Wisdom from the 42nd Page

Echoes of Texas Football

On the forty-second page of “Echoes of Texas Football: The Gretest Stories Ever Told” author Ken Samelson wrote (emphasis added):

Texas had no time to weep for USC. This was too new for the 'Horns even to consider next season. The Longhorns hadn't wont a national championship since 1970.

That's years of woulda-shoulda-couldas served with two scoops of "wait till next year"—enough to turn the stomach of any Texas-loving fan who could recite the pain and suffering the past 35 years had wrought:

• The 1984 Cotton Bowl meltdown against Georgia.
• The 2001 Big 12 title game flop against Colorado.
• The Oklahoma losses under Mack Brown. Pick one.
• The John Mackovic era. And David McWilliams. Ugh.

But this night wasn't about the past. And it wasn't about next year, when Young will be in the NFL. This night was all about the here and now and a national title for Texas. In 1970, the Longhorns shared the title and finished with a blemish when they lost in the Cotton Bowl to Notre Dame. Page back to 1969 to find the last time the Longhorns finished unbeaten and on top of the college football world. In an interesting twist, that Texas team was the last all-white squad to win a national championship. Thirty-six years later, a black quarterback was the centerpiece of the program's return to the pinnacle.

Everyone wanted a piece of that action on this chilly California night. Actor and Texas alum Matthew McConaughey behaved like a freshman at a fraternity party. He leaped, yelled, hugged, and hollered. No one heard him, but everyone saw him. A giant Texas player waved a giant Texas flag. People cried on the 35-yard line. Cheerleaders ran in delight—and in fear of being trampled by the horde that hounded Young. Surely, this must have been what it was like for Elvis.

Young wasn't ready to leave the building, but he needed sanctuary in the locker room to digest it all. Had Texas just pulled off a title game upset that ranks with Miami's toppling of Nebraska in the 1984 Orange Bowl, Penn State's tripping Miami in the 1987 Fiesta Bowl, and Ohio State's takedown of Miami in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl? No doubt. And even better: Young outplayed Leinart, his more ballyhooed and beloved counterpart.

But there's no rivalry between the two. Before Leinart limped away from the Texas locker room for another lonely stroll, Young grabbed him. They said the usual nicey-nice stuff winners and losers chat about while wearing dirty uniforms in half-lit hallways. But before Leinart left, Young grabbed paper and a pencil. He wanted to get Leinart's cell phone number.

More information about “Echoes of Texas Football: The Gretest Stories Ever Told” (and the book itself) is available from:

• Powell's Books
• Amazon.com
• Barnes & Noble

(Triumph Books, August 2006. Hardcover, 192 pages. ISBN: 1572437634; EAN: 9781572437630.)

Gymnastics

On the forty-second page of “Gymnastics (Sport Psychology Library)” authors Karen Cogan & Peter Vidmar wrote (emphasis added):

10. Use imagery logs. Whenever you learn new skills, you can best monitor your pgoress by having a written record. So determine how you will use imagery and keep tabs on what you do, how much you do, and when you do it. This way you can look back and see your progress. You might set it up like Chart 1.

Chart 1: Imagery Log
Date	Time	Describe Imagery	Practice Time	Success
4/28	1:30 p.m.	Practiced 10 double flyaway dismounts off bars with perfect landings; used internal & kinesthetic imagery	5 minutes	A little trouble feeling landings; stuck 3 in workout
4/30	9:00 p.m.	Practiced 3 beam routines in prep for meet tomorrow	10 minutes	Able to imagine layout pass with solid landings!

Try Exercises 6–1, 6–2, 6–3, and 6–4 to help you develop your imagery skills.

6–1: Vivid Imagery

Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Picture yourself walking into the gym when no one is there. Look at the layout of the equipment. Notice the colors of the mats and other equipment. Listen to the sounds in the gym, such as the buzz of the lights, the "squish" of the mats as you walk across them, your own breathing. Take a deep breath and notice the smell of the metal on the equipment, plastic on the mats, or chalk in the chalk bins. Touch the bars and feel the leather beneath your fingers. Step onto the floor exercise area and feel the slight spring as you walk on the floor. Now open your eyes.

