JUST MY TAKE

I am ‘on Holiday’ for the next two Holiday weekends.  Here is to remembering and saluting some of the people we lost in 2017:

First and foremost, our Veterans and our Armed Forces personnel.

Don Rickles – he made fun of everyone all the time and everyone laughed.

Gomer Pyle – a.k.a. Jim Nabors

David Cassidy – he made women melt.

Della Reese – talent at its best.

Roy Halladay – one of baseball’s better pitchers – ever.

Fats Domino- if only today’s so-called talent could mimic him.

Robert “Benson” Guillaume – he helped provide a path for African American TV actors

Y.A. Tittle – epitome of competiveness

Tom Petty – his music was a cross-over of everything.

Monty Hall – Everyone watched him host “Let’s Make a Deal”

Hugh Hefner – what is the one word you think of when someone mentions his name?

Jake LaMotta – the boxer portrayed by Robert De Niro in “Raging Bull”

Jerry Lewis – how could someone so goofy be so talented?

Dick Gregory – controversial, spirited and maybe a bit misguided

Glen Campbell – country before country got cool.

Sam Shepard – an incredibly talented playwright and actor

John Heard – the dad in “Home Alone”.

Martin Landau – the intelligent one in the original “Mission Impossible” TV series.

Stephen Furst – remember ‘Flounder’ in “Animal House”?

Adam West – he IS Batman.

Frank Deford – distinguished journalist helped make sports writing an art

Gregg Allman – a pioneer and a legend

Jim Bunning – elected to Baseball’s Hall of Fame and a U.S. Congressman

Roger Moore – was he the best ‘James Bond’?

Chris Cornell – one of the many talented musicians/singers we have lost over the years.  His voice made “Soundgarden”.  Gone at 52.

There are many more we lost in 2017.  Live strong everyday and do what you can do while you can do it.

Adios and Have a Funday Sunday, Happy Holidays, and all the best for a great 2018!  I will be back on January 7.

 

 

 

Derivatives.  Grow Up.  Capturing the Fans $$.  Let’s Get the Silverware.  Franken This.

Will someone a bit more intelligent than I (that is all of you) please enlighten me on the what, why, and how the bitcoin is now top of mind?  I read the words ‘cryptocurrency’ and ‘digital money’ and understand that a Chicago-based exchange is opting to trade bitcoin futures.  Wait, what?  This is a currency without the backing of a government or central bank and has risen in value 1,500% since January 1st….85% in the last two weeks! Is it real, a financial flavor of the month, or just an anti-establishment currency tracking the path of the digital world?

To Baker Mayfield: you are more cocky than skillful and you just won the Heisman Trophy.  You have a bit of Johnny Manziel in you and you have an arrest record.  Enjoy your Heisman trophy and try not to follow many Heisman winners who had little to no NFL success:  Tim Tebow, RGIII, Matt Leinart, Danny Wuerffel, Andre Ware..and there are many others.  In short, wake up and grow up.

Downtown Atlanta is about to blow up again.  The Atlanta Hawks and Steve Koonin are developing what is going to be an awesome entertainment complex right next to Philips Arena.  Once the Hawks get through this tough rebuilding year, their team and the Philips Arena area will be a great night out.  The same is happening in Orlando with the Magic, who are developing a mixed use complex next to Amway Center.  These developments will far exceed L.A. Live next to Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles.

As all of you know I am a big supporter of Atlanta United, who in their inaugural season, achieved tremendous success on and off the field.  I hope Toronto F.C.’s performance last night only provides more motivation for Darren Eales, Carlos Bocanegra , and Tata Martino to build a player pool that gets Atlanta a championship.  It looks like it may have started this week with the signing of 22 year-old Franco Escobar from Argentina’s Newell’s Old Boys.  Escobar is young, experienced and great on the ball out of the back.  I am sure there are many more moves coming in the next few weeks especially if a big European club comes up with the big money to buy Miguel Almiron.

