It’s frustrating because it is the only stat that dictates strategy.

Let me explain: A save is what is awarded when a baseball relief pitcher comes in with a lead of 3 runs or less (there are more complicated rules, but I’ll leave it there).

Detroit Tigers closer Jose Valverde pitched in a tie game in Monday’s game 2 loss to the Texas Rangers.  He threw 2 innings (23 pitches).

On Tuesday, the Tigers were up by 3 in the ninth and Valverde came in for the save.  He threw another inning (16 pitches).

On Wednesday, the Tigers were tied in extra innings and they needed Valverde to pitch again.  Relief pitchers rarely throw three days in a row.  Since the game was tight they needed him.  In his second inning of work he got hit… hard.

You have to wonder if he was tired.

It makes you wonder – what appearances over the last three days could have been avoided?

Obviously, it is the appearance on Tuesday.  The other two were in high-pressure tie game situations.

With a three run lead the Tigers did not need him.  Every relief pitcher on the postseason roster had an ERA under 6 this season.  That means no pitcher averaged giving up more than 2 runs every three innings.

A three run lead in one inning is relatively safe.

But it’s conventional wisdom to bring in your closer.  Your closer needs to earn the save.

The stat dictated strategy.

Conventional wisdom isn’t always right.  Conventional wisdom put the Tigers in a tough 3-1 series hole.

It’s easy for me as a baseball fan to sit back and criticize this decision, but I wonder how often I simply accept conventional wisdom that actually isn’t right.

How often do you?

Those who go down as visionaries in our history books are people who challenge the status quo. People who don’t accept “that’s how we’ve always done it.”

Will you?

Conventional wisdom loses a lot more than baseball games.

Anger.

No, not anger at terrorists (though the motivations of the people who committed the acts on September 11 were twisted).

Anger at mainly faceless, distant groups of people doesn’t really do anyone any good.

Instead, I hope you remain angry at injustice.  Angry at the horrible stories of the suffering that individuals and families endured because of this catastrophe.

I believe that as humans we are built to be angry about stuff like that.  Often we use our anger in harmful ways, but if we get angry about the right things we can make a difference in the world.

One thing that I kept hearing from the people who lost loved ones during 9/11 is that people surrounded them with hope and encouragement.  People gave money, time and other resources to bless them during their time of great need.

September 11th is a day that will forever live in infamy and it was obvious even on that day that thousands were killed and countless more were going to carry lifelong burdens.  People rallied around from day one to help carry the load.

I hope that remembering September 11th will give you a heart of deep compassion for the needs of others.  Let’s be honest, this was a terrible, terrible event but suffering occurs around the world constantly.  Not just when people fly planes into buildings.

If you are reading this blog, it is very likely that you are in the top 20% of the world’s wealthiest people (probably pretty high up in that 20%).  You have the wealth and resources to do things that impact others.

9/11 is a perfect example.  Compassion changes lives.  People who reach out can dramatically change the direction of others.

I hope you get angry about September 11th.  About injustice.  About suffering.  Angry enough to actually do something about it.

He did it twice with the Bulls and once already with the Lakers.

Going through the process of winning a title this year was just a formality.

Or so we thought.

It was definitely what the fans thought.  Apparently, it was what the players thought as well.

There is a danger with assuming success.  It causes you to get dominated in a playoff series you should at least compete in.  I’m not saying the Lakers SHOULD have won against the Mavericks, a team that is completely different with Tyson Chandler on board.

But there is no excuse for getting swept.  You can argue that the Lakers have 4 of the top 5 players in that series (Kobe, Dirk, Gasol, Bynum, Odom).  The Lakers made JJ Barea look like the second coming of Steve Nash.

It was some of the worst basketball I’ve ever seen the Lakers play.

When it was over Kobe and Phil were laughing at their press conferences.  Not a lot was invested in this season.

They assumed it was going to be a cake walk.

Phil Jackson always three peats.

You simply cannot assume success.  You can’t lean on past accomplishments to determine future results.  You have to bring the same fire and passion in every moment to stay on top.

Understandably, this is something that is difficult to do.  But I hope it is a lesson I can apply to my life.  There is a quote that I always remember from the start of a Jay Z song:

“The key to staying, on top of things
is treat everything like it’s your first project, knahmsayin?


Like it’s your first day like back when you was an intern
Like, that’s how you try to treat things like, just stay hungry”

-Notorious BIG

To continue to be successful in whatever you do you have to keep that hunger that you had when you did it for the first time.  Like I said, it is really hard to do, but I’m hoping this Lakers debacle can remind me to have that perspective in my life.

Without it, Phil Jackson doesn’t always three peat.

__________________________________________________________

I live in America, which is a capitalistic society.

This effects how I view the world in many ways.

One message that I’m constantly told is this: do as much you can afford.

Buy the best car you can for your money.

Buy as much house as you possibly can.

Save all you can for a luxurious retirement.

This idea extends past money too.

Cheat as much as you can without getting caught.

