A Bygone Era

Today’s post is of the personal nature as I feel obliged to give some props to my father-in-law who is enjoying his first day of retirement after 47 years of working.

That may not seem all that spectacular at first mention, but when you consider that he has spent all of his 47-working years at the same company it certainly moves him into the category of the remarkable.

The family gathered last night for a diner at one of the area’s nicer restaurants and I couldn’t help but become reflective of how things have changed since he started working.

My father-in-law was one of the first people his company hired, so the fact that the company itself is still in business after 47 years is an accomplishment. The fact that he remained loyal to them through his entire working life is another feat that will be hard to be matched in this day in age.

Is it idealistic to think that in 2009 companies should feel the same loyalty to their employees that was felt in 1962 (the year my father-in-law went to work)? I don’t think so. There is a fundamental issue at play here, big or small, a company’s main asset is its people. I would even argue that its internal people are often more important to their external people (customers). I only say that because if you have the right internal people first, the right customers will come. If you have the wrong people the wrong customers will follow.

Having the right people also makes it easier for companies to get through the lean times, many of which are going through right now. My father-in-law saw his company ebb and flow through good times and bad, often times laying employees off only to bring them back as business picked up.

I don’t know if my father-in-law worked or a company representing a bygone era and way of doing business or a guiding light for business owners in the 21^st century about the best rules of practice for their business? Either way, kudos to him for 47 years working at the same place and I wish him the best of luck in his retirement and am hopeful he can enjoy his new recliner.

World Series of Poker 'Main Event 09 Underway

So I was on the All In Poker Radio show over the weekend (if you missed it you can hear the podcast of the show here).
One of the hot topics on the show that day was if the state of the economy was affecting the World Series of Poker Main Event (the $10K No Limit Hold 'Em that has been immortalized on ESPN). There was some speculation if maybe the number of players would finally start to decline after nearly a decade of record growth.
It would be hard to think the WSOP would be immune to the economy, but we heard on Monday that 500 players were turned away from the tournament due to over capacity. Despite having 4 different day ones where the field was split up to provide room for everyone, the WSOP turned away these players rather than add another day. This clearly points to a few things a) there are still tons of players looking to shell out $10K to play in the main event, even with this weak economy, and b) that Harrah's (the parent company of the WSOP) still has some work to do in accommodating the demand that it has built among poker players all over.
Here are some figures for this year's WSOP Main Event:
-- 6,494 players
-- $61,043,600 in prize money
-- 648 players will finish in the money
-- 9 final table players will be guaranteed $1.2 million
-- 1 winner will get $8.5 million

McNair’s 4th of July Fireworks Still Lingering

So little did anyone know that when the 4th of July holiday of 2009 started as many others prior to it, that sports fans would be shocked of the news that Steve McNair was dead.
In the days since his death we have learned that it wasn’t just the man who was killed but his near squeaky-clean image has forever been changed along with the tragic death of the once former Sports Illustrated cover boy.
I was always fond of McNair, maybe it was the fact that he opted for a small Division I-AA college to prove he was a QB instead of the bigger D-I schools courting him to play a different position. Or maybe it was even in the defeat, against my St. Lois Rams, in the Super Bowl how he carried himself, both on and off the field. Or maybe it was the fact that he always seemed to be above the fray and stayed out of trouble.
As details of his death continue to come in the picture is starting to come together. I am not here to conjecture or add to speculation about what McNair was doing in his private life, but I couldn’t help but recall the devastation I felt after the 2002 death of one of my boyhood idols Darrell Porter.
Porter fought demons all his life, and while I met Porter a few years prior to his death as he played in a golf tournament with some friends of mine at our country club I enjoyed immensely the time he gave me and the trip down memory lane we had in the clubhouse after the tournament. He even signed a baseball for me and added his favorite Bible verse along with his signature.
Everyone had thought Darrell had won the hardest fight of his life. I was crushed to learn in that summer of 2002 that he had lethal amounts of cocaine in his system.
In no way do I mean to compare a substance abuse battle with death via gunshot, especially when it appears that McNair’s death was the result of a murder-suicide, and we can only speculate on the motives of a disgruntled girlfriend, so for the sake of this column, the speculation ends now.
The point is everyone has demons. Most of us have the luxury to battle these demons on our own and not have them play out on the public stage. McNair and Porter, unfortunately, had their battles play out (or at least in McNair’s case the results of his demons) in the public arena. Of course, part of being a celebrity is giving up a part of that private life and having your business, good or bad, be part of the public consumption.
Regardless of the demons – drugs, women, alcohol, anxiety, mental illness, financial management, etc. – batting them can often be the common denominator between celebrities and everyday people. The outcomes, good or bad, playing out in headlines everywhere with those left behind having a host of new questions and feelings to deal with, making the situation even more painful for family and friends who were close to the celebrity.
So instead of asking why a famous former Pro Bowl QB, complete with a wife and four children, would openly start to date a cocktail waitress and vacation with her in the tropics, buy her a luxury SUV, have a condo only miles from his family home, we just have to accept it for what it is.
Instead of asking why one of our childhood heroes would battle drugs, appear to recover, site the Bible in public speeches only to be found dead from the results of cocaine use, we have to just remind ourselves that even some of our heroes have demons, and their battles end up in our living rooms.