How vivid were the images you created? If you need to make them more vivid, try imaging in color, hearing sounds and smelling the chalk and mats.

More information about “Gymnastics (Sport Psychology Library)” (and the book itself) is available from:

• Amazon.com
• Powell's Books
• Barnes & Noble

(Fitness Information Technology, September 1999. Paperback, 196 pages. ISBN: 1885693176; EAN: 9781885693174.)

50 Best Short Hikes in Utah's National Parks

161 years ago today the first group of pioneers reached what is now Salt Lake City, Utah.

On the forty-second page of “50 Best Short Hikes in Utah's National Parks” author Ron Adkison wrote (hyperlinks & emphasis added):

beneath the seemingly overhanging wall of Cable Mountain. Views enroute stretch across Zion Canyon to the sentinel rock of Angels Landing.

At the eighth switchback, the signed trail to Hidden Canyon peels off to the right at 0.6 mile and 4850 feet, and from here we have a fine view back down to the shady alcove of Weeping Rock. Turning right onto that unpaved trail, we begin switchbacking at a moderate grade amid pines and firs, directly beneath the sheer walls of Cable Mountain. Above this climb, a traverse leads us into a shady chasm supporting Douglas-fir, white fir, ponderosa pine, and velvet ash. Soon the trail exits the chasm via a low but slippery slickrock wall, where acrophobic hikers may be compelled to turn back.

Beyond that traverse, we curve into the mouth of Hidden Canyon, hanging 700 feet above the floor of Zion Canyon. Numerous potholes have been worn into the Navajo Sandstone slickrock floor of the canyon by abrasive runoff waters. These waterpockets are like those commonly encountered in the same rock unit in Capitol Reef National Park, and they may hold water after substantial rains.

Steps cut into the rock allow passage around some of the potholes, but soon we are forced into the narrow, sandy, rocky wash as giant cliffs close in on either side. The trail apparently ends where we dip into the wash at 1.1 miles (5180'), and some hikers may be content to go this far, but to others, this mysterious chasm beckons. Douglas-fir, white fir, and ponderosa pine thrive in this relatively cool, moist microclimate within the confines of the canyon. Great sheer cliffs soar heavenward on either side of the narrow arrow-straight canyon. A number of small alcoves and other erosional features await those who hike the dry wash upstream, for another 0.5 mile or so. Rock climbinb skills are necessary to reach the head of the canyon.

More information about “50 Best Short Hikes in Utah's National Parks (50 Best Short Hikes series)” (and the book itself) is available from:

• Amazon.com
• Powell's Books
• Barnes & Noble

(Wilderness Press, August 2001. Paperback, 227 pages. ISBN: 0899972608; EAN: 9780899972602.)

America's Game

On the forty-second page of “America's Game: The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured a Nation” author Michael MacCambridge wrote (hyperlinks & emphasis added):

newspaper reporter, "or he'll go to hell." Bell indeed went to Penn in 1914, majoring in English and playing football for three years as a quarterback. In 1916, Penn went 7-2-1 and expected a bid to the Rose Bowl. Bell started at quarterback in the game, January 1, 1917, where unbeaten Oregon prevailed 14-0. After a two-year stint with an army medical unit in France, he returned to captain Penn's football team in 1919, graduated in 1920, and returned that fall as an assistant for Penn head coach John Heisman, where he remained on staff through 1928.

