Smitty Said

Susan Keeler Smith

2011-12-01T11:34:00.001-06:00

This morning I lost the most inspirational and courageouswoman I have known.

Many of you are aware that my dear sister-in-law Susan Keeler Smithhad suffered from metastatic breast cancer for the past 15 years. I am saddenedgreatly to report that early this morning (Dec. 1, 2011) Susan passedpeacefully in her sleep with my brother by her bedside at Prentice Women’sHospital.

When someone deals with metastatic breast cancer thelong-term outlook isn’t good, and Susan continued to defy these odds even untilthe end. It was over a month ago that her doctor told us on a Thursday (Oct.27) that she wouldn’t make it through the next Monday (Oct. 31).

You can imagine that none of us were really surprised whennot only she made it through the weekend but was more alert and awake in thefollow days and weeks than she had been in the few months prior. We weren’tshocked because a) it is no secret that Thanksgiving was Susan’s favorite holidayand b) she was hopeful to make it to another Thanksgiving.

You see, for all the great things I can say about Susan, andtrust me there are many as she was the “older sister” that I never had (and Iwas always quick to remind her how much of an “older” sister she was to me),her will, desire, courageousness, and class are what I will forever rememberher by.

It was never that Susan tried to “defy the odds” or eventhink that she would be able to “beat cancer.” She knew her long-term fate wasgoing to be the shame, but she also knew that no matter how much medicine, howmany treatments, how many new drugs they tried on her, or anything else that lifethrew at her, the one thing she could control was how she dealt with it. By herattitude and determination to live her life as best she could she would be incontrol.

She had two options 15 years ago when her cancer returned;she could sit back, take the hand dealt to her and ultimately wait to die, orshe could look it square in the eye, realize her life would be different nowbut that wasn’t going to stop her from living it to its fullest potential.

The Thanksgiving Day example I gave earlier is just one ofhundreds of examples of how Susan’s determination over the last 15 years iswhat guided her life, and not cancer. It wasn’t until the last few years thatSusan rarely missed a trip to see family, witness a marriage of friends, orenjoy a much-needed vacation with her husband and daughter. If she had made itup in her mind that she was going to be somewhere, she was going to be there.

Of course her ability to be called “mom” over the last 9years was her most recent driving force. The example she showed to Grace of howto respect others, have compassion, courage, and an appreciation for the artswill be a beacon of light forever.

When someone has a terminal illness I think it is naturalfor the loved ones around them to contemplate their relationship with theperson suffering and the impact they had on them. I will consider it a blessingthat I have had so much time to dwell on this subject as Susan continued to dealwith her disease with such ferociousness.

I realized I was able to love her deeply and this is thesame woman that while having this terrible and dreaded disease was able to:

-- Become a loving, caring and strong mother.

-- Be my biggest sounding board as I went through my divorce(a situation sadly she could relate to).

-- Not know who Ozzie Smith was.

-- Let us take over her condo on our regular visits toChicago

-- With a few bottles of wine could solve all the world’sproblems and remind Steve how wrong he was about many of his political views.

-- Stay up and watched a World Cup game with me in 2002 thatkicked off at 3 a.m. local time and then watched as me and my “other brother”shot-gunned a beer on her condo balcony to great the rising sun!

-- Be the first person I called and told I thought I foundsomeone I wanted to marry again (after of course swearing off the idea to herjust a year or so earlier).

-- Be a spokesperson/”poster child” for Gilda’s Club inChicago and try to tell her story to as many people as she could in hopes ofgiving them a ray of hope.

-- Be such an inspiration that she was invited to attend astar-studded event in Austin put on by the Lance Armstrong Foundation (theLiveStrong folks).

-- While even dealing with treatments and drugs, was aregular caller to check in on Kelly and I after the sudden and premature lossof our twin boys.

-- Be in St. Louis shortly after Kennedy was born to see hernew niece.

-- Not even 6 months ago, mustered up all the strength shehad to be with Steve, Grace and all of us in St. Louis as we laid “Opa” torest.

I could go on and on, but you get the picture.

There are a lot of mysteries to life and this world, but Ican’t help but think of the discussion we all had with Susan just this summeras we dealt with the sudden passing of my father. She considered it a blessingthat just this spring the two of them were able to go over Bible readings andother elements she would want in her memorial service. It was really the firsttime she talked to anyone with such openness on the matter.

I also can’t help but think that Susan’s own father Owen, myfather, and a host of other loved ones and friends are welcoming her with openarms right now in heaven. She is giving our boys the hugs she promised shewould when we I was able to say my final “good-bye” to her last month.

Her cancer is finally gone, but she will be with usforever.

If you haven't seen it yet, or are interested, you can see Susan's CaringBridge page by going here.

U.S. Government Still Chasing Its Tail

2011-04-16T11:00:00.005-05:00

So a huge crackdown has once again sent shock waves through the online gambling industry. The FBI sent this release out yesterday and it is apparent the US government continues to chase its tail when it comes to the issue of online gambling.

In 2006 the crackdown was one that I unfortunately had a front-row seat for. The Department of Justice got the blood it wanted out of that proceeding but other online sports books still operated and only slight changes were felt with online casino and poker sites (a few of the major players in those sectors stopped taking "action" from US-based consumers). There were plenty of other options for US consumers to still get action online.

Behind the scenes it did force most executives from these companies from traveling to the US and most of their vendors (if they were smart) were also outside of America. The once exception was Full Tilt Poker who brazenly had offices in California for the last several years.

Fast forward to April 15, 2011 and once again charges have been filed and arrest have been made. The three largest poker sites that accept play from US consumers have been forced to stop doing so, but once again others still remain (BoDog just to name one).

Reports project that US consumers spend $6 BILLION a year gambling online. In a "free market" system if there is a demand of that size, there will always be someone, somewhere, who will take the risk to ensure that the demand is met.

The government can decide if they want to get serious about dealing with this growing industry and license and regulate it (i.e. tax the hell out of it), or continue to make headlines every couple of years by indicting and charging executives and getting million dollar judgments from the companies.

As long as there is $6 billion in play, operators, banks, software companies, and others will ensure they get Americans to hand over their money to them so they can gamble online. Does the government want that money going into the hands of thugs and mobsters as they will no doubt get more and more of the pie now? Or do they want to have it go to legitimate businesses with well-schooled executives leading them who are more than willing to pay heavy taxes and give the government a huge influx of needed revenue?

So far the answer is clear, they are perfectly content to keep chasing their tale.

People Watching in NASCAR

2011-04-12T13:34:00.002-05:00

So one of my favorite endeavors is going to NASCAR races.

Between my professional work and just being a die-hard racing fan, I have had the pleasure of seeing NASCAR races at some of the finest tracks in the country (Talladega, Bristol, Atlanta, Miami, Indy, just to name a few).

