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The hits just keep on coming. I awoke on this first day of the new year to the news that Dan Reeves died early this morning. This in the same week in which we have lost John Madden and Betty White and Sam Jones. (I would NEVER forget about Sam Jones.)

This loss is particularly personally painful for me. I fell hopelessly in love with the Dallas Cowboys in 1965, when I was eleven. The Cowboys sizzled. The unis. The star. The multiple offense. The up-down move by the O-line. Doomsday. The promise. The potential. It was electrifying sensory overload for this sixth-grader.

I loved them. I loved every single thing about them. And I was innocent, and in no way self-conscious about my love. Boys sometimes made fun of me.  Girls ALWAYS made fun of me. I didn’t care. I loved my Cowboys more than I cared about them.

Nobody reflected Cowboy Cool more than Dan Reeves. And he could do anything and everything. Remember the halfback option touchdown pass he threw to Lance Rentzel in the Ice Bowl while rolling to his left?  Yeah. Anybody and everybody could have done that. Reeves was this captivating combination of hip, cool and good-looking along with Southern drawling Boy Scout. Dan Reeves never once embarrassed himself, or his team. The moment—whatever the moment—was never too big for Dan Reeves.

That remained the case throughout his remarkable pro football career that included roles as player-coach (really), assistant coach, head coach, administrator and broadcaster.  “Never let ‘em see you sweat.”  And nobody ever did.

So a last remnant of my youthful innocence died with Dan Reeves this morning. I will miss it. And I will miss him.

That must have been a wonderful conversation this morning between Coach Reeves and his mentor, Coach Landry.

This one hurts like hell.

So…it’s ‘Bama vs. Georgia. I’m shocked! (lol) I’m not disappointed at all. I’m excited. This is exactly the (re)-match I wanted to see.

I respect Cincinnati. Really good team. The goods. Legit. Absolutely belonged in the CFP. And the Bearcats were never really competitive in that game. And you want to go to a 16-team playoff?  Insanity. Those 16 Candles would not look Pretty in Pink. The Donger need FOOD!

I’m really more fired up about today than I was about yesterday.

Penn State-Arkansas. Iowa-Kentucky. Ohio State-Utah (THE ROSE BOWL!  DO YOU HEAR ME?  THE ROSE BOWL!). Oklahoma State-Notre Dame. Baylah (THEY NASTY!)-Ole Miss.

God bless the Great Game.

Don’t forget your black-eyed peas.

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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.