Happy Thanksgiving

Last Thanksgiving, I wrote the following as a direct rip-off of my favorite column which Joe Posnanski (Sports Illustrated, Kansas City Star) writes each year. As I re-read the piece, I realized that most of what I gave thanks for in 2009 is what I say "thanks" for in 2010.

So, here we go--2010 edition...

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I’m thankful for our screened-in porch and the view out our back yard--for fall colors and the leaves which now cover our lawn, and for a Kansas sunset. I’m thankful for my short commute and the serenity of driving through our neighborhood and into my driveway as I come home from work each night. I’m thankful for the therapy of a glass of California red coupled with a fine cigar and the sound of my honey’s voice as we de-brief on the events of the day.

I’m thankful for the smells of Allen Fieldhouse, for afternoon games in that grand old barn when the light streams onto the floor, and for the jumping jack students who make the tip-off of any game there a special experience. I’m thankful for thousands of bodies swaying in time to the singing of the Alma Mater, for the shouting of “Rock Chalk!” on the east side of Memorial Stadium and the answered “Jayhawk!” from the west side. I’m thankful for crimson and blue, for the Hill on a fall day, for red tile roofs and for one of the prettiest campuses anywhere.

I’m thankful for coaches who mold the lives of high school students—coaches like Bob Hurley (St. Anthony’s, New Jersey) and Roger Barta (Smith Center, Kansas), and thus touch these kids’ lives forever. I’m thankful for college coaches who lead their programs with dignity and character—people like Bill Self, Roy Williams, Turner Gill, Mike Anderson and Pat Summitt. I’m thankful for voices like Brad Nessler, Ron Franklin, Clark Kellogg and, yes, even Brent Musberger—voices I hear and which immediately transport me to a memory given the number of college games they have broadcast. And, of course, I’m thankful for Bob Davis, the voice of the Jayhawks whose calls of big plays in Kansas history would make a classic “greatest hits” CD.

I'm thankful for men and women who serve to protect our freedom. And, I'm thankful to those who have gone before them to do the same for past generations.

I’m thankful for those I never tire of watching, playing games I love. And, I'm thankful for the new generation of stars--guys like Dexter, Eric, Jamaal, Brandon and Javier.

I’m thankful for words which turn into sentences which turn into stories. I’m thankful for the written artistry of Joe Posnanski, Rick Reilly and Thomas Boswell and for the literary genius of Dennis Lehane, Pat Conroy, James Ellroy and Larry McMurtry.

I’m thankful for producers, writers and directors who take chances and who strive to develop quality television programming like Mad Men, Glee, and Friday Night Lights. I’m even more thankful to those who watch and help keep these programs on the air.

I’m thankful for my church family—for the staff which makes the place run to the many there that have my utmost respect and to whom I use as role models for my life and the lives of my family.

I’m thankful for those who save animals and place them in loving homes where they become a member of a family.

I'm thankful for the good aspects of technology--for the ability to connect, via Facebook, to those who have long since drifted out of my network of friends since high school or college.

I’m thankful for those who give back, and for those who give to the less fortunate. I’m thankful for Ronald McDonald House and for the Christmas Red Bag program. And, I'm thankful for this time of year when stories of grace are a part of what makes this season special.

I’m thankful for my friends and for the amazement which comes when their call or note comes at a time when I need it most. I’m thankful for sincerity, for a kind word, for random acts of kindness and for friends who allow you to do something for them.

I’m thankful for a mother’s love, a father’s concern, a son’s inquisitiveness and a daughter’s sincerity. I’m thankful for a wife’s partnership, support and gift of giving of herself.

I’m thankful for Bobbi, Erin, Jared and Brett. I’m thankful for my and my family’s health.

I’m thankful for this day when I can say, “I’m thankful.”

I’m thankful…

Happy Thanksgiving!

Mid-week musings

- The Beatles library was released recently on i-Tunes and, within a day, two of the band's albums reached the top 10 on the online music retailer's charts. I report this as I sit and watch a Beatles retrospective on The History Channel. In sum, it's been a good week for The Beatles.

- Rivals.com released its list of predicted bowl match-ups and believes that Missouri will play Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl, a rematch of the two teams' match-up in that bowl in 2008.

- Okay, I really don't like the new Target holiday retail work. What started out as a head-scratcher has turned into flat-out dislike. The character of the woman who can't wait until Target opens after Thanksgiving is very irritating and a stereotype of the Black Friday shopper.

- Color me surprised...not! The publicist hired to be Kanye West's media trainer quit after three days on the job. The publicist gave up after West's interview with Today Show host Matt Lauer where the rapper clearly became frustrated and, ultimately, visibly angry.

- In case you missed it, Ohio State University president Gordon Gee strongly suggested that TCU and Boise State were not deserving of a spot in a BCS National Championship game. Gee continues to support the BCS and bowl system, saying that he's worried about a national playoff leading to increased professionalism in college football. Why? He's worried about the pressure on "student athletes." What Gee did not reference is why football is the only Division 1 sport without a playoff, and why the lower divisions in college football can support a playoff, even though it clearly means more games for the "student athletes" of whom he expresses so much concern.