One of the best things about going to the races is the people watching. The Fox station in Dallas did a great job of capturing some of the people watching. Do your self a favor and watch the video here:

Kenseth wins Texas Sprint Cup Race: MyFoxDFW.com

Another Great Cardinals Headline

2011-03-24T08:26:00.006-05:00

So we have had Cardinals headlines talking about two-shit shutouts, we had another one that said the Cards were "done in by wet balls," but today's Cardinals headline mine take the cake and be the best of them all.

Funny thing is that I had tweeted a few weeks ago, while listening to the radio broadcast of a spring training Cardinals game, that Zack Cox was my new favorite player on the team. Of course those that know me well know I enjoy juvenile humor and mainstream references to genitalia. But of course my main reason for saying that Cox was my new favorite player was because of seeing headlines like this.

Now I just can't wait to hear Mike Shannon say things like "Cox hit that hard," or "Cox goes deep," and of course the inevitable "Now Cox steps in and COME ON BABY, GET UP, GET UP, GET UP, OH YEAH."

Post Dispatch FoD 3.8.11

2011-03-08T10:21:00.004-06:00

This one doesn't need much commentary, I will let the screen shot and comments on it speak for themselves.

This does beg the question though, do they have a single person in the Lee operation that is even looking at the content that is put out on the pages?

Bursting Bubbles

2011-03-07T12:13:00.004-06:00

Well here we go again.

If there is an award for the biggest snubs in the NCAA men's basketball tournament not only would Missouri State have won it far to many times, they might just have to re-name it in the programs honor.

This is the same program I covered in a variety of different journalism roles from 1994-2004 and one in which I still hold near and ear to my heart.

To this day Missouri State's 2006 campaign remains the biggest "snub" in tourney history, and the proof is in the numbers not just a impartial opinion.

It was in 2006 that then head-coach Barry Hinson's squad was left without an invite to the big dance after having an RPI of 21. In 1997 I had a front-row view on selection Sunday as coach Steve Alford's team was standing without a dance partner after finishing with 24 wins, back then a near record high number of wins without getting an invite. Hinson also had snubs in 2000 and 2007 when his teams reached RPIs of 34 and 37. This long list of snubs means Missouri State holds the honor of having 3 of the top 5 rated RPI teams to not make the NCAA tourney, enough to make a Bears fan sick.

Each one of these teams though had valid strikes against them as reasons for being snubbed. The degree to which those strikes should have mattered is another point. In 1997 the general consensus from selection committee members (of which I had interviewed one) and the bracket "experts" back then was that the team's strength of schedule was weak and the number of wins was somewhat watered down.

Mo State started scheduling better, didn't get as many wins in 2000 but had that killer RPI in which everyone knew they were going to get in only to be told, "no sorry, you didn't win enough." Some of the experts also said that year that Mo State's inability to win the conference title hurt their at-large chances.

So now here we sit, less than a week before selection Sunday. The 2011 version of Missouri State has won the regular season Missouri Valley Conference title, amassed a record of 25-8 and currently sits 42 in the RPI.

If the Bears are left again without a ticket to March Madness it might be the most drastic snub in the long-history of snubs for the program, and a low water mark for the Missouri Valley. It would mark the first time since 1992 that the conference regular season champ isn't in the tournament and the 4th year in a row and a far cry from the four that made it in 2006.

This isn't about who should be in or out (Big East gets 11 teams?), but the NCAA would do well to at least give consistent guidance to programs and coaches so they know what they have to do to get in. Let Cuonzo Martin know what he can do better next year (outside of course from winning the conference tournament and getting the automatic bid) to ensure his program isn't snubbed once again.

And if that answer is "win more games," then he knows. If it is "get a better schedule," then he knows. But you can't move the goalposts next year after you use one set of guidelines to pick your tournament field this year using a completely different set of standards.

Unless of course, your corrupt as all hell and just want to ensure the "right" kind of teams are "invited" to your dance. Can anyone else say "BCS."

Respecting our Veterans, in life and death

2011-02-24T13:21:00.005-06:00

So I posted the above video a few days ago on my FaceBook page but felt that it was worth posting here again too.

This video is about a 30 minute interview of a friend's father about 9 months before he died of cancer last week.

Our country has been thrust into wars and battles we don't all always agree with. In the Vietnam era this had a direct effect as to how our soldiers were treated upon them returning home, regardless of how they actually felt about the war from a political prospective as well.

Certain sects of our society have brought vile hate towards troops have have died in battle while in Iraq or Afghanistan. Luckily there "protests" are started to be thwarted as groups around the country are answering these pickets by peacefully blocking them from the view of mourners and the families of the troops.

I was thinking about all of this yesterday as I watched current members of the United States Navy fold the American flag with the utmost precision and hand the perfectly folded stars and stripes to my friend as his father was laid to rest.

This video is part of a project to get the voices heard of World War II veterans before they are all gone (we lose more than 1,000 of them a day). If you are a fan of history you will love the clarity and vividness that Paul Rothermich shares in this video.

And if you're like me you will be happy that our society, for the most part, has made huge strides in how we deal with our veterans and ensuring they are given the proper respect upon returning home after battle and eventually when they leave the Earth for good.

The Awesomeness of Pop-Up Ads -- STL Today FoD 2.18.11

2011-02-18T11:24:00.003-06:00

Well today's STL Today's Fail of the Day (FoD) isn't so much content or layout related as it is that they seem to be the only site I visit on a regular basis that still can't seem to figure out how to do away with pop-up ads.

No only is it annoying as hell but the ads themselves are irrelevant to anything I would remotely have interest in and are of the "spammy" variety. The best part about this whole deal is that we are always hearing about how traditional media companies, especially newspapers are dying on the vine largely due to the fact that there advertising revenue is drying up. God for bid these people figure out how to make money on rev-share/affiliate advertising or any of the myriad of ways that moder-day web properties do when they do try to have an online presence like STLToday.

Instead they can't get out of their own way when they allow crap like this to happen.

STL Today Fail of the Day -- 2.16.11

2011-02-16T10:55:00.005-06:00

I don't know how long it has been since the St. Louis Post Dispatch redesigned their home page (I am going to guess 6-8 months ago). As an avid consumer of news I have always had the home page to my city's daily paper bookmarked. I used to even follow many of the paper's RSS feeds until I realized they were populating many of the same feeds with the exact same story.

So ever since they have come out with the new home page I realized they have a problem when they initial publish a story and then hours, or days, later they publish an updated or revised version of the story. I used to find it quirky that two prominent headlines either on the actual home page or a section page would link to a story on the same subject matter even though they had different headlines.

I know stories can often develop over hours or days, after all I used to work in this space. Not knowing what back-end system they were using to upload stories to the web I figured they were working on it.

A few months ago what I had attributed to a quirky system was starting to frankly piss me off and affecting how regular I visited the paper's web site. I have no idea of anyone at the Post-Dispatch will see this or read this but for my own sanity starting today I am going to post a daily example of this (or other #Fails) that I find on STLToday.com (the Post's online site).

