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LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

01/27/22

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The late John Madden often said, “The instant a player starts thinking about retirement, he is already retired.”

Well, there is a lot of thinking going on right now.

Brady

Rodgers

Gronk

I would wager a fiver that Rodgers is the only one of the three playing football next season. Even money whether it’s in Green Bay or “Elsewhere.”

The Giants and new G.M. Joe Schoen say they’re sticking with Daniel Jones. I’m guessing I’m one of about three people in North America who thinks that’s a good idea and a sound decision. Yes, Jones is wildly erratic, but his skill set is very impressive. Coach him up, put some good players around him and good things will happen.

The following story is uplifting, inspiring and heart-warming. But it is not the least bit surprising. Chiefs fans have raised $255,017 since late Sunday night for Oishei Children’s Hospital in Buffalo. All contributions were in $13 increments, symbolizing the thirteen seconds that were on the clock when Mahomes and Company took the field for the drive that sent the game into OT.  Whew. Deep breath. I’ve been blessed to have seen games all over the NFL.  Fan bases just don’t get any better than the Chiefs’ and the Bills’.  If you are among either of them, you are among friends. Think about it. The Chiefs won, breaking the Bills’ hearts in the process. No taunting. No gloating. No cursing. No middle fingers.  No, we’ll just send our friends in Buffalo more than a quarter of a million dollars. And counting. Because there are sick kids in Buffalo who need our help. Deep breath…

I’d humbly like to ask you to take a minute to “Google” Tim Van Galder. Or maybe he’s cited by his full given name, Thomas Scott Van Galder. Tim died of cancer yesterday at 77. I had been told recently by mutual friends that he wasn’t doing well. But I really wasn’t ready for yesterday’s news. Here’s the backstory. I was 25 in June of 1980 when I started as a regular weeknight sportscaster for KMOX (now KMOV) TV in St. Louis after earlier stints in Austin and Tucson. Movin’ on up to the Eastside! KMOX was an “O and O,” owned and operated by CBS. I had been married for two months.

Tim was the sports director at KMOX. He was (and remains and will always be) a local legend. Tim could not possibly have welcomed me and my wife more warmly. Tim was a Wisconsin boy who re-wrote all school passing records at Iowa State before being drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals. He was almost exclusively a back-up, although he did start and win a game against Johnny F. Unitas and the Colts. After a brief stint backing up Joe Namath for the Jets, Tim retired from the NFL, moved back to St. Louis and got a gig at KMOX.

No tie. Ever. Golf sweaters. Frequently no complete sentences on-air, either, although Tim was extremely articulate. And fun. (Let me beat you to the punch. This paragraph is made up of sentence fragments, too.)

I’ll leave it at this for now. Tim and I could not possibly have been more different. But it worked, often magically, although it frequently required large and frustrating adjustments by both of us.

There’s a life lesson there. In this case, the juice was absolutely worth the squeeze.

Until we meet again, TVG.

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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.