Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Far-vre of the Day

Let me be the 142,387th person to write about Brett Farve.

To my MN Viking Fans (Brant & Abby), don’t worry.

This is the NFL. Everyone needs to keep in mind a few things. ESPN and the NFL Network need to fill 5-6 days a week with sub-stories to get viewers. Also, coincidentally this story get focused on the week before ESPN has the Vikings on Monday Night Football.

Certainly things are not utopia in Minnesota. They’re not great anywhere. Would you rather be in Washington, Oakland or Minnesota? Farve is your man, he will be through this Monday night and after he’ll take 1.99 weeks off to preserve his games played streak. If you ask me if I’d rather have a teammate who wanted to play or sit because he was getting hit, I’d have the same answer every time.

Farve is a pain in the ass, he’s gotten larger than life, he’s old. has perspective and has seen more than most of his coaches. Part of me doesn’t blame him one bit for his antics. The other part would hope he has learned by this time that “team” means more in football than any other sport.

Vikings, get it together. You’ve got a shot to run through the easy NFC with the exception of Philly (yes I left the Saints out, no experience) and make it to the SB. Coach, learn how to communicate with a 40 year old. You can’t treat him like you do a rookie, 3 yr vet or Pro Bowl 32 yr old corner. He’s Brett Fukin’ Farve. Regardless though, he needs to sit and rest.

I’m looking forward to the Vikings in the playoffs, this whole story going away after several wins and ESPN not having their games on TV.

May a lesson go out to all that if you hire someone of the stature of Farve, don’t have any disillusions, manage the situation accordingly and prepare for reality. Fans, take it easy and ingest news stories with perspective and not blindly.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Dear Tiger,

Tough couple weeks eh? Yea...none of us can comprehend, clearly. We try to put ourselves in your place, but as we bitch about paying $5 extra for the round we easily say “why not just divorce her and pay $500 million”. I’m sorry. You know what I’m not sorry about? You dropping your bait in another pond. Not saying the thought hasn’t crossed my mind, but for fucks sake, come on man. What about YouTube, TMZ, Cable TV and the other 1000 folks who make their living off your exploits do you not think would screw you?

OK, cat’s outta the bag...now what? I know, let’s deny as much as possible and stay as sterile as you’ve been the past 10-15 years. Great idea. You know what? MORON!!!

Not surprisingly this has all taken off since your over controlling father died. Sources tell me the prude spent his college party years in the corner of frat parties peering at his female counterparts longingly.

Anyone remember Michael Jackson and Macaulay Culkin? Tiger isn’t much different.

Denial is not just a river in Egypt. You need tp fire your advisors who are over payed and over educated. At this point there is only 2 things to do:

#1...Accept reality, you’re getting divorced...sux but it’s happening.
#2...Apologize, say you’re not perfect, say you’re looking forward and re-dedicating yourself to golf.

We all realize you want time with your kids, work on that on your own time. For now you need to be the best at golf more than ever. I can’t remember a time your rep could ‘t be saved with a great shot on a par 5.

Except now....

Tiger, get a grip, accept you’re human, because that is the only path to redemption to the ever-present public eye you crave.....

-Blair

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Behind the Curtain

I can't help but believe that everyone gets it when it comes to college sports. Recent stories lead me to believe that either folks have no clue or that media outlets are short for stories.

Regardless when I see that Tennessee is under investigation for having female hosts I more than laugh. The best part is the details of the story seem to point to Bama being the whistle blowers. Irony? I think so. Gator Girls, Ala-Belles and the reason every recruit took one of their five official visits to Wisconsin during the Alvarez era (certain act associated with the hot corner guaranteed) Morally is it right? Questionably. Does it happen in college sports and every other multi-billion dollar industry? Hell yea!

Ladies and gentlemen, we live in the real world.

This is why the accusations of having female hosts for recruits is so rediculous. Ask yourself, if you own a company, want a 18 year old to accept an offer so you can make 100
s of thousands more, do you send you ugliest male to show him around, or your female whose easiest on the eyes? If you took door #1 your business is closed by now.