I will post a screen shot along with a link to what I found, realizing that the content on the link could change the screen shot will at least show you how inept they are at updating content or at least not having the same story matter right next to each other.

So without further ado, here is the first installment of the STLToday FoD

(Fail of the Day).

At some point the paper published a story with the headline of "Person is Ejected from Vehicle in St. Charles." The story actually referenced workers "on the scene."

The very next story to be updated (or at least put on the feature spot for the "St. Charles" section of the site), had a headline of "Wentzville Man Killed in Car Crash."

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/stcharles/

Yep, you guessed it, the exact same subject matter in both stories.

Old Blogs

2011-02-16T10:48:00.002-06:00

Wow, knowing it has been a long while since I posted on here I was having troubling remembering my log-in credentials.

Low and behold I accessed an old blog of mine that I started in 2005 when I was doing a lot of international travel and was away from friends and family for extended periods of time. It was a way for them to easily keep in touch with me before the days of Facebook and other social media sites.

You may or may not find it interesting, you can go here:

http://celticcommunications.blogspot.com/

Mississippi River Flood Plan H

2010-09-28T09:36:00.007-05:00

So my Facebook feed and e-mail blew up this week with warnings about a pending public hearing that could fundamentally effect the outcome of a school district that is very close to my wife and I (Orchard Farm).

The Army Corps of Engineers, through the Mississippi River Commission, published a purposed plan (Plan H) in 2008 on its recommendations for flood plain management in the future.

I was hearing a lot of talk about the pending results of this plan and its potential effect on mostly small towns in the lower portion of the Upper Mississippi River Basin. Essentially the plan calls for increased and improved levees along most of the basin, but primarily on the Illinois side of the river. This of course means one side of the river, and its towns, would remain protected, while another side would essentially become a holding tank for water when the river rises (which of course is happening with more and more frequency as man continues to try to manipulate the river).

Of course this news got a lot of folks fired up in "these parts," as well as it should. I did some investigating this week as I wanted to mainly see Plan H for myself. Not only was I able to obtain the plan, I was informed by a representative of the Corps that the plan WASN'T endorsed by the Corps of Engineers or the Assistant Secretary of Army in letters to various congressional committees. Like most commissions, they did recommend continued study for protection of critical infrastructure and reconstructions of existing flood damage reduction systems.

The entire plan is pretty cumbersome, and I still have yet to digest it all, but I would encourage anyone planning to attend the Wed night hearing on Plan H at Orchard Farm High School, to at least do some due diligence on this issue before they attend under the guise that the school district is in danger of disappearing.

You can read the full report for yourself here.

USA Continues Contradictory Approach to I-Gaming

2010-09-21T09:03:00.013-05:00

So I read the news about Sporringbet's (full story below) with mixed emotions. I am certainly happy for my friends that are still working (or continue to be shareholders) for Sportingbet as they all will no doubt end up in a very good financial place sooner or later.

On other hand I had to scratch my head as clearly the Department of Justice and the United States Government continues to contradict itself at nearly every turn in its approach to handling the online gambling industry.

First, and most obvious, if want they want from these companies is money, then why not license and regulate them? If this step were taken the $33 million Sprortingbet agreed to pay over the next three years would truly be a pittance.

If indeed they don't want to regulate, then what is with this "selective prosecution?" Clearly we have individuals in this industry with divergent and varying backgrounds, but even their prosecution has cast its net to include individuals with "shady" pasts as well as those with impeccable personal and professional records.

Admittedly I have been relegated to becoming an observer to an industry in which I devoted most of my professional career to during the last decade so I don't have the back story and insight into these stories that maybe I once did, but even on the surface this is a head scratcher for me.

Taking a step back though, and looking at the bigger picture of the industry, the fact that such deals like these are being made with DoJ now is a clear sign of a policy shift in the U.S. government. 5 years ago a publicly listed company paying millions of dollars to be exempt from prosecution would have been out of the question. It was impossible to get to government to even open up dialogue with most publicly listed companies back then.

Maybe key decision makers are starting to realize that it only makes sense (and lots of CENTS) to allow adults in the U.S. to gamble online if they so choose, since the same activity at a brick-and-mortar casino is allowed in more and more states every year.

To read the Business Week story on the deal between Sportingbet and the DoJ, click here.

2010-09-13T21:40:00.000-05:00

So do you know who this mystery man is?

Cards Typo Proves Everyone is Mailing It In

2010-08-31T08:34:00.003-05:00

So a nice typo in the headline for the game story on the Monday (Aug. 30) game between the Cardinals and Astros (a 2-hit shutout victory for Houston) proved it isn't just the players on the Cardinals mailing it in for the rest of the season, it appears the copy-editors and writers for the team's web-site are as well.
Screen shot below:

2010-08-20T10:59:00.000-05:00

Share Profile Piece on Fox 2 in St. Louis

2010-08-20T10:04:00.002-05:00

Kelly and I were pleased to be asked to be part of a news story on Fox 2 in St. Louis which profiled Share, an agency that is very close to our hearts. You can see the story below.

Reebok Goes With Sex In Viral Videos

2010-02-26T10:25:00.005-06:00

So our friends at Reebok have take some bold steps recently in their online marketing/advertising efforts.

They moved the bar even a little hire this week in promoting their new EasyTones, a line of "rocker bottom" shoes. This is beyond an "emerging" category for shoe-sellers as brands like MBT, Shape Ups (Skechers) and others are gaining market share more and more every month.

This category is appealing to the fitness crowd as it allows people to get in better shape by simple wearing their shoes to do the everyday things they are already doing (walking to the coffee shop).

Of course paired with a better diet and more exercise you can see even better resus, but that isn't the point of this post. I have some thoughts on the recent appoach by Reebok but I am wondering what others feel about it as well. Hopefully this will open up some dialouge and I can see if my thougths on this are in line with others, take a look at two of their recent videos.

Here is the video that has been "leaked" it was on TMZ and then Jimmy Kimmel last night, but Reebok and Chuck have confirmed it wasn't a "peeping Tom," but part of their efforts.

Observations From the Road

2010-02-23T13:04:00.003-06:00

So last week I had the oppirtunity to spend 30 hours behind the wheel of my Honda Pilot while driving more than 1,800 miles in three days and crossing through three states.

This gave me a lot of time to think and observe and take mental notes. I am sharing some of my observations from behind the wheel in this entry, in no particular order they are:

Passing through Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas it is no wonder why/how Wal-Mart is the world's largest company, seemed to be a store every other exit along the Interstate.

It had been more than 10 years since I had driven through this part of the country and there are a lot more wind-farms than ever before, a sure sign of the future no doubt.

How did people used to travel without satelite radio and navigation systems?

The Spectrum on Serius XM is one of the best channels to listen to.

If I ever buy a ranch it will be somewhere in California not any of the states I drove through last week.

