Sheesh .. Two months...
A Summer Sunday night post...
Several things on my mind lately
- The whole health care debate has become ths most popular subject in most groups I interact. The worst part is regardless if I am watching on TV or listening to people no one really knows the heart of the issue. It is nothing but half truths whether the source is the guy behind the counter or the guy who has the title "President of United States".
- Discussions regarding the economy are filled with just as many half truths as well. The "worst economy since teh Great Depression" is something that should NEVER be uttered by any person. I will get to that in a later post.
- One of the things remarkable is not that the President Obama;s poll numbers are going down. That was to be suspected as its the case with most Presidents. The thing that is something to stand up and notice is the poll numbers of those who voted for him. That is where his popularity has taken a real dive.
- As I get older, I am going out much less to the "scene" which I thought was most appropriate. When I have been out there I saw mostly young people at the height of my bar going days. I am nto sure when it happenned though but now there is a club scene for people, ahem, older than me. One place where it is quite noticeable is a restaurant bar in a local outside mall. I have gone in twice. The first time I thought it was funny that everyone was about ten years older than me. I was so sure that had to be an anomaly. I went in again and sure enough the same age group. I have not been there again for some time but did walk by a few nights ago and the same is holding true. I wonder aloud if this is a new thing or have the group who could be grandparents had their version of Tiki Bobs for some time? Of course the place that intrigues me the most is in Royal Oak where people walk in and for sure do not lack confidence. I expect one time to walk in and everyone will be donning a crown of thorns. Saying that I will continue to go there because there are some remarkable moments of human nature that should not be missed.
- The people of the city of Detroit appear to be endorsing a completely new direction. A few months back, they voted in businessman Dave Bing who will bring his business knowledge to an office that needs much of it. The voters followed up this past week by voting in former reporter Charles Pugh, who has been in Detroit all his life. Pugh has made as close to a grass roots effort as a reporter can taking time and talking with the public and finding out what they want and what can be done going forward.It will be interesting to see what can be done between these two men going forward if the results carry over to November.
OK... that is what I have for right now...
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Why the NHL is clueless...
This article is why the NHL is clueless. NOT allowing for people to get together and watch this as has always been the case in the past is a sad pathetic move from a network losing money on a daily basis and being ordered by their parent company, GE, to pull out all the stops. What is even worse though is the NHL allowing this to even take place.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
After a good night of sports...
OK - A new commitment will be made... We will see how it goes...
- As if I did not know - Article
- I am not the biggest hockey fan in the world but clearly I am spoiled by a few things. The first is we have an awesome team in this town and I spend more time watching the D-Train last night. Secondly, everytime I watch them it just not seem I am dazzled by the effort. When watching sports, I never want to feel like I care more than those participating.
- I think the Wings will win the despite those efforts as they are the most experienced team remaining in this year's playoffs.
- While the Wings won last evening, I believe a more important development took place at Comerica. If Dontrelle Willis has indeed corrected his issues as a pitcher, he has the power to be one of the upper echelon athletes in this town. He has personality, ability and desire to make a difference. He offers more of an openess than your average professional athlete. More important to Mike Illitch and Tiger Management - he can bring the fans down to Comerica unlike anyone else on their team. Sure Verlander is a good guy but he does not have the "it" factor Dontrelle has for whatever reason. He has the ability to bring this town to their feet.
- I am very excited to see what Dave Bing will do in office. I have long proposed that government needs to change their direction and be run like businesses by those who have run a business. There are countless examples of this and I believe the federal government will soon be another example.
- Back to Detroit, I think Bing will be able to balance the needs of maintaining a budget with the needs of the people. He has no personal needs - not the casw with the last elected official.
- If you wonder aloud what the auto companies will look like in say ten years, you might want to view the steel comapnies who went thorugh a similar situation ten years ago. It will not be a cardon copy but some striking similarities. One thing for sure - it will be a subject of many business journal artciles of years beyond my life.
- As if I did not know - Article
- I am not the biggest hockey fan in the world but clearly I am spoiled by a few things. The first is we have an awesome team in this town and I spend more time watching the D-Train last night. Secondly, everytime I watch them it just not seem I am dazzled by the effort. When watching sports, I never want to feel like I care more than those participating.
- I think the Wings will win the despite those efforts as they are the most experienced team remaining in this year's playoffs.
- While the Wings won last evening, I believe a more important development took place at Comerica. If Dontrelle Willis has indeed corrected his issues as a pitcher, he has the power to be one of the upper echelon athletes in this town. He has personality, ability and desire to make a difference. He offers more of an openess than your average professional athlete. More important to Mike Illitch and Tiger Management - he can bring the fans down to Comerica unlike anyone else on their team. Sure Verlander is a good guy but he does not have the "it" factor Dontrelle has for whatever reason. He has the ability to bring this town to their feet.
