Collection of Random Thoughts

If you thought the Super Bowl ads, as a whole, were beyond terrible, you’re not alone.

Considering the recent piece for Norman Einstein’s, the chatter regarding the slate of advertisements during Super Bowl XLV has been entertaining to say the least.

Super Sunday has created this expectation that these spots exist for entertainment purposes only. Many companies that participate in the fun follow this line of thinking because they can actually afford to. Coca-Cola and Pepsi aren’t mom-and-pop shops looking to get exposure. Some do it for the sake of doing so, despite beating that drum one too many times (GoDaddy has managed to overuse the premise that sex sells). Yet, the main problem with Super Bowl spots is that they miss out in the basic principle of advertising; tell potential consumers why you matter.

It’s as if companies get hypnotized, then speared by Terry Tate year after year after year.

Remember him?

The Terry Tate ads were hysterical; a linebacker laying out office employees with vicious tackles and talking smack afterwards (surely an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in today’s NFL). They were the rage of water coolers, Chipotles and college classrooms in 2003.

And you probably couldn’t remember which company was advertised (it was Reebok). As great as those ads were, they failed miserably when it came to what’s called brand recall. Brand recall is where observers of an advertisement are asked to try to provide the maker of the product or service. According to Interactive Advertising Group (now Nielsen IAG), which measures advertising effectiveness, at the time they stated that Terry Tate rated rather poorly in the metric.

Why does this matter to you? The truth is that Super Bowl ads, while great for exposure, are rarely effective in convincing you to purchase an offering. What makes this worse is that companies are so desperate for ‘buzz’ that their ad copy (essentially, scripts) and casting reflect more about entertainment and less about relating to the consumer they want to entice.

Consider that for Super Bowl XLVI (46).

• Speaking of the Super Bowl, Congratulations to the Green Bay Packers, their fans and owners of any WWE replica championship belt & Aaron Rodgers jersey. You’re all winners. Even better than this is that someone else believes what I posted two years ago about the Quarterback Heavyweight Champion I call GB Punk.
  
  
• College basketball aficionados: you may be aware that I don’t follow the NCAA hardwood as much as I used to. However, you know obnoxious folks like me exist: I want to know who should I pay attention to in terms of potential players in the NBA?
  
  
• Some suggested reading: there may not be a whole lot of fans based on ratings, but if you’re looking for insights on the underrated FX program, Lights Out, take a look at “There’s No ‘I’ in Blog” where Friend of Scribe, Patrick Truby has done episodic reviews since the show began last month. I think it’s a solid show, but even in the DVR era, the biggest issue for its future is the time slot. It's pretty competitive on Tuesdays at 10PM.
  
  
• If you’re still wondering, “C’Mon Man” will never be lived down. That’s perfectly fine with this Scribe since one of his favorite writers, Yahoo! Sports’ Michael Silver recently discovered who that “Dude from Study Hall” was. Nothing but win, as the kids say.
  
  
• Finally, as with many of you, life happens. It doesn’t get in the way of work so much as it has a way of prioritizing it. Sincerest apologies, but your support of this hustle is surely appreciated. Spread the word on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr.

Norman Einstein's Newness: Beer & Pigskin

You know the ads.



They're telling you to drink their frothy alcoholic beverages with a bit of humor.



Sure, once in a while, they might be tug at the heart strings and similtaneuously placate PETA.



Yet, at their absolute core, they just want you to consider buying their brand over the competitor.



So through the latest contribution to Norman Einstein's Magazine, take a look at how and why Budweiser does battle with MillerCoors using America's Passion.

Now, you're probably asking yourself what is a known teetotaler doing talking about beer? Well, read on, friends.

Sadly, an ad like this would never make the Super Bowl.

And make sure that you observe the excellent words and images from my teammates, Graydon Gordian, Brian Blickenstaff, Stephanie Lim and Cian O'Day.

Newness to Start 2011

Happy 2011 to all of you.

Before you check the newness elsewhere, let me talk about what’s going on here.

Some of you have recently come upon A Sports Scribe because of this and this (click J.E. Skeets' link). Let me welcome you all to the blog and hope you stick around. Take the time to read my bio and the About Scribe page. In case you were wondering, I dislike briefcases, hence why I use my backpack. As for Walt Frazier’s jacket, respect due to him and MSG for delivering the goods.