I agree that there should be rules and regulations for college athletes, otherwise the outcome is disasterous and will end up hurting the athletes as well. With that said, there are certain accepted practices that folks should get over.

#1. Pretty girls are used in the process (except my alma mater BC...honestly, we had nothing)
#2 Money, gifts are exchanged in some manner for top recruits
#3 Academic standards will be sacrificed across the board
#4 Visits will include being treated better than the current President...and again, they're 17 yrs old

To succeed you must do the above as best and discerning as possible. You must also avoid being enamored with the best of the best and know who you are, what you're trying to do and find the best fits for both. Which gets back to my hiring advice for companies, but that's another post....

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Hiring is an Art

In 2 years I still haven’t touched upon what I do for work. As a recruiter I get a great overview of almost every industry, job type and what ultimately makes companies successful or not.

I’ve worked for large companies, small, old, young, tech, non-tech. I’ve also spent 4 years working in the football department while in college and am an avid fan since.

As a Patriots fan, and with some inside info, I know Charlie Weis is not someone I would care to meet. That being said, as much as it will make me happy as graduate of BC to see a jerk ND coach fired, he has value. The problem is not that he is a bad coach, it is that he’s not a good head coach in college.

Hiring is incredibly subjective. Too many companies (and engineers I deal with) try and turn it into a science. In college too much value is put on success. Sounds counter intuitive I know. Weis was part of leading a 2 time Super Bowl champ and a football geniuses understudy, can’t miss, right? Wrong. In the NFL the focus is on week to week strategy, he had essentially no player evaluation responsibilities and drafting/contract negotiation was handles by the coach and GM.

College coaching is about 2 things. Recruiting and motivation. Urban Myer’s spread offense is great…it is also the same as every other team that runs it. You know the difference? Tim Tebow, Percy Harvin, Brandon Spykes and the rest of the studs he recruited to there. College is about exploiting match-ups and keeping 18-21 year olds focuses. Clearly Weis sucks at that…doesn’t make him a bad coach though.

As fast as he’s about to get canned from ND (and be given a $18 million dollar check), he will get a coordinator job in the NFL. I’ll never like him, but will use this as an example for future clients on how to hire. ND needs to focus on a college guy (not Cowher or Billeck). Meyer and Stoops are obvious names. How about Golden (bias noted), Mike Gundy, Kelly (Brian & Chip) or Gary Patterson? Find people who have done well with a difficult situation, run a modern offense and can be molded by ND rather than come in with an ego.

Companies need to do the same. Want that MBA, 20 years of experience doing the same job and managing 20+ people to take a manager title managing 6 people for less money? Get real.

What would ND, or any company, say if they were told some young gun was the next Joe Paterno, Bobby Bowden or equivalent? Hopefully hire them in a second, but I don’t believe they would. Do the right thing ND….we’ve beaten you 7 of the last 8 years, this is getting boring!

Thursday, November 26, 2009

One of A(I) Kind

AI retired today. BS!

This is going to last as long as Hussain Bolt the 100m dash. Iverson is one of the best scorers in the history of the league, still is. He has a beaten body, but is tough as nails.

Why retire then? How many athletes take a smaller role to join a championship team?

Think:KG, Ray Allen, Shaq (yes Shaq), Karl Malone, Gary Payton and Rodman kinda.

The difference? Each person’s game was adaptable to a team game if necessary. KG defense. Allen shooting when open. Shaq…only shoot within 3 ft. Malone…get out of the way. Payton…assists and defense. Rodman w/Bulls…defense and rebounds.

Problem is AI is THE MAN…THE SCORER. That’s what he does, that’s what he’s always done, and worst of all, that’s what he thinks he’ll ALWAYS be able to do.
This is why he’s retired at 34. Do I think he’ll stay that way…not a chance.

Problem is in the NBA given recent history, the current economic climate and teams jockeying for 2010 free agent position, there are few teams actually in the running for a title. The choices are Celtics, Magic, Cavs, Lakers, Nuggets and Spurs. Sorry everyone else.

