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Jerry Root

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THE MAT POTATO

There is nothing certain in this life except death and taxes - "Poor Richards Almanac" by Benjamin Franklin.

You could almost add to the above quote - "... and the Lakers sweeping the Kings in the playoffs".

Well, almost.

You see, I tuned in Sunday night, ready for the worst. I have a confession to make here and now. I'm a Sacramento Kings fan. I have been ever since the Kings packed up and moved to the Camellia city. Even though I no longer live there, it is the place I always consider home because it's where my grandparents lived, and where my parents settled after my father retired from the Navy. My mother still lives there, as do my brother and sister, so I have strong ties to there.

I do hope that Rubisch (did you ever notice how close that is to "rubbish"?) was watching and took notes. This was a great example of what happens when you abandon your preconceived notions and follow what's going on.

A couple of points that this game brought right to the fore.

First, Sacramento never lost their focus. It was getting rather depressing there for a bit as the Kings would climb within 2 points, only to have the Lakers reel off another 8 or 10 points. Sort of like they were playing cat and mouse with them.

However, the Kings never lost their heart and kept battling back.

Second, the coach, Rick Adelman, found what was working, and went with it. He didn't suit up and take the court in an attempt to get himself over. He didn't keep try to play the game the Lakers were playing. He didn't have the Kings try to become the Lakers II.

Adelman was smart enough to see that Cwebb was beating them inside by either going to the basket, or kicking it out to the free man for the shot, and used that. He saw that it was working and essentially told the Lakers "stop us, if you can.".

Adelman saw that Jason Williams wasn't as effective as Delk, so Williams sat out the final portion of the game while Delk teamed up with Webber to carry the day.

What lessons are to be taken from this?

First, never give up. Don't lose your cool, and keep pushing toward your objective. Keep on top of the changing times, but above all, don't panic.

Second, go with your strengths. Don't try to beat the other guy by playing his game. After all, if I'm watching the WWF because I happen to like "sports entertainment", don't try to beat them by offering the same thing. Give me a reason to switch. Give me something different. After all, at the present the WWF has the name recognition.

Third, forget your preconceived notions. Listen to the fans and give them what they want. Much like the basketball game, you have to go with what is working. However the objective here is a bit different. You're after an audience, give them what they want. Don't sit back in your ivory tower and dictate what the fans are going to see whether they like or not. As it stands right now the ratings don't support a "we know what's best for the fans" attitude.

Finally, stick with your players. After all, the Kings didn't win the game because Adelman went into the crowd and found a fan sitting there, suit him up and give him the ball. He won because he used the talent available to him.

Let's see if Rubisch is as smart as they seem to think they are.

Jerry Root
[slash] wrestling

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