Allgemeines » be the CEO of IBM, and if Im successful here,

Beloved by a generation of schoolboys and older boys alike, Sid OLinn was the lesser-known half of the famous LF Palmer Sports of Johannesburg, his chirpy partner in the business being the wicketkeeper Johnny Waite. The shop was first located in the CBD but then moved to an ivy-covered nook at the Wanderers Stadium on Corlett Drive, becoming a much-loved city institution in the process.If Waite wasnt on hand to offer advice about bat grip and pick-up, OLinn was. He was a reserved, dapper man and, like Waite, affected a short-back-and-sides, cardigans and Hush Puppies. His service was as immaculate as his frequently used forward defensive and he was always eager to chat about the swirls of the contemporary game. Visiting LF Palmer was both a shopping expedition and a walk through the looking glass - an adventure looked forward to for weeks.OLinn was famous as a footballer long before he attained similar status as a cricketer. In 1947 he went with the Springboks to Australia and, later that year, he and Stuart Leary found their way to Charlton Athletic in London, arriving from Southampton just in time to be whisked off to see a home game against Grimsby Town. The match was played in heavy rain, with 35,000 diehard supporters tucked in to their trench coats lining the terraces. The Cape Town colonials couldnt believe their eyes.Having made an instant impression with a goal against Huddersfield on debut (OLinn was on the subs bench but was called into action at the last minute) he settled down to ten happy seasons at the Valley. A bustling inside-right, his contract ran to 60 pages. It stipulated that there was to be no drinking or dancing after Wednesdays; riding a bicycle or motorbike was forbidden and skating was expressly prohibited. Post-war rationing was in full swing. OLinn, Leary - and a host of other South Africans, like Dudley Forbes, the Firmani brothers, Eddie and Peter, and John Hewie - became used to eating eel, whale steaks and rabbit.When OLinn wasnt watching Eddie Firmani banging in goals for Charlton Athletic, he was deputising for Godfrey Evans at Kent. In the middle of July 1952, he took a fighting, five-hour hundred off a more than handy Surrey attack featuring Alec Bedser, Stuart Surridge, Jim Laker and Tony Lock. Surrey went on to win that seasons County Championship with three matches to play, so the innings might have signalled an arrival; it didnt. He drifted in and out of the Kent side, never being awarded his county cap. Some, like Forbes, believed it was because he had a rebellious streak and refused to address Kent captains as Mister.In 1957, OLinn moved up from the Cape to Johannesburg, taking up a clerical post with British Petroleum after his long stint at Charlton. With his summers free, he played with Waite at Transvaal, and in the final trial to pick the 1960 side to England, he put the selectors in a quandary by scoring a hundred and a 90 for the weaker of the two sides. Sid never looked very good, Waite once told me. He was awkward and had this funny backlift. Still, he made those runs [in the Kingsmead trial] and couldnt be left out, so the buggers were forced to pick him.They came up with this absurd idea that no wives or girlfriends were going to be allowed to tour. That complicated things because although Sid and his wife had separated, she was living in England at the time and they were bound to have met while he was on tour. I remember him coming round and begging me to come to his in-laws with him because he was going to formally divorce her, he was so desperate to play. After he broke the news they chucked us out. They were pretty bloody bitter and twisted, I can tell you. Although OLinn played in all five Tests in England, the tour was an unhappy one. The trip was shadowed by the Geoff Griffin no-ball affair, and the manager, Dudley Nourse, lacked the soft touch required to step delicately around the anti-apartheid demonstrators. Having lost the first Test by 100 runs and the second at Lords by an innings, it was always going to be an emotionally sapping tour. Too much fell to Jackie McGlew, the captain.After batting at No. 7 in the first Test and No. 3 in the second, OLinn, came good in the third. With South Africa behind by 199 runs on the first innings, he scored 98 patient runs, taming Freddie Trueman and combining in a seventh-wicket partnership of 109 with Waite. The heroics werent quite enough: while England were forced to bat again, they glided easily to an eight-wicket win. With it, they pocketed the series.For all his dash as a footballer and obduracy as a left-hand batsman, there was more to OLinn than met the eye. He was born in the great desert of the Karoo in 1927 as Sidney OLinsky, and probably thought it prudent to reinvent himself as a gentile. This he did with a certain shrewd facility, whether giving selectors an offer they couldnt refuse or by dispensing carefully listened-to advice to star-struck little boys on the shop floor. http://www.bearsrookiestore.com/Bears-Pat-Odonnell-Jersey/ . The 18-year-old American had five birdies in her bogey-free round for a 17-under total of 196. Lee held the overnight lead but mixed three birdies with two bogeys for a 70. http://www.bearsrookiestore.com/Hats/ . JOHNS, N. http://www.bearsrookiestore.com/Bears-Nick-Kwiatkoski-Jersey/ . The nimble-footed quarterback got his wish, dashing through the snow and a weary defence all the way into the NCAA record book. http://www.bearsrookiestore.com/Bears-Tom-Compton-Jersey/ . R.J. Umberger scored twice to lead the Blue Jackets to a franchise-record for consecutive wins with a 5-3 victory Tuesday night over the Los Angeles Kings. http://www.bearsrookiestore.com/Bears-Tarik-Cohen-Jersey/ . Numbers Game looks into the Canadiens securing the services of Thomas Vanek in a trade with the New York Islanders. The Canadiens Get: LW Thomas Vanek and a conditional fifth-round pick. AUSTIN, Texas -- ?As Charlie Strong gets off an elevator near his office, a student recognizes him and wants to show the Texas coach a video. Its footage of the cannon shooting off from the 45-40 loss to Oklahoma last Saturday. Strong enthusiastically obliges and later runs into one of his walk-on players majoring in engineering and jokes, I sure didnt major in engineering.For a guy whos reportedly in serious trouble, Strong doesnt show it. He knows the stakes and knows that he probably will be in trouble if the Longhorns dont turn it around and suffer through a third straight losing season. But he also knows that spending any time wondering or fretting about whom may or may not be against