Tulsa wasn't nearly as cool as I remembered it in college.

Like wind farms, there are a lot more Indian casinos dotting the landscape now than there was 10 years ago.

It is a good idea to not stay in a Motel 6 that was built more than 5 years ago!

Outside of the Las Vegas strip, Bass Pro Shop's Outdoor World in Springfield, MO. has to be some of the best people watching in North America.

Nothing beats sleeping in your own bed after driving 30 hours over the course of 53 hours on the clock. (Total miles driven 1,805).

The Marketing of Jamie McMurray (Your 2010 Daytona 500 Champion)

2010-02-15T11:13:00.021-06:00

Full disclosure note: I write this as a) a huge NASCAR fan and b) as someone with personal (albeit limited and in the past) ties to Jamie McMurray.

This piece won't be a a recap to last night's exciting finish to the Dayonta 500, nor will it be a "get to know Jamie McMurray" piece or tidbits about the driver, although I would be more than qualified to write about any of this.

Instead I am going to focus on the marketing of Jamie McMurray that is in store for the next week on the immediate side and in the coming year(s)on the branding/advertising side.

There are some valuable lessons to learn from a pure marketing standpoint and I think this is a great case study to start monitoring now and with my professional and personal background I think I can gleam some interesting light onto it.

As mentioned above I first got exposed to Jamie McMurray in 1998 when I was the sports editor for a small newspaper in southern Missouri (the Lebanon Daily Record). Jamie (in his early 20s then) had done the unthinkable and dethroned longtime track champion Larry Phillips at the famed Lebanon I-44 Speedway. Phillips not only had rung up nearly 20 track championships he was also a 7-time NASCAR Weekly Racing Series national champion. This meant he had no only won his local track title but had gone up against other track champions and beat them (either in computer rankings or in limited heads-up races). When a young kid (McMurray) had done this it certainly got every one's attention on the national racing circuit.

Fast forward to now and McMurray wins NASCAR's biggest race in the Daytona 500. Because of my "ties" to Jamie I have followed all the steps of his career from Lebanon to ARCA to Trucks to Busch and now to the Cup series.

Jamie most recently drove for Roush Racing one of the premier teams on the circuit. Problem was Jamie wasn't one of the teams "premiere" drivers. New NASCAR rules limiting the number of cars on a team made Jamie the odd-man out at Roush during the off season. He was able to reunite with his first Cup owner in Chip Ganassi who had a car and a sponsor needing a driver. Jamie slid into the Bass Pro Shops car perfectly.

Now to the point of this whole piece. Last week, after the Bud Shootout, I searched for Jamie's new web site. It wasn't up but the team had redirected the URL to his driver info page within the Ganassi team page. That was a good move I thought. I found it odd that Jamie hadn't been tweeting much either, as I was following him on Twitter. His Facebook page had gone silent as well.

On Monday when I came into the office his web page was indeed updated and live (with a message about a "full launch coming soon," I thought this was worthy of props to the team that had it going. On that page were links to social media pages (Facebook and Twitter) which indeed weren't the ones I was following previously.

As I write this entry Jamie is en route to New York City for what will be a media blitz there (I know this because of his update on Twitter). I figured this would be a great case study in how Jamie will be marketed, presented, branded, and how his sponsors and partners will leverage him in the future.

Things to look for down the road and things learned from the past week:

1) He has resources to keep his online presence current as was proven with his web site being updated just hours after his big win.

2) I predict the interactive channel will play a huge part in how Jamie is marketed in the next year.

3) The story of Jamie and the raw emotions he wears on his sleeve are a marketers dream. In a world full of flash and glitz endorsers this is a guy you want on your brand.

4) Social media brings with it challenges for celebrities and sports figures. If they move from team to team, or management group to management group, they should think about how to transition their social media content (Twitter and Facebook) as well. I wonder how many other fans didn't know Jamie's Facebook and Twitter account had changed like I didn't?

5) The digital channel is all about engagement and if companies don't have the resources to truly engage their fans/followers on social media networks then they are missing the entire point.

I am excited to see what lies ahead for Jamie McMurray both on the track and off it. Seeing his rise from local track champion to Daytona 500 champ has been a fun ride for me as a fan and observer, I can only imagine how much of a blast it has been, and will continue to be, for Jamie himself.

Super Bowl Commercials

2010-02-08T10:06:00.003-06:00

Bud Light - Light House | Viral/Other | SPIKE.com

Bud Light - Lost Parody | Viral/Other | SPIKE.com

Bud Light - Book Club | Viral/Other | SPIKE.com

Bud Light - Planetarium | Viral/Other | SPIKE.com

Boost Mobile - Boost Mobile Shuffle | Viral/Other | SPIKE.com

Monster.com - Beaver Violin | Viral/Other | SPIKE.com

Bridgestone - Killer Whale | Viral/Other | SPIKE.com

GoDaddy.com - News (Sneak Peek) | Viral/Other | SPIKE.com

Sketchers - Shape-Ups | Viral/Other | SPIKE.com

Budweiser - Human Bridge | Viral/Other | SPIKE.com

Late Show with David Letterman - Leno, Oprah and Letterman | Viral/Other | SPIKE.com

Google - How to Impress a French Woman | Viral/Other | SPIKE.com

Budweiser - Horse and Ox become BFF | Viral/Other | SPIKE.com

Denny's - Chickens Fear the Grand Slam | Viral/Other | SPIKE.com

E*TRADE - Babies Crying | Viral/Other | SPIKE.com

NFL - Reggie Bush Lift-Off | Viral/Other | SPIKE.com

Census 2010 - Ed Begley Jr. | Viral/Other | SPIKE.com

Coca-Cola - Sleep Walking Adventure | Viral/Other | SPIKE.com

HomeAway.com - Griswold Vacation | Viral/Other | SPIKE.com

Michelob Ultra - Lance Armstrong | Viral/Other | SPIKE.com

St. Pat's Day 2010

2010-02-03T21:07:00.005-06:00

The time is almost upon us for the 2nd Annual St. Patrick's Day festivities at Cottleville.

You can download all the forms you need for the race and the parade and get all the information and maps by going to the event's website, here.

In the meantime, check out the short slide show above form last year.

TWIS: Super Bowl Addition

2010-02-02T10:56:00.011-06:00

The latest installment of This Week In Sports:

So it is officially Super Bowl week. I am writing this actually on "Media Day" of the Super Bowl. I attended one of these in my previous life and I can tell you that was enough for me. The event has been relagated to a shide show for comedy bits and freak shows while the real "journalist" are pushed to the back players have to endure hours of mindless questions.

But enough about that.

It his funny how your presctive on the Super Bowl changes when you don't have a horse in the race, as I do this year. My Rams are dreadful (and hav been for a few years now) and the Cardinals flamed out in the second round of the playoffs. I am sure there are millions of fans like me, but the interesting thing about this year's Super Bowl is that both teams are "good stories."

