Welcome to Saturday Scorecard. Be sure and thank a veteran this weekend.

On to the notes...

Grace under pressure: It's not that they are bigger, faster, stronger and generally more wealthy than the average citizen.

Top-level athletes are different, mentally, than Joe Sixpack. I was reminded of that twice on Thursday.

Fans, announcers and sports journalists love a good "redemption" story. Whether it takes place over the course of years, weeks or even in a single game, we like to see athletes stumble and then triumph when given a second chance. The old "goat to hero" story always plays.

We saw two episodes on Thursday:

In the sixth inning of a Miller Park matinee, Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks hurried a throw in an attempt to cut down speedy Houston centerfielder Michael Bourn at first base. The ball sailed wide of the target, resulting in a two-base error that gave the Astros a one-run lead.

The Brewers tied the game against Houston closer Matt Lindstrom in the bottom of the ninth, then loaded the bases in the bottom of the 10th and won the game when Weeks laid off a 3-2 pitch and drew a run-scoring, game-ending walk.

Hours later, in an NBA playoff game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Lakers forward Ron Artest took two ill-advised shots in the closing minute.

Wait a minute...

Ill-advised is being kind. They were boneheaded shots. Fans groaned. Teammates gave stunned looks. The Phoenix Suns, who were in the midst of an amazing comeback, moved into position to steal a pivotal game on the enemy court.

In the final seconds, Artest came through. When Kobe Bryant air-balled a shot, Artest grabbed the rebound and banked in a short shot that beat the buzzer and gave the Lakers a victory.

In both cases, there was talk of redemption and atonement. Weeks redeemed himself after making the error. Artest atoned for his shoddy shot selection.

Fans fixate on story angles like that. So do reporters. Most mortal people do.

Athletes don't think that way.

I asked Weeks about the error after the game and he said it plainly. "I wasn't thinking about that," he said. "Mistakes happen. You just keep going, playing hard and trying to do your best."

One of my colleagues said that Weeks was adopting the "macho athlete stance," because the culture of the locker room mandates that you don't admit to trivial things like embarrassment or self-doubt or the idea of redemption.

I've known Rickie Weeks for quite a while. He approaches his job with a very serious, very simple attitude: work your butt off, accept what happens and continue to work your butt off. I don't think he's into spin or macho posturing.

As for Artest, he said he wasn't bothered by his misses and didn't think they were bad shots.

This attitude is part of what separates successful athletes from the schmoes. If Rickie Weeks had gone to the plate in the 10th inning and obsessed about his error and the need to "make amends," it's doubtful he would have had the discipline to draw that game-winning walk.

If Artest had been as mortified by his decisions as Lakers fans were at the time, he might have clanked that winning put-back off the rim instead of banking it through the net.

Athletes make mistakes, just like other folks. They do it on in a setting the size and scope of which most of us can hardly fathom. But, they also have the ability to get past those moments and focus on the present.

Where we think about redemption for a previous failure, they think of opportunity for success. It's not just closers and placekickers who need "short memories."

Was Rickie Weeks thinking about his error in the dugout? In the on-deck circle? At the plate?

I honestly don't think so.

I think he was trying to win the game.

There is a lesson there for civilians. For many people, the scars caused by a failure or misstep -- and even the fear of such an event -- can be paralyzing. In order to achieve greatness, though, you have to move past those moments. Learn from them, sure, but be ready to seize the next opportunity that comes along.

The Nike folks say "Just Do It." In some cases, that's good advice.

LARRY KING LOUNGE
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