him among Texas power brokers is useless.I said to somebody the other day that what we have going here is that the players are still with us, Strong told ESPN.com in a wide-ranging interview on Monday. Now, if we had the players complaining, wed be in trouble. And the parents, too. I get text upon text upon text from parents telling me to hang in there and that theyre praying for me and that their son came here to play for me.Its a lot more unified here than maybe some people have made it out to be. Were talented and were young, and weve got guys who can play. We just have to find a way to be more consistent, and were going to do that.In the face of three straight losses and swirling speculation that his third season at Texas could be his last, Strong doesnt flinch.Its not his style, never has been.He didnt flinch as a kid growing up in Batesville, Arkansas, when on some nights he would share a house with as many as 15 people. He didnt flinch during his defensive coordinator days at Florida when he kept getting passed over for head coaching jobs by less qualified candidates.And hes certainly not going to flinch now, even with a 13-17 record as Texas head coach and the restlessness and grumbling at one of college footballs biggest fish bowls growing louder by the day ... and the loss.For the 56-year-old Strong, its business as usual. His blueprint and his vision havent wavered. Neither has his resolve.You stick to it, especially here, because if you dont, it will wear you down, he says.Unfortunately for him, his Monday each of the past three weeks has been the same, trying to explain a Texas loss and, more specifically, how the Longhorns suddenly cant stop anybody. Theyve given up at least 45 points in all three losses and a total of 1,734 yards.Its no secret that the specter of Houstons Tom Herman looms large in these parts. The fear among some Texas supporters is that Herman may be scooped up by another school if Texas doesnt act this year by cutting ties with Strong.Confronted with that scenario, Strong flashes his easy smile and shrugs. Sure, hes heard it -- more than once.At the same time, he also has been in touch with key boosters, as he has since he took the job. More importantly, he knows which ones to call. Of course, at a place like Texas, one of the inherent problems is that everybody thinks hes a key booster, creating a very vocal and loud minority.Theres also a misnomer out there that Strong isnt engaged with some of the big-money Texas boosters. Just this summer, he attended a function at Roger Staubachs house in Horseshoe Bay with several prominent Texas donors.I know the guys to keep in touch with, and I do, Strong said. Theyve been great and always want to know if theres anything they can do to help. Now, I dont go to dinner with those guys, so Im not going to be seen in public with them. Im not a member of their country club and I dont play golf, so I dont go play golf with them. But I pick up the phone and call them, keep in touch.They want the same thing II do, to see this program continue to make strides.ddddddddddddStrong said the notion that he has tucked away in his own football cocoon and disengaged with everybody simply isnt true and a narrative that has been falsely planted.They also said we had no relationship with high school coaches, and look at the recruits weve been able to get in this state, Strong said. Its almost like everything they said we dont do, we do. Thats why you dont spend time fighting that stuff. We have enough to keep us busy.Like winning games, which ultimately will decide Strongs fate. Hes not na?ve. Even with the recruiting gains made on his watch, it would be difficult for him to survive if this season completely unravels. The Longhorns close out October with Iowa State at home this Saturday, then Kansas State on the road and Baylor back home.We need to finish strong, where were on an upswing, Strong said. We dont want to be going backward, and were not.Texas president Greg Fenves and athletic director Mike Perrin both came publicly last week in support of Strong. Dreaded votes of confidence or not, one of the things Strong has going for him is that Perrin is from the Darrell Royal tree, and many of Royals former players are influential and have expressed their support for Strong.But most important, at least with regard to turning this season around, is that the Texas players have remained staunchly behind Strong.What I look at is we have a team thats making strides and not going backward, Strong said. Now, we havent won like we want to, but I look at where were heading and know well get there because I believe in the kids so much that I know its going to happen.Strong was criticized for Texas lack of offense his first two seasons, and one of his mandates from fans was to bring in a quarterback for the future. Well, he has done that with freshman sensation Shane Buechele, who has thrown for 1,204 yards and 11 touchdowns.The problem now is on defense. The Longhorns have been scorched by the deep ball, and even with Strong taking over the defensive play-calling last week, the results were the same. Its true that you have to be equipped to win shootouts every week to contend in the Big 12, but Strong said the plan was never to sacrifice on defense to get there.I dont think we sacrificed anything, he said. What we have lost is giving up the big play. I dont think weve lost anything in terms of toughness or competing on defense. Its just giving up the big plays. Thats what is killing us right now, and thats what we have to get fixed.Strong has never been one to think too much about the what ifs in coaching.Its part of the business. People lose their jobs, he said.But in terms of the bigger picture, he admits theres a different sort of pressure to succeed at Texas that he holds near and dear to his heart. Its why he says softly, but with conviction, that he has to make it.I look at it like this: A lot of African-Americans didnt get this opportunity, and now that I did get it, there are so many people counting on me to be successful, and not just African-Americans, but people who just never got a chance, Strong said. Sometimes, I think its bigger than me. I dont know why I think like this, but Ill be lying in bed at night thinking, Theres another minority out there who wants to be the CEO of IBM, and if Im successful here, will that success help that guy go be the CEO of IBM or go run a hospital?You look at Texas and look at how big the Texas job is, and nobody wants to win more than I do. But if that opens up doors for others, thats a win for a lot of people. 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