I received an e-mail from a reader who has been gun shy since starting the year off with a couple of bad trades. Here is a post going back to September 2006 that hits this issue head on:
I just had an IM chat with a trading buddy. After listening to me whine about my two losing trades this week, he asked me a question: How many times did Babe Ruth stike out? Then he signed off.
Well, I had to look it up. The answer is one thousand, three hundred thirty times. I'll say it again, one thousand, three hundred thirty times. That's what it took the Babe to hit 714 home runs and drive in over 2200 runs. Interesting. How about some other sports?
Michael Jordan made 12,192 shots, including some of the most clutch shots in the history of the NBA. Guess what? He missed even more, 12,361 to be precise.
My all-time favorite quarterback, Joe Montana threw 1,982 incomplete passes and 139 interceptions. He also completed 3,409 passes, 273 of which were touchdown passes.
What did I learn from this little exercise?
1. Elite players/traders fall down and get back up. The cliche is very true.
2. Elite players/traders are not afraid to fail.
3. Elite players/traders manage risk.
4. Elite players/traders love crunch time.
5. Elite players/traders learn from their mistakes
6. Elite players/traders control their emotions (Montana was often called Joe Cool).
I don't remember many of Montana's interceptions or Jordan's air balls, but these two plays are forever etched in my mind:
Showing posts with label Football. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Football. Show all posts
Saturday, March 01, 2008
Thursday, October 04, 2007
10 Greatest Quarterbacks Since 1980
As many of you have probably figured out, I am a sports junkie. Today at work we had a lively, bordering on heated, debate over all-time great quarterbacks. I know alot of you are football fans, so I figured I'd post my thoughts. I am ranking the top 10 quarterbacks since 1980, which is when I started watching football as a five year old.
The top 5 
1. Joe Montana: Simply put, the greatest quarterback I've ever watched. Growing up a diehard Niner fan, he amazed me week in and week out. He didn't have the strongest arm or the most atheletic ability, but he could read defenses like no other and threw with the most beautiful touch of any QB ever to play the game.
2. Tom Brady: The second coming of Montana, Brady grew up idolizing the Niner legend. Brady and I were both watching Joe at the same time, pretending to be Joe cool in our backyards while tossing passes to an imaginary Jerry Rice. Brady became a quarterback. I, of course, didn't.
The similaraties between the two players is eerie. Both were backups in college that rose to the occasion when they got their opportunities. Neither was a first round draft pick or part of their professional team's future plans. Both played for coaches that are considered football genuises. Both were overshadowed early in their career by QB's with better stats (Manning and Marino). Both are defined by their decision making under pressure and of course, Super Bowls.
Now that Brady finally has a receiving core that rivals that of the Colts, it's going to be fun watching him fill up the stat line.
3. Steve Young: I know many of you are going to think that, as a 49ers fan, my bias is what placed Young this high. Let me start by saying that in the beginning, I despised Young. I was a Montana fan and found Young's pandering for the starting job off putting.
In time a came to appreciate Young's unique abilities. Not only was he a great, accurate quarterback, he was a leader. And of course, there were his legs. The Niners did not have a great offensive line. As banged up as he would get during games, I can't imagine what would have happened to him without his running ability. I firmly believe he could have been an All-Pro running back if he wanted. In fact, Walsh was tempted to use him in that capacity while Young was backing up Montana. I don't know if we'll ever see a quarterback that that could run *and* pass at such a high level.
4. Peyton Manning: I don't know if any quarterback has ever prepared for a game the way Manning does. When he steps back behind the center, you get the feeling that he knows everything that could happen on the field and has practiced for every remote possibility.
While Manning has a lively arm, it's not a cannon. He just knows how to get the ball out and has the quickest release since Marino. We all know he's going to break every record in the books. However, for Peyton to overtake Brady, he's going to have to win some more Super Bowls.
5. Dan Marino: Bar none, the best pure passer to play the game, Marino had a cannon arm to go along with a quick release. It's hard to believe that such an immobile guy had such low sack numbers.
It's too bad Marino never made it back to the Super Bowl, after getting thumped in 1984 by my Niners. I honestly think he was part of the problem. The coaches relied too much on Marino, failing to develop a decent running game. On top of that, when they did run, Marino whined about not passing more. Still, I can't deny Marino's greatness.
