Wednesday, December 10, 2008

The value of energy

All of the stories I read about Steve Sarkisian's hiring at UW had a similar theme: Energy.

[One headline described him as "electric."]

It's difficult to quantify, but clearly there's value in passion for what you do. In the words of Hegel:

"Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion."

Coaches appreciate players who play with energy. It's something they urge their guys to bring.

Before a recent game, "Mike D'Antoni (pictured here) took up most of two blackboards with his suggestions for a winning formula. One of the messages: 'Have the most energy.'"

Along the same lines, WAS coach Ed Tapscott has talked about his team bringing "more energy to everything we are doing."

Of course, it goes both ways. I read a story the other day in which a 49ers player talked about the energy of the team's new coach, Mike Singletary, saying that the players "feed off that."

As for Coach Sarkisian, he's made it clear that he wants "a sideline that crackles."

"It means our football team is into the game," he said. "They're not just sitting there waiting for the next series to go back out. They're not upset they weren't on the field competing. They're happy for their teammates. I think the guys on the playing field feel that energy and feed off it."