When a Marketing Promotion/Event Goes All Wrong

Much as changed in the business of radio since I last toiled there for a paycheck. Gone are the days of independently owned and operated stations, with many of the market controlled by a handful companies who one "clusters" of stations in each market.

Most listeners don't even know these names, but companies like Clear Channel are among the largest.

From a pure "business" standpoint there are a lot of reasons why clusters make sense, but for a lot of other reasons clusters are bad for radio. This is one example of what happens when you don't have people "on the ground" in areas where your station ins broadcasting from.

What a nightmare.

Wine of the Week #1 (WoW)

Every week we will feature a Wine of the Week (WoW). We will try to call out wines that we love and that more importantly, are very affordable.

The idea here isn't to do an exhaustive review of the wine or how fruity or bold it was. If you want that sort of stuff you can find it elsewhere. The goal with the WoW is to simple say, "hey, this is a great wine, try it, and it won't break your bank."

So, with that caveat, the first WoW we will feature is the Malbec from Gascon vineyards. The Argentinean wine was a pleasant surprise with its clean taste and went well with the beef dinner we had with it. I found my bottle at my local market for under $17 so it was well worth it. The label is to the left and the purple hue in it will jump out at you.

Google vs. Facebook

If you are an Internet Marketer, or marketer in general, you need to read this recent article from Wired by Fred Vogelstein about the control for marketing dollars (mainly from huge firms that do "branding" campaigns), to get them online.

This is a great read, but as an online marketer, and one who firmly believes in performance-based marketing (campaigns that only pay when an action happens i.e. a sale, a lead, etc.), my gut is that the amount of "branding" done in the future will be less and less.

I could be way wrong on this, but I think this current slump in the economy has focused a lot of marketing attention to things that get results, or at least have a proven ROI behind them. As more and more top level executives (CEOs and CFOs) see this model working in hard economic times, why wouldn't they want it during good times as well? The only glitch could be the number of partner sites and properties that don't want to participate in performance marketing.

My experience is that if a site doesn't want to do a performance-based deal it usually means their traffic sucks (or at least isn't the traffic you want for whatever campaign you are working on).

As the web continues to evolve I suspect more and more properties will not only be open to performance marketing campaigns, but I suspect this channel of online marketing will come to dominate the sector. If indeed that is the case, Facebook and Google could be barking up the wrong tree (at least in reference to this Wired article).

Share your thoughts on this great read from Wired.

Brazil Storms Back to Keep U.S. Upset Bid @ Bay

Well for 45 minutes of play in the FIFA Confederations Cup championship match the U.S. team did what no one thought they could do, score two goals against mighty Brazil.

Fans everywhere knew, even with a 2-0 halftime lead, Brazil was capable of getting the lead right back. A lot of nervous energy was being felt by U.S. supporters. That quickly was ratcheted up a notch as Brazil scored their first goal only a minute into the second half, meaning the next 44 minutes of play were going to be very nerve racking.

True to form the Samba stormed all the way back and put the game away in the 86 minute on a text-book world class goal off of a corner kick to seal their second-consecutive Confederations Cup title (the first country in FIFA history to pull that feat off), and their third overall.

Was the result the ideal ending for the U.S. team? No, of course not. Did any U.S. fan ever real feel like the game was in hand, even up 2-0 at the half? Not any smart one that had ever seen Brazil play and know their penchant for scoring a lot of goals in a hurry. Are there some great experiences, lessons, and positives to take from the game, and the entire tournament from a U.S. perspective? You bet.

If the U.S. has been able to hold on and take the Confederations Cup title it would have easily been the biggest win ever for the team, clinching their first ever title in a FIFA international tournament. But it is important to put this match, and this tournament in perspective. At its core the Confederations Cup is meant to be a dress rehearsal for the host nation of the next World Cup, in this case South Africa. Giving those on the operations team, the host cities, media operations, and other aspects of the tournament a slight taste of what is coming the next year.

Likewise, it gives the teams a taste for what the stadiums look and feel like, scout out new training facilities and other important details that are vital to a World Cup effort. Then, there is the little issue of the actual matches themselves. It gives the players an opportunity to play great competition, and coaches to see what their team looks like in this setting. In that regard, the U.S. was able to play Brazil twice, Italy, Spain, and Egypt in matches that actually meant something (more than just an international friendly).

