Sports Blog: 07/05/21 – Radically Rational

Sports Blog: 07/05/21

Bonus golf! Again! A five-hole playoff yesterday following an eight-hole playoff last Sunday. 60-Minutes summer re-runs are taking a whipping. Cam Davis admits he couldn’t hole that 50-footer on the 71^st hole again if he tried. In fact, he admits he wasn’t even trying. That’s another reason why golf is cool.

Except when it isn’t. Pro golfer Gene Siller shot dead Saturday on the 10^th hole at Pinetree Country Club in Georgia? And two other men found dead in the bed of a pickup truck? Unidentified killer still at large as of this writing. Siller leaves behind a wife and two children ages six and seven.

I’m into the Shoehei thing! DH and also among the starting pitchers on the AL All-Star team? That’s outrageous. I hope everyone appreciates the level of greatness.

Could the Astros be any streakier? After pulling the nose up after a deep dive, the ‘Stros have now won four straight. Big series against the A’s starting tomorrow.

Oh, no. I was just thinking about Terry Donahue Saturday. Saddened to learn of his passing at age 77 after a two year battle with cancer. An underappreciated coach, in my view. He was a giant.

I watched a bunch of NFL Films Super Bowl retrospectives yesterday. The account of Super Bowl XXV in Tampa following the 1990 season and at the beginning of the Gulf War was particularly fascinating. A unique environment. An amazing win by the Giants over the Bills in the first of Buffalo’s four consecutive SB losses. Wide right. Scott Norwood. Unforgettable performances by Jeff Hostetler and Ottis (O.J.) Anderson. A reminder that Parcells was a motivational genius. Also a reminder that part of his genius was being a jackass.

With Giannis’s status uncertain, sportsbooks are now making the Suns the favorites over the Bucks in the NBA Finals. And, yes, would-be grammar Nazis, the possessive of Giannis is “Giannis’s,” Singular possessive. OK to jack with Coach on some things. Others not so much.

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Paul's Bio

I clearly have the attention span of your median fruit fly.Look! Airplane!

Sorry. I’m back.

It’s both a curse and a blessing. I’ve never bought this stuff about, “He who dies with the most toys wins.” But I do think that a wide range of life experiences helps us grow as people, and helps us better relate to other people. I’ve been fortunate. And I am beyond grateful.

I show up on time. I go like hell. I’m a good listener. I hold myself accountable. I own my mistakes. And I have a natural and an insatiable curiosity. I’m never afraid to say, “I don’t know,” when I don’t. But then I try to find out.

The flip side is I’m a lousy ballroom dancer and my clothes sometimes fit me funny.

Stuff matters to me. I care. But while I take that stuff seriously, I try hard to never take myself seriously. As a result, I have sometimes been told, “Paul, it’s hard to tell when you’re serious and when you’re just having some fun. Which is it? Serious or fun?”

My answer is “yes.” But I think that is a legitimate criticism. I promise I’m going to work on that.

This has been the quickest and strangest half-century I’ve ever experienced. During that period, I’ve been afforded amazing opportunities in news and sports journalism across all platforms. I have taught wonderful students at the high school and collegiate level. Always, I learned more from them than they did from me. I’ve been a high school administrator. I spent ten seasons as a high school varsity football coach. I’ve been an advertising executive. I’ve hosted nationally syndicated television entertainment shows. In maybe the biggest honor I ever received, I was selected by NASA to be “Chet The Astronaut” for the “Land The Shuttle” simulator at Space Center Houston. (All I can say there, is “Do as I say, not as I do.” I put that thing in the Everglades more often than not.) Most recently, I just wrapped up a decade as a television news director, during which time our teams distinguished themselves in holding the powerful accountable, achieving both critical and ratings success.

What does all that mean? It means I am profoundly grateful. It also means I’m ready for “next.” So here we are. Radically Rational. It’s an idea I woke up with in 2017. I scribbled “Radically Rational” on a piece of notebook paper and used a magnet to stick it on our refrigerator. I saw it every day, and it just would not leave me alone.

I am second in charge at Radically Rational, LLC. My wife, Jo (also known as BB), is the president. Clearly, I have failed in my attempt to sleep my way to the top of this organization.

I hope you will learn that I’m loyal as a Labrador. But I will admit that this doggie can bite every now and then. My promise to you? I will show up on time. I will go like hell. I will listen to you earnestly and attentively. I will hold myself accountable. I will never be the least bit hesitant to say, “I don’t know,” when I don’t.

But then I’ll try to find out. Let’s do it.