Though he worked nominally as a stockbroker during the '20s, Bell spent the decade living a life not unlike the romanticized cinematic visions of the '20s, frequenting nightclubs, dancehalls, and speakeasies, tooling around town in a cherry-red Marmon roadster and a coonskin coat, playing with equal vigor the stock market, the gambling halls, and the horses, devoting the month of August to the summer season at Saratoga. On summer Saturdays in Chelsea, when his father would leave for Philadelphia to attend church services the following morning, Bert Bell would often throw a party, hosting his eclectic assemblage of friends—ranging from entertainers like Bob Hope and Cesar Romero to blue-collar acquaintances from the resort town.

After a series of financial setbacks, Bell was working for his father, managing the Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Broad Street. It was there he met the musical comedy actress and former Ziegfeld dancer Frances Upton, a sweet, vivacious dazzler with a dramatic streak and a staunch moral fiber, a perfectly complicated Catholic beauty of the modern age. Between starring roles in such Broadway hits as Whoopee!, with Eddie Cantor, Frances Upton often performed sets at the Ritz's small, swanky rooftop lounge. Doting on Frances, the smitten Bell would wait until she finished her performance, then escort her to a nearby Catholic church where a mass was held at two in the morning for late-shift printers and newspaper workers. While the daily communicant Frances went inside, Bert remained outside on the street, reading the paper, joshing with the police officers, and watching the nightlife. One summer night when Bert professed his undying love to Frances, she told him she could never marry a drinking man. Surrounded by friends, he ordered one last drink and downed it, then vowed to her he would never touch alcohol again. By all accounts, he didn't; they were married January 4, 1934.

The previous summer, Bell had borrowed $2,500 from his fiancée and along with his former Penn teammate Lud Wray, headed a syndicate that bought the NFL's defunct Frankford Yellow Jackets francise, a pro power in the '20s that had gone bankrupt during the 1931 season. Renaming the team the Eagles, after the eagle logo on the National Recovery Administration's em[blem]

More information about “America's Game: The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured a Nation” (and the book itself) is available from:

• Amazon.com
• Barnes & Noble
• Powell's Books

Who's Better, Who's Best in Basketball?

On the forty-second page of “Who's Better, Who's Best in Basketball? Mr Stats Sets the Record Straight on the Top 50 NBA Players of All Time” author Elliot Kalb wrote (emphasis added):

In 189 attempts in his first four seasons, Jordan made just 31 treys. But he would finish his career with close to 600. In 1992, he shocked the world (and himself) with six three-pointers in the first half against Portland in Game 1 of the Finals. In 1996, he made 111 for the season, hitting 43 percent for the season.

Who's Better, Who's Best
Michael Jordan or Wilt Chamberlain

Games Needed to Reach 30,000 Points
1.	941	Wilt Chamberlain
2.	960	Michael Jordan

After 1,045 Games
Chamberlain	30.1	points/game
Jordan	30.3	points/game

Chamberlain averaged almost four times as many rebounds per game as Jordan. Wilt averaged 22.9 rebounds per game, while Jordan averaged just more than 6 boards. Jordan averaged a little more than one assist per game more than Wilt. Wilt shot a higher percentage from the field. Michael shot a much better percentage from the line. Wilt was a great shot blocker. Michael was great at stealing the ball.

Chamberlain dominated any statistical category he wanted. He was held well under his seasonal averages in the biggest games he played in. Jordan was one of the greatest big-game performers ever.

A Better Analogy
Michael Jordan and Willie Mays

Considered by many the greatest baseball player of all time, Mays was the prototype of the complete player. He hit for average and power, ran the bases with intelligence and speed, played a spectacular center field, and possessed a great arm. He was also remarkably durable, playing in at least 150 games for 13 consecutive years. Jordan was similarly the prototype of the complete basketball player, with seemingly no weaknesses. He was also remarkably durable, playing all 82 games eight times.

A Better Analogy
Michael Jordan and David Stern

Michael Jordan was similar to the most popular kid in school who just happened to be the best athlete and the smartest kid, as well. Sometimes,

More information about “Who's Better, Who's Best in Basketball?” (and the book itself) is available from:

• Amazon.com
• Barnes & Noble
• Powell's Books