Nash’s career a good example for young athletes
My Sunday best … The news that a back injury has ended season, and probably his NBA career, stirred memories of a basketball hoop near his Victoria, British Columbia, home. Four years ago while covering the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, I wrote a story about Nash and was lucky enough to visit the house in which he grew up. In the backyard was a fence, and behind it an elementary school with a rundown backboard and rim, the same one Nash used to work on his game.
His father, said his very young son would shoot at least a hundred jumpers each visit and then calculate his percentage. Later, while walking around Victoria, I ran into
who played 17 seasons in the NHL. He was a neighbor of the Nash family and frequently witnessed Steve’s commitment to improving his skills.
“When he was 7, he would juggle a soccer ball with his feet and head, and we'd be whipping tennis balls at him to try and distract him. Didn’t really work.”
Moral of the story? Yes, Nash, who is now 40, was a talented athlete whose great vision on the soccer field helped his decision-making on the basketball court. More than anything, though, he was a tireless worker. When others stopped practicing he was just getting started.
And his committed relationship with that school basketball hoop is a great message for young players who want to excel at their game. …
Steve Nash’s
Geoff Cortnall,
Ageism?
John,
Like Nash, 34, is considered to be in the latter stages of his career. The quarterback’s age is a popular topic now that Cardinals General Manager has acknowledged the team has opened contract negotiations with the player’s agent,
Steve Keim
David Dunn.
Carson Palmer,
How much does Palmer have left in the tank? It’s hard to say. The team believes the nerve injury in his shoulder that forced him to missed three games isn’t a long-term issue. And the way Palmer played late last season and this season suggests he is at least several years away from retirement.
Of regular starting quarterbacks in the NFL, three are older than Palmer: (40),
(37) and is just four months younger and one year younger.
was 37 when he took over for for good in 2008. That seemed to work out OK. Extending Palmer for several more years is the right move. He became a different quarterback once he grasped system. And this staff excels at coaching to a player’s strength.
As Brady once so eloquently told “You know, you don’t have to suck when you get older.” …
dy
Peyton Manning Drew Brees Tony Romo
Eli Manning
Kurt Warner nart
Bruce Arians’
Tolerance anyone?
(35).
Tom Bra-
Matt Lei-
Peter King,
I was happy to see that the Arizona Interscholastic Association Executive Board approved the first transgender student-athlete to compete, disappointed about the ugliness that has tainted the reaction.
I respect that acceptance won’t be easy for some, but can’t we at least engage in healthy, respectful discussion? Conversation is necessary because it is not a clear-cut issue. Many male athletes have inherent physical advantages which change after gender-reassignment surgery, but most high school students in question are too young to go that route. It’s complicated. As the AIA is doing, handling these issues on a caseby-case basis is the right thing. We are still learning a lot about gender dysphoria, the formal diagnosis of a person who identifies with a gender different from the one they were born with. New evidence suggest biological reasons play a role. We must all take a deep breath. “This is just sport,” said a Valley doctor and competitive transgender golfer. “The more important issue here is education. And this transgender issue can all be part of the student body’s education.”
Sportsmanship anyone?
Bobbi Lancaster,
One of the most ridiculous things I heard recently was Tampa Bay defensive tackle receiving criticism for helping opponents up after plays. I loved his response.
“If anybody has a problem with me helping people up off the field, that’s a personal problem, something you’re going to have to deal with,” he said. “If people really pay attention you would also notice that when the opposing team gets hurt, most of the time there’s one person who walks on the field every time and says a prayer. It’s me. That’s who I am. That’s who I’m going to be. If you don’t like it, get over it. I’m going to help people up because I’m a good sportsman.”
Stat of the day
Gerald McCoy
An impressive 90.4 percent. That’s Nash’s freethrow percentage during his 18-year NBA career. He made 3,060 out of 3,384, and in the 2009-10 season made 93.8 percent, missing just 14 out of 225 tries.
Quotes of the day
These come from “Nash,” a documentary from filmmaker about Nash that will be released Dec. 4.
“He does his job. He doesn’t do it with a lot of fanfare. You get a sense that he’s still probably the same kid he was when he was growing up in Canada.” — President
Obama
Michael Hamilton
“I met him in Dallas. I never got like a ‘Holy (bleep) this is Owen Wilson’s feeling from Steve.” — actor
Owen Wilson