2008 Woodie Awards
The Sports Guy
What Makes a Winner a Winner? No Punchlines, No Gimmicks, Just the Facts
Jose Ortiz
Issue date: 9/30/04 Section: Sports
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About a million years ago, before Jordan ever took a shot, or before Ali went down in history, one caveman looked his neighbor in the eye and said, "I can run to the water faster than you."
Then the other caveman probably resembling something from the monkey family, picked up an enormous club and bashed the ground beneath him and screamed back, "Yes, but I can throw this stick further than you!"
That sportlings, is how sports began. Right there with primitive earth, before statistics, television, cameras, and certainly no annoying reporters. But even countless years after the first race or throwing competition, there are still two things The Sports Guy says that we have in common with the cavemen. There are always winners and losers, and there is always a clear difference between the two.
So what is the difference between the Patriots and the Chargers, or the Lakers and Clippers, or possibly the Yankees and Red Sox?
The Sports Guy says it would be wrong to question a team's work ethic, so you can't say that one is working harder than the other. So what is it then?
Well to answer this question, The Sports Guy will examine some Red Hawk teams.
The Sports Guy starts with the volleyball team who have won three of their last five games, and are currently fifth in the conference, one spot ahead of the defending New Jersey Athletic Conference champs in 2003, Rutgers - Newark. With a 6 - 12 record, The Sports Guy knows that the little sportlings are expecting him to jump all over the poor girls...
Which brings The Sports Guy to his first point. Expectations are a huge part in determining whether or not you're having a successful season. Tiffany Aciz just won the NJAC Player of the Week, and she's the first player to receive one since 1999. The Sports Guy says congrats to Tiff, but clearly the volleyball team isn't one that's expecting to win it all and dominate the conference. They were 9 - 27 last season so with 12 games left it looks as if they could improve upon last season's disaster. The Sports Guy says progress is a winning quality. We all have to progress at some point; no one wins forever.
Then the other caveman probably resembling something from the monkey family, picked up an enormous club and bashed the ground beneath him and screamed back, "Yes, but I can throw this stick further than you!"
That sportlings, is how sports began. Right there with primitive earth, before statistics, television, cameras, and certainly no annoying reporters. But even countless years after the first race or throwing competition, there are still two things The Sports Guy says that we have in common with the cavemen. There are always winners and losers, and there is always a clear difference between the two.
So what is the difference between the Patriots and the Chargers, or the Lakers and Clippers, or possibly the Yankees and Red Sox?
The Sports Guy says it would be wrong to question a team's work ethic, so you can't say that one is working harder than the other. So what is it then?
Well to answer this question, The Sports Guy will examine some Red Hawk teams.
The Sports Guy starts with the volleyball team who have won three of their last five games, and are currently fifth in the conference, one spot ahead of the defending New Jersey Athletic Conference champs in 2003, Rutgers - Newark. With a 6 - 12 record, The Sports Guy knows that the little sportlings are expecting him to jump all over the poor girls...
Which brings The Sports Guy to his first point. Expectations are a huge part in determining whether or not you're having a successful season. Tiffany Aciz just won the NJAC Player of the Week, and she's the first player to receive one since 1999. The Sports Guy says congrats to Tiff, but clearly the volleyball team isn't one that's expecting to win it all and dominate the conference. They were 9 - 27 last season so with 12 games left it looks as if they could improve upon last season's disaster. The Sports Guy says progress is a winning quality. We all have to progress at some point; no one wins forever.