Issue #20/101, October 12 - 26, 2000  

EXILE SPORTS NOTES

Steve Francis: Weak in the mental aspect of the game.

The Mental Aspect
Pinning the tail on the white boy

When reading the sports section, you don’t need a photo to tell an athlete’s race. Just check to see if he is strong in the mental aspect of the game. If he is a starting running back taking advice from a white back up quarterback, you know can bet yo’ grits he ain’t white.

J.R. Redmond, New England Patroits
Boston Herald
October 4, 2000
Redmond, who conceded he’d been struggling to keep up with the mental aspect of the game, has also been staying late at practice, working with reserve quarterback Tom Brady on pass routes, including the one on which he scored a 12-yard touchdown against Denver that put the Pats’ in control, 21-3.

Matt Birk, Minnesota Vikings
Minneapolis Star Tribune
April 30, 2000
It’s just the little tricks of the trade,” Birk said. “But I like it. I like the mental aspect of the position, that challenge of having everyone rely on you, being the center of the offense. It’s something I embrace.”

Darren Sharper, Green Bay Packers
AP
Sep. 25, 2000
Dotson said Donatell’s scheme simplifies the mental aspects of the game, allowing true athletes such as Sharper to play instinctively.
“Everybody knows he has the athleticism and the ability to make plays,” Dotson said. “It’s not a lot of thinking, it’s more reacting.”

Cuttino Mobley, Steve Francis, Houston Rockets
Sportsticker
Feb. 1, 2000
“We’re young and we like having fun on the court,” Mobley said. “It’s as simple as that. Sometimes the mental aspects of the game go out the window but Steve and I are leaders and the more experience we get, the more we will lead.”

Erick Barkley, St. John’s B-Ball
June 24, 2000
New York Daily News
Since the Johnnies’ loss to Gonzaga in the second round of the NCAA tournament in mid March, Barkley has spent most of his time working out in Bloomington, Ind., with his physical trainer. In addition to spending hours playing basketball and lifting weights, Barkley worked on mental aspects. He did a lot of reflecting on his stormy sophomore season at St. John’s.
If you guessed that Matt Birk was the only white guy, you win. If you didn’t, you need to work on the mental aspect of the game.

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