Talk is cheap? Memphis' Calipari will convince you otherwise

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- It was just a book.

Nothing more.

By the time Calipari is done talking, the ref may change his mind. (US Presswire)

But it explains everything you need to know about John Calipari, everything you need to understand how he made himself what he is today. The book was sitting there on his desk, surrounded by notes and memorabilia and various other things. It looked new when I first saw it, which was about a year ago. And I've always thought the title of the book was perfect, the exact title you'd expect to find on Calipari's desk.

The title?

Words That Work: It's Not What You Say, It's What People Hear

'He's so convincing'

I spent four years of my life covering John Calipari.

You probably need to know that.

I wrote for the Commercial Appeal newspaper in Memphis before I left for CBSSports.com in July 2006. My first game on the Memphis beat was Rodney Carney's first game as a Tiger (a 70-63 win over Carmelo Anthony and Syracuse on Nov. 14, 2002). My last game on the Memphis beat was Carney's last game as a Tiger (a 50-45 loss to Jordan Farmar and UCLA on March 25, 2006).

In between those dates, I dealt with Calipari in some form pretty much every day and got to understand him so well that I could literally build stories around things I thought he'd say if I asked a certain question before merely inserting his actual quotes later.

Yes, Calipari can be that predictable.

But that's not the reason I'm writing this column.

The reason I'm writing this column as Memphis prepares for the Final Four is because Calipari is doing a lot of talking this week and it reminded me that in my years of dealing with coaches -- young coaches, old coaches, basketball coaches, football coaches, whatever -- I have never met a more convincing talker than him. All of you heading to San Antonio will realize this soon.