Word: perfectionist
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...that the family's troubles are so terrible; it is that they are so terribly typical. Eldest son Gil (Steve Martin) is a perfectionist who wants to be the ideal husband, father, provider and Little League manager that Frank never was. Gil's wise and patient wife (Mary Steenburgen) can deal with the pressure his anxious idealism generates, but his eight-year-old son cannot. The boy's school is insisting that special education is his only hope. His ball team is down on him because he keeps muffing easy pop-ups. Which, of course, makes Gil try even more...
...incident spoke loudly of Darman, who already owned an impressive record in and out of government. He also possessed a huge appetite for more responsibility, a need to perform in the political circus' center ring and a perfectionist's burden of self-doubt. That Darman, after some detours, became George Bush's Budget Director last month shows a degree of adroit tenacity rare even among Washington's tribe of striving Type A's. He appears joyful in his new post, though his return to public service dumps him into a sticky triangular paradox. Alone among Reagan advisers, Darman lent...
...world where intelligence matters, but not the knowledge of academic study: a world where the gang's driver Mickey finds his creative outlet "all in his meaty hands," where the perfectionist henchman Irving displays his careful and precise competence in dirty dealings and where mathematical whiz Abbadabba Berman converts life into numbers...
Much of the Irish success stems from perfectionist Holtz's famous practice sessions and attention to detail. When he arrived at Notre Dame in the winter of 1986, Holtz, who had been head coach at William and Mary, North Carolina State, Arkansas and Minnesota, concentrated on molding the Irish into a clockwork mechanism. Says senior linebacker Wes Pritchett: "He gave out shirts with TEAM on them in big letters and ME in tiny letters. It sounds corny, but the message got through: everyone can't be a star, but if you tackle your assigned role with 100% effort...
...spectacle. Athletes who have spent years polishing their skills come suddenly to take our breath away. -- Western Welcome: Calgary, a city of stampedes and high- tech cowboys, is set to sing a few songs and, naturally, tell some lies. -- America' s Sweetheart: Debi Thomas, premed student and premeditated perfectionist, plans to reclaim the women' s skating gold for the U. S. But she will have to take it away from East Germany' s enchanting Katarina Witt. -- Two Brians: Orser of Canada and Boitano of the U. S. are pretty good friends and the very best of the men skaters...