To Al Franken:  crawl up in a hole and don’t come out.  Ever. (Did I just stray from my mantra of no politics/no religion?)

Adios and have a Sunday Funday!   

28 Days to 2018.

Really, we are in the last month of 2017.  How fast did this year go?

The Russians and FIFA at it again…..Russia somehow drawn into the weakest group for World Cup 2018.  Yes, the host country is Russia.

Capital punishment can get very political…which I stay away from….but, the guy who killed four people in the Tampa Bay area.  Enough said.

Yesterday’s win against Auburn puts the University of Georgia in the bowl championship’s final four.  While Ohio State supporters are very disappointed, Clemson, Oklahoma, Georgia, and Alabama should make for a fun final four.

I have previously ranted about individuals accused of sexual harassment in the workplace.  I am sure someone else will hire him for the shock ratings but how toxic is Matt Lauer?

Gulf of Mexico beaches.  In one word:  awesome.

I still have a hard time understanding how, in 2017, a submarine can disappear off the coast of Argentina and  multi-national search crews have no idea where the submarine sits?  Then again, a passenger plane that went missing years ago has never been found.

Is the shine off for February’s Winter Olympics?  Interest seems to be lacking…maybe due to the time difference U.S.A. viewers will experience with the Games being held in South Korea.

Hopefully you had the chance to see the University of Central Florida’s double overtime win in the AAC championship game.  UCF ends up the regular season undefeated and while their schedule is not as tough as most D1 schools, I doubt there is any football coach who would want their team to take on UCF right now.

I-4 from Orlando to Tampa- another example of the U.S.A.’s unfortunate miss with the world of high speed trains.

Adios and have a Great Week!

 

 

Money Talks But PPV Speaks Louder.

I guess we take for granted watching live broadcasts of sporting events, especially college football.  In 1951, a mere 66-years ago, NBC broadcast the first live, nationwide coverage of a live sporting event.  That day it was a college football game between Duke and Pitt.  For perspective, there were 133 college football games broadcast live on TV or steamed online on the opening weekend of college football back in September.  That’s right, 133 games in one weekend.

Yes, we all know that this live broadcast frenzy is fueled by the networks who bid for college football’s broadcast rights.  Many years ago this bidding was enhanced when the FCC abolished the NCAA rights and allowed individual conferences to bid out their conference schedule broadcast rights.  The numbers the networks pay are incredible but they are betting on big paybacks from advertisers who love the gigantic ratings.  It sounds like a plan until you find out that ESPN alone, in 2012, agreed to a 12-year, $5.64 billion dollar contract for the rights to the college football playoffs and the six associated bowl games.  $471m a year in a socio-economic atmosphere of cord-cutting and rampant pirating of broadcasts from numerous dubious sources.  ESPN has made such bad deals that they are now going through their second set of headcount cuts to minimize their cost structure.   This is ESPN’s scenario – CBS and Fox are basically in the same predicament due to the contracts they signed for rights to broadcast the Big Ten, ACC, Pac-10 and SEC conferences.  This take is focused on college football but for perspective ESPN has announced that they are doing a deep-dive study on whether they can afford to keep producing and broadcasting Monday Night Football.

There is not a clear cut answer to the financial dilemma but get familiar with the acronym PPV because it is coming fast.  We pay way too much for cable television but I guess we rationalize the money spent every month on the amazing amount (not necessarily quality) of content. PPV, Pay-for-View, is the model that most European broadcasters have gone to – including the ability to watch live sports that once were part of a subscriber’s monthly package.  Get ready U.S.A. because that SEC and Big Ten ‘free’ football we watch during the Fall is about to change dramatically.  The go forward reality is PPV.

Adios and have a Funday Sunday!!!!

Just My Take:  A List of Things We Really Should Be Thankful For…..

