03/19/23 Rollin’ with it like a frat boy – Radically Rational

03/19/23 Rollin’ with it like a frat boy

It was Edwin Starr who once posed the question, “War (huhhh!)…what is it good for?”

Starr then accurately answered his own question.

“Absolutely nothin’.”

I would maintain that the same is true of the World Baseball Classic. First the Mets lose Edwin Diaz—arguably the best closer in MLB—for the season, thanks to a torn patellar tendon suffered in a victory celebration.

Now it appears that Jose Altuve has a significant right hand injury after getting hit by a pitch in the fifth inning of Saturday night’s WBC quarterfinal between Venezuela and the United States. Altuve will undergo an MRI Sunday, but initial fears are that he has a broken thumb.

Yeah, I’m pissed.

Yes, I know that Phillies shortstop Trea Turner hit an 8^th inning grand slam to lift Team USA to a 9-7 win over Venezuela. Yes, I know the Americans have advanced to Sunday’s WBC semifinal vs. Cuba.

Whoopee.

I am genuinely unamused.

Now, The Toaaarrnament, that’s quite another matter. Coach has thrown off his usual jadedness and is rolling with March Madness like a frat boy.

This is fun.

Wuddup with Princeton? The Tigers don’t look lucky. They look good. The 15^th seed hung a beatdown on Mizzou to become only the second Ivy League team to advance to the Sweet 16 since the toaaarnmaent expanded to 64 teams in 1985.

Kansas? Gonzo. There will be no repeat national title for the Jayhawks, who got out-toughed and outlasted by Arkansas. The Hogs outrebounded KU 36-29 and buried the Jayhawks on second chance points 15-2. But someone please tell Razorback coach Eric Musselman to keep his shirt on. Literally. That image made it hard to sleep.

Alabama and Houston are the only one-seeds left. And the Coogs had to rally from a ten-point halftime deficit to get past Auburn. UH looks shaky, with star guards Marcus Sasser and Jamal Shead both battling injuries. Still, Houston turned up the defensive heat, holding Auburn to 4-24 shooting in the second half to pull away 81-64.

My other Saturday “Mental Toughness Awards” went to Tennessee and Texas. Both the Vols and the Longhorns responded every time they were challenged by Duke and Penn State, respectively.

Texas has a legit chance to win the whole thing.

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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.