Social Commentary

All opinions expressed in the blog are my own.

Many factors impact game and season results - talent, coaching, schedule, health, luck and more. It's rare for officiating to matter.

One factor that definitely doesn't change outcomes is social media. There's always discussion about "bulletin board" material where someone says their team is better than an opponent or guarantees victory.

Back in the day, there wasn't any Internet or much information about opponents. You just played and whatever happened happened.

But be aware that some teams and coaches have "rabbit ears" and take any mention of them as meaningful.

There's the old joke about someone asking "what's their record going to be this season?" The coach replies, "I'll tell you exactly what it is, 0-0."

Underestimate any opponent at your peril. Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez used to say, "anyone with a bat in their hand is dangerous." Amen to that.

Put pressure on opponents using the fourth agreement. 

• Play present (next play)
• Do championship things every day in practice 
• "Always do your best." And make that excellent.

Here's an excerpt from Celtics beat writer Adam Himmelsbach from The Boston Globe:

"I spoke with Shammgod for a profile I wrote about Mazzulla after he was named interim coach in place of Ime Udoka in 2022. Looking back at that interview, there were some real hints about Mazzulla’s unorthodox approach that is built on intensity, compassion, and a relentless work ethic.

Shammgod said he had never seen someone work as hard as Mazzulla does, and he called him the most detail-oriented person he had ever met. He said Mazzulla watched so much game film that Shammgod and the other assistants began to have concerns about his mental health. So they convinced him to sit down with them after long days of work and watch an hour of regular television.

“Wins and losses are big to Joe,” Shammgod said then, “but the biggest thing for him is he wants to be so prepared. He doesn’t ever want to lose because a team worked harder or their preparation was better.”"

Lagniappe: almost twenty years ago, MVB heard that a ML opponent had put photographs of several players up with 'targets' on them. It didn't matter as MVB simply outplayed them. Message? "Block out the noise."