For those who have followed the Scribe journey since its inception in May 2007, thanks for sticking with it. It’s a constant work-in-progress – or as my fellow Babson College alums would say, “WIP” – but something that strives for better with each post.

For those who have come along in the last two years through Twitter, you’ve been fantastic. The words on here may not have the acerbic tone as far more popular sites, but when I post something here, it’s to make people think or ask questions or just once in a while, appreciate something a bit more. Let’s keep the conversations going in a civil, but still fun manner.

For those who are wondering where to find my ‘legit’ work with the New York Beacon, if you see it in city newsstands, support the hustle and pick up a copy every Thursday.

*deep breath*

Now that we got those words out of the way, let me break down where Scribe is going in 2011.

For the past year, many of you were well aware that the site took a step back because of the MBA studies. Something I learned at Babson while working with its internet radio station was that sometimes, you need to fall back to move forward; take a deeper and more honest look at operations to find the bottlenecks, holes and glitches. You have to fix issues as you are also creating new offerings.

The MBA program – frustration of 45 missed weekends and all – provided an opportunity to flesh out some previous plans fully while developing new ones. The Facebook page is an example of a new wrinkle that may have not been considered for a lot longer time if not for being in an academic and professional incubator that is Metropolitan’s Media Management program. There are countless people who have been wonderful enough to devote time to speak with me about improving Scribe. In lieu of money and Knicks tickets, my gratitude can be best repaid through making this site better based on your thoughts and suggestions.

[I could use some money and Knicks tickets, though, so if any of you have one or both, feel free to let me ‘safeguard’ them.]

What to expect from Scribe this year?

• More original posts: interviews with respected people in the business, roundtables like the popular NBA discussion from last season and personal/professional observations
• Better videos: there will be a couple of unpublished videos uploaded in the coming weeks, but I’m already planning for a couple of stadium visits during the spring and early summer
• Podcasts: yes, you already have enough of these to listen to, but depending on the feedback, the frequency will increase from a monthly podcast to possible weekly editions
• The long-delayed redesign: it exists, people!
• Greater social media: Twitter is tremendous, but for those who love to read via Facebook, you’ll get more. Tumblr may see a shift, but not immediately

So, 2011. It’s going to be fun.

Speaking of fun, 2011 begins with three new contributions.

• In Thursday’s Beacon, you’ll see the obituary for the 2010 New York Giants. If the PDF is made available online, you’ll see it posted on all things Scribe.
• Just as throughout the NFL season, there will be recaps of each round of the NFL playoffs on The Perpetual Post. This Friday, the NFL roundtable will reconvene to give predictions and other thoughts. If you have yet to do so, check the latest; Week 17 in the NFL and a discussion on Donald Fehr as NHL Players Association boss.
• Sticking with hockey, Norman Einstein’s Magazine is back with edition #20. I discuss the raised stakes of the recent NHL Winter Classic between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals. The best, as usual, comes from the rest of my teammates, so please read it all and enjoy. Many thanks to Ozman51, Lizz Robbins and Ken Fang for their contributions.

Go forth and be merry, friends of Scribe.

Quick Site Updates

You may have noticed an addition to the page in the last two weeks on the right hand side. If you haven't "liked" the new Facebook page, feel free to do so now.

Also, take a look at Scribe Favorites; various websites from colleagues, friends and those admired from afar. It's not an exhaustive list, but it will continue to grow over time.

Next, if you haven't checked it out yet, November's edition of Norman Einstein's Magazine is live, dope, funky fresh and the flava in ya ear. Read that sentence one more time, then listen to some Das EFX for the fun of it. In addition, there has been some work for The Perpetual Post that you should take a gander at as well.

Finally, if you haven't joined Twitter, let the random references to excellence such as this compel you to join and follow Scribe.

Perpetual Posting & Photo-ing

A few things:

There's going to be a lot of me this week on The Perpetual Post starting today. Another Week in Review for the NFL (not as many games on my end) and quick thoughts on the Joakim Noah contract from the Chicago Bulls. While I wasn't exactly enamored with the former Florida Gator coming into the NBA, he's turned out to be a lot better than I thought. His wardrobe, however... his attire at the 2007 Draft is burned to memory.

