Enough is Enough

Yes, I am about to commit blasphemy in its highest form, right here on my blog --

DEAR ESPN, PLEASE STOP COVERING FLORIDA FOOTBALL LIKE WE ARE THE ONLY PROGRAM IN THE COUNTRY

There, I said and I feel a little bit better. I know at least one of you might have just dropped a coffee mug and said 'woo hoo', but lets not get ahead of ourselves here (and clean up the mess please). I didn't say to 'stop covering Florida Football' just discontinue what you are currently doing. By that I mean, it is March people, we just started SPRING PRACTICE!

Here goes my rant, and I feel like Deonte Thompson (in that I am going to say how I feel and hope that everyone reading it doesn't dissect it, twist it, or fuck with it so they can make a headline). I guess I better digress first, because the Deonte Thompson 'real quarterback' quote is what got this whole thing started (and by the way there is plenty of blame to go around, including on Coach Meyer)...

The other day after practice, one of our WR's is asked to compare his old QB (Tim Tebow) to his new one (John Brantley). The WR in question, Thompson, said that, and I am paraphrasing, it was a little tougher with Tim because he might run, scramble or throw it at the last second. This meant he, as a WR, had to always be on his toes, and sometimes, quite frankly he wasn't. On the other hand, Brantley, is more of an 'pure passer' in that he drops back, has an idea of where he is going and delivers the ball in a much more rhythmic pattern, or as Thompson called it, "a real quarterback". There is where all the trouble began (big shocker, alert the world) one of Timmy's old teammates doesn't think Tim is a REAL QB!!!! Orlando Sentinel, Mike Bianchi (you douchebag -oops, personal opinion) let's make it a HEADLINE!!! Write a column, a blog, let the world know that a 21 year old kid says that 'Football's Lord and Savior is not a 'real QB'... I think you sense my sarcasm...

Do we really have a story here? Not really, but it is March and in between basketball games, baseball is in Spring Training, no one cares about basketball or hockey until the play-offs and Tiger's come back is 3 weeks away, so the National Sports News needs 'filler' and what better filler than another person dissing the Savior that is Tim Tebow! The PTI guys debate it and concur that "hey, it's really no big deal" and I thought, thank G-d that is over...but...nope, and here is where Meyer added fuel to the fire...the next day at practice HE goes after the reporter. Now I will tell you, I am glad he said something. My hope would have been that he would have pulled him aside and had a quiet discussion, but nope, he goes off on a rant, and yep, it's all on tape. So instead of this silly thing dying it is mushrooming and now it has spun out of control.

Last night, all I hear about is how Meyer is sticking up for Tebow and how this affects Tebow, and what it does to his draft status, etc...now I am scratching my head...Meyer was not in ANY WAY sticking up for Tebow, he was sticking up for his WR and current player. He was TRYING, though not succeeding, in trying to put the comment in perspective.

Like I said, there is a ton of blame here. One person I am not blaming is the original reporter, Jeremy Fowler, who asked the question. He did his job and I don't think he took the quote that much out of context. The person that did was Mike Bianchi at his paper that decided this needed to be his COLUMN of the day. He's the one I'd like to see Meyer in the back room with. I also understand that ESPN will cover anything and everything, but as a Florida Alum I am growing weary of the daily coverage and that sounds strange. To put it in context, I am a great Gator fan, but too many I am their worst nightmare as Gator fans already have a reputation about arrogance in the SEC. Layer that on with my Philadelphia sports upbringing and yep, I can be downright obnoxious. At least I admit it and I am seeking help (Step 1 complete - LMAO). In years past I would be rolling around like a pig in shit with all this coverage, but today I am afraid to turn on SportsCenter to see what is next. I love Tim Tebow, I love Coach Meyer, but at the end of the day the constant scrutiny about 'perfection' and 'Mr. Perfect' grew tiresome and hurt the team. I was hoping for a quiet Spring, one of developing young talent and of talk of re-building and then a nice build up to the Fall where we unleash John Brantley on the college football world...