Players like Landon Donovan, Tim Howard and Clint Dempsey cemented their role in the starting 11 for the U.S. team while a good mix of young players also got to get their feet wet and have a good showing in the tourney.

Looking at the larger picture, the 2009 Confederations Cup was a massive success for the U.S., especially considering they were 90 minutes away of being sent home before the Egypt match started. Another step was taken and now the U.S. can only be happy with getting wins at these tournaments (World Cup included) and not just having a “good showing.” This new perspective for the players, fans, and coaches, means the bar has been raised and that in itself, could turn out to be the biggest positive for the National Team in a longtime.

Wacko Jacko is Gone

I write that headline not to make fun or light of a person's death.
I use the tactic only to drive home the point that I am among those in my generation who grew up loving the music and performance that was Michael Jackson. From his days with the Jackson 5 to Billy Jean, Thriller, even Man in the Mirror, Michael Jackson was without the King of Pop.
I realized today though that Michael Jackson, the one I knew and grew up listening to, didn't die today but a longtime ago.
The Michael Jackson that came out in the headlines, courtrooms and documentaries in the last 15 years wasn't the guy I was fond of as a kind, and certainly wasn't a person I was fond of as an adult the more I learned and heard about his personal life.
Unfortunately in this day and age of instant gratification and a 24-hour news cycle maybe we learn more about celebrities than we should, or more than we need. While Michael's career on the stage stands for itself and alone as one of the true pop icons of the TV and video area, his life off the stage can't be overlooked as well.
Michael's legacy was made in part due to the convergence of technology (the advancement of cable TV and music video), therefore that same technology (cable news, and cameras at every turn) was Michael's downfall and what ultimately tarnished that image.
Regardless of who you feel about the man, sympathay goes out to his family and those close to him. His music will still be enjoyed for generations to come, but admitidely with some of the luster worn off.

Historic Win Propels U.S. Into Finals of Confederations Cup

WOW.
What a victory for the U.S. over Spain in the semifinals of the Confederations Cup . If you missed the match, the highlights are above.
What was truly impressive with this performance was more than just the result on the scoresheet (2-0) but the fact that this was a game the U.S. deserved to win and more than held their own against the Spaniards the full 90 minutes and the entire length of the pitch. Landon Donovan officially worked his way out of my doghouse (I am sure a major relief for him), with stellar play in both the defensive end and great setup and distribution of the ball on the offense end of the field. Cap it off with Tim Howard standing on his head in goal for most of the game and you have what one of the best showings for the U.S. team in modern history.
Much debate has been made about where this win ranks among all time victories for the U.S. I put it at No. 3 (with the 1950 World Cup win over England No. 1 and the 2002 win over Mexico in the knockout round in the WC No. 2) all time, and the top non-World Cup win ever. I even rank it above the 1994 WC win over Columbia for the main reason that while the U.S. played their guts out in that match as well they had a) home field advantage and b) an own-goal by Columbia proppel them to victory (for the record I still put the Columbia win in the top 5 along with the win of T&T that put the U.S. in the 1990 WC).
Regardless it was a great win and soccer fans all of the U.S. have something to look forward to this Sunday.

*****UPDATE******
Brazil defeated South Africa on Thursday setting up a rematch for the U.S. from their group match against the Samba. This is another great chance at redemption for the Red, White and Blue and could go a long way in developing this team as an international power and a team to be reckoned with in the 2010 World Cup.

USA vs Spain -- Semifinal Match of Confederations Cup

The U.S. Men's National Team looks to continue it improbably run today in a semi-final match against Spain in the FIFA Cofederations Cup.

The U.S. got to the semis after a 3-0 thumping over Egypt. If that wasn't enough, the U.S. got the much needed perfect score with Brazil thrashing Italy by the same 3-0 score. This perfect storm combination meant there were three teams in the U.S. group with 1-2 records, so the tie-breakers ensued and it come down that the the Red, White and Blue advanced.

Win or lose in this semifinal, it will be a great experience for the younger players on the squad to get to play in such a high-profile match. Just hours before kickoff, I would have personally liked to have seen U.S. coach Bob Bradley go with a younger group in his lineup and rewards those players who played so well against Egypt, but instead we have to rely on veteran players, that so far in this tourney have looked less than impressive, to get the win and advance to the finals.

Highlights and a match re-cap will be posted at the conclusion of the game.

U.S. DoJ Freezes $30 Million of Online Poker Players Money

Much as already been made about the recent actions of the U.S. Department of Justice's efforts to freeze $30 million in player deposits that were sitting in accounts with online financial transaction operators.

