12/31/22 The last sports blog of 2022! – Radically Rational

12/31/22 The last sports blog of 2022!

It’s CFB semifinal day in college football. But Saturday is going to have a hard time being as much fun as Friday was.

That was good for my soul. By far the most fun I’ve had watching college ball all season. That was wall-to-wall excellence.

Maryland and N.C. State got after each other. Maybe you were bored with all the field goals, but I wasn’t. That was genuine boys varsity tackle football.

The Sun Bowl seems to never disappoint. Pitt ultimately just out-toughed UCLA.

I wish Notre Dame and South Carolina had just taken a 15-minute break when the Gator Bowl ended and then teed it back up for another four quarters. It was that good.

And college football is a better sport when Tennessee matters. Wow, that Vol offensive line really protected QB Joe Milton.

Anybody else getting maybe just a little tired of Dabo’s act? Or am I being unfair? I concede that is a possibility.

I’ll be glued to the Sugar Bowl Saturday morning as an “appetizer” prior to the two semifinal games. That will be an interesting dynamic between Alabama and Kansas State. Don’t sell the Wildcats short.

OK. Michigan-TCU. Love the Frogs. Picking the Wolverines.

Georgia-Ohio State? When last we saw the Buckeyes, they were stinking it up against Michigan. OSU was in many ways lucky to back their way into the CFP. So the Buckeyes have no chance against defending national champion and top-seeded Georgia, right? Wrong. Ohio State can pull this off.

Gary Hahn has been the play-by-play voice of North Carolina State football and basketball since 1991. Apparently, he has done a good job. It’s hard as hell to keep a gig like that for 31 years. Friday afternoon, while working the Wolfpack’s bowl game against Maryland, Hahn decided to relay a score from the Sun Bowl thus: “Down among all the illegal aliens in El Paso, it’s UCLA 14 and Pittsburgh 6.” Adios. Three decades down the drain. And for what?

I’d rather take a whuppin’ than watch an entire NBA game prior to Valentine’s Day. But, yeah, I caught the LeBron birthday highlights. Yeah, he still has some legs…

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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.