• Families, friends, associates, and partners
• Advantages provided by living in a democratic society
• Siri
• Tax cuts (whenever that may really happen)
• Beer
• Technology – because as much as we may complain about it – it could be tough to live without a mobile phone, Google maps, and ESPN.com
• Wine
• A dishwasher
• Arthur Blank, Jim Smith & Darren Eales – for the hard work many years ago that has now made Atlanta United top of mind
• Bourbon
• Celebrating children – no matter what
• Mortgage interest tax deduction (for the time being)
• Peter King’s blog:  Monday Morning Quarterback
• A really good hug
• Professors and teachers who really care
• Healthcare professionals who are not self-serving
• No clouds and 77
• Health, because without it, none of the above really matters

Adios, have a FUNDAY SUNDAY and a very HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Don’t Dare Take A Knee This Weekend (Or Ever).  Don’t Let the Swedes Ruin Next Summer.  Really Hope?  Saturday is for Football.

After World War I ended, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11 as Armistice Day.  In 1918, at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, a peace treaty was finally signed ending the “War of All Wars”.  Unfortunately, the wars never ended and President Eisenhower signed a bill changing the name from Armistice Day to a more inclusive Veteran’s Day.  A national holiday thanking and saluting all of those who have served and thoughts and prayers to all of those who fell.  With today being Veteran’s Day, here’s hope that all of us salute and respect the flag – flown at a parade or presented by a Color Guard, you better not take a knee.

Italian National Team – wake up dammit.  The thought of not having Italy at next summer’s World Cup is horrible.  Yesterday, Sweden took a 1-0 win into Monday’s second leg.  With the U.S.A. failing to qualify, the Italians give us some hope as we head into next summer.

Hope Solo and Sepp Blatter – a match made in heaven.

With the issues surrounding the National Football League, many people are restating that Saturday is for football.  This statement definitely resonates today with many important games including Georgia – Auburn and Miami- Notre Dame.  The NFL is a massive business with a lot of very smart people in their management ranks.  They will figure it out but until then we can take in both types of ‘football’ on Saturdays – all morning, day and evening.

Have I mentioned that I dislike daylight savings time ending?

Adios, have a great weekend and a Funday Sunday!

 

 

Man Up.  Sophia.  Tata.  Way Too Long.  Good to Bad.  Take a Knee.  The Dark of the Sun.

People working with people.  Business travel with a mix of women and men.  The pressure, anxiety, and sometimes isolation of being on the road away from home.  Management that provides for an atmosphere of bad behavior.  People parlaying their position of power into solicitation.  All of this happens on a regular basis, day in and day out.  Any and all of this has been prevalent and is unfortunately top of mind due to the alleged actions of  Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby and Kevin Spacey.  I am sure that some of the many allegations socialized through the media have no substantiation but even if 1% of the many allegations are true some type of severe ramifications need to happen, and happen fast.

There is a recent photo of Sophia Loren on social media channels.  She is still beautiful and stunning……at 77 years-old.  Wish she could tell us how.

It looks like Tata Martino, Atlanta United’s manager, has turned down an approach by U.S. Soccer to be their next manager.  Bad for U.S. Soccer and very good for Atlanta United.

Other than money derived from commercial breaks, is there any reason Major League Baseball should not reduce the number of innings from 9 to 7?

In one day Houston’s sports fans go from exhilaration with their World Series win to tears with the ACL injury to the Texans starting quarterback, DeShaun Watson.

The National Football League reports that their season-to-date attendance and TV ratings are slightly off plan from a year ago……really NFL?

Hoping that everyone remembers (except Arizona and Hawaii) to set their clocks back one hour late Saturday night or very early Sunday morning.  Does the 5:45pm darkness bother anyone else?  Cannot wait for the 1st Sunday in March.

Adios and have a great Saturday & Funday Sunday!!!

 

Views from Central Florida.

I have pledged to stay away from religion and politics….but really, leadership and twitter do not resonate with anyone.

