It boils down to people and how they work and how they respect their job

Coach Jerry Sloan, whose Utah Jazz have won 11 straight, doesn't hesitate to credit his players for the team's 40 wins thus far.

"Anybody could coach these guys. They're good people, they work hard in practice and they do the right thing. It boils down to people and how they work and how they respect their job. You always have a chance to win if you get good people who try to do their job.

I don't think it's coaching. It's not just about me. It's about our players and our coaches. There's a lot to learn as you go forward. Each game is an experience sometimes. There's always something that players aren't familiar with or things you are trying to get across to them. That's part of the coaching process."

How playing without passion is disrespectful of the game

Good story in yesterday's NY Times about Pat Summitt's "coaching tree."

According to the article, "45 Lady Volunteers, about a third of the players who have passed through her program, have become coaches."

Carla McGhee, who played for Coach Summitt and is now a member of the coaching staff at South Carolina, sees things now that she didn't see when she was a player:

"As a player, I couldn’t see why Pat would get so upset about a lack of effort, why she would say it was disrespecting the game. Now when I see a lack of effort, something about it just grates my nerves, and before I know it, I blow my top."

On this blog, Coach Summitt talks about the need to play with passion:

"I think every time you play the game, you should play the game with great passion if you're competitive, if you love the game,'' Summitt said. "You don't disrespect the game. If you don't play hard, what are you bringing, what are you saying?"

The story behind the "What's Our Name?" slogan

A must-read story in the Baltimore paper this morning about the origin of the Ravens' "What's Our Name?" slogan.

Before the season-opener, BAL coach John Harbaugh had his father, Jack, who earned ACA National Coach of the Year honors in 2002 after guiding WKU to the NCAA I-AA title, to address the Ravens.

Growing up, the Harbaugh boys would often hear their Dad tell "the story of Muhammad Ali as a teaching tool. He would tell his sons how Ali never quit against Joe Frazier, how he outsmarted George Foreman. And of course, how he repeatedly asked a heavyweight fighter named Ernie Terrell, "What's my name?'"

As he stood before the Ravens team, one that wasn't highly regarded going into the season, "Jack Harbaugh told them how Cassius Clay had changed his name in 1964 after converting to Islam. And how nearly three years later, Terrell still refused to call him Muhammad Ali. He told them how the two squared off in the ring and that their fight wasn't about money or some championship."

Jack Harbaugh told them how Ali kept punishing Terrell but wouldn't put him down for good. At 69, Harbaugh is still light enough on his feet, and he started shadowboxing in the locker room, calling out Ali's words.

"What's my name?"

Pop! Harbaugh threw a jab.

"What's my name?"

Boom! A hook.

"What's my name?"

Bam! An uppercut.

According to the article, "he concluded by telling the players that they had to earn their name and start demanding respect. And for the past 4 1/2 months, that's exactly what they've done."

John Harbaugh repeated it in his locker room speeches and in the season finale against the Jacksonville Jaguars. "What's our name?" appeared in big, glowing letters on the scoreboard. Before long, the phrase was stripped across the front of shirts, hung, tagged and priced for sale at the team store.

Says one Ravens player:

"We wanted to make everyone understand that we are the Baltimore Ravens and each and every time you play us you're going to realize that. You're going to know who's coming to town or you're going to know whose town you're coming into - and that's the Baltimore Ravens. And we preach that every time we step out of that locker room: What's our name? We make sure everybody understands and realizes that this team you're about to fight, you might not want a piece of 'em."

Knowing how to kick them in the rear and kiss them on the cheek

Former Ball State coach Brady Hoke has taken over at San Diego State, where the Aztecs went 2-10 this past season.

Coach Hoke also played at Ball State, where "he was an inside linebacker... who compensated for inferior speed with advanced malevolence."

In his words: "I couldn't run very well. But I'd get your ass."

At his press conference, it was clear that Coach Hoke, who guided Ball State to a 12-1 record this season, emphasized toughness, respect, accountability, and preparation:

"We're going to coach hard. Whether that's raising your voice a little bit or not, we're going to make our emphasis on the things that are important and how we want to do things and the attention to detail you need to take to be successful. We are demanding. We're going to be fair, but we're going to be brutally honest.

This program is going to be a program that is based on toughness. You have to be physically tough and mentally tough. This is also going to be a program that is going to play with unbelievable effort every time we take the field.

This program is going to have people in it that respect each other. If we respect each other, then we are going to take the opportunity to lean on each other and hold each other accountable. When you have accountability on a team, then you have a chance to be very successful.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said that, `Success comes to those who prepare.' Well our preparation started today. We look forward to it; we are ready to hit the ground running and get this thing going."

Says his wife, Laura: "Brady believes in what he does. He's very demanding of the players, but he loves them, too. He knows how to kick them in the rear and kiss them on the cheek.”