Sports Blog: 01/07/22 – Radically Rational

Sports Blog: 01/07/22

So, you say this is about “freedom,” Djokovic? OK. You are free to leave Australia. This is a farce, and Djokovic has no valid case or argument. Double fault.

It won’t take long to find the truth about Antonio Brown’s meltdown. The question is how big a stink, if any, the NFLPA will make. I don’t mean that as a cheap shot at the NFLPA. The union exists to represent players. Injured? The diagnosis is looking more and more like “Grade Three Butt Hurt” about not getting the ball enough. Surprised?

The USFL is getting the band back together, and I will sheepishly admit I’m onboard. It was a solid product in the early 80s until Donald Trump effed it up. Foreshadowing? The eight-team league will play a 10-game regular season starting April 16. Spring forward! Four head coaches were hired yesterday:

Mike Riley, New Jersey Generals. You can’t start (or re-start) a league without my man Riles! He’s like “Guitar Man”—he’s just got to find another place to play.

Todd Haley, Tampa Bay Bandits. (I still have an old Bandits t-shirt. Or at least I still do if BB has not thrown it out along with my ratty underwear.)

Bart Andrus, Philadelphia Stars. Longtime respected coordinator.

Kevin Sumlin, Houston Gamblers. Longtime grifter and con man.

Hey, Clinton Portis! You need coolin’. Baby, I’m not foolin’…Six months in the federal hole, followed by six months of home confinement for the former NFL running back. Seems the feds take a dim view of embezzlement. Clint finally (after months of denial) copped to fraudulently collecting $100,000 from a health care benefits program for retired NFL vets. Remember when Portis used to dress up like fictional characters for his weekly press conferences? Let’s see, there was “Dolemite Jenkins,” and “Southeast Jerome.” Wonder what character he’ll invent in federal prison, and if the other guests will like it.

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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.