped near the heel, and there is nothing ordinary at all about her.
No higher-ranked or more-accomplished opponent is too intimidating. No deficit is too daunting.
Yes, the comeback kid did it again Monday.
Melanie Oudin rallied her way into the U.S. Open quarterfinals after losing the first set 1-6.
Five points from a straight-set loss, Oudin kept plugging away with her perpetual-motion defense and pick-her-spots offense for a 1-6, 7-6 (2), 6-3 victory over 13th-seeded Nadia Petrova to reach the U.S. Open quarterfinals.
"It's kind of hard to explain how I've done it," Oudin said. "It's, like, now I know that I do belong here. This is what I want to do, and I can compete with these girls, no matter who I'm playing. I have a chance against anyone."
Can't argue with that. The upset of Petrova follows comebacks from a set down against three-time major champion Maria Sharapova in the third round and No. 4 Elena Dementieva -- a two-time Grand Slam finalist and Beijing Olympics gold medalist -- in the second.
"I don't actually mean to lose the first set," explained a smiling Oudin, 17-4 this season in three-setters. "I sometimes just start off slowly, I guess. Maybe I'm a little nervous."
She is the story of the tournament so far, already drawing comparisons to Tracy Austin (a U.S. Open champion at 16) and Chris Evert (a semifinalist at 17).
This is all so new in so many ways for Oudin, whose twin sister Katherine was bawling in the stands at match's end.
A year ago, Oudin -- it's pronounced "oo-DAN" -- was ranked 221st and lost in the first round at the U.S. Open. She had never won a Grand Slam match until June, when she knocked off former No. 1 Jelena Jankovic en route to Wimbledon's fourth round -- after losing the first set, naturally.
How her life is about to change. It’s starting to change already, actually.
After beating Petrova, Oudin huddled with her coach, Brian de Villiers, trying to figure out how to squeeze in various media obligations with necessary tasks such as eating something and getting treatment for her heavily wrapped left thigh.
Endorsement offers are coming in. Now recognized by strangers, Oudin needs security guards to help her navigate the crowds on her way to the Open's practice courts.
Walking through the lobby of her New York hotel is an adventure. There even was a bit of a skirmish among paparazzi when she was in Times Square the other day.
"That was her first realization that she's big-time, that it is going to be scary sometimes," Katherine said. "I'm surprised that she's held it together as well as she has."
On the court, the situation seemed bleak when Petrova, already up a set, was serving at 4-3, 40-15 in the second. One more point, and Petrova would be a game from the win. But Petrova netted a forehand for 40-30, and on the next point, Oudin blocked back a 112 mph serve and then ended an 10-stroke exchange by smacking a forehand down the line.
"Unbelievable winner," said Petrova, who would never again be that close to victory.
"Winning that game kind of gave her a second breath," Petrova said. "She realized, 'OK, I'm back in the game.' And probably after winning previous matches pretty much in the same way, she thought, 'You know, I can do it again.'"
Precisely right.
Forced to hit extra shots because of the 5-foot-6 Oudin's ability to track down balls and sling them back, Petrova began to make more and more mistakes. During one key stretch early in the third set, Oudin won 11 of 13 points -- and 10 were thanks to miscues by Petrova.
"She's on a roll. And she has nothing to lose," said Petrova, the fourth Russian in a row Oudin has beaten. "She goes, enjoys it, crowd is behind her. She's just having a blast out there."
Sure is.
"This," Oudin said, "is what I've wanted forever."
Not that forever is all that long in her case. She is, after all, "just 17."
Melanie and Katherine began hitting tennis balls out of a bucket with their grandmother at age 7 and then began working with de Villiers at age 9. At about 12, though, Melanie decided she wanted to be home-schooled, so she could focus squarely on tennis. Katherine, meanwhile, plays in national junior tournaments but has other interests and is now a senior in high school.
As little kids, the sisters would play matches on a makeshift court, piling up jackets in their home's cul de sac to serve as a net until Mom or Dad said it was too dark to be outside.
They never pretended, though, that they were at Flushing Meadows or the All England Club. Those places seemed too far away at the time.
"It's not like we were saying, 'Oh, we're going to be there one day,'" Katherine said. "But Melanie's just always believed in herself. It's amazing."
Then the 17-year-old from Marietta, Ga., gets out on court at the U.S. Open in those pink-and-yellow sneakers with the word "BELIEVE" stamped near the heel, and there is nothing ordinary at all about her.
No higher-ranked or more-accomplished opponent is too intimidating. No deficit is too daunting.
Yes, the comeback kid did it again Monday.
Melanie Oudin rallied her way into the U.S. Open quarterfinals after losing the first set 1-6.
Five points from a straight-set loss, Oudin kept plugging away with her perpetual-motion defense and pick-her-spots offense for a 1-6, 7-6 (2), 6-3 victory over 13th-seeded Nadia Petrova to reach the U.S. Open quarterfinals.
"It's kind of hard to explain how I've done it," Oudin said. "It's, like, now I know that I do belong here. This is what I want to do, and I can compete with these girls, no matter who I'm playing. I have a chance against anyone."