The rest of the top 10:
6. Brett Favre
7. John Elway
8. Jim K elly
9. Kurt Warner
10. Dan Fouts
Honorable Mention: Boomer Esiason, Warren Moon, Rich Gannon, Carson Palmer, Jeff Garcia, Trent Green, Randall Cunningham
Overrated: Donavan McNabb, Troy Aikman, Terry Bradshaw
1. Joe Montana: Simply put, the greatest quarterback I've ever watched. Growing up a diehard Niner fan, he amazed me week in and week out. He didn't have the strongest arm or the most atheletic ability, but he could read defenses like no other and threw with the most beautiful touch of any QB ever to play the game.
2. Tom Brady: The second coming of Montana, Brady grew up idolizing the Niner legend. Brady and I were both watching Joe at the same time, pretending to be Joe cool in our backyards while tossing passes to an imaginary Jerry Rice. Brady became a quarterback. I, of course, didn't.
The similaraties between the two players is eerie. Both were backups in college that rose to the occasion when they got their opportunities. Neither was a first round draft pick or part of their professional team's future plans. Both played for coaches that are considered football genuises. Both were overshadowed early in their career by QB's with better stats (Manning and Marino). Both are defined by their decision making under pressure and of course, Super Bowls.
Now that Brady finally has a receiving core that rivals that of the Colts, it's going to be fun watching him fill up the stat line.
3. Steve Young: I know many of you are going to think that, as a 49ers fan, my bias is what placed Young this high. Let me start by saying that in the beginning, I despised Young. I was a Montana fan and found Young's pandering for the starting job off putting.
In time a came to appreciate Young's unique abilities. Not only was he a great, accurate quarterback, he was a leader. And of course, there were his legs. The Niners did not have a great offensive line. As banged up as he would get during games, I can't imagine what would have happened to him without his running ability. I firmly believe he could have been an All-Pro running back if he wanted. In fact, Walsh was tempted to use him in that capacity while Young was backing up Montana. I don't know if we'll ever see a quarterback that that could run *and* pass at such a high level.
4. Peyton Manning: I don't know if any quarterback has ever prepared for a game the way Manning does. When he steps back behind the center, you get the feeling that he knows everything that could happen on the field and has practiced for every remote possibility.
While Manning has a lively arm, it's not a cannon. He just knows how to get the ball out and has the quickest release since Marino. We all know he's going to break every record in the books. However, for Peyton to overtake Brady, he's going to have to win some more Super Bowls.
5. Dan Marino: Bar none, the best pure passer to play the game, Marino had a cannon arm to go along with a quick release. It's hard to believe that such an immobile guy had such low sack numbers.
It's too bad Marino never made it back to the Super Bowl, after getting thumped in 1984 by my Niners. I honestly think he was part of the problem. The coaches relied too much on Marino, failing to develop a decent running game. On top of that, when they did run, Marino whined about not passing more. Still, I can't deny Marino's greatness.
The rest of the top 10:
6. Brett Favre
7. John Elway
8. Jim K elly
9. Kurt Warner
10. Dan Fouts
Honorable Mention: Boomer Esiason, Warren Moon, Rich Gannon, Carson Palmer, Jeff Garcia, Trent Green, Randall Cunningham
Overrated: Donavan McNabb, Troy Aikman, Terry Bradshaw
Monday, March 05, 2007
Tuesday and Off Topic Stuff
There isn't much new to report with regards to my strategy going into Tuesday. I plan to try to unload my QID position into strength, and possibly repurchase on weakness, as I did today. You know the saying: keep striking while the coal is hot. Until this strategy ceases to work, I'll keep at it.
I do think there will be a market bounce, although I can't predict when it is going to come. Ideally it would have already started, but Mr. Market don't play that way. It's taking longer because everybody is looking for it. Once everybody gives up, that's when the bounce will come.
I can't wait for the bounce. I plan to twiddle my thumbs until the bounce reaches resistance levels, and then will deploy some more shorts. Till then . . .
Off topics:
It's too bad UFC is not reported in mainstream sports pages. What Randy Couture did this weekend was nothing short of amazing. At almost 44 years old and coming out of retirement, he won back the heavyweight belt by dominating a man 14 years his junior and who outweighed him by a good sixty pounds.
I was walking on cloud nine after my beloved 49ers signed cornerback Nate Clemons. Ashlie Lelie could be a shrewd pickup as well, if he finally lives up to his unlimted potential.