Now, I just hope to go a weekend without seeing us on the 'crawl'

Newbie tips from SXSW

The following is going to posted to my Company's Blog, so I thought I would share it here as well…

 

We have plenty of experts at Definition 6 and several of them were able to join me at SXSW this year. In their blogs they will give you great insights into the fantastic technical content and incredible creative features that SXSW provided. As for me, I was your basic wide eyed child seeing a new world for the first time. Every experience and many of the sessions were sensory and information overload but I did bring back a few good nuggets that will be helpful for 2011 and beyond:

 

1. Do NOT ignore the early panels and sessions – I am an early riser and not a 'huge' partier so this one for me was easier than some of the other Conference Attendees. Every day sessions began at either 9:00 or 9:30; set your alarms early, get up stretch (workout if you do that) because you are in for a fully packed day!
   
2. Speaking of panels and sessions – there are TONS of them and if you don't pre-plan your day you will get lost, overwhelmed and miss things. SXSW has gotten so big that many sessions no longer take place in the Austin Convention Center (ACC). They use the Hilton across the street and several other hotels around downtown Austin. If you aren't paying attention you could very well miss your session.
   
3. Use the tools SXSW provides – If you weren't using my.SXSW.com then you missed out. Additionally, I am an iPhone user and the SXSW app was a LIFE SAVER! Everything from my custom schedule to maps to venues, it is a must have.
   
4. Network, Network, Network – I know this sounds rather elementary for a Conference, let alone SXSW, but I would focus on where and when you can do your best networking. For me, I found that to be in TWO places. My favorite place to network was before a panel/session. For a generally small panel I would arrive about 30 minutes beforehand (take note, for big sessions, like Keynotes, I would arrive 60 minutes before, take a good seat, and be ready to talk to my neighbors. I met everyone from the head of Interactive for a Fortune 50 to someone who had actually read one of my blog posts! The second place was in the 'Lounges' on the second floor of the ACC. In general, I had about 60-90 between sessions. I would head up to the Bloggers' Lounge and process my thoughts and get to meet great people from around the world.
   
5. Bring your laptop! – A few folks suggested I leave it behind but for me it was my SINGLE BEST TOOL at SXSW. Why you ask? During every panel/session there was a hashtag for Twitter associated with it. I would open up TweetDeck and add a column for that hashtag. From there I could pose a question, make a comment and follow what others were saying. This actually became ANOTHER great 'place' to network as I started picking up 'followers' and I began to 'follow' others in the room.
   
6. Work the parties – At least until 10:00pm or so. I noticed that most of the sponsored after hour gatherings were also good places to network but only up until a point, and that point was generally around 10:00. From then on places were very crowded and the atmosphere was no longer conducive to very strategic business talks. Stick around, pick up cards and talk about your business but think of that like early snow – it's coming down but it most likely won't 'stick'
   
7. Book in advance – Hotel rooms fill up fast! See you March 15^th, 2011.
   

From the Blogger Lounge...

I'm on Day 3 here at SXSW while most of the folks here got here on Friday. There is definitely the growing sense of weariness as the Interactive Crowd is wrapping up and getting ready to move on for yet another year.

For three days now I knew this 'Blogger Lounge' was here but I haven't had the time to swing by and quite frankly I was a little bit scared. Now that I am in here I am full on scared!!! There are about 8 round tables set up with 8 seats per table and laptops are up and people are typing away furiously. If you have been reading me for awhile you might recall my first real Starbucks experience, well, this one tops it. At least for my trip to Starbucks I had directions and guidance, here I feel like a complete alien. Let's face it, I am a quasi blogger at best. I need lessons, I need help!!! I am afraid to even open my mouth as something completely stupid will come tumbling out...

