03/22/23 Baseball won. And the Cowboys’ star is shining. – Radically Rational

03/22/23 Baseball won. And the Cowboys’ star is shining.

Japan won. But more than that, baseball won. Shohei Ohtani on the mound. Angels’ teammate Mike Trout at the plate. Japan with a one-run lead in the top of the ninth. Two out. Full count.

And…Trout swings and misses on a nasty Ohtani slider to win the game and the World Baseball Classic championship.

Unforgettable.

After starting slowly, the Cowboys are on an offseason roll. In fact, I would now maintain that Dallas has done more to improve its roster than any other team in the NFC East. The Cowboys are “stacking good days together,” and that absolutely includes Tuesday. The ‘Boys started by signing former Chiefs running back Ronald Jones to a one-year deal to provide depth behind Tony Pollard, and then secured offensive lineman Chuma Edoga to replace Connor McGovern, who has moved on to Buffalo.

The Cowboys have done a solid job of holding onto key defensive players, including their five top sack leaders from a year ago, while also trading for shutdown corner Stephon Gilmore and smooth veteran WR Brandin Cooks.

That star looks pretty shiny right now. But it’s also “no excuse” time heading into the 2023 season.

Cam Newton says he’s still one of the top 32 NFL quarterbacks as he tries to get back in the league. He’s wrong. But, at 33, he is one of the top 64. So the resumption of his career hinges on his willingness to be a backup. That could be a problem.

Case Keenum is back in Houston. Nice. He’s a perfect guy to be an interim starter while mentoring whatever QB the Texans take with the number two pick in next month’s draft. Lotsa mock drafts now predict that will be Bryce Young. I have misgivings about that, mostly because of Young’s slight frame.

We’ll hope for the best. But that looked like a nasty right leg injury suffered Tuesday night by Clippers guard Paul George. More info today, no doubt.

The Spurs are now 19-53. I said 19-53.

Willis Reed. Hombre. His loss is another blow to my generation’s spirit.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

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.