Eat as many calories as you can without gaining weight.

Do as much as you can afford.

In a society where we hear that message all the time I wonder: what would denial teach us?

What would it teach us to deny ourselves something?

That’s why I love the season of Lent.  There are actually four different ways that Lent is supposed to be lived out (fasting, giving to the poor, prayer, Scripture reading), but based on Facebook posts I can see that most people connect with fasting during this season.

I think that is a good thing.

Because in a country where we have so much and we are told to get as much as possible denial might be one of the most important teachers we have.

I’ll unpack this a little bit more in a later post, but what do you think?  What can you learn from denying yourself something for a season?  Have you ever tried it?

Former players.

Current players.

Fans.

(By the way, I would like to see casual fans take a hit from Clay Matthews… or be the most sacked QB in the league… or play in the NFL with TYPE ONE DIABETES.  Go fill another Tostitos scoop with guacamole buddy.)

While everyone can go back and forth about the legitimacy of the injury, there’s a reason why nearly everyone is taking shots at him: perception.

Cutler is perceived to be a whiny, prima donna.

It seems like no one (except his teammates) has stepped up to defend him.

My wife covered the San Diego Padres for a year for MLB.com (I know, I’m ridiculously lucky.  She also covered the Dodgers a bit.  She was there for the back to back to back to back homers.  Here’s an article: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060919&content_id=1670623&vkey=news_la&fext=.jsp&c_id=la)

She was covering the Pads when Barry Bonds was assaulting the homerun record books and she remembers having a conversation with an old sportswriter about how no one was defending the large domed, roided up slugger:

“You see how no one is defending him… it’s because he’s made no friends along the way.  He will always be perceived negatively because of the way he’s treated others.”

In many ways, perception is reality.

Imagine if it was Brett Favre instead of Jay Cutler who hurt his knee on Sunday:

“Surely BRETT FAVRE wouldn’t leave a game early unless it was really serious.”

Perception is reality.

All of this has me wondering:  How am I perceived?

How are you perceived?

If your friends could use 5 words to describe you, what do you think they would be?

There’s a quote I heard a long time ago that has stuck with me: “We judge others by their actions.  We judge ourselves by our motives.”

What would it be like for you to spend a day judging yourself by your actions?

Seriously, try it out.  Spend a day thinking about things like your body language, the way you treat your waiter, the way you treat your kids, etc.

I think this is dangerous if taken to an extreme, but it is a helpful exercise to do every once in a while.

How are you perceived?  How do others view you?

Hopefully better than Jay Cutler.

If not, Maurice Jones-Drew might write a mean tweet about you.

Groups of people will go out Jan. 25 – Jan. 27 from 8 pm to midnight to literally count the homeless in Los Angeles neighborhoods.  This is extremely important. Here’s why:

“In 2009, we counted nearly 50,000 homeless people in Los Angeles County. Tabulating numbers is not the end goal – knowing who and where our homeless populations are allows us to target our resources more effectively to get people housed. The Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count is about building stronger communities where everyone is safe, secure and housed.”

Want to stand up for the hurting?  Want to give a voice to the voiceless?

They are still in need of volunteers!  

Sign up here: http://www.theycountwillyou.org/

Any guy who has tried to impress a girl knows this to be true.  Think about middle school guys… aka guys before they notice girls.  These guys wear no deodorant, put on whatever clothes are handed to them and seldom brush their teeth.  I used to play basketball all during lunch and then I would go to 6^th period with my shirt drenched in sweat.  I wasn’t (too) abnormal.

By high school these same young men are using cologne, sporting the latest fashions and feigning interest in poetry.

Great motivations produce marvelous achievements.

The next question is obviously this: What is a great motivation?  How do I stay motivated to do outstanding things with my life?

The answer that I have found to that question is this: selfless living.

This is not something that I have mastered AT ALL, but it is true in my life over and over again.  The things that I have done with my life that I’m most proud of were accomplished because I had motivations to serve other people beyond myself.

Let me explain: I finished my Master’s at Abilene Christian University.  I’m proud of this because I really, really wanted to quit after almost every semester.  Here are the reasons:

1)   I’m not a scholar.  Anyone who knows me knows this is true.  I would rather be around people than read a pile of books.  Learning Greek and Hebrew is not my idea of good time.

2)   I moved from Malibu, California to Abilene, Texas.  Read that sentence again.

I constantly wanted to quit.  But for some reason I didn’t give up.  I think the reason is this: I believe deeply in ministry.  I knew that being there would help strengthen me to be in ministry for many years and I believe that ministers help people.  I honestly believe it is because of that motivation that I was able to cross the finish line.

The greatest things I’ve done in my life have selfless motivations behind them.  Think about your own life.  Is that true for you?

If so or if not, how can you try out to set more goals that are motivated be someone other than you?

For example, if you need to lose weight it is almost impossible to will yourself to do it.  But what if you thought about it in a different way:

1)   I will be healthier so I can take better care of my wife and kids.

