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.

Nice try Michael Phelps

phelps_si 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