Rebound Rules The Art of Success 2.0 11-30-08

After leaving his job as the head coach of the Boston Celtics Rick Pitino returned to his vacation house in South Florida. He told the rest of his family that he needed time alone to reevaluate things. While alone Pitino went through all of the mistakes that he made while coaching the Celtics. He eventually came to the conclusion that he made three major mistakes. He decided that he made too many spontaneous decisions about players, he took too many shortcuts, and he beat himself up too much once he sensed that failure was in the air. He essentially made a list of all of the thing he should have done. Once he made it out of this state he started to look at other job situations. Three weeks after resigning from the Celtics he received a call from the University of Las Vegas. They wanted Pitino to become their new head coach. After being courted by the University of Las Vegas Pitino decided not to take the job there. While waiting on other offers Pitino was contacted by the University of Michigan and the University of Louisville. Once Pitino visited the University of Louisville he decided that there was where he wanted to continue his career. Many in Kentucky saw Pitino's move to Louisville as the move of a traitor. They saw it as this because a few years earlier he had led the University of Kentucky to a final four appearance and Kentucky Louisville is a huge rivalry. Currently Pitino still coaches at the University of Louisville.

Rebound Rules The Art of Success 2.0 11-30-08

Rebound Rules The Art of Success by Rick Pitino

In this book Rick Pitino, head basketball coach at the University of Louisville, gives the keys that he has used over his lifetime to rebound from times of adversity. The book starts on the eve of Pitino's last game as the coach of the Boston Celtics. Pitino tells his good friend and assistant coach, Jim O'Brien, that the game is no longer fun for him and he does not believe in chasing money. In fact, he states that "if you chase money, you're not necessarily chasing success. Give yourself success, and money will chase after you as if its your shadow" (Pitino). Pitino had chased the biggest contract in basketball history. He had signed a 10 year $50 millinon contract to coach the Boston Celtics. In chasing this large contract Pitino found himself in a situation that he had very little success, which led to little happiness. Once Pitino realized this he resigned, leaving behind $23 million. The money that he left behind meant little to him because he knew that once he found success again he would make back the money that he was leaving.

Why We Can't Wait 11-4

In the next chapter King brings up a question, "What is the Negro willing to pay if we give him his freedom" (King 117)? In saying this King is trying to allow other american to realize that the same problems that were apparent during slavery times still exist now. The american people were still stretching the limits to see how far the African American would go for equality. Of course this stretching was done in in a more subtle way. King does an excellent job of reaching out to peoples conscience here. He names something that most would agree is a bad thing and compares it in a way that makes since to most people.

Why We Can't Wait 11-4

In a later chapter of this book King tells an anecdote about a young African American who was waiting to be killed by his own government. They called this capital punishment. But what was different about this killing than all of the other killing that the American Government took part in was that a new method was used. This was the first time that poisonous gas was used to kill people. Because of this the people who were preforming the slaughtering wanted to hear how the people reacted. To do this a microphone was placed in the chamber. When the gas was placed in the young African Americans chamber he shouted something like, Joe Lewis save me Joe Lewis save me. In telling this King is making a comparison to what he is seeing in the African American race. As a race African Americans were looking for one of their peers to help them instead of doing something themselves.

Why We Can't Wait 10-21-08

In reading the first few pages of Why We Can't Wait it is obvious that King is explaining what he believes is the mission of the "Negro Revolution." He states that a non-violent push for the rights and liberties that seem to be guaranteed by documents such as the Constitution and the Bill of Rights is the first step that must be taken. He also points out flaws, but also commends the current administration, the Kennedy administrations, for its actions. King states that much has indeed been done by the Kennedy administration, but not all that could have been done was done. It can be easily noticed that King felt strongly that African Americans have had to wither many storms and were currently fighting the battle of time. King expresses in a statement about how African Americans have been looked at as a creature that can endure. King clearly sees problem with this mind set, as he should.

Why We Can't Wait 10-21-08

Why We Can't Wait by Martin Luther King Jr.

Im starting a new book. I chose the book because after reading a letter from a Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr. I felt that it would be appropriate that I continued reading a similar type of literature. I expect Why We Can't Wait to be very similar to King's Letter from Birmingham Jail because the idea of why they could not wait was brought up in the letter. Also I expect Why We Can't Wait to contain a level of intelligence of great heights. This expectation is solely based on the fact that King's Letter from Birmingham Jail contained references that most people could not quote even with a computer. I am anxious to see what King can do while not confined in a prison cell.

Native Son 10-14

While Bigger is imprisoned several people come to visit him. At one point Bigger's cell contained his attorney, the case prosecutor, his family and three of his friends, and the Dalton family. At this point the prosecutor is trying to get Bigger to sign a confession that had already been drafted for him. The prosecutor uses tricky language to convince Bigger that they are friends and shows him a mob that has called for his death to convince Bigger that they are his true enemies. Before signing the confession Bigger is recommended to name any accomplices that he might have had because they were sure that a man of his intelligence could not think of a plot that sophisticated. Bigger named no other people but he signs the confession. Bigger will have a court appearance soon. He will probably be put to death.