AI has already alienated the Nuggets. He doesn’t come close to fitting into the Spurs game. Does Kobe dominate the team enough to keep him in line? Perhaps. Maybe the Magic! Except they have Vincanity already as an aging piece they’re praying doesn’t break down. Celts can’t take the chance, no way Doc can coach that.

This leaves the Cavs. Doesn’t make sense. LeBron doesn’t need the shots, can give it up, but you need the ball in Mo’s hands and that hurts AI. You already have big guys fighting for time and Mike Brown isn’t good enough to keep track of all this. That said, Danny Ferry is something the other teams (except Denver who AI has already played with) doesn’t have. Desperation to win. Gotta win while LeBron is there.

AI lands in Cleveland….after the break…mark my words. Might work out, I love AI, I love the Celts, and I’d get to see AI and see the Cavs suffer. 2 birds, one stone.

Anyways, enjoy the time off our favorite corned row buddy!

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Perspective Does the Body Good

I have to sit back and laugh lately. I’m not quite sure (or at least in denial about) where our society is headed.

Recent stories in sports include Rick Pitino cheating on his wife (in a restaurant bathroom nonetheless) and teams not wanting to sign Michael Vick, fresh out of prison after a 2 year federal dog fighting sentence. Despite public opinion, Pitino will have an easier time keeping his job than Vick does getting a new one in the NFL.

Why is this? Not money…although the common and easy answer, not this time. Louisville boosters who pay Pitino’s salary will gladly pony up the cash as long as recruits keep coming, which is the only issue there. NFL owners see one of the most marketable athletes in the African American communities in Vick, as well as a former Pro-Bowler with 4.3 speed in Vick. They would love to have him.

No, no, let’s be honest, this comes down to 4 simple letters.

P-I-T-A.

Let me state for the record: I love animals, I could never hurt an animal, I can’t imagine myself hunting and I cried as I held my first dog dying in my arms when I was 12. That said, I realize it is only a dog. Wild animals tame enough to turn into pets. If porcupines weren’t so prickly then perhaps they would be pets too. Ladies and gentlemen, there is a difference between man and animal. Michael Vick violated the latter.

We are in a time when there is a murderer playing d-line for the Rams (Leonard Little) who missed no playing time and did no jail time. We have a future Hall of Famer in Ray Lewis who was tied to a murder in Atlanta who is revered.

What Vick did was horrible. He paid a higher price than anyone in the history of time will ever pay for such a crime I dare say. And now…he can’t get a job? Because of PITA?!!!

Get a grip. I’m not a big fan of the Vick family. Between Michael’s several bad moves and his younger brother Marcus getting kicked off Frank Beamer’s V-Tech team, I am not sure if they are the best people around. That said, I feel after 2 years of time in Federal Prison Michael deserves some slack, and the chance to prove himself.

Let’s all just take a step back, get some perspective of what has actually happened here (btw, Dante Stallworth just killed a person while drunk driving and never spent a day in jail) and give the man a chance.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Give the Coach Cal Thing a Rest

I grew up in Mass. I was a teenager when I loved Marcus Camby, Lou Roe, Edgar Padilla and the rest. Who was the coach? Coach John Calipari.

He made the Final 4 and never looked back. At a time when Jim Calhoun, another Boston product from Northeastern, was making his name, everyone in Mass wanted to embrace the Italian out West. Soon he left, ending up at Memphis, and eventually a vacated Final 4 followed for recruiting violations (Camby accepting payment from an agent).

Coach Cal rocked it in Conference USA. In fact he went 219-65. Pretty f’n great by anyone’s standards. Clearly the conference wasn’t up to par with other major conferences, and Coach Cal clearly recruited faaaaaaar superior talent, but still, a win is a win. Remember even back to last year when he and his crew drew a #1 seed and made it to the finals, which they only lost due to Mario Chalmers.

