Wooden on Leadership

John Wooden has come out with a book on leadership this summer. I pulled this from USA Today, folded it in my bag, and I forgot about it until today...

Here's seven principles of leadership that he followed from his Dad, who Coach Wooden says is the major influence upon his famed Pyramid of Success and his leadership principles. So, here this tidbit from USA Today. Good stuff...

***John Wooden's father gave him a card when he graduated from elementary school. On it, his father wrote "his own personal Seven Point Creed" - practical advice that Wooden remembered all his life. It is:

1.) Be True to Yourself
2.) Make each day your masterpiece.
3.) Help Others
4.) Drink deeply from good books, including the Good Book.
5.) Make Friendship a fine art.
6.) Build a shelter against a rainy day.
7.) Pray for guidance, and give thanks for your blessings every day.

Wooden explains. "When Dad handed me the little 3X5 card he said, 'Johnny try and follow this advice and you'll do fine.' I've tried to live up to Dad's advice in my personal life and in my teaching, coaching, and leadership responsibilities. Dad is everywhere in this book."

Check it out "Wooden on Leadership" by John Wooden, "The Wizard of Westwood."

Pauley Pavillion,
IronDog

Draft Day

Oooohhhh things are getting hot on the cell lines today...

I penned an article today for Tar Heel Daily that evaluates where the best place would be for Marvin Williams to land. Check it out here at Tar Heel Daily.com...

Well, the Blazers and the Jazz just exchanged picks. In my belief, the Jazz are going after a point guard, who should be Chris Paul. According to Sam Smith's article in the Chicago Tribune yesterday, (He also has a great article that will explain some of the crazy salary cap moves that will happen this summer.) Marvin Williams had a poor workout with the Hawks. Yet, do you really think Atlanta is going to pass on the player, who has the most potential to "blow-up" in this year's Draft.

Here's today's first trade:

According to ESPN.com and a league source: Portland traded the rights to the No. 3 pick to Utah for the rights to the No. 6 and No. 27 picks and the rights to a 2006 first-round pick that the Jazz got from the Detroit Pistons, a league source said.

Most likely that will ensure that Marvin won't be going in the third slot. The Jazz need a point and they already have Andrei Kirilenko at the four spot. So, I'm not buying Marvin falling to #3.

***The biggest wonder that I have is will Rashad McCants go before the #17 slot that the Denver Nuggets now hold. I think George Karl and Kiki Vandeweghe need a shooter and Rashad could be their answer. And not that GK would love to have a Carolina guy in his line-up. Believe me...He handled Gary Payton for several years...He can handle Rashad.

***Sean May...I'm hoping that he lands with the Warriors at #9. I think he would be a perfect fit for the frontcourt line-up in terms of chemistry with Foyle, Murphy, and Dunleavy. Yet, I don't know if the Warriors are going to jump for him that early.

I'm also assuming that Mitch Kupchak may take him at #10 for the Lakers. However, if Hakim Warrick is alive at either of those spots, in my humble opinion, the Warriors or Lakers would be crazy to not to take a dive on him. I think Warrick is a tremendous player.

***Raymond Felton...With the Jazz now moved up to #3 and the Blazers set in at #6....Don't forget that they have Sebastian Telfair at point...It seems to me that the best fit for Raymond could be if he falls a bit to #8 for the Knicks.

Isiah Thomas is building the world's smallest team in New York City this year. Why wouldn't Raymond fit in there? Besides, this may be a move that could move Stephon Marbury to a shooting guard. Yet, before you get your hopes up, don't forget Jamal Crawford is there as well...How about the Lakers at 10?

Check back in later on...Let's see how this unfolds.

Smokin',
IronDog

Why Shaq is cool.

Here's an example of how some people are utilizing the powers of online education...

Now, I have to admit that I have not always been the biggest Shaq guy. Especially, during his Laker years...I always thought that there was a 'cheesy' side to the guy that I couldn't respect...But of late, I'm starting to love this guy more and more.