The Colts are lead by a quarterback in Payton Manning who does all the right things and says all the right stuff. He isn't a show boater nor a "me first" player. The fact that appears at least once on nearly every commercial break in the fall gives him added awarness among casual fans who will be watching the game.

The Saints carrying the revivial of one of America's greatest cities on their shoulders. A population decimated by Katrina and stil trying to rebuild, can now take joy from a simple game by rooting for their team on the big stage of the Super Bowl.

Both these story lines are good ones and make it hard for impartial fans like me to root "against" anyone or either team. I am hopeful for a good game and will be happy for whoever is holding the trophy come Sunday night. In the meantime I will have fun watching the commercials (eventhough I have seen nearly all of them already) and betting on both the outcome of the game and the crazy side bets (more on those later this week) that go along with it and only seem to pop-up on Super Bowl Sunday.

2010-01-25T13:23:00.000-06:00

Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King

2010-01-18T13:35:00.002-06:00

I am not, in any means, an official historian. I am however, a lover of history.
I say this because every Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, of which today is, I make it a point to listen to the entire "I Have a Dream" speech, easily one of Dr. King's most famous and significant orations.
It is a true shame that our country lost this visionary and leader long before his time was done. While his "I Have a Dream" speech has a few sentences that everyone knows, if you haven't heard the entire speech in its entirety I would encourage you do so today (and often) as it is truly an inspiring message and also sheds light on how far we have come as a nation and how far we still have to go.
Please take 18 minutes out of your day to view this and share it with your children and friends. Maybe it can be used to open up dialogue with another generation of the significance of the man as well as his message.

This Week In Sports (TWIS)

2010-01-16T15:11:00.002-06:00

So a new feature for the 2010 version of Smitty Said will be a weekly recap of things going on in the sports world that I feel compelled to comment on.

Mark McGwire being treated like a hero by Cardinal fans is just wrong. I was there when he hit his 500th career home run, it was a magical night and one I won't ever forget. I am not going to cast moral judgement on him for using steroids or other drugs, but I promise you one thing, he is no longer a "hero" of mine. He still has a chance to become a champion of youth by becoming the poster-boy for educaction and why kids shouldn't use drugs, but until that time comes, no cheers, applause, much less a standing ovation, from me for him.

Kurt Warnrer should retire and will be in the Hall of Fame.

***Please help the Red Cross earthquake relief efforts: text "HAITI" to 90999 and make a $10 donation to support the American Red Cross. ***

I love watching the Australian Open. It starts next week and I love it because I just love watching live sporting events and with the time difference it provides the only live sports events for late night and early morning viewing. I remember touring the grounds on a past business trip to Australia too, good times indeed.

Watching Sports Center this week I realized how irrelevant the NHL has become. We have a team in my hometown that is starting to make a playoff push, I am not scoreboard watching yet but I realized how little the rest of the country cares about the NHL. Of course the fact that ESPN doesn't carry any games I am sure makes it easy for them to put highlights at the bottom of the page, if not at all.

Smitty Read/Reading This Week

2010-01-14T16:30:00.004-06:00

So most of you know that I am an avid reading of both short form and long form writing, it mainly goes back to my days as a journalist and reading great stories was a natural way for me to improve on my craft.
I read now much more for enjoyment and to educate myself on issus, trends and other news. Part of the new efforts of this blog will be a weekly feature focusing on grea articles I have found and am reading or have read as well as highlighting a great book or two.

So without any further ado here is this week's installent.

GQ released a great story today about the cover-up and aftermath of a shooting at car wash owned by Marvin Harrison ("former" NFL player). I won't give the artivle too much prose here other than to simply say it is a must read:

I sarted kayaking last summer for the first time and feel in love with it. Still at the point where I am renting kayaks when I go out on area rivers for float trips but I hope to own one soon. The NY Times Sunday Travel section had a great piece on kayaking along the Mississippi river on a stretch that is practically in my backyard. A touching piece about the bonding of the reporter and his teenage son during the trip too.

The book I am currently reading (and I suspect will have finished by the weekend), is a great look at the history and future of Google. Of course professionally his is a company I rely greatly on for our business, but even if you aren't the digital world you should read this just to learn more about a company that I think will be sure to dominate the corporate landscape for years to come.

Please feel free to pass on any recomedations you might have as well.

Ashamed to be an American

2010-01-09T10:47:00.004-06:00

The above words are ones that I never thought I would ever type but yesterday was one of the rare times I can honestly say that I was ashamed to be an American.
I had lots of emotions: anger, disappointment, bewilderment, and even brief moments of positiveness and hope. Then I realized the most prevailing emotional wind of the day was coming from the shame I felt of being American.
As most of you know I spent a large chunk of my professional career in the online gambling industry, first working for the leading trade-show and research firm in the entire industry and then transitioning to a structure where I had my own (1 person) company where I was contracted to act as PR/events/marketing team for BetOnSports plc.
I won't bore you with rehashing the details of the cash, you can find more information here and here, but instead to rehash what made me come to feel such shame of my country and its justice system.
For the most part the courts agreed that the former CEO of BetOnSports was a good man and a solid business man who meant no harm or ill-will towards customers. He wasn't driven by greed or fraud like others in the industry and certainly the executives of the company that were at BetOnSports before him (namely its founder),
The court did disagree that the company operated in a gray area, the judge actually saying that it "clearly was a black and white issue."
More than 24 hours after the case I am still stunned with this opinion and continue to feel pain and anguish for my former boss and someone who now I am proud to call a dear and great friend. I know he will "be fine" as he is a strong person who has already been through so much, I know he only looks forward and doesn't look back, but I have to weigh in on this issue myself for the sake of my own sanity.
I can't help but keep coming back to the fundamental issue of this case (the gray area vs. black and whiteness of the online gambling industry in the eyes of the Department of Justice). If there was or is, no "gray" area then why did it take congress nearly 10 years to finally pass a bill that brought clarity to the issue? And even at that the "clarity" was only specific to the payment transaction side of the business. You can even argue the bill was only allowed to be passed due in large part to the media buzz from the BetOnSports case that was going around when the bill go through Congress.
And then finally, if this is such a "black and white" issue why do hundreds of sites, with tens-of-thousands of customers and millions of dollars of revenue continue to operate today and even advertise throughout mainstream media?
This industry will continue to flourish outside the U.S. and other countries where it is licensed and regulated will seek benefits from it. The U.S. will continue to try to prohibit the industry while American citizens who wish to spend their leisure time and money online playing poker, casino games or even sports betting, will continue to find plenty of options online to do so.
And I will continue to feel ashamed of our country and its "strategy" in dealing with the online gambling industry.

