SB Nation User Blog: GoLightning

Stay Classy Bruce

GoLightning — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:55:39 -0000

In his post-game comments on the radio after losing last night, our old friend Bruce Pearl said that besides Williams who had four fouls, his other players needed to have more "hard fouls." I don't have an exact quote, but he said hard fouls a couple of times and talked of discouraging teams from entering the paint. Dear Wayne and Tyler, please try this strategy on Patterson, Cousins, and Orton. I dare you.

Mr Tony is back and he will still stink

GoLightning — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 13:58:47 -0000

Mr Tony is back and he will still stink

For all of the Kornheiser fans out there, here a live streaming feed of his return to radio.

A question regarding scorekeeping

GoLightning — Wed, 06 May 2009 21:48:21 -0000

If a pitcher is replaced during an at bat with a 3 - 0 count and the relief pitcher goes on to walk the batter, who is credited with the walk? I am assuming the starter, but would like to be sure before I saddle the one of the poor saps with a walk. Oh wait, it's just Little League and the players don't care, but I am still curious. Thanks for your help.

Quotes from John Wooden

GoLightning — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 18:51:30 -0000

I recently was given a book entitled "How March Became Madness" by Eddie Einhorn. This is probably old news as it came out in 2006, but I still found his interview with Wooden to be facinating, besides that he almost ended up coaching at Minnesota, but didn't because they called him back late.

"I always felt my job was done during the week, and if I'd done a good job I could go up in the stands and let the players handle the game. Except for a few instances, I think a coach should be able to do that. I don't think you have to be on the sideline walking up and down and yelling and giving signals. I think that promotes insecurity amoung the players, makes them feel you don't have confidence in them.

I never yelled at the players at halftime. I didn't see any point to it. I didn't want them to come charging onto the floor. We'd come in and talk things over technically. I didn't want them to get too excited. I think that's artificial, like the difference between passion and love. Passion is temporary, while love is more enduring. I didn't want a lot of rah-rah stuff. I didn't want them to get tired. I wanted them to save their energy, not go around bemping into people."

- John Wooden

"'OK, men, gather round,' he's [Wooden] say, and we'd sit down and be ready from some unbelievable speech. But he'd just look at us and say, 'Men, I've done my job. The rest is up to you. When the game starts, don't ever look over to me at the sideline. I can't do anything for you.' And that was that. Every game. It was like, 'I've taught you how to play, now go and play.'"

- Bill Walton