Heroes might be the best show on television. Tonight's episode was no exception. The Spiderman 3 preview was great as well. I can go on NBC.com to view 7 more minutes of the movie, but I don't want to know too much going into the movie.
Is the way "we" perceive the world reality? A fly's compound eye allows it to detect things we can't. A dog can hear sounds that don't exist, as far as we're concerned. Snakes can "see" heat. Is the world as we see it, or is it just a construct of our perceptions, developed through our evolutionary "needs"? These are the types of questions I find myself asking after reading a collection of essays and biographical infomation on Phillip K. Dick and Richard Dawkins God Delusion.
Yes, I'm keeping up with my New Year resolutions. It's been tough and enjoyable making time to read a book a week. Next up is Rousseau's Dog, by David Edmonds, recounting the antagonism that developed between two great philosophers, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and David Hume.
I watched Hollywoodland this past weekend, starring Adrien Brody and Ben Affleck. Pretty good, although I wish they would have come to a conclusion about George Reeves death. At any rate, I gave in a 4/5 stars on the netflix rating system.
I do think there will be a market bounce, although I can't predict when it is going to come. Ideally it would have already started, but Mr. Market don't play that way. It's taking longer because everybody is looking for it. Once everybody gives up, that's when the bounce will come.
I can't wait for the bounce. I plan to twiddle my thumbs until the bounce reaches resistance levels, and then will deploy some more shorts. Till then . . .
Off topics:
It's too bad UFC is not reported in mainstream sports pages. What Randy Couture did this weekend was nothing short of amazing. At almost 44 years old and coming out of retirement, he won back the heavyweight belt by dominating a man 14 years his junior and who outweighed him by a good sixty pounds.
I was walking on cloud nine after my beloved 49ers signed cornerback Nate Clemons. Ashlie Lelie could be a shrewd pickup as well, if he finally lives up to his unlimted potential.
Heroes might be the best show on television. Tonight's episode was no exception. The Spiderman 3 preview was great as well. I can go on NBC.com to view 7 more minutes of the movie, but I don't want to know too much going into the movie.
Is the way "we" perceive the world reality? A fly's compound eye allows it to detect things we can't. A dog can hear sounds that don't exist, as far as we're concerned. Snakes can "see" heat. Is the world as we see it, or is it just a construct of our perceptions, developed through our evolutionary "needs"? These are the types of questions I find myself asking after reading a collection of essays and biographical infomation on Phillip K. Dick and Richard Dawkins God Delusion.
Yes, I'm keeping up with my New Year resolutions. It's been tough and enjoyable making time to read a book a week. Next up is Rousseau's Dog, by David Edmonds, recounting the antagonism that developed between two great philosophers, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and David Hume.
I watched Hollywoodland this past weekend, starring Adrien Brody and Ben Affleck. Pretty good, although I wish they would have come to a conclusion about George Reeves death. At any rate, I gave in a 4/5 stars on the netflix rating system.
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Wall Street and Chicago Bears
I like to revisit this clip whenever economic signs point to a market downturn, but Mr. Market keeps on chugging along. This is when da bears really get crushed, and it usually lasts longer than expected, as bears keep on covering their bets. Today's installment has special meaning, as those Chicago Bears are likely to get crushed as well!
A blast from the past . . .the '85 Bears do the Superbowl Shuffle. I took Walter Payton's poster off my wall after viewing this . . .
A blast from the past . . .the '85 Bears do the Superbowl Shuffle. I took Walter Payton's poster off my wall after viewing this . . .
Monday, January 29, 2007
Some Clips
What if a great man of the last century – Gandhi, say – had had access to the communications networks of our age when he made one of his most important speeches?" The result is 'Telecom Italia Gandhi', an astonishing 60-second spot that has just started airing in Italy.
Peter Gabriel - Here Comes The Flood, from the Growing Up Live tour, Milano 2003
For football and 49ers fans, an interview with the genius, Bill Walsh. I recently read his book for pure enjoyment, but found myself constantly taking notes that would relate to trading practice.
Barick Obama's Plans for 2008
Jim Cramer on the Colbert Report, January 2007
Peter Gabriel - Here Comes The Flood, from the Growing Up Live tour, Milano 2003
For football and 49ers fans, an interview with the genius, Bill Walsh. I recently read his book for pure enjoyment, but found myself constantly taking notes that would relate to trading practice.
Barick Obama's Plans for 2008
Jim Cramer on the Colbert Report, January 2007
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)