Can't argue with that. The upset of Petrova follows comebacks from a set down against three-time major champion Maria Sharapova in the third round and No. 4 Elena Dementieva -- a two-time Grand Slam finalist and Beijing Olympics gold medalist -- in the second.
"I don't actually mean to lose the first set," explained a smiling Oudin, 17-4 this season in three-setters. "I sometimes just start off slowly, I guess. Maybe I'm a little nervous."
She is the story of the tournament so far, already drawing comparisons to Tracy Austin (a U.S. Open champion at 16) and Chris Evert (a semifinalist at 17).
This is all so new in so many ways for Oudin, whose twin sister Katherine was bawling in the stands at match's end.
A year ago, Oudin -- it's pronounced "oo-DAN" -- was ranked 221st and lost in the first round at the U.S. Open. She had never won a Grand Slam match until June, when she knocked off former No. 1 Jelena Jankovic en route to Wimbledon's fourth round -- after losing the first set, naturally.
How her life is about to change. It’s starting to change already, actually.
After beating Petrova, Oudin huddled with her coach, Brian de Villiers, trying to figure out how to squeeze in various media obligations with necessary tasks such as eating something and getting treatment for her heavily wrapped left thigh.
Endorsement offers are coming in. Now recognized by strangers, Oudin needs security guards to help her navigate the crowds on her way to the Open's practice courts.
Walking through the lobby of her New York hotel is an adventure. There even was a bit of a skirmish among paparazzi when she was in Times Square the other day.
"That was her first realization that she's big-time, that it is going to be scary sometimes," Katherine said. "I'm surprised that she's held it together as well as she has."
On the court, the situation seemed bleak when Petrova, already up a set, was serving at 4-3, 40-15 in the second. One more point, and Petrova would be a game from the win. But Petrova netted a forehand for 40-30, and on the next point, Oudin blocked back a 112 mph serve and then ended an 10-stroke exchange by smacking a forehand down the line.
"Unbelievable winner," said Petrova, who would never again be that close to victory.
"Winning that game kind of gave her a second breath," Petrova said. "She realized, 'OK, I'm back in the game.' And probably after winning previous matches pretty much in the same way, she thought, 'You know, I can do it again.'"
Precisely right.
Forced to hit extra shots because of the 5-foot-6 Oudin's ability to track down balls and sling them back, Petrova began to make more and more mistakes. During one key stretch early in the third set, Oudin won 11 of 13 points -- and 10 were thanks to miscues by Petrova.
"She's on a roll. And she has nothing to lose," said Petrova, the fourth Russian in a row Oudin has beaten. "She goes, enjoys it, crowd is behind her. She's just having a blast out there."
Sure is.
"This," Oudin said, "is what I've wanted forever."
Not that forever is all that long in her case. She is, after all, "just 17."
Melanie and Katherine began hitting tennis balls out of a bucket with their grandmother at age 7 and then began working with de Villiers at age 9. At about 12, though, Melanie decided she wanted to be home-schooled, so she could focus squarely on tennis. Katherine, meanwhile, plays in national junior tournaments but has other interests and is now a senior in high school.
As little kids, the sisters would play matches on a makeshift court, piling up jackets in their home's cul de sac to serve as a net until Mom or Dad said it was too dark to be outside.
They never pretended, though, that they were at Flushing Meadows or the All England Club. Those places seemed too far away at the time.
"It's not like we were saying, 'Oh, we're going to be there one day,'" Katherine said. "But Melanie's just always believed in herself. It's amazing."
9.04.2009
TALENT IS NOT ENOUGH
There are a lot of people that are blessed with an incredible amount of God given ability. What seperates those people are what they do with their talent?
"There are a lot of guys hanging on the street corners with athleticism in their pockets." Bengals Head Coach Marvin Lewis
"There are a lot of guys hanging on the street corners with athleticism in their pockets." Bengals Head Coach Marvin Lewis
WHAT IS A WINNER?
A winner is someone who recognizes his Godgiven talents, works his tail off two develop them into skills, and uses those skills to accomplish his goals.
9.03.2009
TONY GWYNN
Tony Gwynn loves hitting a baseball, and he devotes himself to it. Several times each season, he reads Ted Williams’ The Science of Hitting, a book he first discovered and read while in college. He watches countless hours of videotape. At home he has a library of hitting tapes, continually fed by his five VCRs that record games via satellite dish. He even reviews tape on the road. When he travels for games, he takes two VCRs so that he can tape and edit every one of his at bats. And when he is not swinging the bat or watching tape, he is talking about hitting constantly—with teammates, at the All-Star Game, with great players such as Ted Williams. Gwynn just can’t get enough. Hitting is his joy. He has been known to arrive at social events with batting gloves sticking out of his pocket, having just come from a batting cage.
ARE YOU A FOUNTAIN?
Choose to be a fountain not a drain. A fountain is a giver. A drain sucks the energy out of a team.
KOBE - PREPARATION
Kobe Bryant: "I can't step up my preparation because I prepare as much as I can all the time."
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