Paul Luvera Journal

Twenty one year old Henry Cejudo, called by the press "Whiz Kid," won a gold medal in Olympic free style 55 kilogram (121 pounds) wrestling yesterday. What’s unusual about this athlete is not only his unique wrestling style and skill, but his family background. According to the Associated Press,(http://www.nbcolympics.com/wrestling/news/newsid=233761.html?_source=rss&cid=) his parents were undocumented Mexicans. There were six children to feed, four with his father who was in and out of prison until dying at age 44 last year. In fact,…

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There has been a lot of publicity about the amazing swimmer Michael Phelps winning a record number of gold medals in the China Olympics. As part of the reporting, the name of Paavo Nurmi has been mentioned because he had a record number of medals in his day. Not many people today recognize Nurmi’s name or know about the "Flying Finn" and "The King of Runners." During the 1920's Nurmi, from Finland, was setting all kinds of running records and was a source of…

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Steve Rudman has written an interesting collection of facts about the U.S. Open in the sports section of the Seattle P.I. One involved the famous 1913 Open in which Francis Quimet, a twenty year old amateur beat the professional Harry Vardon. I’ve reported on the extraordinary book about this Open The Greatest Game Ever Played written by Mark Frost which describes that year’s Open. The book was later made into a movie by the same title in 2005. Rudman notes the…

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Ted Williams has always been a sports hero I’ve admired since childhood. Not for his personality, as he was certainly lacking in social skills, but for his determined discipline to be the best he could be. He didn’t just play baseball, he made it a science. He studied every pitcher as scientist might study something through a microscope. He practiced swinging the bat with great discipline. He set the example of striving for excellence through hard work. Leigh Montville has…

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Another passage I enjoyed reading in Mark Frost’s The greatest game ever played was about the great Walter Hagen. A golfer from Rochester, NY, Hagen was one of the golf greats. He collected eleven professional major titles, a record that stood until Jack Nicklaus and then Tiger Woods. In 1920 Hagen was playing in England when he ran into the country’s long held prohibition of allowing professional golfer’s in private clubhouses. When Walter went in one to change his shoes…

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Mark Frost has written a national best seller, a true story, The Greatest Game Ever Played. The book was also made into a motion picture. It’s the true story about the 1913 U.S. Open when a twenty year old amateur player defeated the U.S. Open champion, Harry Vardon. The book has been described by Travel & Leisure Golf Magazine as "one of the best golf books ever written." I enjoyed the movie, but the book is very superior to the…

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Phil Rizzuto died at age 89 years on Tuesday. I remember him when he played with the other famous Yankee’s of that era. He was a great New York Yankee short stop who ended up in the Hall of Fame. Known as "the scooter" he played for the Yankee’s during the 1940’s and 1950’s. He played in five All-Star games and was a flashy player who played alongside people like Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle. He had tried out with…

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Basketball legend, Coach John Wooden has written about the fundamentals of basketball and living a worthwhile life. Here are a few of his suggestions for succeeding which I think are worth considering: These are Coach Wooden’s suggestions: Fear no opponent, but respect every opponent Be more interested in character than reputation Be quick, but don’t hurry Understand that the harder you work, the more luck you will have Failing to prepare is preparing to fail He lists what he calls…

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Yesterday, the Seattle Seahawks football team defeated the Dallas Cowboys by one point, 21 to 20, in a playoff game for the Super Bowl. The turning point in the game occurred when Dallas had the ball on the 19 yard line with 1:19 left on the game clock. A field goal would have won the game for Dallas. Given the skill and success of the Dallas kicker, this would have been an easy kick and victory was virtually assured. But,…

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