- I am very excited to see what Dave Bing will do in office. I have long proposed that government needs to change their direction and be run like businesses by those who have run a business. There are countless examples of this and I believe the federal government will soon be another example.
- Back to Detroit, I think Bing will be able to balance the needs of maintaining a budget with the needs of the people. He has no personal needs - not the casw with the last elected official.
- If you wonder aloud what the auto companies will look like in say ten years, you might want to view the steel comapnies who went thorugh a similar situation ten years ago. It will not be a cardon copy but some striking similarities. One thing for sure - it will be a subject of many business journal artciles of years beyond my life.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Unemployed thoughts #1
I pondered while cutting my grass this afternoon - Is there such a thing as having too big of a Virgin Mary Statue in your yard?
Do people work? I did some driving around today and it seems that traffic was terrible and it was either Escalades or BMW's in my way.
Swine Flu? Do you remember anything that kills many more people - like cancer getting this much attention from the news anchors or the government in such a speedy response? The best is they call it Swine - not pig, pork, bacon, or baby back. they did not even use the phrase "pig pen".
I am not much of a TV watcher and I can see it is getting worse. I attempted watching TV twice during the day and found it awful. The talk shows are terrible. Actually the best thing going is the soap operas. They are on daily but I think if you watch your fave twice a year you know exactly what is going on with the plot lines.
Trust me when I say there be more...
Do people work? I did some driving around today and it seems that traffic was terrible and it was either Escalades or BMW's in my way.
Swine Flu? Do you remember anything that kills many more people - like cancer getting this much attention from the news anchors or the government in such a speedy response? The best is they call it Swine - not pig, pork, bacon, or baby back. they did not even use the phrase "pig pen".
I am not much of a TV watcher and I can see it is getting worse. I attempted watching TV twice during the day and found it awful. The talk shows are terrible. Actually the best thing going is the soap operas. They are on daily but I think if you watch your fave twice a year you know exactly what is going on with the plot lines.
Trust me when I say there be more...
The latest auto news...
25% - that is the probability that Chrysler and GM are going to file bankruptcy. I watched/listened to most of Fritz's (Sweet name) speech. With Chrysler coming to an agreement with the CAW and UAW and Daimler optioning out of their share, it seems like everything will be on track for the Fiat deal to go through unless the bond holders really mess with the situation. GM and the unions will work on getting on the same page soon and strike an agreement.
The challenge for both auto companies will be the bond holders. Now I will not sit here and tell you I know how the bonds work and all. It is not the easiest thing to explain and that is coming from someone who has had some schooling with the subject. Fritz was asked by a reporter if GM was any closer to bankruptcy than they were one month ago. He answered the question the only way he could stating they are closer to bankruptcy. He could not afford to say anything else. If he said they were not than he plays into the bondholders hands. In addition, he cannot rationalize closing more plants and dealerships. This is a classic case of chicken and each team will wait for the other to blink with the the bondholders most likely to do so first.
Neither company can "afford" to go into bankruptcy. Despite the several claims by the government that they can push both auto companies through the process, it simply cannot happen. Much of this has to do with the the number of debtors each company has on their list. It would take for ever to figure out how to handle each of those entities that are owed money. It is one thing when small companies owe another small company money and bankruptcy takes care of it. It is quite another thing when you have one company which employs many people who owes another company that has several employees and numerous suppliers. The trickle effect of bankruptcy is too devastating and economically takes too long.
The other reason that bankruptcy is not an option with auto companies is there are few games in town domestically. If a bank goes out of business, it can get gobbled up by one of tons of other entities. The economic domino of all this taking place is limited since the assets and liabilities are absorbed by that financial entity. With an auto company, the company dissipates and there is everyone in that company as well as the suppliers and even non suppliers who benefited from the business of those employee's wages will en up feeling the effects of the company termination.
If anything it has been a very interesting to watch and will prove to be great for MBA students to take all in future classes.
The challenge for both auto companies will be the bond holders. Now I will not sit here and tell you I know how the bonds work and all. It is not the easiest thing to explain and that is coming from someone who has had some schooling with the subject. Fritz was asked by a reporter if GM was any closer to bankruptcy than they were one month ago. He answered the question the only way he could stating they are closer to bankruptcy. He could not afford to say anything else. If he said they were not than he plays into the bondholders hands. In addition, he cannot rationalize closing more plants and dealerships. This is a classic case of chicken and each team will wait for the other to blink with the the bondholders most likely to do so first.
