01/26/22 – Radically Rational

01/26/22

Major League Baseball yesterday made its annual announcement listing everyone who was not elected to the Hall of Fame.

Doesn’t it feel that way? Doesn’t it always feel as if the rejects get more ink, electrons, air time, social kvetching and barber shop chirping than whoever gets voted in?

In other news, David Ortiz will be enshrined on July 24 in Cooperstown.

I sat in my truck for a few minutes Tuesday afternoon with my radio tuned to Sirius XM NFL Radio 88, as it always is (except for a couple of hours every Saturday morning when I get my funk on). I was transfixed by Sean Payton’s press conference following his announcement that he is stepping away (not down) after 16 years of coaching the Saints. I came away with two impressions.

That man really needs to get away. He is truly on the ropes.
Payton is a complex and fascinating human. Hard and jagged like an uncut gemstone. But also both loving and loved.

It is my view that Payton’s time in The Big Never Easy was unique in NFL history, mostly because of the mutual dependence between the Saints and the people of New Orleans in literally keeping each other’s heads above the water. Payton time and again simply would not let New Orleans drown. And he did that while winning a shitload of games and designing one of the most prolific offenses the league has ever seen.

No wonder he’s exhausted. One more memory that made me smile as I listened to my truck radio. That onside kick to start the second half of the Saints’ Super Bowl win over the Colts was the ballsiest thing I ever saw.

Yeah, there was BountyGate. Payton didn’t put out the Hit List, but he didn’t do enough to put a stop to it. And he paid a heavy price. It all has clearly taken a crushing toll.

Rest and peace, Coach. See ya again soon. Of that there is no doubt.

I’m just wondering. Who is more delusional and who has had a more stunning fall from grace?

Rudy Giuliani?

Or Aaron Rodgers?

Rodgers probably thinks this blog is about him.

Rudy is just trying to find his teeth.

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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.