Knowing the Market

General Manager Kenny Williams wouldn’t stand pat with the hand that won the ‘05 World Series.

He tossed away a few cards, a popular center fielder here, and a sure, but mouthy, 1st ballot Hall of Famer there, picking up undervalued slugger, Jim Thome, in the meantime.

The pitching staff is intact, more or less.

And they say pitching is what wins games, day in and day out.

So, given these moves, can the Sox repeat in ‘06?

Without a doubt they can win again; at least that’s what we can infer, looking at the new and improved team, on paper.

But how will they do as a club, on the field? Will they have that same, gee-whiz energy the ‘05 champs had?

Is Konerko going to be more relaxed, now that he has a long term contract, or will he be just a little too laid back, warm and fuzzy, and secure? If he were with the Dodgers, still, that could be an issue, but not in the Windy City, where the work ethic brings out greatness in grunts, like Paulie.

Will Ozzie flake out, tell us he’s rich enough, and take a walk in mid-season? Not if he’s serious about winning the Presidency in his home country, some day.

The only thing that can hurt the Sox this year is if they believe they are a fluke, a one hit wonder, like so many of those exploding plastic spheres on the field at the infamous Disco Night, at Comiskey.

This is the year the Sox can show their grit, South Side pride, and Cub-crushing might.

Are they up to it?

You bet.

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of www.Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone® and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, and the audio program, “The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable,” published by Nightingale-Conant. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC’s Annenberg School, a Loyola lawyer, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He holds the rank of Shodan, 1st Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com

Improving your golf swing, golf game, and scores on the golf
course hinges upon a lot of factors. Obviously, improving your
golf swing, putting, short game, and golf course management will
help. Most golfers, not all golfers mind you, ignore their golf
fitness. Is your body strong, flexible, and powerful? Can your
body fuel your golf swing, and what about the fuel for your body?

Are you giving your body the right fuel to play well on the golf
course? Yes, we are talking about nutrition, usually a topic
that is overlooked, ignored, and certainly not fun to talk
about, but an important part of improving your golf game.
Essentially, what you put into your body has a direct affect of
what you get out of it on the golf course, and in your golf
swing.

It is key on the golf course to provide your body with the right
fuel during the course of a round. The pros do it all the time.
You see them eating bananas, peanuts, and drinking water. Can
you imagine what happens if Tour players do not fuel their body
for a round of golf? They would go bonk! Bonk as in what can
happen to a marathon runner at mile 23. Running out of energy is
what we are talking about. If the Tour player does not provide
their bodies with good fuel during the round, the body will
begin to “fizzle”. Once the body goes, mental focus can slip,
and a good score can go south very quickly.

The amateur can learn from what the pros do on the golf course.
Fueling their bodies with poor sources of fuel is the worse
thing you can do for your game, whether you are playing a casual
round or in the heat of competition. Grabbing that soda and
candy bar at the turn does not necessarily help you. Sodas and
candy bars with all their sugar is burned by the body very
quickly, leaving you out of energy and feeling sluggish on hole
number eleven.

Good fuel sources for athletics are foods such as nuts, fruits,
and water can keep you going strong for the entire round. We
should also not forget about what we eat before the round. Often
times an early morning tee time means skipping breakfast. We
just grab a cup of joe and head to the range. Not eating a good
meal before the round may not show up on the first tee, but once
you hit the middle of round. Your stomach and swing will be
telling you different.

Bottom line; eat a good meal before your round. If you have an
early tee time grab something quick, but something in the body.
If you are playing late in the day, make sure you have a good
lunch.

Looking at the bigger picture of fueling your golf swing and
golf game. It comes down to nutrition.

The “nitty gritty” of nutrition is pretty simple. We have fats,
proteins, and carbohydrates. There are good and bad fats,
proteins, and carbs. Eat the good ones your okay. Eat to much of
the bad ones your not.

A quick look at all three categories should help.

Fats:

Fats can be either “good” or “bad”. Goof fats can used by the
body for fuel and are good to eat. Bad fats are exactly the
opposite. Good fats (olive oil and avocados) are used by the
body for fuel. Bad fats (butter and bacon) are not used
efficiently by the body.

Proteins:

Proteins are the “building blocks” of the body. They help repair
and build tissue. Good proteins: lean cuts of beef, chicken,
turkey, nuts and eggs are good. Bad proteins: proteins with high
levels of “bad fats” or cooked in “bad fats” are less beneficial
to the body.

Carbohydrates:

Carbohydrates are the main fuel source of the body. Every
carbohydrate is essentially sugar. What separates good
carbohydrates from bad ones is the rate at which they are
“burned” by the body. Bad carbohydrates consist mainly of simple
sugars, which are burned very quickly by the body. Good
carbohydrates consist of complex sugars that are burned slowly
by the body. Bottom line; eat good carbohydrate sources. Sources
of good carbohydrates are beans, apples, all-bran cereal, whole
grain bread. Bad carbohydrates to avoid are any food with a lot
of simple sugars like candy, jellybeans, doughnuts, white bread,
sodas, and white pastas.

Bottom line when it comes to improving your golf swing, golf
game, golf fitness, or health in general, you must provide your
body with good fuel sources. It is okay to eat a few bad fuel
sources once and awhile, but the key is moderation. Don’t go
overboard with the bacon, doughnuts, and sodas.

Nutrition must be thought of as a long-term process, just like
improving your golf game. You must have a plan in place, be
patient, dedicated, and committed. Work hard on your nutrition
and it will pay dividends in your golf swing, golf game, and
life in general.

Sean Cochran