2)   I will have more confidence so I will be able to be a better husband or wife….

This list could go on and on.  There are better motives for losing weight than trying to fit into that new bathing suit.  I’d be willing to bet if you thought of it in this way you could get results a lot more often.

Why don’t you try it?  What is a goal you have?  How does it help you serve others?  (If it doesn’t, maybe it’s not worth doing)

Instead of always asking the question ‘What’s in it for me?’ maybe we should be asking ‘What’s in it for them?’

I’ll have one more post on motivation on Thursday.  Thanks for reading.

You might remember this commercial.  I know I do.

Three actors trying to seem like tough guys turn out to be the exact opposite.

I love that final question: What’s my motivation?

I’ve been thinking a lot about motivation recently.

Like most sports fans I was amazed by the season that Michael Vick had for the Philadelphia Eagles.  Though his playoff run is over, he will likely finish second in the MVP race and he single handedly decided hundreds of thousands of fantasy football leagues.  How does a guy who was in prison just a couple years ago get back to the top of his sport so quickly?

Motivation and talent.

He is extremely talented and exceptionally motivated.

His natural talent is unquestioned; I want to focus on his motivation.  Think about what most NFL players are playing for.  Most of these guys are millionaires who are playing to add an extra story to their house or to buy a new one or to set up their families for generations.

Michael Vick is playing to pay people back.  Various websites claim that Vick owes anywhere from 10-50 million dollars.  That is a boatload of money.

So every time he drops back to pass he thinking about avoiding not only 300 pound lineman but also about gigantic debts that have to be paid.  He’s not thinking about buying a vacation home in Barbados.

This season he threw for 3,018 yards and 26 touchdowns.  He ran for 676 yards and 9 more touchdowns.  It’s the kind of season you have on Madden.

It’s what happens when incredible motivation meets unbelievable talent.

Obviously, not all of us can be NFL quarterbacks.  But we all have skills and talents that we bring to the table.  I’m going to look at this a little bit deeper in another post, but what is your motivation?

How are you motivating your talents and skills?

This is a critical question to ask.  Because when incredible motivation meets unbelievable talents, amazing things happen.

In 2004 he had an incredible season where he hit .334 with 48 homers and 121.  (If it wasn’t for Big Headed ‘Roid Raging Barry Bonds he would have won the MVP.)

It just happened to be his contract year.

After signing a big contract (5 years, 64 million dollars) with the Seattle Mariners, Beltre’s numbers went in the tank.

In 2005 he hit .255 with 19 homers and 87 RBI.  Here is a picture of Adrian, laughing all the way to the bank.

Flash forward to January 5, 2011.

In a contract year in 2010, Adrian Beltre hit .321 with 28 homers and 102 RBI.

The Texas Rangers just signed him for 6 years and 96 million dollars.

When the contract is over he will be “37.”  (No one is really sure exactly how old he is.)

Am I the only one who realizes this is going to be an awful deal?

This seems like a terrible mistake that happens over and over again in pro sports.  Here are the three steps:

1)   Player has big season in contract year.

2)   Player gets tons of money.

3)   Player hits .250 the next season.  Or suddenly loses the ability to hit three pointers.  Or puts on 30 pounds and starts walking with a limp.

General managers make huge mistakes and hand these players gigantic contracts all the time.

And these mistakes seem to be avoidable.

This caused me to ask a question (Surprisingly not: how do these GMs keep their jobs?):

What mistakes am I making with my life that to someone else might seem foolish?

It’s easy for me to criticize the poor repeatable choices that others make, but in what ways am I walking into the same traps over and over again?

Those questions kind of stuck with me so I hope they challenge you as well.

I’ll now go back to banging my head against the wall at the thought of someone handing Adrian Beltre 96 million dollars.

What do you do?

Think for a minute about how much those questions have shaped you.  

How many times were you asked about “what you wanted to be when you grew up?”  I remember posing in the back yard for the pictures that would be on my future baseball cards.  I also remember facing the harsh reality that I was not a 5 star athlete… so I switched my goal to sportswriter.  

But now, no one asks me that anymore.  Instead, when I meet people for the first time one of the first questions they ask me is: what do you do?

Basically our whole lives, our careers (or visions of future careers) define us.  

Work defines us.  

Someday it won’t.  

At all the funerals I’ve ever attended, the person’s career is hardly even mentioned.  Sure, it is mentioned in passing.  

“She was a schoolteacher.”

“He was a mechanic.”

Jobs aren’t all that important on a day like that.  

You know what is?  The impact that he or she had on others. 

Stories are told about the time that he went out of his way to help someone in need.  Or when she invited people who were new in town for Thanksgiving dinner.  

Suddenly, the term “assistant to the regional manager” doesn’t mean much anymore.  

Work is a good thing.  It gives us meaning, purpose and identity.  But we can’t let work become an idol that we worship.  

Because there are more important things than your job.  And there is a more important question than “what do you do?”

The real question we should be asking ourselves is this: What do I do for others?