Dick Clark Brings in New Year

2010-01-05T21:11:00.002-06:00

So I am fully aware that Dick Clark has dealt with some serious medical issues in recent years and he certainly can no longer carry the popular moniker of America's Oldest Teenager, but I hope for the sake of the current generation of kids, that this is the last year we see him on his New Year's special.
It had been sometime since I found myself at home on New Year's Eve, but family commitments were such that I brought in the New Year in a nice and simple way at home with just my wife and I and the TV. I was amazed at how poor Dick looked and how hard he was to understand. I know how hard it can be to deal with strokes as I have many people very close to me suffer from them. I also know the importance of image and branding from my professional life and I hope that for Dick's sake someone close to him and convince him that next year he should take a behind the scenes role on the show, or maybe even pre-record something that won't have him live.
I might be over reacting here, but you can judge for yourself, see how much of a train wreck the final countdown was as the big ball droppped.

SmittySaid Blog Gets Overhaul for 2010

2010-01-05T19:28:00.002-06:00

Not only does 2010 usher in a new year and a new decade, it also ushers in a new look and feel to the SmittySaid blog.
In an effort to improve the blog, keep its content fresh and its own creator interested in it -- which is certainly a vital part of the process -- look for new and exciting changes to come from the site.
The idea of this post is really more for the posterity of actually have a dated entry signifying the official announcement of the change. I still don't know exactly how this will all take shape, but I have lots of ideas and concepts on the direction it will take and I will certainly keep everyone posted as the ideas develop and come to fruition.

2009-09-28T13:37:00.001-05:00

A Bygone Era

2009-07-08T09:51:00.003-05:00

Today’s post is of the personal nature as I feel obliged to give some props to my father-in-law who is enjoying his first day of retirement after 47 years of working.

That may not seem all that spectacular at first mention, but when you consider that he has spent all of his 47-working years at the same company it certainly moves him into the category of the remarkable.

The family gathered last night for a diner at one of the area’s nicer restaurants and I couldn’t help but become reflective of how things have changed since he started working.

My father-in-law was one of the first people his company hired, so the fact that the company itself is still in business after 47 years is an accomplishment. The fact that he remained loyal to them through his entire working life is another feat that will be hard to be matched in this day in age.

Is it idealistic to think that in 2009 companies should feel the same loyalty to their employees that was felt in 1962 (the year my father-in-law went to work)? I don’t think so. There is a fundamental issue at play here, big or small, a company’s main asset is its people. I would even argue that its internal people are often more important to their external people (customers). I only say that because if you have the right internal people first, the right customers will come. If you have the wrong people the wrong customers will follow.

Having the right people also makes it easier for companies to get through the lean times, many of which are going through right now. My father-in-law saw his company ebb and flow through good times and bad, often times laying employees off only to bring them back as business picked up.

I don’t know if my father-in-law worked or a company representing a bygone era and way of doing business or a guiding light for business owners in the 21^st century about the best rules of practice for their business? Either way, kudos to him for 47 years working at the same place and I wish him the best of luck in his retirement and am hopeful he can enjoy his new recliner.

World Series of Poker 'Main Event 09 Underway

2009-07-07T09:21:00.001-05:00

So I was on the All In Poker Radio show over the weekend (if you missed it you can hear the podcast of the show here).
One of the hot topics on the show that day was if the state of the economy was affecting the World Series of Poker Main Event (the $10K No Limit Hold 'Em that has been immortalized on ESPN). There was some speculation if maybe the number of players would finally start to decline after nearly a decade of record growth.
It would be hard to think the WSOP would be immune to the economy, but we heard on Monday that 500 players were turned away from the tournament due to over capacity. Despite having 4 different day ones where the field was split up to provide room for everyone, the WSOP turned away these players rather than add another day. This clearly points to a few things a) there are still tons of players looking to shell out $10K to play in the main event, even with this weak economy, and b) that Harrah's (the parent company of the WSOP) still has some work to do in accommodating the demand that it has built among poker players all over.
Here are some figures for this year's WSOP Main Event:
-- 6,494 players
-- $61,043,600 in prize money
-- 648 players will finish in the money
-- 9 final table players will be guaranteed $1.2 million
-- 1 winner will get $8.5 million

McNair’s 4th of July Fireworks Still Lingering

2009-07-05T10:16:00.003-05:00

So little did anyone know that when the 4th of July holiday of 2009 started as many others prior to it, that sports fans would be shocked of the news that Steve McNair was dead.
In the days since his death we have learned that it wasn’t just the man who was killed but his near squeaky-clean image has forever been changed along with the tragic death of the once former Sports Illustrated cover boy.
I was always fond of McNair, maybe it was the fact that he opted for a small Division I-AA college to prove he was a QB instead of the bigger D-I schools courting him to play a different position. Or maybe it was even in the defeat, against my St. Lois Rams, in the Super Bowl how he carried himself, both on and off the field. Or maybe it was the fact that he always seemed to be above the fray and stayed out of trouble.
As details of his death continue to come in the picture is starting to come together. I am not here to conjecture or add to speculation about what McNair was doing in his private life, but I couldn’t help but recall the devastation I felt after the 2002 death of one of my boyhood idols Darrell Porter.
Porter fought demons all his life, and while I met Porter a few years prior to his death as he played in a golf tournament with some friends of mine at our country club I enjoyed immensely the time he gave me and the trip down memory lane we had in the clubhouse after the tournament. He even signed a baseball for me and added his favorite Bible verse along with his signature.
Everyone had thought Darrell had won the hardest fight of his life. I was crushed to learn in that summer of 2002 that he had lethal amounts of cocaine in his system.
In no way do I mean to compare a substance abuse battle with death via gunshot, especially when it appears that McNair’s death was the result of a murder-suicide, and we can only speculate on the motives of a disgruntled girlfriend, so for the sake of this column, the speculation ends now.
The point is everyone has demons. Most of us have the luxury to battle these demons on our own and not have them play out on the public stage. McNair and Porter, unfortunately, had their battles play out (or at least in McNair’s case the results of his demons) in the public arena. Of course, part of being a celebrity is giving up a part of that private life and having your business, good or bad, be part of the public consumption.
Regardless of the demons – drugs, women, alcohol, anxiety, mental illness, financial management, etc. – batting them can often be the common denominator between celebrities and everyday people. The outcomes, good or bad, playing out in headlines everywhere with those left behind having a host of new questions and feelings to deal with, making the situation even more painful for family and friends who were close to the celebrity.
So instead of asking why a famous former Pro Bowl QB, complete with a wife and four children, would openly start to date a cocktail waitress and vacation with her in the tropics, buy her a luxury SUV, have a condo only miles from his family home, we just have to accept it for what it is.
Instead of asking why one of our childhood heroes would battle drugs, appear to recover, site the Bible in public speeches only to be found dead from the results of cocaine use, we have to just remind ourselves that even some of our heroes have demons, and their battles end up in our living rooms.

When a Marketing Promotion/Event Goes All Wrong

2009-07-02T16:57:00.004-05:00

Much as changed in the business of radio since I last toiled there for a paycheck. Gone are the days of independently owned and operated stations, with many of the market controlled by a handful companies who one "clusters" of stations in each market.