And that's not because he played through a horrific thigh bruise this past playoffs. It's because of some of the moves Shaquille O'Neal has made off-the-court over the past two years that have been nothing less than pure 'cool' and astounding.

His foundation that provides toys and food for needy children is highly successful throughout Miami-Dade county. He has been the spokesperson for "Safe Surfin'"Foundation, which hunts online predators and protects youth and adults from online crime. He picked up the tab for George Mikan's funeral. He bought a long-time Forum/Staples Center security guard a brand-new car after seeing his beat-up jalopy, and from judging his mentoring younger players such as Dwayne Wade and other younger All-Stars, he has become the 'Big Daddy' of the NBA, who is carrying the torch to be the role model for NBA players on how to respect traditions and yourself with your NBA career.

Now, that's just a few PR clips for you to repect "The Diesel". Now, here's another one to chalk up on the board...He achieved an MBA this past weekend from the University of Phoenix.

Now, everyone knows about the ads that are seen across the country for the U of Phoenix MBA programs, but Shaq should be highly commended for what he's done. This is a guy who has millions of dollars, and he could easily rest upon his celebrity to generate his wealth. Yet, he didn't...I was impressed when he returned to LSU to get his undergraduate degree. Now, he's talking about adding a Master's in Criminal Justice to his resume...Damn, get off!



What's even cooler about him is that after his trade to Miami, he completed the degree via online...After completing an online certificate this past year, I'm a major fan of online education...So, hopefully, Shaq will be used as an example for the powers of online education.

"Big Ups" to the Supermanic, Diesel fueled, phunkadonic, Aristotle,
IronDog

Who's First?

Good show tonight on WXYC "SportsRap"...You never know who stops by the show...Special thanks to Brian "The Bouncing Baby" Reese for stopping by the studio for tonight's show...

***I got in touch with my man, Billy "The Kid" Ammons in Charlotte today, and we talked about what else...hoops.

One of our discusssions was about who would you rather draft in next week's NBA Draft, Utah's Andrew Bogut or UNC's Marvin Williams?

Well, SI.com states in this article that the Milwaukee Bucks, who own the first pick, are definitely picking one of the two.

It states..."We're drafting Andrew Bogut or Marvin Williams," Bucks general manager Larry Harris told the Wisconsin State Journal in an interview published Sunday.

Now, you know I love Marvin Williams, but I do love the passing game of Bogut. Yet, what I'm struggling with Bogut is that he supposedly scored poorly at the Chicago Pre-Draft Camp. I'm also freaked by a passer going to a team that can't run an offense...A la Atlanta, Portland, or any other team that doesn't have guys who know how to run and cut to the hoop.

Stemming from that thought, because of the short life-span of NBA coaches, I don't know if I would rather take Chris Paul...

With that said, if I'm Milwaukee, I may have to go with Marvin...And that's not because my address is in Chapel Hill...I honestly believe he has the most talent of any player in the draft. My only hope for him is that he's surrounded by a solid veteran or two to pass along a lot of the nuances and tips of the game. I just don't know if Joe Smith or Dan Gadzuric can do that for him.



Have some more funky stuff for ya'coming later...

P.S. "Seen in the Hill" - Marvin chillin' in his silver Hummer H2 outside Timeout...If they could only get a pic of him calling a T in the parking lot.

1-2,
IronDog

Friedman's 10 Great Levelers

Going through a lot of old mags and clippings today...

With that said, I came across this article by Daniel Pink from last month's May Wired Magazine...Check it out here at Wired.com...Pink interviews globalization guru and NYTimes foreign affairs columnist, Thomas Friedman, upon the effects of globalization and Friedman's new book "The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century."

I'm shoring up on Friedman's stuff...This three-time Pulitzer award winner has a lot to say. Especially, when the subject falls upon where corporate business and social climates are heading in the future.

In particluar, I'm on the side of his "McDonald's Theory of Conflict Prevention "that states no two countries that have McDonald's chains will go to war with each other. However, I like how he has pinpointed these ten occurrences as "The Great Levelers" that are contributing to "flatism" in the world.