Neither company can "afford" to go into bankruptcy. Despite the several claims by the government that they can push both auto companies through the process, it simply cannot happen. Much of this has to do with the the number of debtors each company has on their list. It would take for ever to figure out how to handle each of those entities that are owed money. It is one thing when small companies owe another small company money and bankruptcy takes care of it. It is quite another thing when you have one company which employs many people who owes another company that has several employees and numerous suppliers. The trickle effect of bankruptcy is too devastating and economically takes too long.
The other reason that bankruptcy is not an option with auto companies is there are few games in town domestically. If a bank goes out of business, it can get gobbled up by one of tons of other entities. The economic domino of all this taking place is limited since the assets and liabilities are absorbed by that financial entity. With an auto company, the company dissipates and there is everyone in that company as well as the suppliers and even non suppliers who benefited from the business of those employee's wages will en up feeling the effects of the company termination.
If anything it has been a very interesting to watch and will prove to be great for MBA students to take all in future classes.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Finally an Idol with Talent...
I never watch "American Idol". I just have no use for the show whether it be the untalented people they have on as contestants or the egotistical hosts that offer little redeeming value to me. This morning at the Doctor's office they had CNN on discussing the British version of the show and specifically a woman whose name is Susan Boyle. I am sure a good number of you saw the story on CNN but if you have nothere is the full clip from YouTube.
People - this woman has talent and I openly ask - has she been living under a rock? Her talent is just not good. It is tremendous and I am sure this is not the last time we will be seeing Susan Boyle.
People - this woman has talent and I openly ask - has she been living under a rock? Her talent is just not good. It is tremendous and I am sure this is not the last time we will be seeing Susan Boyle.
Are there any enaging stars anymore?
This week I have seen a reminder of how things have changed in this world and not for the better. It all came full circle when I heard former Detroit Tiger Mark Fidrych passed away Monday due to an unfortunate accident with his truck. Friday was the last round of the Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National in Augusta, Georgia for Gary Player and Fuzzy Zoeller. These two players had a few things in common. They both have engaging personalities and are past champions of the Masters. They both realize their role and that is to entertain the people – the people who made them famous.
Gary Player, from South Africa, was Tiger Woods well before Tiger’s parents were even married. Player was the first preeminent international stars outside of the US and Europe. He was bringing the sports to ends of the earth not even thought possible to even adopt the game, whether it be South America, South Africa, or Australia. He is now 74 years old and is in better shape than most people my age. The most important thing to know about Gary Player though was he realized that without a fan base, the sport could not grow. If fans were not entertained, golf growth would stay stagnant and even Player’s prosperity would not go anywhere. He was always someone who played to the crowd whether it be his engaging personality or unique shot making when a challenge was sitting in front of him. Player is as responsible as anyone with where golf is today in the world’s forefront as anyone in my humble opinion.
Another man who is thought to be finishing his last Masters was Fuzzy Zoeller. His name alone points out that he is someone that plays to the fans. That is exactly the case during his entire career. Zoeller though got hit hard by the politically correctness of the day ten years ago. Tiger Woods was in the process of winning his first Masters and as is tradition, the champion at the Champions dinner the following year gets to pick the menu. Zoeller joked that Tiger would pick fried chicken and collard greens – typically favorites for African Americans. This was a joke but a good one as he lost some sponsorships and friends in the meantime. Those who knew Zoeller realized he made a mistake and meant zero malice by them. Anyone who had watched his career and his empathy for people he knew and did not know alike knew it to be very true. He has always talked to the people in the crowd during a round and much liked Player knew that the fans were the most important thing to the sport. Despite his unfortunate and untimely commentary, Zoeller has regained much of his sponsorship and admiration by the game which is well deserved for sure. For many years, he was kind of lost in the whole sport because of that one moment and stifling one of golf’s best ambassadors.
Monday, we lost a great ambassador for baseball when Mark Fidrych died suddenly due to a mishap with his truck he was fixing that day. Mark was known for being one of the most unusual personalities to step foot on the baseball field. He took the baseball world, and the world as a whole for that matter, in 1976 when he went north with the rest of Detroit Tigers. HE would go on to have one of the most memorable seasons stat wise as well as just plain story wise. He would talk to the baseball when he was on the mound and did plenty of things that separated him from the crowd. He would end up starting the All Star game that season and pack Tiger Stadium every time he took the mound. His career would be cut short and would be out of baseball by 1981. His career though was him entertaining the people in a sports arena.
