When Pat Riley coached the New York Knicks basketball team, journalist Pete Hamill listed him in a Thanksgiving column as "one of the things New Yorkers should be grateful for." Riley now coaches the Miami Heat and is a motivational speaker. He is the author of The Winner Within.
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When I was about nine years old, my father told my brothers to take me down to Lincoln … [Read more...] about Pat RileyThe Coach
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Pat Riley
Michael Flatley
Lord of the Dance
Michael Flatley, star of Riverdance, Lord of the Dance, and Feet of Flames, has revolutionized Irish dance, making it relevant all over the world.
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I just always saw Irish dance differently. When I retired from competition I just knew the minute I was done that I would start trying new things that weren't really allowed in competitions. I actually felt very restricted in … [Read more...] about Michael FlatleyLord of the Dance
Leaves of Pain
How too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. At first, it seemed to be nothing. It was a curled-up dark brown leaf about the size of a good lock of hair and it was preserved in glass in a room in the Fairlow Herbarium in Cambridge, Massachusetts. A typewritten card alongside the leaf said that it was taken from an infected potato plant in Ireland during the … [Read more...] about Leaves of Pain
The Narrowback
I can't remember when I first heard it, but my mother told me I was called a "narrowback" because it was slang for an Irish person born in the United States. When asked why a "narrowback?" she said, "I guess because narrowbacks are not as big and strong as the Irish who come over." "Narrowback" is defined in Bernard Share's Slanguage – A Dictionary of Irish Slang (Gill & … [Read more...] about The Narrowback
Edward Kennedy
The Senior Senator
If you ask his fellow senators – liberals or conservatives – who's on their list of the hardest-working and best senators, Edward Kennedy's name is always there. Throughout his tenure he has defended the poor, elderly, and handicapped of the country, and any significant legislation affecting these groups in the areas of education, jobs, housing, or healthcare is sure to have … [Read more...] about Edward KennedyThe Senior Senator