In his first four seasons in the major leagues, Cardinals' first-baseman Albert Pujols has generated statistics that have people comparing him to Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and other greats. "There are too many things in the game you have to worry about," Pujols said. "If you start putting those things in your head, you just put pressure on yourself. You don't want that. You want to keep your mind clear and make sure you are prepared mentally and physically. I believe I've done that for most of my career, and I want to keep doing that."

In 1992, the Olympic Games were held in Barcelona, Spain. Athletes from around the world gathered as they did every four years to compete against the best from every country. One such athlete was Derek Redmond. Representing England in the 400 meters, Redmond was a sure medal contender until his semifinal heat. The packed stadium was filled with the anticipation of a great race from this champion runner. The gun went off, and the race was moving along well with Redmond in the lead … until it happened. Halfway down the back stretch, Redmond collapsed on the track with a pulled hamstring. Medical staff rushed toward him, but he fought to his feet. Derek Redmond had only one thing on his mind … finishing the race.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme didn't rush into the locker rooms after losing Super Bowl XXXVIII by three points to the New England Patriots. Quite the contrary. He stood on the sidelines and forced himself to watch the Patriots in jubilee. Delhomme commented afterwards, "I guess I just wanted it to hurt as much as possible. I wanted to watch the celebration so that it could hurt. So I could remember it for motivation."

As an athlete, I constantly struggle with my thoughts. I have thoughts of doubt, confusion, and pride—just to name a few. I wrestle with doubting my athletic ability and potential, my place on the team, and my acceptance from teammates. It is usually my mind that is the greatest challenge, not my physical ability. My mind runs wild with speculation.

My college lacrosse coach would post his daily practice plan before practice began. Based on where he would put my name on the practice plan, I would think better or worse of my ability. My thoughts would consume me as to why my coach had listed me in the order that he did—thinking that he had either moved me up or down in the rotation. I later found out that he had no real reason for moving the names around.

Coaches need support just as their teams do. As a result most schools have booster clubs made up of a wide range of people from parents to interested members of the community. Most of the time, club members work sacrificially to help make the school’s athletic programs more effective. Some, however, may become more of a thorn in a coach’s side through expressions of uninformed criticism.

My oldest son Brooks was a lot like the typical student-athlete in many ways. When he was in high school he went to church, got decent grades, competed in volleyball and basketball and insisted to me that he was not a leader. As a result, he kind of hung back and let others do the leading. But let me tell you some other things about him. He was chosen team captain multiple times. He made all-league, received numerous team awards and was voted Homecoming King his senior year. Does this still sound like a regular guy? Maybe not, but Brooks thought he was.