If you cannot take a point or three from Trinidad & Tobago in a knockout game to reach the World Cup your program needs to be overhauled.  From the people at the top to the players to the youth development system…change it all up.

Urban planners who were paid to PLAN the future infrastructure of fast-growing southeastern cities did not plan at all.  Drive through Charlotte, Atlanta or Orlando.

Everyone keeps saying that Roger Federer, the 19-time Grand Slam winner, is ready to retire after 94 career wins.  Nope.  Last night he beat Rafael Nadal in straight sets in the Shanghai Open.  Federer = wine.

Innocent until proven guilty.  With that said if it looks like and duck and walks like a duck…..Harvey Weinstein.

Sirius/XM has added a ‘Tom Petty’ channel. Smart move.

North Korea is very lucky that they are not a parking lot.

The Atlanta Hawks are in a rebuilding mode – they have a great front office so count on them turning it around quickly.  Still good fun to check them out and what Steve Koonin has planned for the Philips Arena area is going to be top class.

O.J. released from prison and autograph dealers lined up to pay for helmets he autographed last weekend.  I know the world is weird but how can there be a market for anything signed O.J.?

Please, no more hurricanes in 2017.  Devastating.

Baseball = boring, with postseason games lasting an average of 3 hours, 41 minutes.  Ridiculous.

Orlando getting ready for winter.  Not so much.

Adios and have a Funday Sunday!!

 

 

 

 

 

A Weapon of Mass Destruction.  He Was Different.  Atlanta, a Football Town.

Originally designed to allow the disabled to fire weapons with little effort, the “bump-fire stock” became a weapon of mass destruction last Sunday night.  We can talk about the Constitution and gun control from now until eternity but the reality of Sunday night dictates that some higher level of regulation is needed, and needed now.  While I am in full support of our right to bear arms, the ability to acquire weapons or accessories to turn firearms into automatic weapons needs to be controlled by federal and state authorities.  I realize that sick human beings cannot be stopped from doing deadly damage but why give them relatively easy ways to fire automatic weapons?  I don’t have the answers but some type of regulation can only help to stop these sad events from happening.  It just so happened that after taking a look at other concert venues Stephen Paddock selected the annual country music festival that sets up behind the MGM Grand hotel.  His motive was to kill as many people as possible, using various high-powered rifles with the “bump-fire stock” accessory allowing him to spray the crowd with continuous and automatic rapid fire.  Though he selected Las Vegas, this tragedy could have happened anywhere.

He was not a mainstream musician nor was he a pretty-boy, hairband superstar.  He was a talented musician who brought a different but very consistent sound to worldwide audiences.  Tom Petty passing away last week was unfortunately swept under the media rug due to the Las Vegas tragedy, but all of us salute a man whose music was clearly unique, yielding admiration from most of his peers.  Voted into the Music Hall of Fame in 2002, Tom Petty and his various bands will be missed.  While a good bit of music can be replicated, it will be extremely difficult for anyone to match up to the various musical talents of Tom Petty.  RIP.

