The Word of mAn[S]o0r

This entry i got off from Scott Adam's Dilbert Blog, and this story was just too good not to share! Makes you wonder what human spirit is capable of.... if we just have the motivation. Even in movies, ever wonder why its always when the hero has to go after the girl, or the family does he win.... otherwise, they would just fade away... some people have that motivation (the girl) and then some have others......... read on !

The Dilbert Blog: Winning

Recently
there was a tennis tournament in Indian Wells. It’s one of the biggest
tournaments not counting the four “Grand Slam” events. Because tennis
is an individual sport, there are always great stories within the game.
This year’s biggest story was James Blake’s comeback.

If you don’t follow the game, let me give you some background. Blake
is the son of an African-American dad and an English mom. He was raised
in Connecticut and had to wear a back brace for years when he was a
kid. He took up tennis, excelled, and went to Harvard for two years
before going pro. He looked promising, along with a number of other
young Americans, but not top 10 material. He was most noted for his sex
appeal and great personality.

I became a fan after watching him play Lleyton Hewitt a few years
ago. After some calls that went against Hewitt, the Aussie singled out
an African-American linesperson and complained to the chair umpire.
Hewitt used a poor choice of words that led observers to think he was
complaining of racial favoritism. Hewitt says he didn’t mean it that
way, but nonetheless it became the story. And the media tried hard to
get Blake to bite. They wanted him to complain about racism, maybe get
a little mad about it. That’s good TV. But Blake didn’t take the bait.
He politely pointed out that people say things in the heat of the
moment, and whatever Hewitt said was Hewitt’s problem, not his. It
seemed to me the perfect response. Sometimes trivializing is the best
strategy.

Blake’s ranking bobbed up and down, peaking at 22 in the world. He
shaved his dreadlocks and gave up his sex symbol image along with
millions in potential endorsements. (I’m guessing his hair was
prematurely thinning.) Then in 2004 he had the year from Hell. He ran
into a tennis net post and broke his neck. Then he got a shingles virus
in his face that paralyzed it on one side. Then his dad died.

There was some doubt that Blake would ever play tennis again. He
watched the major tournaments from his couch and wondered about his
future. In time, his body recovered, and he felt that he had been given
a second chance. He grabbed it by the neck.

I don’t know what kind of training he did, but oh-my-god. I watched
him play in person during the first week of the Indian Wells tournament
and thought it couldn’t be the same guy. There was ferocity to his
strokes. He wasn’t just hitting the ball, he was punishing it. His
court speed was breathtaking. His shot selection was brilliant. His
backhand, previously a weakness, had become a rocket.

You only needed to listen to the court sounds to know that Blake was
heading deep into the tournament. When a tennis racket strikes a ball
perfectly, it creates a sound wave that spectators can feel in their
entire bodies. If you play tennis yourself, you can practically close
your eyes and know who is winning.

Blake blasted through the field of world-class tennis players and
found himself in an unlikely semi-final with a Spanish force of nature
named Rafael Nadal. Nadal is the #2 player in the world. He hits with
brutal topspin. It’s a relentless attack that less than a handful of
elite players have been able to withstand in the past year.

Nadal brought his best, but Blake blew past with a combination of
game and gamesmanship that surprised almost everyone, not the least
Nadal himself.

Now it was time for the championship match against Roger Federer,
the best player in the world. Correction – make that the best tennis
player who has ever lived. That’s not just my opinion. He already has
seven Grand Slam wins. If he stays healthy, many people expect him to
hold every important record in tennis.

Against all odds, Blake blazed to a 4-1 first set advantage against
the all-time greatest player on earth. It seemed as though nothing
could stop him.

And then something happened. The momentum shifted. The rest of the
match was all Federer. Blake seemed to fade away, settling for
runner-up, but his effort that week was enough to put him in the top
ten in the world.

At the trophy ceremony, Blake spoke to the crowd. He said that in
2004, when he was in the hospital with a broken neck, only one tennis
player sent him a note to wish him well. It was Roger Federer.

I wanted Blake to win that match, yet somehow, by losing he found perfection.