1.) Fall of the Berlin Wall - The events of November 9, 1989, tilted the worldwide balance of power toward democracies and free markets.

2.) Netscape IPO - The August 9, 1995, offering sparked massive investment in fiber-optic cables.

3.) Work Flow Software - The rise of apps from PayPal to VPNs enbabled faster, closer coordination among far-flung employees.

4.) Open-Sourcing - Self-organizing communities, a la Linux, launched a collaborative revolution.

5.) Outsourcing - Migrating business functions to India saved money and a third world economy.

6. ) Offshoring - Contract manufacturing elevated China to economic prominence.

7.) Supply- Changing - Robust netowrks of suppliers, retailers, and customers increased business efficiency. See Wal-Mart.

8.) Insourcing- Logistics giants took control of customer supply chains, helping mom-and-pop shops go global. See UPS and FedEX.

9.) In-Forming - Power searching allowed evertyone to use the Internet as a "personal supply chain of knowledge." See Google.

10.) Wireless - Like "steroids" wireless technologies pumped up collaboration, making it mobile and personal.

I'm more and more interested with what Friedman's writing these days, and I will check out his new book. Check back with me more about "flatism."

Coming at ya' globally,
IronDog

Circling the Bases

Hit one in the gap today...Let's see how far we can go...

***Great game between the Yanks and Cubs last night...

Now, I'm not the biggest Cub fan in the world, but whoever is riding the boast in ESPN this re-cap about the Cubs not winning a game at Yankee Stadium yet is way over-the-top...They've played six games there since interleague play, and to make the argument more poignant, shouldn't you list the games from the awesome series between the two at Wrigley Field in 2003?


***Here's another touch on the reduction of "water-cooler" culture in our world from Chris Anderson of "The Long Tail"...Check it out here...Anderson touches on how culture is not thrown over us like a blanket, but is a fabric that has interwoven threads of different material, which is "individually addressable and connects people simultaneously."

What I like about his post is that he continues the argument that we are changing into hundreds of cultural tribes, and we're seeing mass culture devolve into a mass amount of niches.

***Sorry, but I can't deny it...This T-shirt is straight up Ill!...Pick it up at distantreplays.com out of the ATL.



***Pulled this from "TreeHugger" today...They touched upon a scene in "Be Cool" where John Travolta is given a Honda hybrid after his Caddy is blown up...When are hybrids going to hit the mainstream?

Rounding the bases,
IronDog

Guiding the New Frontier...

I like these guys at the EFF...They equip the people...What more can you say?...

With that said, the EFF has released a Blogger's Guide that outlines a set of guidelines detailing the legal rights and issues for bloggers such as libel law, copyright law, and political advocacy.

The good point of the Guide is that it's not designed to scare off present and future bloggers, but it's to provide an educational tool that will inform bloggers about their rights and will enchance their ability to support themselves within their communities...Good stuff.

Check out EFF's Guide here.

Blog Forevah,
IronDog

Down with Ration-al..

Everyone knows that I'm down with "Moneyball", and now I'm into "Freakonomics"...Yet, before I can honestly start spewing the advantages of ratinoal choices...I thought I would pass a question from ESPN's Rob Neyer's interview with the "Beast of Baseball Writing", Michael Lewis.

Special thanks to the "Aspen Kid", a.k.a. "BG", Brett Garamella, for passing this one over to me....

Here's the ESPN article..."Examining the Art of Storytelling."

RN: One more question, and then I'll finally let you go ... What about the future of The Idea? I happen to think its spread is inevitable, because it just makes so much damn sense. Do you think I'm wrong?

ML: I think the idea will spread, slowly for a few years and then all at once.

There's a reason even the best new ideas take time to spread. People become overly invested in the things that they think they know, which is usually whatever it was they knew when they were young. The old guys must retire or die before the new ideas gain traction. The problem is especially acute in baseball because the only people who are allowed to introduce new thoughts into a big-league clubhouse are people who played professional baseball.