Fast-forward. Today allegations of Memphis accepting a recruit who cheated on his SAT’s during the 07-08 season surfaced. In fact, they surfaced in January but are just reported now. Rumor has it the cheater was star player and future #1 draft pick Derrick Rose. (For anyone who has heard a Derrick Rose news conference, you are no where close to surprised!)

People will pretend they are offended. Competitors of Memphis will pretend they are pissed. Derrick Rose will deny as long as he can, and apologize emphatically once he can no longer deny. I promise this is the course of events.

What’s the real deal though?

#1 Coach Cal gets it, which is why he got the Kentucky job, recruit the best, don’t get caught, if you do, move to the next school before you are found out (I promise he’ll be more careful in the Bluegrass State)

#2 Derrick Rose cheated on his SAT’s. If the NBA’s age minimum wasn’t in place he never would have taken them and still have been a Top 5 pick. Still, I see a lawsuit from some smart person who realizes that their 1040 is bogus, because if Derrick Rose could cheat, who else could of, and therefore the percentile is bullshit.

#3 At the end of the day, the NCAA is the minors for the NBA, STOP TRYING TO BE SOMETHING ELSE!!!

#4 I recently read that when Mark Prior was a Senior at USC and picked by the CUBS he became one of 17 college graduates in all of baseball. 25 people per team, 32 teams, do the math. We need to stop holding basketball to another standard.

At the end of the day Derrick should not have cheated, Coach Cal should not have turned the other cheek, the NBA should have different rules, and who the hell cares.

I’m pissed someone cheated on the test. Other than that, let’s face facts. These people have unique talents like Einstein did at 13, only instead of the Theory of Relativity, they are Relative Every Time We Turn on ESPN. You know what I mean. Let’s slap Memphis on the wrist, let Derrick Rose go, leave Coach Cal alone and accept college basketball for what it is!!!

Friday, April 17, 2009

Thing that make you go hmmm….

Honest to God, why are people reacting the way they are to the Greg Paulus story. To those of you who don’t know, Paulus has been a point guard for Duke the past 4 years. Paulus was a Gatorade Player of the Year in football for Christian Brothers Academy in Syracuse and snubbed Notre Dame and Miami for Duke Basketball. Great decision in my opinion.

In these new days of coaches needing to explore every possible avenue to win now (Gillespie you hear me?) Rich Rodriguez has reached out to Paulus (as has 6 NFL teams) to check on his QB skills and Coach Rod has actually offered a scholarship to Greg.

Now, clearly a newsworthy story, it shocks me how people are responding to this. I think this move for coach Rod is nothing short of BRILLIANT.

To start, for those of you who don’t know, each college football team has 85 scholarships at one time, to span over 5 year of players (red shirting causes this). If I enter a season with 84 scholarships and have a choice between a walk on student and a former Gatorade Player of the Year, guess who I’m picking?
Second, last season Michigan almost led the country in plays for a loss and 3 and outs. Clearly the QB play in Coach Rod’s new spread system was going to struggle though. Gotta give him props though, he went out and recruited Tate Forcier to run the point in his new offense. Oh, wait, sorry, guess that was a Freudian slip, did I say point?

Anyone who knows anything about football knows that freshmen are your enemy.
So for those keeping score, Coach Rod has a chance to bring in a great freshman, bring him along at the proper pace, but add a quarterback to his team who as been a point guard for one of the most pressure packed programs in the country and who can toss the pigskin? Not only is Paulus battle tested, which is the biggest issue with most college players, but he has the ability to play free and easy which will undoubtedly allow him to excel.

I think this move is beyond brilliant. Paulus might fail, miserably in fact. But Michigan only has the QB who sucked last year and a freshman to depend on. Are you honestly going to tell me that’s a better option? And Paulus would be gone in a year allowing Forcier to pick up the system, put some weight on and pick up the leadership skills necessary to shine in the program of the Big Blue.

I don’t personally like or root for Coach Rod, but this is the absolute right move and I truly question the rest of the media coverage of sports I get if their opinion is so far off on this one….