Tomorrow for TPP, I'm throwing out words for a NHL preview, though the season has started and proving to people that Todd Collins did not retire in 1998. The latter may be a moot point for the Chicago Bears if Jay Cutler comes around completely from the concussion suffered against the New York Giants.

If you haven't read it yet or ever before, do check out the chock full o'goodness from October's Norman Einstein's Magazine. Though I did not contribute this month, I will for November.

Next, because cell phones are fantastic these days. here's a photo that was taken on 125th Street last week. For those soccer afficionados, yes, the New York Cosmos are coming back... so I think.

Finally, later today, there will be a new poll on Scribe within the next two days. Keep an eye out for it.

The Latest and Greatest Elsewhere

So, after a few weeks of co-hosting Sports @ the Half on WHCR with ChiChi Anunkor, yesterday was the first time calling in, giving a report on the New York Giants. For the remainder of the season, do yourselves a favor and check for me at 5:15 PM Eastern every Monday.

In addition, every Tuesday, for those who have yet to discover it, there is the NFL Week in Review with myself, Chris Pummer, Brad Goldbach and Alex Prewitt. Always good times and both compliment what you'd see from my work with the New York Beacon... if you can find it, of course.

Also, though there are no words from me this month, check the latest and certainly greatest from Norman Einstein's Magazine. Plenty of you saw The Tenth Inning and my colleagues have a great discussion from varied perspectives around the country. Oh, and check the new bios.

Finally, with the third and final semester in school getting into high gear, you will notice the off-and-on activity on Scribe that has made 2010 a bit of a struggle in terms of substance. All of this academic jazz is to make this blog better when the program is finished this December. With that said, I'm hoping to add some new features to the site as we approach the start of the NHL and NBA seasons, the MLB playoffs and, of course, serving the dope fiends when it comes to football.

For ongoing chatter, random references and any questions, do feel free to follow on Twitter. You'll feel like you won the lottery. Or not.

Say What?!?!: Speaking of the Giants, hats off to the NFL for 'going pink'. If you use social networks, you should do the same.

Footbally Words

Somne of the words put down for this Thursday's past edition of the New York Beacon regarding the 2010 New York Giants:

Just days before Sunday’s opener versus the Carolina Panthers at the New Meadowlands Stadium, you might be wondering who will the New York Giants be this season? Can they still be identified from the Super Bowl outfit from 2007 and 2008 that forced an entire nation to take notice with strong front seven defenders and a steady diet of rushing offense? Or are they going to be the 2009 team that became surprisingly more reliant on a top-tier passing game because of defensive struggles and a running game with less pop?

What can be said is who they hope to be; a team that can create far more turnovers than last year’s unit, which only managed 24 (22nd of 32 teams) and one that can bring a stronger running game to compliment the 11th-best passing offense.

In addition, if you have not read September's edition of Norman Einstein's Magazine, please do. Excellence all around; a good bit of football with boxing and baseball thrown in to take the eyes off the gridiron for a few minutes.
 
Finally, expect NFL thoughts this week for The Perpetual Post and during my fourth guest co-hosting efforts on Sports at the Half of WHCR this Monday at 5PM Eastern.

Labor Day: Plugs and Pictures

First of all, those who truly hustle for a better life and those working to get work, a wishfully Happy Labor Day to you. Even in this Great Recession, there are people who are out in the world trying to not only make a dollar, but make each day better than the day before. No matter how tough the grind can be, I hope all of us can be involved with something in our lives that bring in more than just the paychecks.

Secondly, a quick plug for my third co-hosting effort on Sports at the Half on WHCR today at 5PM eastern. As always, respect due to ChiChi Anunkor (follow her insanity on Twitter) for having me on. Obviously, we'll talk about the Jets finally giving cornerback Darrelle Revis his much-desired payday, but hopefully, we can move beyond the hype and talk about the substance of this upcoming NFL season.

Third, for tomorrow, when you're crying in your breakfast about the unofficial end of summer, there will be some photos from the Ballpark at St. George, home of the Single-A Staten Island Yankees. For the first time, I'm happy to report that the long-awaited New York City Baseball Park Tour is complete. A proper post will be dedicated for that, but here are a few pictures of the decade-old venue.