After I started thinking about it, these three athletes represent a dying age in sports. We no longer are entertained by Sports Stars. Sure Tiger Woods is a great golfer and we will tune in when he is playing well but there is nothing captivating from a personality stand point. This is for sure the case with the rest of golf unless you count the always bombastic John Daly who despite his terrible performance over the past few years does draw big crowds despite not playing often.
The NBA is suffering from the same issues. Sure you have Lebron James but do you think he is 1% as charismatic as say Magic Johnson was considered back in 1988. Please don’t tell me you think this is the case. Magic wowed fans as well as his opponents whether it be the moves or just the sheer enjoyment of playing the game. The game could have been a meaningless middle of the season game but Magic was still out there smiling having fun.
I would challenge the casual baseball fan to name three players they would pay money to go see. Some might say Alex Rodriguez and a few random names but all in all, baseball lacks that star that is engaging with fans and not just on an international platform.
Finish, sports stars are getting more money than ever before but I would argue they are not necessarily as engaging as they have been in the past. Whether it be the fact they are guarded or just completely disconnected with “Joe Fan”, I do not know the answer to the question. One thing is for sure though – we are missing such characters as the Bird, Gary Player, Fuzzy, and Magic.
Gary Player, from South Africa, was Tiger Woods well before Tiger’s parents were even married. Player was the first preeminent international stars outside of the US and Europe. He was bringing the sports to ends of the earth not even thought possible to even adopt the game, whether it be South America, South Africa, or Australia. He is now 74 years old and is in better shape than most people my age. The most important thing to know about Gary Player though was he realized that without a fan base, the sport could not grow. If fans were not entertained, golf growth would stay stagnant and even Player’s prosperity would not go anywhere. He was always someone who played to the crowd whether it be his engaging personality or unique shot making when a challenge was sitting in front of him. Player is as responsible as anyone with where golf is today in the world’s forefront as anyone in my humble opinion.
Another man who is thought to be finishing his last Masters was Fuzzy Zoeller. His name alone points out that he is someone that plays to the fans. That is exactly the case during his entire career. Zoeller though got hit hard by the politically correctness of the day ten years ago. Tiger Woods was in the process of winning his first Masters and as is tradition, the champion at the Champions dinner the following year gets to pick the menu. Zoeller joked that Tiger would pick fried chicken and collard greens – typically favorites for African Americans. This was a joke but a good one as he lost some sponsorships and friends in the meantime. Those who knew Zoeller realized he made a mistake and meant zero malice by them. Anyone who had watched his career and his empathy for people he knew and did not know alike knew it to be very true. He has always talked to the people in the crowd during a round and much liked Player knew that the fans were the most important thing to the sport. Despite his unfortunate and untimely commentary, Zoeller has regained much of his sponsorship and admiration by the game which is well deserved for sure. For many years, he was kind of lost in the whole sport because of that one moment and stifling one of golf’s best ambassadors.
Monday, we lost a great ambassador for baseball when Mark Fidrych died suddenly due to a mishap with his truck he was fixing that day. Mark was known for being one of the most unusual personalities to step foot on the baseball field. He took the baseball world, and the world as a whole for that matter, in 1976 when he went north with the rest of Detroit Tigers. HE would go on to have one of the most memorable seasons stat wise as well as just plain story wise. He would talk to the baseball when he was on the mound and did plenty of things that separated him from the crowd. He would end up starting the All Star game that season and pack Tiger Stadium every time he took the mound. His career would be cut short and would be out of baseball by 1981. His career though was him entertaining the people in a sports arena.
After I started thinking about it, these three athletes represent a dying age in sports. We no longer are entertained by Sports Stars. Sure Tiger Woods is a great golfer and we will tune in when he is playing well but there is nothing captivating from a personality stand point. This is for sure the case with the rest of golf unless you count the always bombastic John Daly who despite his terrible performance over the past few years does draw big crowds despite not playing often.
The NBA is suffering from the same issues. Sure you have Lebron James but do you think he is 1% as charismatic as say Magic Johnson was considered back in 1988. Please don’t tell me you think this is the case. Magic wowed fans as well as his opponents whether it be the moves or just the sheer enjoyment of playing the game. The game could have been a meaningless middle of the season game but Magic was still out there smiling having fun.
I would challenge the casual baseball fan to name three players they would pay money to go see. Some might say Alex Rodriguez and a few random names but all in all, baseball lacks that star that is engaging with fans and not just on an international platform.
Finish, sports stars are getting more money than ever before but I would argue they are not necessarily as engaging as they have been in the past. Whether it be the fact they are guarded or just completely disconnected with “Joe Fan”, I do not know the answer to the question. One thing is for sure though – we are missing such characters as the Bird, Gary Player, Fuzzy, and Magic.
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