Pathological Losers: My Vic Braden Interview

[TheWatcher]

These 2 articles from McCullough. I have never read anything quite like them. The irony combined with the sincere thirst for truth and the admitted liberties takenwith while pursuing same. It's not unlike his idol Dr. Thompson, as he was called.

[don_budge]

Everyone is a loser…in the beginning

The great Vince Lombardi once said, just before he passed away, that he was sad that his name would always be associated with the saying, "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing." Lombardi never coined those words. What he had posted in the locker room of the Green Bay Packers was "Winning isn't everything, but making the effort to win is." A reporter who saw these words changed them to the more familiar saying.
Lombardi understood that winning and losing are merely two sides of the same coin. It is the effort we put into our activities that determine their value. Winning like talent is grossly overrated. Everyone loses, as a matter of fact the great Rod Laver lost nearly all of his matches against Lew Hoad and Ken Rosewall during his rookie year as a pro. This was after he had just won his first Grand Slam in 1962. Did Laver quit? Was he a loser? Of course not, the loses Laver endured made him an even greater player. It is through our effort and perseverance that we improve ourselves. Winning and losing are equally important stepping stones in our quest for self improvement.


Norman Ashbrooke

Extremely well played….ten1050.

[ten1050]

Winning is Overrated and Losing is Underrated

The great Vince Lombardi once said, just before he passed away, that he was sad that his name would always be associated with the saying, "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing." Lombardi never coined those words. What he had posted in the locker room of the Green Bay Packers was "Winning isn't everything, but making the effort to win is." A reporter who saw these words changed them to the more familiar saying.
Lombardi understood that winning and losing are merely two sides of the same coin. It is the effort we put into our activities that determine their value. Winning like talent is grossly overrated. Everyone loses, as a matter of fact the great Rod Laver lost nearly all of his matches against Lew Hoad and Ken Rosewall during his rookie year as a pro. This was after he had just won his first Grand Slam in 1962. Did Laver quit? Was he a loser? Of course not, the loses Laver endured made him an even greater player. It is through our effort and perseverance that we improve ourselves. Winning and losing are equally important stepping stones in our quest for self improvement.

Norman Ashbrooke

[klacr]

Good read.

We kinda dive into a deep end of the pool in this one. Psychoanalysis, traumatic childhoods, pain. Never been a therapy guy, maybe I should. Not really sure how deep that rabbit hole goes and perhaps a bit afraid of the outcome.

Wonder what it would have been like for a LSD fueled Hunter S. Thompson to read through Vic Braden's rough draft of Tennis2000. Now that's entertainment!

Vic was a critical and relentless mind in the tennis world. Agree or disagree with his views, no one can doubt his love for the sport and more importantly, his love for those that played it. RIP Vic Braden.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[johnyandell]

Let's get your thoughts on Jeff Mccullough's latest, "Pathological Losers: My Vic Braden Interview"