Finally, if you haven't, please check the latest from another edition of Norman Einstein's Magazine and The Perpetual Post (including a sportish response about the State of TV).

While You Wait: Norman Einstein's, Perpetual Post & Radio

So, if you've been following Scribe on Twitter, you know this writer is back in the football beat, though keeping a close eye on other happenings. Though this blog has not been as frequently updated as planned in this time off from school, it's all in hopes of making sure that from this point on, Scribe is better than ever before.

You have also been following the track of Hurricane Earl (or laughing at the gloomy reports from the east). It's thrown a wrench in some travel plans for this Labor Day weekend, so feel free to take advantage of the extra time to catch up to the latest Scribbles Elsewhere.

In this month's Norman Einstein's, my piece explores the not-so-discussed history of integration in the NFL. However, you should check out the remaining excellence from my teammates Alex Birdsall from There Are No Fours (Tragedy & Transcendence: Armando Galarraga's Imperfect Game), Patrick Truby from There's No 'I' in Blog (Hardball Heroes: A Conversation with Amber Roessner), Brian Blickenstaff of Touch & Tactics (48 Seconds: Curtis Johnson Jr. Fights for a Dream), Andrew Reilly of the widely-referenced 35th Street Review (Uneasy Lies the Bear That Wears a Crown) and of course, the Head Coach known as Cian O'Day (Thorn from the Lions' Paw).

In addition, Chris Pummer and I discuss the potential 18-game NFL regular season on The Perpetual Post. There will also be words on the state of television, which will have a slight sports perspective from my end.

Also, for some unexpected visuals, check out the latest from the Scribe Tumblr account.

Finally, if you haven't been able to catch if in the last two weeks, I have been a guest host for WHCR's Sports at the Half. Chi Chi & myself have been mostly talking up football, but there's more to come with the US Open and other events. I will be back in the studio this Labor Day at 5PM since I have no life.

Norman Einstein's Newness

Photo credit to dispo

After two months away, this Scribe jumped back in the Norman Einstein's fold with a new piece about The Guy in South Beach.

Yeah, mentioning him on the day that the NFL's version of John Kerry is calling it a career (AGAIN) is like throwing grease in a kitchen fire. Yet, as most other matters in the sports world, this is a different perspective. From a child's eyes... sort of.

Now, unlike the moniker of The Golfer, where sheer media exhaustion and the salacious nature of it all just made the Danielle Steele-ish name work, TGiSB is more about seeing the hell fire & brimstone laid at his feet thanks to The Decision. Since the mere sight of his name sends so many into a blind rage, this moniker will be used from here on out.

In the meantime, the rest of the magazine has the usual rounds of excellence. Ted Walker of Pitchers & Poets walks you through your baseball team's losing season. Andrew Reilly talks up a pretty special 1985 Topps rookie baseball card. And of course, the Maestro, Cian O'Day takes in NYC's other baseball rivalry through a photo essay. Along with a July recap and forward look into August, this month's edition should give you a wealth of reading goodness.

Don't forget the work with The Perpetual Post, including recent insights on the Dan Haren trade, Turner/Sports Illustrated vs. ESPN and Patrick Ewing as future head coach. There will be plenty more later this week with TPP.

Say What?!?!: I won't lie, I get a kick out of knowing that Brett Favre's middle name is Lorenzo. He may annoy many, but to me, it's kind of cool in a "really? HA!" way.

Perpetual Postin' & Toastin'

Been pretty active on The Perpetual Post this week. Do yourself a favor and check out the latest.

• The aftermath of The Decision (and if you haven't, the previous Scribe post)
• World Cup thoughts from abroad (and on-location thoughts from Germany)
• 3D television

The podcast from Wednesday night was a fun and lively discussion on the first two topics. Hopefully, it will be archived soon for your listening pleasure.

Also, though I've missed the last two months, you should check out another fantastic edition of Norman Einstein's Magazine. As usual, all-around goodness.

That's it for shameless plugging.

Playing Catch-up/World Cup Art

Yeah, I know. It's been a while.

To somewhat make up for weeks of lost time, here's a quick update.

• Permanent new site design may be ready, but the implementation of it is not. Considering changing the Blogger design temporarily as I wanted to shake things up before...
  