Most listeners don't even know these names, but companies like Clear Channel are among the largest.

From a pure "business" standpoint there are a lot of reasons why clusters make sense, but for a lot of other reasons clusters are bad for radio. This is one example of what happens when you don't have people "on the ground" in areas where your station ins broadcasting from.

What a nightmare.

Wine of the Week #1 (WoW)

2009-07-01T14:56:00.001-05:00

Every week we will feature a Wine of the Week (WoW). We will try to call out wines that we love and that more importantly, are very affordable.

The idea here isn't to do an exhaustive review of the wine or how fruity or bold it was. If you want that sort of stuff you can find it elsewhere. The goal with the WoW is to simple say, "hey, this is a great wine, try it, and it won't break your bank."

So, with that caveat, the first WoW we will feature is the Malbec from Gascon vineyards. The Argentinean wine was a pleasant surprise with its clean taste and went well with the beef dinner we had with it. I found my bottle at my local market for under $17 so it was well worth it. The label is to the left and the purple hue in it will jump out at you.

Google vs. Facebook

2009-06-30T11:59:00.004-05:00

If you are an Internet Marketer, or marketer in general, you need to read this recent article from Wired by Fred Vogelstein about the control for marketing dollars (mainly from huge firms that do "branding" campaigns), to get them online.

This is a great read, but as an online marketer, and one who firmly believes in performance-based marketing (campaigns that only pay when an action happens i.e. a sale, a lead, etc.), my gut is that the amount of "branding" done in the future will be less and less.

I could be way wrong on this, but I think this current slump in the economy has focused a lot of marketing attention to things that get results, or at least have a proven ROI behind them. As more and more top level executives (CEOs and CFOs) see this model working in hard economic times, why wouldn't they want it during good times as well? The only glitch could be the number of partner sites and properties that don't want to participate in performance marketing.

My experience is that if a site doesn't want to do a performance-based deal it usually means their traffic sucks (or at least isn't the traffic you want for whatever campaign you are working on).

As the web continues to evolve I suspect more and more properties will not only be open to performance marketing campaigns, but I suspect this channel of online marketing will come to dominate the sector. If indeed that is the case, Facebook and Google could be barking up the wrong tree (at least in reference to this Wired article).

Share your thoughts on this great read from Wired.

Brazil Storms Back to Keep U.S. Upset Bid @ Bay

2009-06-29T09:36:00.006-05:00

Well for 45 minutes of play in the FIFA Confederations Cup championship match the U.S. team did what no one thought they could do, score two goals against mighty Brazil.

Fans everywhere knew, even with a 2-0 halftime lead, Brazil was capable of getting the lead right back. A lot of nervous energy was being felt by U.S. supporters. That quickly was ratcheted up a notch as Brazil scored their first goal only a minute into the second half, meaning the next 44 minutes of play were going to be very nerve racking.

True to form the Samba stormed all the way back and put the game away in the 86 minute on a text-book world class goal off of a corner kick to seal their second-consecutive Confederations Cup title (the first country in FIFA history to pull that feat off), and their third overall.

Was the result the ideal ending for the U.S. team? No, of course not. Did any U.S. fan ever real feel like the game was in hand, even up 2-0 at the half? Not any smart one that had ever seen Brazil play and know their penchant for scoring a lot of goals in a hurry. Are there some great experiences, lessons, and positives to take from the game, and the entire tournament from a U.S. perspective? You bet.

If the U.S. has been able to hold on and take the Confederations Cup title it would have easily been the biggest win ever for the team, clinching their first ever title in a FIFA international tournament. But it is important to put this match, and this tournament in perspective. At its core the Confederations Cup is meant to be a dress rehearsal for the host nation of the next World Cup, in this case South Africa. Giving those on the operations team, the host cities, media operations, and other aspects of the tournament a slight taste of what is coming the next year.

Likewise, it gives the teams a taste for what the stadiums look and feel like, scout out new training facilities and other important details that are vital to a World Cup effort. Then, there is the little issue of the actual matches themselves. It gives the players an opportunity to play great competition, and coaches to see what their team looks like in this setting. In that regard, the U.S. was able to play Brazil twice, Italy, Spain, and Egypt in matches that actually meant something (more than just an international friendly).

Players like Landon Donovan, Tim Howard and Clint Dempsey cemented their role in the starting 11 for the U.S. team while a good mix of young players also got to get their feet wet and have a good showing in the tourney.

Looking at the larger picture, the 2009 Confederations Cup was a massive success for the U.S., especially considering they were 90 minutes away of being sent home before the Egypt match started. Another step was taken and now the U.S. can only be happy with getting wins at these tournaments (World Cup included) and not just having a “good showing.” This new perspective for the players, fans, and coaches, means the bar has been raised and that in itself, could turn out to be the biggest positive for the National Team in a longtime.

Wacko Jacko is Gone

2009-06-25T21:05:00.004-05:00

I write that headline not to make fun or light of a person's death.
I use the tactic only to drive home the point that I am among those in my generation who grew up loving the music and performance that was Michael Jackson. From his days with the Jackson 5 to Billy Jean, Thriller, even Man in the Mirror, Michael Jackson was without the King of Pop.
I realized today though that Michael Jackson, the one I knew and grew up listening to, didn't die today but a longtime ago.
The Michael Jackson that came out in the headlines, courtrooms and documentaries in the last 15 years wasn't the guy I was fond of as a kind, and certainly wasn't a person I was fond of as an adult the more I learned and heard about his personal life.
Unfortunately in this day and age of instant gratification and a 24-hour news cycle maybe we learn more about celebrities than we should, or more than we need. While Michael's career on the stage stands for itself and alone as one of the true pop icons of the TV and video area, his life off the stage can't be overlooked as well.
Michael's legacy was made in part due to the convergence of technology (the advancement of cable TV and music video), therefore that same technology (cable news, and cameras at every turn) was Michael's downfall and what ultimately tarnished that image.
Regardless of who you feel about the man, sympathay goes out to his family and those close to him. His music will still be enjoyed for generations to come, but admitidely with some of the luster worn off.

Historic Win Propels U.S. Into Finals of Confederations Cup

2009-06-24T20:38:00.000-05:00

WOW.
What a victory for the U.S. over Spain in the semifinals of the Confederations Cup . If you missed the match, the highlights are above.
What was truly impressive with this performance was more than just the result on the scoresheet (2-0) but the fact that this was a game the U.S. deserved to win and more than held their own against the Spaniards the full 90 minutes and the entire length of the pitch. Landon Donovan officially worked his way out of my doghouse (I am sure a major relief for him), with stellar play in both the defensive end and great setup and distribution of the ball on the offense end of the field. Cap it off with Tim Howard standing on his head in goal for most of the game and you have what one of the best showings for the U.S. team in modern history.
Much debate has been made about where this win ranks among all time victories for the U.S. I put it at No. 3 (with the 1950 World Cup win over England No. 1 and the 2002 win over Mexico in the knockout round in the WC No. 2) all time, and the top non-World Cup win ever. I even rank it above the 1994 WC win over Columbia for the main reason that while the U.S. played their guts out in that match as well they had a) home field advantage and b) an own-goal by Columbia proppel them to victory (for the record I still put the Columbia win in the top 5 along with the win of T&T that put the U.S. in the 1990 WC).
Regardless it was a great win and soccer fans all of the U.S. have something to look forward to this Sunday.

