Neverisms

working as a high school teacher and coach. He still holds the league record for making the most consecutive free throws (134, over 46 games). After serving in WWII, Wooden was named the head basketball coach at UCLA. He was not particularly successful in the early years, but he went on to do something that, by current standards, is almost unbelievable: From 1964 to 1975, his UCLA Bruins won ten NCAA championships in twelve years. During one epic run, his team won a record 88 consecutive games and had two back-to-back 30–0 seasons. Wooden is one of only three people to be named to the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player and a coach (the two others are Lenny Wilkens and Bill Sharman).

How does a person become so successful? After he retired in 1975, Wooden revealed the secrets to his success. Almost everything he achieved, he said, could be traced back to some simple rules he learned from his dad. Wooden’s father called them his “Two Sets of Three.”

Never lie. Never cheat. Never steal.

Never whine. Never complain. Never make excuses.

These admonitions may lack originality, but the stories of Bruschi and Wooden—and many others—indicate that such sayings have not lost their force. An observation from economist Edgar R. Fiedler says it all:

Never underestimate the power of a platitude.

In the remainder of the chapter, we’ll survey more neverisms from the world of sport. Mixed in with the many important cautionary warnings will be stirring motivational quotations, a variety of helpful tips, several clever and witty observations, and one highly questionable piece of advice. You can also expect to see a few more platitudes. When you do, you might want to remember that one person’s platitude is another person’s mantra. And for many athletes, the most important mantras in their life begin with the word never.

Never take an opponent for granted.ANONYMOUS COACH

The first coach who uttered these words to players will never be known, but they’ve been shouted thousands—perhaps millions—of times to athletes in every sport. So have some of these other examples of coach-speak:

Never embarrass an opponent.

Never celebrate before the game is over.

Never play not to lose; always play to win.

Never let an opponent get inside your head.

Never let your opponent see even a hint of dejection.

Never think that an individual is more important than the team.

Never coast when you’re ahead; never quit when you’re behind.

Never think you’re playing against an opponent;

you’re always playing against yourself.

Circumstances may cause interruptions and delays,

but never lose sight of your goal.MARIO ANDRETTI

Never try to snow a snowman.BO BELINSKY, quoted in Maury Allen’s

1973 biography Bo: Pitching and Wooing

Belinsky, a colorful athlete with an ability to come up with a memorable sound bite, was a favorite of sportswriters. To understand the meaning of this remark, think about sayings like, “Never try to con a con artist” or “Never try to bullshit a bullshitter.” Since the 1960s, to snow has been a popular idiom that means, “to deceive somebody.” The root sense is that many things—including the truth —can be covered in a blanket of snow. In the 1970s, phrases like “a snow job” or “he snowed me” were pervasive.

Belinsky was far more famous for his off-the-field exploits than for his athleticism, but few careers have ever started off so brilliantly. As a 1962 rookie for the Los Angeles Angels, he won his first four starts, the fourth via a no-hitter. He ended that season with a mediocre 10–11 record, and nine seasons later, after bouncing around to four more baseball teams, he retired with a dismal 28–51 record. During his playing career, Belinsky was a hard- partying ladies’ man who was romantically involved with Ann-Margret, Connie Stevens, Tina Louise, and Mamie Van Doren (his fiancee for a year). He ultimately married the 1965 Playmate of the Year, but they divorced five years later. A Sports Illustrated profile in 1971 by writer Pat Jordan acknowledged Belinsky’s “slick and dazzling” early start, but went on to say that his name would ultimately “become synonymous with dissipated talent.”

Never assume anything’s really finished or officially happened . . .

until it’s really finished or officially happened.YOGI BERRA, from his 2001 book

When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It!

Berra added: “I’ve always lived by this rule, especially when things look darkest. It’s a great thing to tell yourself when you don’t get what you want most.” When the sixteen-year-old Berra tried out for the St. Louis Cardinals, he was told by manager Branch Rickey to find another career. That heartbreaking rejection only motivated Berra to work harder and get better—and a few years later he was signed by the New York Yankees.

Never break your putter and driver in the same match or you’re dead.TOMMY BOLT

This became a signature line for Bolt, a professional golfer with a temper so well known that he gave his 1960 memoir an ironic title: How to Keep Your Temper on the Golf Course. Fellow golfer Jimmy Demaret said about Bolt’s tendency to angrily toss a club: “Tommy Bolt’s putter has spent more time in the air than Lindbergh.”

Here’s another important piece of advice:

Never ask the person with whom you’re betting to help you.TERRY BRADSHAW, in Keep it Simple (2002),

written with David Fisher

This advice appeared in an entertaining story Bradshaw told about his first hole-in-one. The way in which he phrased his admonition reminds me of why I’ve been disappointed with so many books that sports stars have written with sportswriters. Too often, the writers clean up the language and grammar so thoroughly that they fail to accurately convey how the athletes typically talk. The plain-speaking Bradshaw would never use the phrase “the person with whom you’re betting.” So I’m going to do what David Fisher should have done, and that is to write the line in a way that bears a resemblance to what Bradshaw might have originally said: “Never expect any help from a guy who’s betting against you.”

We also had an important mantra: never sell each other out.TEDY BRUSCHI, in Never Give Up (2007),

on the success of his team’s defensive unit

Never quit. It is the easiest cop-out in the world.

Set a goal and don’t quit until you attain it.

When you do attain it, set another goal, and don’t quit until you reach it.