  
• ...taking a trip to Frankfurt, Germany & London, England from June 20th until at least July 2nd for the MBA program. However, because of the bountiful sporty things going on in those cities & nations, Scribe will have a heap full of newness for your eyes.
  
  
• Though I did not contribute to June's Norman Einstein's Magazine, expect my return for July's edition. It'll be based on my trip to Europe, but I have to decide between four potential topics.
  
  
• As usual these days, I've been more active with The Perpetual Post than this blog. Check out the latest, including a World Cup Roundup from the first weekend of action.
  
  
• Sticking with the World Cup, these were images I captured from ESPN's display at the Time Warner Center in midtown Manhattan earlier today. Didn't get a picture of all 32 nations, but if you have the chance to check them out before the tournament ends, do so.

Norman Einstein's Newness: The Golfer & More

In addition to the Yankee Stadium tour, check out the latest from Norman Einstein's Magazine; quite possibly the best yet.

In addtion to my focus on The Golfer and Nike, there is some other excellence in this month's edition:

• Einstein's Latest Findings looks back at April, but she won't look back at us. So we pray in May for June to stay... (You like that? Then, like this!)
• Graydon Gordian from 48 Minutes of Hell talks about the beauty of hard fouls in basketball
• Patrick Truby from There's No "I" in Blog provides words for fellow relocated baseball fans
• The Conductor of the Orchestra that is Cian O'Day talks about the NFL Draft going primetime
• Finally, Cian also joins Corban Goble and Marshall Rake (both from Epilogue Magazine) for some stickball with Q-Tip... yes, Q-Tip

We're pretty hyped for June, but goodness it was fun working on May's edition. Please join the Facebook group and check out the Rec Room to keep up with the goodness and talk about our pieces.

Deleted Scenes from "Hardwood Graduation"

As promised. It's always fun to edit works like this, knowing that Scribe is a perfect place to show everyone what was left on the cutting room floor.

Again, mucho thanks to Rodney Brown.

What you’re doing now and how long have you been involved?: I work in K-12 education as a high school administrator and have also worked as a high school athletic director in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I’ve also served as a nonprofit executive with the Urban League, adjunct college professor of political science at a community college, a community organizer with a neighborhood association and a political candidate for local office.

Where did you play?: I played at Santa Clara University (1986 to 1990). Santa Clara produced professional players like Kurt Rambis and Steve Nash and sports super-agent Billy Duffy. In my senior year, I led our team in 3 point field goal shooting, was a team captain and led our conference in 3 point field goal percentage for most of the season. My proudest accomplishment was being voted Most Inspirational Player by my teammates in my senior year.

Did you start? Sub?: I started about half of the games my senior year, otherwise I was the first player off of the bench. I played point guard and shooting guard.

If you played with a highly-touted pro prospect (no matter how long they stuck in the pros), who was it?: Although Steve Nash entered Santa Clara 2 years after I left, I played pick-up basketball with him at Santa Clara. And, all the things that Steve does now, he was doing’ as a freshman at Santa Clara. There were three guys that I played with that went on to play basketball overseas (Dan Weiss-China, Jens Gordon-Germany and Jeffty Connelly-Spain).

Scribe Updates - I Still Love You

It's been a rough three week stretch for your 45,329th favorite blogger. Between midterms, papers and... life, you haven't had much to read on here and there has been shockingly little promotion of other works. Here's where things stand now before you check out some newness:

• This week, you'll have a couple of roundtables coming your way on the NBA & NHL as they are steamrolling towards the postseason.
• We're doing MLB division previews at The Perpetual Post. I will take a look at my favorite division to watch in the last two years, the National League West. Top notch pitching, overlooked defenses, enviable weather, Arizona's 975 uniform combinations. There's a very good chance that I will add chatter for another non-eastern division as well.
• I underpromoted this month's edition of Norman Einstein's Magazine, which is a shame. However, as we strive for, the works is always timely. Do yourselves a favor and read the goodness.
• I don't find myself that interesting of a person, however, I invite you to ask questions that may be too long for Twitter, but just as easy to access. Get your Formspring on about all things sports and whatever else comes to mind.
• Finally, a site design update: closer to launch than it appears.

The Deleted Scenes for "Hardwood Graduation" will be published later this afternoon.