So here I sit, with another 90 minutes before my next session. Loving that I can recharge though. Speaking of recharging, I don't think I mentioned the AT&T recharging stations here. They have this mini-locker set up where you open a locker with a key, put in your iPhone, lock her up and boom your iPhone is charging. I haven't needed it but it is super cool. I was sitting and watching though and this was the general behavior --- put phone in, stand off to the side, wait 3 minutes (tops), open locker to check phone, respond to email/texts, repeat for 30 -45 or until the phone is charged enough to go 2 more hours...

Sat in two good sessions this morning, the first about the changing dynamic of how sports is distributed. One of the panelists is the CEO of the Major League Gaming and another was the Interactive guy from Dr. Pepper who advertises with them. Pretty interesting to hear what is described as sports and how monetization of online video continues to evolve. The second panel was on Location Based Advertising and it had light bulbs going off for me the whole time. It was mostly a pitch from the speaker but it clearly has relevance. More later I'm sure as I took a ton of notes. Next up is a panel on the changing dynamic of the magazine space which is big for me and two of our clients in the publishing world and then I wrap up with an panel on Facebook.

All in all I have not had a single bad experience at SXSW and I really see where Definition 6 will have relevance here in 2011.

SXSW Report - Observations from a 'newbie'

* I knew I couldn't party like a rockstar but I had hopes that I could party like an 'internet' star. Sorry to say but nope! Two nights in and I have been in bed by 2:00am both nights. Maybe I am starting too early or maybe I am too old, either way, when I see 'tweets' from friends letting me know that they are still going at 5:00am and my alarm just went off to go for a run...well, enough said.

* The Apple MacBook Pro is by FAR the #1 choice for computing in this crowd; yes, I brought mine, and my DELL as well (hey, I'm in Austin) but the PC has stayed back in the room for work purposes.

* Gary Vaynerchuck is just as good in front of 3,000 people as he was last month with 120 people. If you never heard of Gary, you can check out his site here - http://garyvaynerchuk.com/. He is SXSW legend at this point and regardless of anything else he is brutally honest and I like that. He also gives me hope that what I and the people I work with are doing the right things by our clients, our colleagues and our stakeholders. Still trying to get some one on one time with him but I realize that will have to happen back in New York.

* PEPSI sucks --- ok, maybe you don't think so but I'm a Diet Coke guy and I cn't get it here!!! I give PEPSI credit for stepping up in the Interactive Space and getting their brand out, I just wish it were my friends at Coca-Cola.

* I really get this 'stuff'! I'll never be a techie or be able to grind away in geel speak (despite what some of my less tech savvy friends believe) but from a philosophical and energy level I am right there. I can't remember how many years it has been since I knew that my skills and talents were so meant for the place that I am at.

* Everyone is a 'social media expert' and you know what? That's cool with me. There are so many places to gravitate towards there will never be one authoritative voice on 'what's next'. As long as you keep an open mind and continue to learn; not allow yourself to get 'boxed' into one technology or one platform then I think there is room for everyone. The tent is literally open my friends.

Wrapping up here --- panel on the future of Sports Journalism --- go figure, I have an interest there :)

Personal Space

Everyone knows the story of the 'close talker'; you know they guy who gets right in your face - happy, sad or indifferent, and always invades that invisible barrier.

It's funny how those things come about. Why for some are there no boundaries and for others there seems like a 'wall' that is built that people can innately feel, even from just a picture.

Last week I paid attention to yet another one of these 'social boundaries' that I thought about today while in traffic trying to get out of the city. Its the escalator. Think about it, I bet it is something you are not even conscious about unless confronted with the situation first hand, like I did last week. As I was walking in the Atlanta Airport Terminal on my way to get my car I was having a conversation with two other people. When we reached the escalator I got on and one of my fellow conversationalists got on WITH ME. Yep, same step. The whole way down he kept talking and I felt uncomfortable. To be honest (my least favorite cliche phrase) I just assumed something was wrong with me! That is until the drive this morning when the third person in the Friday conversation was in the car with me. I asked him he noticed the escalator 'moment' and much to my surprise he said YES. So it got me to thinking --- what's the escalator rule and here is what I came up with.