*****UPDATE******
Brazil defeated South Africa on Thursday setting up a rematch for the U.S. from their group match against the Samba. This is another great chance at redemption for the Red, White and Blue and could go a long way in developing this team as an international power and a team to be reckoned with in the 2010 World Cup.

USA vs Spain -- Semifinal Match of Confederations Cup

2009-06-24T12:55:00.003-05:00

The U.S. Men's National Team looks to continue it improbably run today in a semi-final match against Spain in the FIFA Cofederations Cup.

The U.S. got to the semis after a 3-0 thumping over Egypt. If that wasn't enough, the U.S. got the much needed perfect score with Brazil thrashing Italy by the same 3-0 score. This perfect storm combination meant there were three teams in the U.S. group with 1-2 records, so the tie-breakers ensued and it come down that the the Red, White and Blue advanced.

Win or lose in this semifinal, it will be a great experience for the younger players on the squad to get to play in such a high-profile match. Just hours before kickoff, I would have personally liked to have seen U.S. coach Bob Bradley go with a younger group in his lineup and rewards those players who played so well against Egypt, but instead we have to rely on veteran players, that so far in this tourney have looked less than impressive, to get the win and advance to the finals.

Highlights and a match re-cap will be posted at the conclusion of the game.

U.S. DoJ Freezes $30 Million of Online Poker Players Money

2009-06-20T09:49:00.002-05:00

Much as already been made about the recent actions of the U.S. Department of Justice's efforts to freeze $30 million in player deposits that were sitting in accounts with online financial transaction operators.

The key here is to note that the money was NOT in accounts managed or operated by the online poker rooms but actually companies that serve the poker sites but facilitating the funds for them. Now of course, anyone with half a brain knows that the processors couldn't exist without the sites and the vice versa.

My hope is that this action will finally get players fired up enough to get a grassroots effort going to get serious about regulating the industry once and for all. Up to now the DoJ's actions have been aimed at companies (and you could argue that this is aimed at them again), but this time the players are directly involved as they can't access funds which are legally and properly theirs. If that doesn't fire up a consumer I don't know what would.

Here are some good stories to read about the fallout from the DoJ's actions.

A letter to the editor to the Las Vegas Sun Times

A opinion column written by Chuck Blount of the San Antonio Express-News

Dave Matthews Band Back in STL

2009-06-18T09:31:00.002-05:00

The Dave Matthews Band found itself back in St. Louis as part of the first leg of its US tour supporting its new album Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King.

This album is a tribute to the bands former sax player (and founding member) LeRoi Moore. Critics have said the album is reminiscent of the bands roots. I have had the album since its release date and as a die-hard DMB fan I think it is one of their finest works yet.

The band was back in St. Louis last night (6.17.09) for a show at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater (probably the worst venue in all of St. Louis for a show). The last time DMB was in St. Louis was for a June '08 show of historic significance in that it was the first concert at the new Busch Stadium.

For those that are interested, here is the set list from last night's show:

– “Pantala Naga Pampa”

– “Rapunzel”

– “Shake Me Like a Monkey”

– “Funny the Way It Is”

– “Typical Situation”

– “Anyone Seen the Bridge”

– “Too Much” (Fake)

– “Lie in Our Graves”

– “Seven”

– “Corn Bread”

– “Best of What’s Around”

– “Crush”

– “Why I Am”

– “Dreaming Tree”

– “Grey Street”

– “Dive In”

– “Shotgun” (tease)

– “Squirm”

– “Time Bomb”

Encore

– “#40″

– “You and Me”

– “All Along the Watchtower”

Was Artie Lange Out of Line?

2009-06-17T10:41:00.000-05:00

First things first, I am a Joe Buck fan, and in full disclosure I know who Artie Lange is and use to watch him on Stern, but other than that, I have no real opinion on him.

While Joe is from St. Louis, I have never had any personal interactions with him. I have been at the same function as him numerous times but the stars have never been aligned for us to ever talk, even briefly.

So much of STL was eagerly awaiting the debut of the Joe Buck Show on HBO Monday night. Buck had booked Brett Farve as his top guest and the interview was superficial for the most part but Joe was very good.

I was enjoying the show and then for the last segment Joe brought on Artie Lange to be a part of a panel discussion. A train wreck ensued and while I thought Artie had some funny lines Joe clearly was uncomfortable with the direction the show was going. Even in that light I thought Joe handled himself well. Other hosts might have taken the bait and sunk the entire ship, Joe was able to at least keep it afloat.

Way too much has been made of this in the media so I will keep it brief, but what else would people expect when you mix premium cable (i.e. HBO) with a comic who has made his name as a cast member on the Howard Stern Show?

HBO has taken the clips of the show off of YouTube but the program will be reairing this month on HBO, I would suggest you check it out if you can. If you can't read Joe's take courtesy of SI.com.

FOLLOW UP:

The saga continued today on the Mad Dog show on Sirius radio:

Cleveland HiBore XLS Drivers Rock

2009-06-16T16:16:00.003-05:00

I played in a golf tournament over the weekend and I was able to bring out my new Cleveland HiBore XLS driver and I have to say that it kicks butt.

I bought the new driver over the winter after playing a round with a friend who had one. I needed a new driver so we let me hit a few off the tee with his and I felt like it was a good fit for me.

These drivers use some new technology from a company that has long been known in golf circles for their excellent wedges and irons. I have no idea if these club is making in-roads on the tour, but it is a very forgiving club and one that I would recommend it for anyone. Go to your local pro shop and hit a few or check them out online here.

Inaugural Post

2009-06-16T16:04:00.000-05:00

More for the historic significance of it than anything, I wanted to put an intro/inaugural post for my new blog.

Thanks for taking the time to visit the site and check out the links. This blog is designed to be a free-flowing form and exchange of ideas and opinions from those who read it.

Some days you might find insight/opinions on sports and events in the news while others you might find a review of a new restaurant, wine, movie, book or anything else that I find of interest. Still other days you mind find a little bit of everything. I will be commenting on things I see going on in my professional life as an online marketer for www.shoes.com or in my personal life in the lovely midwest of the U.S.

Bookmark this page or sign up for the RSS feed as there will always be something fresh and new to keep your interest peaked. If you don't like what you see on Tuesday, chances are pretty good you will be interested in what is posted on Wednesday as about the only thing that will be a certainty with this blog is that you never know what will come next.