06/26/22 – Radically Rational

06/26/22

Deshaun Watson’s NFL disciplinary hearing is set to start Tuesday. I’m convinced that the league’s appointed disciplinary officer, Sue L. Robinson, will recommend either a full-season or an indefinite suspension. Watson will have the right to an appeal. Yes, there is urgency here, with training camps opening next month.

Baseball is great when you care about the outcome, as BB and I most assuredly did while we followed the final three innings of the Astros’ team no-hitter Saturday at Yankee Stadium. It almost had an old-timey feel as BB read the results of every pitch to me off her phone. It was like Grandma and Grandpa watching a teletype.

Hand injuries are tricky, and often scary, things for baseball players. Here’s hoping Phillies’ star Bryce Harper makes a full recovery from the broken left thumb he suffered Saturday when he was hit by a 97 mph heater. That did not look good. Harper will be out indefinitely.

I’m still not sure why the 49ers are so hell-bent on trading Garoppolo. SF was a whisker away from getting to the Super Bowl last season, and Jimmy G. remains a notably good fit in Kyle Shanahan’s offense, IMO. Plus, Trey Lance still looks shaky to me. Garoppolo’s rehab from offseason surgery on his right shoulder is going well, and he should be cleared to start throwing in the next couple of weeks. As soon as he passes his physical, the trade market will open up.

He wouldn’t wind up in…Houston…would he? More on that possibility tomorrow.

Oh? You want to talk about Baker Mayfield? Not tonight, dear. I have a headache.

It’ll be the Birmingham Stallions against the Philadelphia Stars in next Sunday’s USFL Championship Game. Yeah, I watched parts of the semifinal games Saturday as Philly upset New Jersey 19-14 and Birmingham beat New Orleans 31-17. It’s not great football (although some of the special teams return guys are fun to watch), but the players go hard and genuinely seem to care about their teams. So I’d say the “return” of the USFL has been relatively successful.

Ole Miss can claim the MCWS Championship with another win over Au Jus today in Omaha. The Rebs are seeking just their second national title in any team sport. The Ole Miss women’s golf team claimed an NCAA championship in 2021.

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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.