CHAPTER 6The Perfectionist
MEET WARD PIGGY LAMBERT
Ward Piggy Lambert liked control. Even as a teenager, he had a rigid need for the best and only the best. If things were going to run smoothly, and they damn well better, Piggy had a rock‐solid, one‐man plan to make sure it happened. Everyone who knew him knew it was Piggy's way or the highway, a deep‐seated trait that didn't earn him many fans on the basketball court.
“Piggy, pass the ball for goodness’ sake! You've been dribbling it all game,” scolded one of his teammates during the time‐out huddle. Truth is, Ward's teammate was right. Ward was a bona fide ball hog, hence the nickname Piggy.
“You weren't open,” contended Piggy. “Someone has to lead this team, and we sure as heck know it's not you.”
As the point guard and leading scorer on the Wabash University basketball team, Piggy was a control freak and a perfectionist; he always wanted to have the ball in his hands, control the tempo of the game, and take the important shots. The formula didn't always translate to team wins.
Most teammates didn't enjoy playing on the same team as Piggy because of his tendency to boss them around and point out their flaws. “You know, you'd make a much better coach, Piggy,” one of his teammates chimed in sarcastically after another loss.
Piggy didn't know how to take that comment. Did he mean it, or was it a shot at his need for control and lack of actual basketball talent?
Piggy graduated from Wabash University in 1911, after a less‐than‐impressive ...
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