By Michael Elliott
Klay’s Pigeons- Are you serious? Did that just happen? Did the Golden State Warriors’ Klay Thompson just drop 37 points on the woeful Sacramento Kings…in the third quarter alone? Yikes! That feat was a record setter that we may never again witness in our sportstime. I may have just made that word up. Thompson hit 13 of 13 shots, nine of which were 3-pointers, and tacked on two free throws for good measure. He pigeonholed 52 points for the game. And here I thought that the spelling of his first name was his only aberration!
Soc(cer) It To ‘Em- Two Arroyo Grande athletes have struck gold in Arizona! Corey Lundeen and Alexandra Palangi eschewed miner’s picks & pans and laced up their soccer shoes to compete for the prestigious Cal South Soccer Association squad in Phoenix. Corey and Alexandra each earned gold medals at the Soccer Region IV Olympic Development Championship event, as Corey’s boys’ team defeated Washington in the finale and Alexandra’s girls’ team bested Hawaii, with their respective teams barreling through the tournament undefeated. Central Coast representation at its finest!
Mental vs. Physical- It’s an awfully lonely island upon which they dwell when athletes in individual sports are trying to keep it all together as the match or event is heading towards conclusion. Competitors have to delicately balance their emotions with the physicality of the event as crunch time sets in. A tennis player engaged in the final set of a barn-burning match is a prime example. Maria Sharapova recently faced two match points in an early round contest against qualifier Alexandra Panova at the Australian Open in Melbourne. With her game in disarray and confidence waning, the five-time Grand Slam winner somehow summoned experience from past Slam titles to miraculously fight all the way back and conquer her opponent. Mental fortitude prevailed.
Adjacently, Germany’s Martin Kaymer, a top-10 PGA golfer, had a ten stroke, count ‘em, 10 stroke lead during the final round of a recent tournament and coughed that sucker up on the back nine on Sunday. This is an example of the mind going on vacation at the worst possible time. Most athletes have honed their physical attributes to fit their sports and count on muscle memory to help pull them through in tight situations. It’s the acuity of the mental state which makes or breaks the athlete when the odds become long. A number of sports’ elite employ sports psychologists to prepare themselves mentally for the tough situations which they may encounter. Think I’ll make an appointment for myself after writing about this subject. Whew!
O and O- Houston Rocket James Harden’s beard is more awesome than former Giants & Dodgers relief pitcher Brian Wilson’s. Hate to say it, but Jameis Winston will be a better pick as a future quarterback than Marcus Mariotta in the next NFL draft. Literally from out of nowhere the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks have become the team to beat in the Eastern Conference. Cal Poly basketballer David Nwaba flashes an impressive set of sparkling front teeth anytime he drives for the hoop. The San Diego Padres will finish ahead of either the Giants or the Dodgers in the NL West, or possibly in front of both. Tiger Woods looks like Mad Magazine’s Alfred E. Neuman with that front chicklet missing from his mouth. Cal Poly’s mustang logo is really cool. Whether one likes or dislikes the polarizing Serena Williams, she is just as good as Chrissy, Martina and Steffi were. Thanks for the memories Kobe Bryant. Oh. O and O stands for opinions and observations, okay?
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