Moneyball, it’s in the numbers
In what may be the best sports-related article I’ve ever read, Michael Lewis in the New York Times Magazine tells the story of Shane Battier, a legendary high-school and college basketball star who has terrible stats in the NBA, but is an exceptional talent. Battier plays smart, and was signed to the Houston Rockets by a smart management team who has tapped into measuring the right statistics in the game. In any endeavor, if you can collect and measure meaningful statistics and act accordingly, you’ll have a significant advantage of those who work hard, but do it blindly.
Are these guys from another planet?
Seriously, this is beyond my comprehension. Not only are they skateboarding down a mountain road, they are doing it with live traffic, AND they are handing off the video camera and getting great shots.
Nice try Michael Phelps
I was one of millions (billions?) of people who was captivated by Michael Phelps’ historic Olympic journey. The lofty goal that he set for himself, aside from actually achieving it, is an inspiration itself. Big goals are important. There is no way to do what he did unless he was trying to do it. Huh?
Phelps couldn’t win 8 gold medals by circumstance. The only way was to dream it, plan it, work at it, and then try… really, really hard. I’m ecstatic he got all eight, but I think we should celebrate his attempt as much if not more than his success.
"Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome." — Arthur Ashe
Gold for U.S. 4×100 Relay Team
Wow, what a swim our guys gave us last night. Jason Lezak has big lungs, and an even bigger heart. You can and should watch it here. Or, watch the under water view of the race.
Liriano called up for Twins
The Twins have been fun to watch this year. They are a very young team, and play a great brand of “small ball.” Losing Johan Santana for this year had most people hoping that Fransisco Liriano could come back from his injury and be the ace. Well, he wasn’t ready at the start, so he was sent down to AAA 
where he as been on fire. The Twins are reportedly calling up Liriano and a career minor league hitter Randy Ruiz. To make room they are releasing veteran pitcher Livian Hernandez and veteran hitter Craig Monroe. This is a great move, and it makes the team even younger.