Atlanta, in the past, has been called a disenfranchised city, divided by the poor, the middle class, and the wealthy.  There seems to be a sentiment of division, with the allusion of “being north of I-20 or south of I-20”.  There are the Buckhead and Alpharetta elite, the bedroom communities of Milton and East Cobb, and the blight in some areas of southwest and southeast Atlanta.  The millennials have quickly amassed in the corridors of Midtown, Buckhead, Brookhaven and Sandy Springs due to the incredible amount of job opportunities provided by startups and technology positions from companies including NCR.  Sports in Atlanta have never had the grassroots followers of franchises like the Packers, Islanders, Phillies and Celtics, with the media often alluding to Atlanta’s ‘fair-weather fans’.   Along comes Atlanta United, a Major League Soccer franchise with no pedigree or legacy of a fan base.  The process started with an incredible amount of hard work to research prospective fan bases and the effort to engage the millennials via social media and promotion. With the owner, Mr. Blank, provided the funding to support the required infrastructure, staff and player pool, Atlanta United has, for many reasons, become a thread of convergence for all communities of Atlanta.  The sport, the event, and the team has “gone viral” and has quickly become a discussion not only with Atlanta’s media, but with worldwide news and sports outlets. Atlanta United announced that the October 22 match against league-leading Toronto will be sold out at with a Major League Soccer record attendance of 73,000.  United’s combined home attendance, near 750,000, will top those for every National Football League team (note:  NFL teams, to be clear, play half the number of home games).  To put it in another perspective, United’s home attendance will exceed those of more than half the NBA and NHL teams.  I have spoken to many people, many first-timers to watch Atlanta United and everyone has commented about the fun experience, the emotional tie-in to this team, and the many friends they have made at the game.  Jersey sales lead the MLS and whoever thought wearing scarves in the warm weather of Atlanta was ridiculous was 100% wrong.  From the head coach, who is a very tough, demanding manager, to the mix of players who quickly realized that if they didn’t work hard they would not play, to the fan experience staff who puts in long hours to ensure everyone has fun, this franchise has now turned the heads of the City and it’s media. Darren Eales and his staff are the sports executives of the year with every professional soccer club trying to figure out their business model that has led to United’s unprecedented success. Atlanta is now a football town – both footballs.  Best case scenario for Atlanta sports fans: United makes it to the MLS final in early December….the Falcons get the Super Bowl in early February….and then we only have to wait a few weeks before the 2018 MLS season kicks off.

Adios and have a Funday Sunday!

 

What Can We Do About the NFL?

We can stop watching for one.  We can also stop buying the products and services from companies who support the National Football League through sponsorship and advertising.  We can turn to the NBA or Major League Soccer, where the players, many of them not from the United States, stand at midcourt or midfield before every game while the National Anthem is performed – and stand WITH respect.

There are a number of ways to tell NFL players that they are wrong to disrespect the National Anthem and our Flag.  I find it humiliating and embarrassing that grown men (well, at least age-wise) cannot reconcile that disrespecting the National Anthem and Flag sends a really bad message to most Americans, nonetheless our youth who for some reason look up to a lot of these players.  As I have stated in previous posts, the right to express your opinion and the freedom of speech are some of the cornerstones of being an American, but just like protests that get out of hand, the disrespectful displays at most NFL venues we have witnessed over the last few weeks needs to stop, and stop now.

I am proud of the number of people I have talked to in the last two weeks who have told me they are done watching the NFL, at least in the short term.  A friend of mine explained it to me this way: “why should I spend 3 1/2 hours on a Sunday watching football played by people who disrespect America when I can support teams like Atlanta United? “Besides, Saturday’s are for football.”

I am not a hypocrite. I was raised supporting the Miami Dolphins of the NFL.  I spent many years in the Atlanta area and I have been and I still am a big supporter of the Atlanta Falcons.  What I am now realizing is that the NFL and most of their players don’t care about the people who have protected our country and served in the military.  Their path of protest is demeaning and unjustified. Seriously, did one of more talented wide receivers in the NFL, after scoring a touchdown, get on all fours and lift his leg? Who, in their right mind, would take the time to watch players behave like morons?  (As a side note, the NFL fined the player a grand total of $12,000…..a player whose annual salary this year $1.8m and is guaranteed $8.2m next year).

I would love to hear from some of the NFL players of the past, the men who through blood, sweat and tears (and little pay) made the NFL a thread of American life.  It would be great for Ray Nitschke, Dick Butkus, Willie Lanier, and Mean Joe Greene to bust down a locker room door before a game a send a message to these spoiled, low-life brats.  A message, I would assume, that today’s players would never forget.

It is a new month and hopefully some this nonsense stops soon.  Adios and have a Funday Sunday.