If you follow the blog, you know that my neighbor James has been a huge inspiration in my triathlon “success” over the last year, especially leading up to IM Wisconsin. He always knows how to cut through the BS and get to the real point. Last night, we were hanging out front and I asked him if he had any advice he could pass along to the athletes doing the Ironman World Championship in Kona. He didn’t miss a beat.
Guest Blog – by my Neighbor James
Look, Mike, I ain’t never been to Fiji or whatever, but competition is always spelled the same.. I been through it, bro… basketball, street fights, spellin bees, winnin ova my lil lady… Ya feel me? I got 5 things I always tell people like yaself and you can pass em to ya friends on the internet or Twitter or whatever the hell you do when u ain’t mowin’ ya yard.
First thing you gotta know is who you is…. If you Michael Jordan, everybody gonna be watchin. If you John Paxson, they gonna fall asleep on u. If you Jordan, you gotta do what you do, and shit gonna come all natural. but if you Paxson, you gotta be patient… that shot gonna come… just make sure ya ass ready.
Two. Like dude said in Hoosiers… a Basketball court is a basketball court. Rims the same height and you playin on wood. Unless u grew up in my hood… and I ain’t lyin, Mike, we played on grass… but no matta… you all got the same damn court so quit talkin bout the track.
Three. Man, I been on the beach before and u got young women all up in ya face wit them bikinis tryin to get you off ya game. All I got to say to that is, the beach still gonna be there after u run that damn race.
Four. Mike, I don’t care who you is, you gotta understand the game. Man, Yogi Berra said 90% of the game is half mental and dude himself is mental, but he right as hell. Hear me? Cause when you up against dudes you know as good as you, talent ain’t got nothin’ to do with it. Everybody get tired, and feel that pain, but if you don’t stop at the drug store, u gonna get home faster.
And Five. If I was gonna look you in the eye and tell you, or James Jr. what it take to win, it would be this… You know how sometimes you get to the place you goin and forget how you got there, or why you there in the first place? Don’t do that shit. Remember, man. You came all this way and just gonna show up on some sand and forget bout that time you was in the rain thinkin bout the sand? Man, think about the rain cuz that’s how you got ya ass on the sand.
So drop that in the bank and leave it in there till you ready to retire ya ass on a beach for a different reason.