- After looking dominant against the likes of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Valparaiso and North Texas, the Kansas Jayhawks hoops squad now dials up the competition meter with upcoming games against Ohio and Arizona in Las Vegas, UCLA, Memphis in New York, Colorado State (Sprint Center, Kansas City, MO), USC and at California.

- That team who many predicted would be "the best team in Kansas" lost against top-ranked Duke last night at the CBE tournament in Kansas City. Kansas State is good but needs help at point guard, the spot vacated by Denis Clemente. Jacob Pullen is an off-guard and running the offense doesn't allow Pullen to easily move without the ball to create scoring opportunities. The Wildcats will figure it out, which is why early season games against teams like Duke will pay dividends in March.

- People magazine recently named Ryan Reynolds as the "World's Most Sexiest Man." Meanwhile, Esquire magazine crowned Minka Kelly as "Sexiest Woman" in its "Woman We Love" edition. Kelly starred on Friday Night Lights and is the main squeeze of New York Yankee star Derek Jeter.

- Apparently much of America was intrigued as to whether Bristol Palin would pull an upset in this season's Dancing With the Stars. The series had its highest final episode viewership since 2007 with over 26 million tuning in on Tuesday night.

- It looks like Tom Cruise is out should the Mission Impossible franchise continue past the fourth movie, currently in production. Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker) is rumored to be the guy who will take over should there by an MI 5. Renner has a supporting role in the fourth installment of the Mission Impossible series.

- On Tuesday, the Kansas mens basketball team won its 63rd straight game at Allen Fieldhouse. That consecutive streak pales, though, in comparison to the one Oprah Winfrey is overseeing. Winfrey's daytime talk show remained the most watched talk show in syndication for the 602nd week in a row!

- Has this ever happened before!? The New York Times and The Washington Post, long competitors on stories as major as Watergate and the Pentagon Papers, usually do everything possible to avoid having similar content on their front pages. Yesterday, the two newspapers ran the same photo--of the deadly stampede in Cambodia--in roughly the same size and in the same spot on their page ones.

Happy Thanksgiving Week - volume III

Today is generally acknowledged as the busiest travel day of the year. And, thankfully, I won't be out on the roadways nor schlepping through an airport in an attempt to get to Grandma's house for the holidays.

This heavy travel is spurring discussion on the latest security measures being employed at airports--notably the full-body scanners which are becoming more prevalent. I've used the screeners and have been patted down as a result. (Who knew that a quarter in a pants pocket would show up on the machine's screen?) As uncomfortable as it may be, I'll do whatever it takes to make my flight secure and safe. But, seriously, isn't there a better and more efficient way to process travelers through the needed security, e.g., some sort of pre-screening system for frequent travelers?

Good luck and safe travels to all my peeps who are out and about this extended holiday weekend.

Happy Thanksgiving week - volume II

Happy Tuesday, one and all.

What's cool about Thanksgiving week, prior to Thursday, is the feeling you get when visiting the local mall or shopping district--the environment isn't yet into that hectic, over-the-top Christmas frenzy. Yet, sadly, signs are on the horizon of what's to come:

- The exterior signage proclaiming "We'll be open 5-9 p.m. on Thanksgiving." Really!? Is it that important that some store is open so people can flee their family gathering in order to get out and start shopping for Christmas?

- Television, radio and print ads shout "opening at 4:00 a.m. the day after Thanksgiving." I always feel really, really sad for those who work retail at the post-Thanksgiving time of year. I did it once and it's always made me appreciate those who have to deal with the thundering hordes of shoppers over the next few weeks.

Speaking of which, where did the name "Black Friday" come from? Wikipedia does not provide any clear sense as to the origin of the term, suggesting that using the phrase in connection with this day after Thanksgiving may have originated in 1975, given two newspaper articles, originating in Philadelphia, which used the words. The term "Cyber Monday" (the Monday after Thanksgiving) started in 2005 by the National Retail Federation, recognizing the power of web shopping, particularly for those who did not or could not get out in the days following Thanksgiving.

I wish the holiday shopping vibe could stay like what I experienced yesterday with my wife--friendly sales associates with helpful ideas coupled with fellow shoppers who weighed in with opinions as we sought out food preparation items for Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving week

Today starts what, for me, is perhaps the best week of the year. I love Thanksgiving and what it means, I enjoy the holiday season, and I have such fond memories of this week, both as a child and as an adult.

So, let's start off the week with some idle musings and fun facts, shall we?

- Michael May is a part-time bartender in Cleveland. Recently, May left a pouch carrying $3,600--eight months worth of tips--on the roof of his car before driving off. A volunteer safety ambassador in Cleveland found the bag in the street, took it to police, who then traced it to May through bank receipts. May's response? "It's a miracle," he said. "It's nice to know there are honest people in the world."