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Where did we go wrong?

I've actually turned away from blogging. I won't lie, it's too hard. But right now I can't resist. I've fucking had it with some people and have to let the 2-3 people who might read this know.

Since I last wrote we've had one of the biggest financial meltdowns in US history thanks to (enter names to be named later here + Madoff). Obviously it's easy to blame Bear Stearns, Lehman and AIG. Let's be honest though, you know that prick you went to your Ivy League school with who went on to be an IB? It's his and all his douche bag friends' fault. My favorite 2 words these days are "financial engineering".

We've elected our first black President who can't fill his cabinet because there aren’t enough qualified people who haven't committed a crime. I felt like telling that to the police officer who picked me up for doing 87 in a 65 last weekend on my way back from Tahoe with food poisoning last Sunday. How about a little perspective people?

Then finally I read this.

Dear America,

I hate social network pages. I believe though that there is one ENORMOUS benefit they have though. They allow you to know if your friend/boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse/relative is a fucking nutcase.

Sincerely,

Blair

I honestly think whoever is friends with this kid and didn’t give the old 9-1-1 a call once seeing the profile should be charged with accessory to murder if convicted. I am very happy I live in a civil society where we're “presumed innocent until proven guilty”, but there are cases where the system allows the clearly guilty to run free.

I’ve been meaning to write the blog about the sayings your mom always said being eternally true, but let me just stick with one here…"If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s a duck".

Why is there any question that this nutcase should be off the street? I'm not advocating we go all Dick Chaney on the country, but a mild amount of common sense would be awesome right about now. Is it that hard to just call a spade a spade and do the right thing? Apparently so....

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Ugh



As I said to a friend recently, I’ve been using those 3 letters way too much these days. Is it just me or does it seem like we are all in this cop's shoes with the economy slowly coming to crush us whether we like it or not. I was delusional enough to be hopeful that October would set a bottom and the repair would begin once we have our new President lined up. Not surprisingly, I was wrong.

I have had the ability to catch more than my fair share of CNBC over the past month. What began as a slow bleed, turned to a busted corroded artery, and is now back to those 5 cuts from shaving that just won’t stop. It has been the car wreck I just can’t bring myself to look away from. K2 has nothing on the Dow’s chart the past 8 weeks and even though we had a bit of a bump 2 weeks ago, we’re back down like Heath Ledger after…oh, sorry, too soon?

I’d like to go into a long analysis about how f@*%ed we are, but I don’t have the energy…CNBC has taken it from me. All I know is this.

The banks don’t have money, so they can’t lend to anyone. People don’t have money and they can’t borrow any. Businesses don’t have money and they can’t borrow any either. So the solution? Give the banks money.

Awesome, problem fixed. Only problem is, we got into this whole by giving undeserving people loans…so up go the standards. Great, so give loans only to the people who are worthy. Uh-oh, everyone is losing their job and the value of their greatest asset (their home) is shot. No one is worthy.

How about the businesses loans? Well, since the people don’t have jobs, can’t even pay their mortgages and have lost 50%+ of their investments, they kinda aren’t in the shopping spree mood. Looks like Tiny Tim’s Christmas had nothing on this year’s Christmas. Beyond that, businesses are having trouble collecting their invoices and their market cap has probably dropped 50-80% this year .

In summary...your home is under water, you lost your job and can't get a loan to buy a car from the bankrupt auto company to get to an interview. Your kid's school is closing because your state's budget is out of wack, and you can't pay for the babysitter to go to the job interview. This is alright though because no one is hiring because you also can't afford to go buy anything. Did I mention your 401k is more like a 97k right now? Boy, could we use a war...are there any more Bush's left? There are?! Awesome!!! Oh, Jeb...UGH...let's give Obama first crack at this.

The end result everyone? We’ll be fine…eventually. In the meantime, hold on because for any of you that aren’t 80+ this is new to you and it could take quite a while. Let’s just home my inspirational feelings last week weren’t misplaced.