BCS or Simply BS?

OK, call me a dedicated fan, call me a person with a lost focus since this is the 2nd entry that detracts from Productivity or Marketing altogether - but a blog gives an individual a chance to write about their passions, so I'm going to take full advantage of that opportunity.

Let's face the facts - the Missouri Tigers got HOSED.  Plain and simple.  Anyone close to a newspaper, TV station or sports commentator will all tell you the same thing.  There were no less than 3 different experts on ESPN's site yesterday, video or otherwise, who all have come to the same conclusion.  The BCS, or more importantly, the Orange Bowl commission, obviously needs to make a trip to the optometrist.

How can you possibly put Kansas above the Tigers in their selection process even though the BCS, AP, and other polls listed them all the same - Kansas being 8th ranked and the Tigers 7th ranked?  The Orange Bowl committee was quoted as saying a big part of the decision came down to the fact that the Jayhawks only lost one game.  Uh, yeah and Hawaii lost none and prior to last week were still ranked #14 in the nation.  Ever hear of a weak schedule?  I realize that my rants, along with thousands across the nation, will all fall on deaf ears.  But collectively, these issues along with many others should one day cause us to pause and reconsider the BCS or bowl selection process.  For the #7 team to play the #25 team, Arkansas, who has already lost their head coach - is that good football let alone good television?

My saving grace in all of this will come in early January when many like me will stand up and laugh at the Orange Bowl's outcome.  The Jayhawks have a good team and a good quarterback - no doubts about that.  But simply  put, not as good as the Missouri Tigers.

A Life Long Dream Realized

OK, so this entry is not exactly about Marketing or Productivity, at least not at a glance.  What it is about is the celebration of a journey - my journey and that of the Missouri Tigers.

I grew up in Columbia, Missouri, attended the University of Missouri in Columbia and through it all I was a die-hard fan.  I fondly remember my Grandfather and I listening to the Tigers, whether it be on the radio (mostly) or watching them on TV (hardly).  They had some great years, but mostly some poor ones.  After graduating in 1991, I continued to track them and saw a sprinkling of bowl games.  They've had some great players and for those who remember, some great quarterbacks.  My dad once got an autographed football for me of Corby Jones, one of the best QB 's Missouri has had.

Last Saturday night had to have been my proudest moment as a Mizzou fan.  Ranked 4th in the nation going up against #2 ranked Kansas, this game was set up across the states as one of the most anticipated games this year (first by the MU and KU fans and then by the rest of the Johnny come lately crowd).  Starting off strong with many unanswered points until the 2nd half and then finishing off with a great sack of KU's QB, Reesing, the Tigers capped off a great win with a safety and a final 2 points.  My heart is still pounding and this blog entry is dedicated to the Missouri Tigers.  It may have taken you quite a while to get to this point, but you managed to make me feel like I was a kid again - and realizing once again that anything really is possible.

Moleskine (try to pronounce that!)

Finally, it's time to post a little on one of my favorite topics, GTD - or as those in the dark would know it - Getting Things Done.  A wise and controversial man by the name of David Allen wrote a book many years ago called "Getting Things Done."  If you've not read it yet and are interested in productivity, put your keyboard down and run to the nearest bookstore.  

A few years ago I sat at my desk in utter despair.  I was surrounded by projects, cast into chaos at the sheer number of items I needed to get done to make my life more prosperous.  With emails and voicemails by the 100's, life was stressed to say the least.  Like you I suffered through, somehow surviving, but wondering what was the secret that so many others must have had in their arsenal to get them by.  GTD is the answer for me.  And we could blog on and on about GTD as many do.  But, let's start with a simple tool.

The themed picture for this blog entry is the Moleskine, a basic tool for most GTD'ers.  GTD teaches that you must clear your head of all ideas, tasks, projects, events, etc.  You feel less stress once you get these items out of your head and onto paper so that you can refer to them later in life.  I strongly concur!  For $15-$20 a Moleskine can be yours, or if you prefer a cheaper route, your local Target has a lower priced version that I've used as well.

A Moleskine has about 100 pages or more, depending on the size.  The paper is nice to the touch and many who use them comment on the sensory experience of writing in them given the right pen.  I like others have used the Pilot G-2 when writing and it completes the experience altogether.  Odd blog here, you may say, but try it and you'll know what I'm talking about.

Subsequent blogs will discuss this topic.  In the meantime, capture your thoughts, your dreams, your ideas, your tasks onto paper before your forget them.  Don't rely on your brain so much.  You owe it a break.

Take action...Get Involved!

Whether it be business, marketing, productivity or simply trying to understand how things work, nothing and I mean nothing can replace rolling up your sleeves and getting engaged yourself in the process.

Case in point - this blog.  OK, so it's in its infancy and I'm still developing my style, but after listening to podcast after podcast and reading a few blogs to understand how to put one together - I simply went to the edge of the diving board and jumped in with both feet.  Then and only then did the true education come into play.  Whether it be Blogger, WordPress or Typepad, the format will be different as will the features.  I chose Blogger because it was free and has afforded me some nice introductory experiences.  

Last night I decided to take another jump so that I could understand more about podcasting.  Uisng my beloved iMac I experimented with GarageBand and a free podcast song website to tweak some music.  Not only did I learn a lot about GarageBand and where to get intro music, I also learned a great nugget that I'm happy to share with you.  After recording some example audio using the iMac microphone, I then decided to try something I had been thinking about - making my own studio.  Guess what I used....  A blanket!  Huh?  By putting a blanket over my head (and that of one of my daughters, Haley), we were able to try out the different sounds produced by the blanket and found the sound dampening quality of the blanket to not only work, but to work well.  Now, it did get a bit hot, but it was a fun bonding moment for both of us and by getting involved and experimenting, I came across a cheap way to record a podcast from home.

I hope this encourages you to take a risk, even a small one, to make things different.  By taking one step forward the view DOES change.

Smart Moves from the NFL

The NBA started the last couple of years engaging women in their advertising.  Rather than their usual ads they began issuing stories of their players with the hope that the format would pull women into the fold.  Now the NFL has taken a similar approach and it's paying off.  

The NFL has some great commercials - one in particular where women wearing NFL women's apparel greet one another at the door wearing competing teams.  Now the Baltimore Ravens have created a women's only group to support the team - called Purple.  Having collected a membership close to 3500 in the past year, the Ravens are doing what every man dreamed of - they're getting women excited about football!  Hats off to Baltimore and hats off to the NFL for turning weekend enemies of football into advocates.  For us married folk, Sunday afternoons just might get a little easier...especially if the yard needs mowing...