The first paragraph of the magazine article read: “It was scheduled as a 1 pm staff meeting. The phone rang in my office. On impulse I picked up the receiver and engaged the caller in a very brief conversation. That spontaneous moment cost me about 30 seconds of precious time. Pat Croce’s time. A little over a year into Croce’s tenure at the helm of the 76ers, he was not happy. Neither were the fans. Optimism abounded though as the new look of the team, from the coaching staff to the uniforms, were all about to be unveiled. As I hurried through the door of the conference room, Pat was already into his motivational magic when without warning…Zap! As I jetted for an open seat, musical chairs style, his laser beams burned a hole right through me. Even though the climate was comfortable, I was sweating profusely, the normally expressionless head coach of the 76ers, Larry Brown, managed an innocuous chuckle. I was told later by one of Croce’s closest confidents, “He must like you, if not, he would’ve blown you up right on the spot. Just don’t be late again.” more…

I recently had a meeting with Mark Burnett in his LA offices regarding his proposed network show entitled The Shark Tank.

I had met Mark at his way cool Mark Burnett Productions compound about a year ago when he was producing The Pirate Master. I had supplied him with my book Pirate Soul – A Swashbuckling Journey Through the Golden Age of Pirates as a reference source for his Caribbean adventure show. So even though the excitement I typically experience when visiting a new environment was less that my Red Alert status, the energy I felt in the presence of this pioneer of reality TV was once again volcanic! more…

I just spent a long weekend in Bradenton, Florida at the 300-acre IMG Academies. The amazing campus contains a par 72 golf course, two pools, two baseball diamonds, soccer fields, NBA-regulation basketball courts, an outrageous weight room, and 56 tennis courts where the likes of Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Maria Sharapova, and the Williams sisters honed their game.

But I wasn’t visiting the sports academies for any of those amenities. more…

Whenever I dine out at a restaurant – which is usually three meals a day when I’m on the road - I regularly ask the wait staff their name. I may be considered peculiar with this practice but I like to personalize my dining experience and familiarize myself with the stranger servicing my gastronomic needs. And since I know that everyone loves the sound of their own name, I take advantage of the power to make them feel important.

The name game provides me the opportunity to instigate conversation, not only about menu suggestions and food preparations, but about the server’s history and hopes – especially in Hollywood. In that crazy city I do more than just get their names. more…

This week I lived at my old stomping ground in Beverly Hills, CA - the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. I was first exposed to the luxurious hotel back in the 80’s when I scheduled a several-day stay while hanging out with the creative genius Chuck Barris. It was my first exposure to the outrageous sights and lifestyles of Hollywood. The hotel is located right on the intersection of Rodeo Drive and Wilshire Boulevard. You probably best recognize it as the setting for the romantic comedy Pretty Woman starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere in 1990. And although we weren’t romantic, we were pretty funny when I had the Sixers team – and all of the entourages - take over the place during our thrilling run at the NBA 2001 Finals against the LA Lakers. But that’s another story. more…

I recently read a great article in the April/May issue of Success magazine entitled “Personal Development in America.” It highlighted the beginning of what we now refer to as the “self-help movement” with a book appropriately titled Self-Help written by the Scottish reformer Samuel Smiles in 1859.

That’s right…1859…almost a hundred years before the release of Norman Vincent Peale’s brilliant best-seller The Power of Positive Thinking (1952). I love that book! And I love the back story. Peale was so displeased with the final draft of his manuscript that he trashed it and forbade his wife from removing from the trash can. Mrs. Peale did as she was told; however, she did take the trash can to the publisher. more…