The Game Guy Prayer

My old pal Geoffrey gave this to me when we were kids and it is still my favorite prayer. A lot of this content holds true for the game an athlete is about to play or the life he/she intends to lead.

Paul Gozzo

THE GAME GUY'S PRAYER
+Richard J. Cushing D.D.+
Archbishop of Boston

Dear God:

Help me to be a sport in this little game of life. I don't ask for any easy place in the line-up; play me anywhere You need me. I only ask for the stuff to give You one hundred-percent of what I've got. If all the hard drives seem to come my way, I thank You for the compliment. Help me to remember that You won't ever let anything come my way that You and I together can't handle.

And help me to take the bad break as part of the game. Help me to understand that the game is full of knots and knocks and trouble and make me thankful for them. Help me to be brave so that the harder they come the better I like it.

And, O God, help me to always play on the square. No matter what the other players do, help me to come clean. Help me to study the Book so that I'll know the rules and to study and think a lot about "the Greatest Player" that ever lived, and other players that are portrayed in the Book. If they found out that the best part of the game was helping other guys who were out of luck, help me to find it out too. Help me to be regular and also an inspiration with the other players.

Finally, O God, if fate seems to uppercut me with both hands and I'm laid on the shelf in sickness or old age or something, help me to take that as part of the game, too. Help me not to whimper or squeal that the game was a frame-up, or that I had a raw deal.
When, in the falling dusk I get the final bell, I ask no lying complimentary tombstones. I'd only like to know that You feel that I've been a good game guy, a saint in the game of life. AMEN.

Avon Old Farms Hockey

This year I attended the 28th annual Avon Old Farms Christmas Classic in Avon, Connecticut.

All of the games were great as the tournament showcased some of the best talent in New England Prep school Hockey.

If you are a hockey fan, I highly recommend attending this event next year. You will get the opporunity to see some of college hockey's next group of stars before the make the next jump in their careers. Maybe even an NHL'er or two. Hall-Of-Famer, Brian Leetch, played in this tournament when he was in highschool.

Capitals vs. Penguins Winter Classic

As if this rivalry wasn't big enough, HBO's 24/7 series is adding fuel to the fire with its weekly show leading up to this year's Winter Classic.

http://www.hbo.com/sports/24-7-penguins-capitals-road-to-the-nhl-winter-classic/index.html

I (Paul Gozzo) thought the first episode was terrific and I am looking forward to the next one this Wednesday night on HBO.

Crosby vs. Ovechkin
Malkin vs. Semin

Hopefully these two teams will meet up in the playoffs this year...

Marty Moose?

Paul Gozzo

Paul Gozzo.com

Emmitt thanks Daryl Johnson...his fullback Daryl "Moose" Johnston (Paul Gozzo)

As a Giants fan, I often hated Emmitt Smith, because he seemingly single handily beat the Giants so many times.

Emmitt Smith is a good man and his inductee speach to the Football Hall of Fame exemplifies this.

Please take a look at part of Emmitt Smith's speach and who he thanks. Daryl "Moose" Johnston

http://dailykindness.neya-legend-thanks-his-hero/


Paul Gozzo

The Parable of The Mule (Shake it off, And Step Up

A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule which fell into
the farmer’s well one morning. The farmer heard the mule ‘braying’
desperately from its hopeless position, battered and bruised. The
mule looked upward for a savior.

After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with
the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the
trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbors together and told
them what had happened…eventually enlisting them to help haul dirt to
bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery.

Initially, the old mule was hysterical as his awful plight soured
further. But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and
the dirt hit his back…a thought struck the stubborn mule. It suddenly
dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his
back… HE SHOULD SIMPLY SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP!

And so he did, blow after blow. “Shake it off and step up…shake it off
and step up…shake it off and step up!” he repeated to encourage
himself as the well grew shorter and the light above grew brighter.

No matter how painful the blows, or distressing the situation seemed
the old mule fought “panic” and just kept right on SHAKING IT OFF AND
STEPPING UP

It wasn’t long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, stepped
triumphantly over the wall as the neighbors and a farmer once intent
on burying him learned a lesson about overcoming adversity in their
own lives

Classic Movies (not films)

For those of you who like cinema, what you dig will usually define the era in which you grew up especially when it comes to comedies. All too often I have heard movies experts refer to these 1.5 -2 hr reliefs from reality as "films", but for the purposes of this post, I (Paul Gozzo) will refer to them as movies. My apologies to all the the coffee shop experts out there.

So to start, I want to suggest a good movie that has a solid story line interbreeding a bunch of different characters that defines a time period personified by anexcellent soundtrack that accompanies this "coming of age film". You may even discover some cameos from some of today's stars. The movies is called "Singles" and below is a clip from YouTube that will gives you a taste and a laugh.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PP5ENgXLiI

Memorial Day Weekend (Paul Gozzo)

I just wanted to wish everyone a happy Memorial Day Weekend and encourage all of you to keep in mind what this day off is given to us all for.

It came at a cost.

Living in the US is a privilege and we are lucky.

Paul Gozzo

The Loud Noise in south Florida!

A few mins ago a very loud noise surprised me and probably many others in south Florida, maybe all of Florida for that matter.

It was the space shuttle landing!

I had no idea the shuttle breaks the sound barrier on the way down too!

Very cool.

Stevie Y

complete article on Yzerman

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=530122

Yzerman to head up Tampa Bay

Wow.

After a lifetime with The Detroit Red Wings, Steve Yzerman has signed on as GM of the Tampa Bay Lightening!

My favorite player growing up, Yzerman was the stud leader behind this year's gold medal winning Canadian Hockey club. Like many, I assumed he was going to become the GM of Detroit, but perhaps Ken Holland, who has held that position since 1997 and is the 7th longest tenured GM currently in the NHL, didn''t want to give it up. Regardless, this move is good for hockey as Steve Yzerman will surely build the club in Tampa to become a perennial contender like Detroit has been for the past 20 years with Yzerman part of the organization.

Paul Gozzo

Rocky Marciano vs. Jou Louis

Joe Louis was 137 years old

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdjblkRkoPU

Wisdom from Lefty Kreh

"Never make a cast until all the line is free of the water." Lefty Kreh

Jobs

"A lot of people quit looking for work as soon as they find a job. " Zig Ziglar