On Chess
Shelby Lyman commentary: Confident champions proceed with no fear
Saturday, August 22, 2009 7:11 AM
By SHELBY LYMAN
I am intrigued by the recent statement of 21-year-old U.S. chess champion Hikaru Nakamura that he is no longer afraid of losing.
Many sports performers with superb skills find that losing doesn’t permanently affect their confidence. There is always a chance to recoup.
I am reminded of Manny Ramirez, who a couple of years ago infuriated many baseball fans. The issue was his apparently relaxed indifference when his team, the Boston Red Sox, was on the verge of postseason elimination.
Manny’s take was classically simple: You can’t win them all, and there’s always tomorrow.
It’s a bit of a surprise, this year, to see Alex Rodriguez finally perform with aplomb in a New York Yankees uniform. His most recent 15th-inning walk-off home run against the Red Sox might have been a defining moment.
A-Rod seems to have been held back by fears of being less than perfect.
Here is the full article.
It’s good. He needs it.