04/04/22 – Radically Rational

04/04/22

As strange as it sounds, I think North Carolina will feel “jet-lagged” after Saturday night and will have a bit of a letdown. Kansas will win.

On the women’s side, South Carolina rules. That wasn’t close. And can you believe that it has now been six years since UConn’s last national championship?

If it’s possible for a sure-fire first ballot HOFer to have flown under the radar for 16 years, Frank Gore has done it. 16,000 rushing yards. Nine 1,000-yard rushing seasons. 100 TDs. Played RB in the NFL to the age of 37. Mr. Gore says he will now sign a one-day contract with the 49ers (for whom he played the first ten years of his career) before retiring. He will do so as the NFL’s #3 all-time career rusher, trailing only Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton. Mensch.

Are you “offended” that NBA coaches Steve Kerr and Alvin Gentry spoke out against gun violence before last night’s Warriors-Kings game in Sacramento? If so, that’s a “you” problem. Should Kerr and Gentry “stick to basketball”?

Wow, that big fella is on a roll. I’m talking about Kareen Abdul-Jabbar. His analysis of the Will Smith-Chris Rock travesty was spot on. And now KAJ is essentially saying that Lebron James needs to stop being a pub-thirsty, waffling jackass. Keep speaking and writing, Good Sir.

LBJ should soon have time to reflect. The Lakers have lost six straight and now trail the Spurs by two games in the race for the final play-in spot with four games remaining. And San Antonio holds the tie-breaker edge. Let that sink in. The 2021-22 Spurs are almost certainly going to make the postseason, regardless of how tricked up this “postseason” format is. Will those “play-in” games start with a runner at second base?

Tiger says he’ll be a “game-time decision.” I hope the light is green. Finally, some Qatari businessman named Nasser Al-Khelaifi says his soccer Champions League Final should be “bigger than the Super Bowl. That’s cute.

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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.