There is more to come on my 9/11 experience. I am not going to use any names in this one, even when I get to the goofy management decisions and actions that we saw. My intent is to just relay one guy’s story of the day, the good, the bad, and the ugly. I am sure you have heard most of it before, but feel free to chime in and add what you would like!

That was me you got out of the sector that morning. I had no idea the gravity of the situation about to unfold. I recall seeing the TV monitor on my way into the control room not too much earlier but my assumption was that it was some smaller aircraft. There were several people standing around watching. I paused for a few seconds then continued on.

I remember the sector I left you with was a sleeper in between rushes. I don’t think that many of us in the control room at the time had much of a clue as to what was happening. I certainly didn’t.

I don’t think that ATC has ever had a more shining moment than what you’re referring to here once the orders were given to get the planes on the ground. It seems to me that there was a time lapse video of radar data showing the skies emptying but I can’t find it.

Nice series of posts.

In soccer, Beckham will look to only use his speed as it suits him, and that is not by getting into a footrace with a mid-twenties guy in open spaces. Rather, he will seek out the moments when he can use what are still his strengths – technical ability with the ball, vision and thought to plan ahead and/or see things that not all see – to make himself a solid contributor to his team. While he will not be allowed to abstain from the hard running and footraces, there will be others who are tasked with the lion’s share of this work. Also, if he does find himself in that physical matchup, he really does not have to win the challenge; rather, he has to delay it and slow it down sufficiently so his help can have time to arrive.

In an individual sport like bicycling, that help is not so much there, and I think that is where the differences lie. As you say, at some point, you have to get into that race for something, and it is either there or it is not.

Let’s hope that Lance Armstrong is choosing wisely. It would be a shame for him to leave us with something less to remember than the quality he showed in his prime.

Soccer/football may be an entirely different animal in that regard. I can see where experience can win out over an over-exuberant player caught up in the moment and finding themselves out of position.

Having players who are past their prime adds to the flavor of sports but it’s tough to watch somebody who should’ve left the game years earlier continue on. Greg LeMond sorta did that and I wish he didn’t.

One of Beckham’s current teammates at AC Milan, Paolo Maldini, debuted for the Rossaneri at age 17. He is currently 40, and legitimately still a top class defender. Don’t get me wrong, he has slipped a bit – he was world class, and maybe the very best one, and now he is simply among the elite.

There have been quite a few examples where players have been able to adapt to the game as their physical abilities fade. It seems to me that Beckham is a player who is suited to extending his career at a pretty high level because his value was never really based on a high level of athleticism. At his best, he is a passer of the ball, with better vision of the game than he is often given credit for. He has never been an outstanding one versus one defender, but his ability to understand the game has always seen him intercept passes from the opponent with regularity. While he has been capable of beating opponents off the dribble, it is not something that he relies on to be most effective. When he does it, he accomplishes this by deception and unbalancing the opponent rather than relying on pure speed.

In looking at what has made him a success on the field, these are all really things that he can continue to do at a very good level, even after losing a step. At some point, the loss of physical ability will not be overcome by experience, and he will slip to a level that is no longer suitable for play at a high level.

Much like Maldini, though, since Beckham started from being truly world class, to slip for him means that while he is no longer a top 1% player, he remains, given the right team situation, among the most effective in the game today.