The key here is to note that the money was NOT in accounts managed or operated by the online poker rooms but actually companies that serve the poker sites but facilitating the funds for them. Now of course, anyone with half a brain knows that the processors couldn't exist without the sites and the vice versa.

My hope is that this action will finally get players fired up enough to get a grassroots effort going to get serious about regulating the industry once and for all. Up to now the DoJ's actions have been aimed at companies (and you could argue that this is aimed at them again), but this time the players are directly involved as they can't access funds which are legally and properly theirs. If that doesn't fire up a consumer I don't know what would.

Here are some good stories to read about the fallout from the DoJ's actions.

A letter to the editor to the Las Vegas Sun Times

A opinion column written by Chuck Blount of the San Antonio Express-News

Dave Matthews Band Back in STL

The Dave Matthews Band found itself back in St. Louis as part of the first leg of its US tour supporting its new album Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King.

This album is a tribute to the bands former sax player (and founding member) LeRoi Moore. Critics have said the album is reminiscent of the bands roots. I have had the album since its release date and as a die-hard DMB fan I think it is one of their finest works yet.

The band was back in St. Louis last night (6.17.09) for a show at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater (probably the worst venue in all of St. Louis for a show). The last time DMB was in St. Louis was for a June '08 show of historic significance in that it was the first concert at the new Busch Stadium.

For those that are interested, here is the set list from last night's show:

– “Pantala Naga Pampa”

– “Rapunzel”

– “Shake Me Like a Monkey”

– “Funny the Way It Is”

– “Typical Situation”

– “Anyone Seen the Bridge”

– “Too Much” (Fake)

– “Lie in Our Graves”

– “Seven”

– “Corn Bread”

– “Best of What’s Around”

– “Crush”

– “Why I Am”

– “Dreaming Tree”

– “Grey Street”

– “Dive In”

– “Shotgun” (tease)

– “Squirm”

– “Time Bomb”

Encore

– “#40″

– “You and Me”

– “All Along the Watchtower”

Was Artie Lange Out of Line?

First things first, I am a Joe Buck fan, and in full disclosure I know who Artie Lange is and use to watch him on Stern, but other than that, I have no real opinion on him.

While Joe is from St. Louis, I have never had any personal interactions with him. I have been at the same function as him numerous times but the stars have never been aligned for us to ever talk, even briefly.

So much of STL was eagerly awaiting the debut of the Joe Buck Show on HBO Monday night. Buck had booked Brett Farve as his top guest and the interview was superficial for the most part but Joe was very good. 

I was enjoying the show and then for the last segment Joe brought on Artie Lange to be a part of a panel discussion. A train wreck ensued and while I thought Artie had some funny lines Joe clearly was uncomfortable with the direction the show was going. Even in that light I thought Joe handled himself well. Other hosts might have taken the bait and sunk the entire ship, Joe was able to at least keep it afloat. 

Way too much has been made of this in the media so I will keep it brief, but what else would people expect when you mix premium cable (i.e. HBO) with a comic who has made his name as a cast member on the Howard Stern Show?

HBO has taken the clips of the show off of YouTube but the program will be reairing this month on HBO, I would suggest you check it out if you can. If you can't read Joe's take courtesy of SI.com.  

FOLLOW UP:

The saga continued today on the Mad Dog show on Sirius  radio:

Cleveland HiBore XLS Drivers Rock

I played in a golf tournament over the weekend and I was able to bring out my new Cleveland HiBore XLS driver and I have to say that it kicks butt.

I bought the new driver over the winter after playing a round with a friend who had one. I needed a new driver so we let me hit a few off the tee with his and I felt like it was a good fit for me.

These drivers use some new technology from a company that has long been known in golf circles for their excellent wedges and irons. I have no idea if these club is making in-roads on the tour, but it is a very forgiving club and one that I would recommend it for anyone. Go to your local pro shop and hit a few or check them out online here.

Inaugural Post

More for the historic significance of it than anything, I wanted to put an intro/inaugural post for my new blog. 

Thanks for taking the time to visit the site and check out the links. This blog is designed to be a free-flowing form and exchange of ideas and opinions from those who read it. 

Some days you might find insight/opinions on sports and events in the news while others you might find a review of a new restaurant, wine, movie, book or anything else that I find of interest. Still other days you mind find a little bit of everything. I will be commenting on things I see going on in my professional life as an online marketer for www.shoes.com or  in my personal life in the lovely midwest of the U.S. 

Bookmark this page or sign up for the RSS feed as there will always be something fresh and new to keep your interest peaked. If you don't like what you see on Tuesday, chances are pretty good you will be interested in what is posted on Wednesday as about the only thing that will be a certainty with this blog is that you never know what will come next.