- Same Step. When you are with your child, spouse, significant other or immediate family member then the same step is appropriate. You can argue close friend as well and for women this boundary may be a tad bit looser, but for most guys the next one is more common.

- The One Step Rule. You are friends or colleagues. One person is above or below the other (depending if you are going up or down) and one party can easily turn to the other and a normal casual conversation ensues.

- Two step MINIMUM. You are a complete stranger and I am waiting for two escalator steps to roll before I step on. It's common courtesy or at least it keeps me comfortable.

Maybe the most fun 'personal space' rule for men is Urinal Etiquette but if you think about it, the escalator is pretty high up there.


Safe travels on the escalator of life my friends.

Monthly 'Dump' - February, sort of since it's March already

Man could I play on that word, but I won't! It seems like I am going through stretches of wanting to write but not being able to formulate full posts and other times where random thoughts strike me that don't require a full post but I want to express them. I thought I would add in a monthly 'dump' here as to what has crossed my mind. Hopefully I'll remember most of them, or at least recall where I jotted them down...

* I don't think I have ever been more excited for baseball! Maybe it is living in New York but I can't wait to go to Yankee Stadium, take the train 'home' to Philly and the 'Bank' with long lost friends and even the thought of taking in a Mets game is somewhat appealing (at least I own plenty of Orange and Blue in case I chicken out of Phillies gear).

* I am beginning to get sad about the end of LOST. The show has certainly run its course and this season started off rocky but I am back and fully engaged. It took me 4 years to catch on and while I spent 6 months getting caught up I stayed away from all the internet stuff...now, alone at night, I pour through content. I have even gone back and started all over and the context and complexity that is layered in is really fascinating me. My favorite subject in school became English thanks to one of my High School English Teachers. She taught me to read behind the words; to understand subtext, symbolism and foreshadowing. In those teenage days I thought she was a whack job...today it is the biggest blessing I have been given. It helps keep my observational skills sharp and in terms of LOST has opened up a whole new world of debate and conversation.

* I really need to rant on a sports topic. I also caveat this with the fact that my opinion here is currently skewed because of my love for all things Florida Gator related. As most of you know, I love the Gators and I love the NFL. So it would make sense that in a year where 10 former Gators will most likely be drafted, I am paying attention to the NFL Combines and things draft related. What I am now disliking is the complete dissection of every little nuance and facet into these micro numbers that seem to take the person out of the equation. From a Fantasy Football guy I know that sounds a little off since according to many all I care about is statistics but at least those stats are related to actual game play. At the NFL combines they have kids running the 40 yard dash and doing a standing jump. Very rarely will an NFL player need to run a straight flat out 40 yards as fast as they can and unless you are playing Special Teams trying to block a kick when the fuck are you jumping straight in the air trying to 'touch something'. Look, I get the need to break all this down but up until a few years ago it was done with and for the people who needed to see it, the teams and their scouts. You know who doesn't need to see it? A back up college QB on a D2 team that never got to play a down 'because of an injury' and is now clearly bitter about it and uses his platform at ESPN to rip whomever he wants --- yes I am talking to YOU Todd McShay ---leave my Gators alone or I am coming to Bristol --- now that's a thought :-)

* I am ready for SPRING!!! Holy crap have we gotten a ton of snow in New York and even when I spent a week in Atlanta we got 4 inches. I want to explore the greatest city in the world! I want to walk and run in the Park, I want to see people in less clothes (please take that in whatever you deem as the proper spirit), I want the cold to end!!

* February was a month of many high notes but it also saw my daughter in the hospital for 6 days (yes she has gotten better) and it also marked the loss of a dear family member. Life is a cycle and it must come all the way around but sometimes it seems like the end should never come for some people and that is how I felt about Grandma Ruth. She will always be in our hearts and as I heard her eulogized so eloquently, her legacy will live on in our children.