Having said that, only a fool would buy a baseball team and hire to run it some baseball insider who disdains or misunderstands the Oakland model. Fools sometimes do get their hands on enough money to buy baseball teams, but the odds are against it. And if you step back from American society and ask "What kind of people are getting rich these days?" the answer is increasingly "People like John Henry."

That is, people on the nerdly end of the spectrum, who have a comfort with both statistical analysis and decision-making in an uncertain environment. And these people, increasingly, will demand that their teams be run along rational lines. The price they will pay for this is that the pleasure of owning a team will be somewhat reduced, as there will be a lesser role for their whim, and they will be compelled to cede much of the decision-making to professional management.

****

Here's to "new ideas" and letting professionals do what they do best...

Gettin' Freaky,
IronDog

North Carolina "Blog Together" Conference

At the North Carolina "Blog Together" Conference today at the Health Sciences Building at UNC-Chapel Hill...

The conference is run by "All-Blogger" first-teamer, Anton Zuiker...Check out his blog at mistersugar.com...He's my boy...With that said, blogging is an incredible tool to allow your voice to be heard in the community.

Media is changing today through blogging because individuals are allowing their voices to be heard through the simple act of self-publishing. With these shifts, the barriers to entry for publishing views, comments, and stories are falling down each and every day by creating blogs and posting valuable community information.

Support your local blogger groups in your community today. Regardless, of what your beliefs, views, or observances in your life are...Allow your voice to be heard.

Enjoy the present and a view to the Future,
IronDog

Here's my Pick...

This is the final that I thought would happen last year...Well, I was a year late...So, I'm getting my due now...

Who am I going to go with...

A Repeat...Why? Because I believe in exposing inefficiencies with match-ups. And I believe there are a few when you look at the main players in this event.

First off, Tayshaun Prince vs. Manu Ginobli...I never thought Tayshaun was going to be a player in the league, but Joe Dumars did. With me proven wrong again, I really believe that Prince, who is a true freak of nature is going to be difficult to break down for Ginobli.

Yeah, I know Ginobli's is quick enough to get by him. Yet, I'm just not buying it. I think it's going to be difficult for Ginobli to create shots this series with Prince guarding him. Prince's gangly arms and good footwork are just so strange...Plus he's a left-hander that won't be quirked out by Ginobli's game...That's my first match-up difference.

The second one is Chauncey Billups vs. Tony Parker. I was a major Dennis Johnson fan in the 80s. After his stint with the SuperSonics and the Suns in the early 80's, I was always amazed how Red Auerbach discovered that his true strengths were as a point. Still to this day, I've never seen a guy protect the ball with confidence while pushing the ball up the court like DJ...When it was in his hands, it was locked down.

Well, I feel the same way with Billups. And I believe a big reason for that is because of his size and upper body strength. With that said, I don't believe a thinner and youthful Tony Parker can man up Billups...I just don't see it...Watch out for Billups not only penetrating the lane, but bumping and manning up Parker between the 3 line and half-court...That will wear Parker down.

So, there's my second exposure.

Third, here's the intangible...Watch out for Rasheed Wallace...After the Game 7 victory over the Heat, he mentioned his rivalry with Duncan while they were in the ACC...Don't think the underground baller lore that knows "The Big Fundamental" schooled 'Sheed back in the day isn't playing in Sheed's mind. He definitely has something to prove...That's dangerous. He's going to be ready to play.

Screw the tabloid stories that usually swirl with big-market teams. As Michael Wilbon says in today's Washington Post. This is a series for the "basketball purists." This is basketball at it's best...

Pistons in 6,
BD

New Stuff

With a left hook, look who took your last scoop...

Over the past few weeks, I've done a lot of remodeling with the site. A few tweaks here, new cabinets there, a new deck here...So, check out the links listed below. I have some good stuff there for ya'...

Enjoy the reads.

"Articles and Radio"
"My Suggested Reads"
"My Photos"

Peace,
IronDog