For love of basketball...

Nothing extraordinary going on in my life to blog about but I must put out some positive vibes for my SUNS today! I know we can take the Spurs and take this series. We are going to break this psychological barrier that has kept one step behind them in the playoffs in the past. GO SUNS!!!

On that note I saw this on my friend Steve's blog and thought I would share it. John Wooden has always been a basketball idol of mine, in all his wisdom and love of discipline, character building and winning!

"Discipline yourself, and others won't need to," Coach John Wooden would tell his players. "Never lie never cheat, never steal," and "Earn the right to be proud and confident." John Wooden was the most successful college basketball coach of all time. No one has ever even come close.

Rick Reilly, the talented sportswriter, recalls that if you played for him, you played by his rules: Never score without acknowledging a teammate. One word of profanity, and you're done for the day. Treat your opponent with respect. Wooden believed in hopelessly out-of-date stuff that never did anything but win championships. No dribbling behind the back or through the legs. ("There's no need," he'd say.) No UCLA basketball number was retired under his watch. "What about the fellows who wore that number before? Didn't they contribute to the team?" Coach Wooden would say.

No long hair, no facial hair. "They take too long to dry, and you could catch cold leaving the gym," he'd say. That one drove his players bonkers.

One day, All-America center Bill Walton showed up with a full beard. "It's my right," he insisted. Wooden asked if he believed that strongly. Walton said he did. "That's good, Bill," Coach said. "I admire people who have strong beliefs and stick by them, I really do. We're going to miss you." Walton shaved it right then and there. Now Walton calls once a week to tell Coach he loves him.