05/16/22 – Radically Rational

05/16/22

Once again, the Suns set in the West. And the Bucks stop here, too.

Playing at home in Game Seven, Phoenix scored 27 points in the first half against the Mavs. No, Suns fans were not screaming, “Lou!”

The Celtics picked a good time to win two straight, something neither they nor the Bucks had done previously in their Eastern Conference title series.

The City of Dallas broke even in Sunday Game Sevens.

Look, I like birdies. But that looked like a remake of the Hitchcock classic at the Byron Nelson. Even Tippi Hedren was hitting it stiff to the flag. K.H. Lee wins at 26 under? 26 under? In four days, there were 2,228 birdies. Fourteen players finished at 20 under or lower. I’m hoping Par Fights Back at this week’s PGA.

Yeah, I caught some of that USFL game Sunday between Birmingham and Philadelphia. Man, that was a rough watch. It almost looks to me like that league has regressed in the last couple of weeks.

A day after seeing their 11-game winning streak broken, the Astros went right back to work Sunday in D.C., blanking the Nats 8-0. It’s mid-May and Verlander already has five wins. And I guess we can stop worrying about Yuli Gurriel, who went 3-4 and homered.

How bad is it in Cincinnati? So bad that the Reds’ pitching staff did not allow a hit in Sunday’s game in Pittsburgh, but the Pirates still won 1-0. It wasn’t an official no-hitter since the Bucs did not have to bat in the bottom of the ninth, but it was still only the sixth time in MLB history that a team lost a game without surrendering a hit. That’s what life is like for a team that is 9-26.

No, you were not hallucinating. That was in fact 22-year veteran Albert Pujols on the mound for the first time in his career in the ninth inning of the Cardinals’ 15-6 rout of the Giants. Just for funsies, I guess, although Pujols did give up two homers.

Of more lasting significance in that game was the fact the Cards’ Adam Wainwright and Jadier Molina broke the MLB record for wins by a starting battery. They’ve teamed up for 203 W’s. That’s a lot. And it’s one more than Warren Spahn and Del Crandall posted for the Boston and Milwaukee Braves between 1949 and 1963.

Pray for Buffalo.

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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.