Greg Maddux was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame today. His former teammate, John Smoltz, had this to say about him:

He was the smartest player I ever played with. We used to call him Hoover, because he would suck you into an argument and he would always win. He would always win because he had a reason for everything. Sometimes I thought it was just Greg being Greg and making some stuff up. But he had a reason for everything.

This, to me, is the essence of craft. Always have a reason, even if it turns out to be wrong.

Here’s a story about the great Bill Russell speaking to the Seattle Seahawks before a recent game, as related by cornerback, Byron Maxwell:

He was like, the night before the playoffs, everyone would ask him, “Are you nervous?” And he’s like, “No. I’m not playing Bill Russell and the Celtics.”

Pure badass.