Surprising that some pundits still calling a penalty shoot out as a lottery. In many ways, it’s the opposite, it’s the greatest test of skill, technique and nerve imaginable. Cruyff sums it up better than anyone, as only he could #championsleague
I have a gut wrenching feeling that some players are more excited about making the social media post, rather than playing in college.
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When we needed a victory in 1990 FIFA World Cup qualifying, Paul Caligiuri became a hero.
This is 26 USMNT Moments: Past to Present.
Ep. 5 - The Shot Heard 'Round the World
🎬 https://t.co/6wuyJy74vE
During one of the worst losing streaks of my career, our team president walked into my office.
Keli McGregor. One of the best men I've ever known.
He could have come to vent. To question my decisions. To ask hard questions.
Instead, he said: "Cut to the chase, Clint. What's next?"
I looked him in the eye and gave him two words: "Shower well."
The Colorado Rockies were struggling badly that year.
Pregame preparation was solid. Scout meetings, early work, attention to detail. All of it was there.
But at game time, the tires were flat.
I told Keli: the game did everything it could to us today. We just couldn't meet its demands.
Now it was time to reset.
"Shower well" means exactly this:
• Watch the frustration circle down the drain
• Shampoo, rinse, repeat and get the grime of today completely off your mind
• Walk out clean, go home, and actually rest
Leave it at the ballpark. The game is over. There's nothing left to solve tonight.
Keli nodded. Asked if he could share it with the whole organization.
I said sure. And then it hit me. This isn't just for baseball.
Bad day at the office. Grumpy boss. Missed deadline. Traffic on the way home.
You can carry all of that through your front door.
Or you can shower well.
I've never seen a single problem get better because someone dragged it home with them.
The reset is a discipline. Same as preparation. Same as showing up.
Either we win. Or we learn.
The only real loss? When you don't take a single thing out of a hard day.
So tonight, whatever kind of day it was, shower well.
Tomorrow is a new at-bat.
What does your reset look like? I'd love to hear it.
🚨 STOP COMPLAINING — IT’S LITERALLY TRAINING YOUR BRAIN TO BE NEGATIVE
Ever notice how some people seem stressed all the time, even over small things? Science says it’s not just their personality — it’s their brain.
Research shows that repeated complaining actually rewires your brain. Every time you complain, your brain activates stress and threat-detection circuits. Do it again and again, and those circuits get stronger. This process is called neuroplasticity — your brain becomes better at whatever you practice most.
So if you constantly talk about problems, frustrations, and annoyances, your brain learns to search for negativity. What starts as a bad day slowly turns into a habit of negative thinking. Over time, the brain treats the world as a dangerous place, even when nothing is wrong.
This is why chronic complainers often feel tense, irritated, or overwhelmed by small issues. Their stress level stays high because their brain is stuck in “alert mode.” Even minor problems feel big, because the brain has been trained to react that way.
The powerful part? This can be reversed. Stanford researchers explain that once you understand how your brain works, you can retrain it. Shifting how you speak — focusing on solutions, gratitude, or learning — builds new, healthier pathways. Your brain can be trained for calm, resilience, and clarity just as easily as it was trained for stress.
What you repeat, your brain remembers.
So choose your words carefully — you’re shaping your mind every day.
2007: HBD @AhmadBradshaw turns 40. He was drafted in 7th round in 2007 & would play 6 years for #NYGiants, twice going over 1000 yards & rushing for 4232 yards in total, helping NYG win 2 Super Bowls. His career long 88 yard TD in Buffalo helped clinch a playoff spot for NYG
The Parent Poison…
Most parents want the best for their kids.
But sometimes, without realizing it, they slowly poison the very team their child is part of.
It rarely starts with something dramatic.
It starts small.
A comment in the car ride home.
“Why didn’t the coach play you more?”
A comparison.
“You’re better than that kid.”
A quiet complaint at the dinner table.
“That coach doesn’t know what he’s doing.”
Kids hear everything.
And when they hear it, something changes.
Doubt creeps in.
Blame grows.
Trust fades.
The mindset shifts from team first to me first.
What begins in the living room eventually shows up in the locker room.
You see it in body language.
You hear it in conversations.
You feel it in the culture.
Instead of unity, there are whispers.
Instead of accountability, there are excuses.
Instead of growth, there is resentment.
Great teams cannot survive that environment.
Because the best teams are built on three things:
Trust.
Sacrifice.
Shared purpose.
When players start believing the problem is everyone else, those things disappear.
Parents play a powerful role in a team’s culture whether they realize it or not.
The healthiest teams have parents who:
Support the program.
Encourage resilience.
Teach their kids to handle adversity.
They remind their children:
Work harder.
Be a great teammate.
Control what you can control.
They don’t feed excuses.
They build character.
And here’s the truth most people miss:
A parent’s influence extends far beyond their own child.
It affects the locker room.
It affects the culture.
It affects the entire team.
Great teams require unity, not whispers of criticism.
So the challenge for parents is simple.
Be the adult in the room.
Guard your words.
Model respect.
Support the team.
Because what starts at home always finds its way onto the court, the field, or the locker room.
And the best parents don’t poison the culture.
They protect it.
With major snow forecast for the Northeast (NE), time to read a good book with many NE references, McCarren Park, LIU, NY Ukrainians, U New Haven, Waterford Speedbowl, MISL, MLS and more. "From the Sandlots to the World Cup" available as an ebook now on https://t.co/6iJt4MX2oW!
The killing of Alex Pretti is a heartbreaking tragedy. It should also be a wake-up call to every American, regardless of party, that many of our core values as a nation are increasingly under assault.
Family of Alex Pretti, who was shot dead in Minneapolis today, releases statement:
"The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump's murdering and cowardly ICE thugs."
The #Giants will spend the morning finalizing a 5-year deal with former #Ravens coach John Harbaugh, making him one of the NFL’s highest-paid coaches. But Harbaugh has accepted the job, as the first opening is filled.
If you missed SiriusXM's "The Coaching Academy" Glenn Crooks interview with yours truly, it airs again tonite Sat. 11/8 @ 6PM and Sun. 11/9 @ 7PM on CH.# 157--"From the Sandlots to the World Cup-INSIDE Seven Decades of American Soccer". Enjoy!
Marcelo Bielsa nailed it:
A coach isn’t just someone who picks a lineup — he’s the one who switches players on.
“This coach gives me confidence. He brings out the best in me.”
Or… “He shuts me down.”
That’s the real difference.
For Bielsa, enthusiasm comes from the coach — and only when players feel alive do their true virtues appear.
Follow @PedMenCoach
UCLA Legend John Wooden on being a great teammate:
"A player who makes a team great is better than a great player."
Great teammates are selfless.
• They prioritize the team.
• They look to make the team better.
• They choose to embrace their roles.