02/19/23 Dunkin’ and Punkin’! – Radically Rational

02/19/23 Dunkin’ and Punkin’!

Saturday night left me McClunging to my boyhood hoop fantasies. Any dunk that requires a compass and protractor to measure its rotation should be launched into orbit around the Sun and judged by Neil DeGrasse Tyson. That was some Philadelphia Freedom right there! And this kid (and former Texas Tech Red Raider) spends part of his time in the G-League? No, man, that dude is in the “Gee!-League.”

That was fresh, a term rarely used to describe The Carnival That Is NBA All-Star Weekend. Now they’ll screw it up with an alleged basketball game on Sunday.

Brittney is back in ball and back in business. Good.

Left turn. Left turn. Left turn. “He get loose in Turn 2!” Yawn. Just ain’t my thing, man. I used to apologize for that. Then I neared 70. Oh, but it looks good on you!

Tiger is 12 shots off the lead. And I can’t take my eyes off him.

Tampon-Gate? I’ll just pragmatically say that Tiger needs to be smarter than that.

Frankie The Lab and I re-watched the AFC Championship Game last night. Holy moly. That game was even better than I remembered. The Chiefs and Bengals were balling out! If we’re lucky, we’ll get to watch Mahomes and Burrow go at it for the next decade. Oh, and you know what? Hell, yes, that was a late hit. Just like that was absolutely defensive holding in the Super Bowl. Man, was that just a week ago? Seems like a year.

The ’Niners are the early betting and media favorites to win the NFC in 2023. That’s astounding, given their uncertainty at quarterback. It’s a reflection on the rest of the roster as assembled by John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan.

The Eagles? They’ve lost both coordinators and, because of free agency and cap issues, could have a real problem keeping that defense together.

I caught a little bit of the second half of the Houston-Orlando XFL game Saturday night. I was reasonably entertained. I’ll be more attentive this afternoon when the San Antonio Brahmas open up against St. Louis at the Alamodome. Like any ex-receiver at any level, I’m a big Hines Ward fan. It was Hines who first showed the world that receivers don’t have to be punching bags or human pinatas. We can hit you back. Better yet, we can hit you FIRST.

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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.