One Man's Unrivaled Wizardry

John Robert Wooden was born four years before World War I, in 1910. From an early age, Wooden developed a love of three things: faith, his wife Nellie (whom he met at age 16), and basketball.

Few men in this world are as synonymous with their chosen profession as John Wooden was with his. Basketball and Coach Wooden go together like kindergarteners and crayons, or better yet like peanut butter and jelly.

Although Wooden was an All-American at Purdue, and a well-regarded coach at what is now Indiana State, he didn’t exactly pack the gym at what was then a non-factor program at UCLA during his first decade.

Beginning in 1948, Wooden had a successful record of 285-125 during his first decade plus in Los Angeles, but he wasn’t able to break through and win more than a conference title during his first 15 seasons.

Most coaches wouldn’t last in today’s sporting landscape for 15 years, but in his sixteenth season, Wooden’s tree of wisdom and patience began to bear fruit. In 1963, Wooden led his Bruin squad to a NCAA championship and an undefeated record of 30-0.

The wily veteran had finally broken through, but it didn’t stop there. Over the next 11 seasons, Wooden was able to capture an unprecedented 9 titles. During that run Wooden was able to guide UCLA to 4 perfect seasons, including an NCAA record 88 game winning streak from 1971 to 1974.

A career that began with exactly zero championships and a .695 winning percentage ended with 6 more titles than the next closest coaches (Duke’s Coach K & Kentucky’s Adolph Rupp) and a winning percentage of .938 over the dozen seasons.

It’s important to note that Wooden knew when to step away, retiring at age 65 in 1975 fresh off of his tenth national championship.

The most important takeaway from Coach Wooden has nothing to do with basketball, and everything to do with life. Sure, it doesn’t hurt that the man won an astounding 10 national championships. but it wasn’t about winning at all cost. It was about doing things the right way. The right way meant with integrity, respect, and a humble nature that is missing in athletics today.

The pyramid shown above laid the foundation of success for UCLA basketball, Coach John Wooden himself, droves of student-athletes (Lew Alcindor, Bill Walton, & Jamal Wilkes…the list is endless) that played under and learned how to behave as men under Wooden’s tutelage, and the millions worldwide that listened to him speak or read from his bestselling books.

Take the immediate connection to basketball out of your mind when looking at the pyramid.

Next, remove any intrinsic connection to John Wooden.

Now, tell me people are upset because a great basketball coach finally met his maker.

People are emotional because the world lost a great man. He just happened to be the greatest basketball coach that ever lived.

Stuck in an Early Rut

Ryan Howard and Cole Hammels aren’t exactly the first two names one would normally associate with losing or average performances. They’ve excelled on the biggest stage, propelling the Philadelphia Phillies to the status of a perennial force in the National League in recent years.

The boys from the city where freedom was born have won the last two league pennants, including a World Series title in 2008. Combine that record of success with the seemingly endless revenue stream provided by Citizens Bank Park and it’s easy to see that the Phillies are built for success not only in the present, but also in the future. Presently, however, two of the most popular Phillies are struggling to produce on a consistent basis.

Ryan Howard may be baseball’s latest $100 million man, but hasn’t been able find the broad side of a barn in the past week, hitting .120 in that span. The season on the whole hasn’t been terrible, but for one of the top players in the game, an on-base percentage of .336 and a pedestrian slugging percentage of .450 simply aren’t up to snuff. The most embarrassing stat is a strikeout to hit ratio that’s nearly 1 to 1 (54 whiffs to 59 hits). By comparison, reigning NL MVP Albert Pujols hits dingers more than twice as often as he leaves the plate swinging or looking.

The Phillies problems don’t end with their first baseman. Although he’s no longer the ace of the best rotation on the “senior circuit,” Cole Hammels has yet to regain his form of season’s past.

Hammels has consistently battled injuries over the last two seasons, but fans have come to expect more from the postseason stud than a 5-4 record and a 4.20 ERA. To make matters worse, Hammels has given up 11 homers in 11 starts, and has yet to record a shutout. Meanwhile, his ballyhooed counterpart, Roy Halladay, has a 7-3 record, and an ERA of 1.99 to go along with a tantalizing tandem of 5 complete games and 3 shutouts.

The baseball season is a marathon, not a sprint. Pennants aren’t won in the spring rains of April, or the burgeoning heat of an early June summer.

Pennants are won in the homestretch of August and September. Although Philadelphia has lost an alarming 8 of their last 10, including a 4 game sweep this week to Los Bravos, there isn’t a reason for Phillies fans to be legitimately worried, at least not yet.

If a similar streak reveals itself in late August or mid-September, Charlie Manuel had better get his fishing rod ready. He may have some time on his hands.

Living up to the Hype

The Indianapolis 500 has long been known as the greatest spectacle in racing. After Sunday’s exhilarating experience, it may be on its way to being the greatest event in all of modern sport.

Some 300,000 smiling spectators were treated to a heart-pounding marathon featuring wheel-to-wheel excitement, sunshine, and more than enough pre-race entertainment to go around. If you have any doubts about how intense the race was both live and on television, Google Mike Conway’s amazing crash (where he coincidently only broke a leg) and give it a look.

The fans weren’t the only ones fired up to watch 33 of the world’s top drivers. Oscar-winning actor Jack Nicholson was apparently so thrilled to be the official starter of the race that he decided he wasn’t coming down from the starter’s box until around 30 laps had been completed.

The race was stellar from start to finish. The expected conglomerate of Target/Chip Ganassi, Andretti Autosport, and Penske Racing showed why they are the dominant forces in the new IndyCar series, which merged with former rival CART in 2008.

Dario Franchitti, the eventual winner, showed early that he was a force to be reckoned with, passing three-time winner Helio Castroneves on the first lap and never looking back. The Scotsman led an astounding 155 laps, fighting off late challenges from the likes of Castroneves, fan-favorite Tony Kanaan, and former winner Dan Wheldon for his second victory at the Brickyard in three years.

Danica Patrick had a rough month of May, and it stayed rough from start to finish. From the boos that rang out after a less than tactful qualifying interview, to the lack of outright cheering during driver introductions, it wasn’t in the cards for Indycar’s most marketable star. Although she was able to garner a respectable fifth-place finish, Patrick was pretty much a non-factor.

The World Cup, the Super Bowl, and World Series are presently the three podium finishers of sporting greatness. If Indycar has its way, however, that pantheon will be challenged immediately.

The Indy 500 has always had a special place in the hearts of sports and non-sports fans alike due to the sheer spectacle and emotion of at all. There is no other single event that can bring together a quarter of a million plus people for one afternoon of good food, good times, fantastic wrecks, and flat-out great racing.

If Danica Patrick (or perhaps Lady Gaga and Betty White?) decides to show up for the party next year, we’ll have a whole other animal on our hands. And that’s a good thing.