- The Twitter Nation was abuzz last night with rumors that Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez had quit the team after his Saturday night, publicly telecast chewing out by head coach Bo Pellini. Speculation is that Pellini was incensed at reports that Martinez called, or texted, his father from the locker room after aggravating an ankle injury in the game against Texas A&M. Regardless, Pellini's antics, both in this instance as well as his rants at officials, drew the ire of Nebraska's chancellor, Harvey Perlman. This is the same Perlman who displayed his petulant side at last summer's "we're leaving the Big 12" press conference, publicly calling out Texas and Missouri, and piously explaining why NU was ditching the conference for the greener grass of the Big Ten.

- I'd strongly encourage you to buy or download Bruce Springsteen's latest, The Promise.

- A couple of things I'm thankful for this week: the smell of pumpkin pie and the aroma of baking gingerbread cookies.

- The Wakefield, MA track and field team donned their new team t-shirts recently. The front of the shirts read, "WTF." School officials later admitted that they were unaware of the text-speak definition of the letters.

- It's Border War week--Kansas versus Missouri in the oldest college football rivalry west of the Mississippi. And, being ever the dutiful Jayhawk alum, I will report that the series record is 55-54-9. My colleagues and friends who hail from the University of Missouri dispute this record, stating it as 55-54-9 in favor of Missouri. No matter, it's a game where the adage of "throw out the record book" applies. This will be the fourth straight year the teams have battled at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO, with the games matching the large scale, NFL-stadium setting and capturing national attention. In 2007, MU beat Kansas 36-28 with the ESPN College GameDay experience a part of the festivities. In 2008, a late touchdown pass gave Kansas a 40-37 victory. And, last year, Missouri paid back the late-game victory by kicking a field goal for the win. What do we expect this year? Watch this space later in the week for my prediction.

- I've been a fan of Target's advertising and marketing communications but I'm very underwhelmed by this holiday season's television advertising for the retailer.

- Despite the Democratic Party's historic midterm losses in the recent election, President Barack Obama's approval ratings actually went up recently. Three days before the election, 43% of Americans approved of the job he's doing. Now, that figure is up to 47%.

Wrapping up the sports week

- Gee, maybe Taylor Martinez of Nebraska wouldn't have been hurt so easily at the beginning of the Texas A&M if he'd been sitting down at the end of the victory last week over Kansas. Instead, the injured QB was on the field, passing with less than a minute to play.

- There's something wrong with the system when a player gets suspended for nine games for receiving $4,000 in improper benefits but a head coach at an NCAA institution, who broke rules he's paid to understand, gets an eight-game suspension.

- There's just something very cool about Army and Notre Dame playing tonight in Yankee Stadium in New York. It's the first football game to be played in the new Yankee Stadium. The old stadium, across the street from the present location, hosted a number of notable football contests, including the "greatest game ever played"--the Baltimore Colts win over the New York Giants in the NFL Championship Game in 1958.

- Oklahoma State's star receiver Justin Blackmon may be better than the Cowboy's stud of last season, Dez Bryant.

- Former Oregon coach Mike Bellotti is rumored to be a candidate for the opening at Colorado. If he gets hired, that means Bellotti would face his old school next season when CU joins the Pacific 12.

- Do you remember what Jay Leno asked Hugh Grant after Grant was caught in a publicly compromising situation with a prostitute? Grant, at the time, was married to beauty Elizabeth Hurley and Leno's question, when Grant appeared on The Tonight Show, was "what were you thinking!?" I have a feeling Leno would ask Tony Parker the same question after revelations this week about Parker's sexting relationship with teammate Brent Barry's former wife. Parker, of course, is married to his own beauty, actress Eva Longoria.

- It's going to be a very exciting end to the NASCAR season tomorrow at Miami-Homestead Raceway. Denny Hamlin has a 15 point lead on Jimmie Johnson going into this race. Hamlin qualified 36th but came from that far back last year, in this same race, to win. I think Hamlin will do enough to stop Johnson from winning his fifth consecutive Sprint Cup championship.

Best halftime college ads

The Wall Street Journal used four experts to select the best college television advertising from the 112 ads surveyed--commercials which typically air during halftime breaks of college football broadcasts.

Both the University of Missouri and the University of Kansas were mentioned--the only Big 12 institutions which made the top 13 cited by the panel.

Jon Hamm was the "best cameo" in Missouri's spot which uses the "MIZ-ZOU" cheer coming from notable alums. In Kansas' case, the panel said that "visually, the spot is pretty typical...but the 'Rock Chalk, Jayhawk' chant in the background gets you fired up."

Other spots of note:

- Tom Brokaw as "best voiceover" for the University of Iowa.
- "Best historical footage" in Rice University's spot, which features President John F. Kennedy.
- "Best original score" by Shimon, a robot who plays the marimba while a fellow student plays drums for Georgia Tech's commercial.

College football predictions - week twelve

This might be called the "Saturday of Tradition" in college football. Army and Notre Dame will renew their rivalry tomorrow, but in a venue where they formerly played every year--Yankee Stadium in New York. And, Northwestern and Illinois will do battle in Wrigley Field in Chicago.

The playing of these games in traditional, old stadiums recalls the days when the Chicago Bears played at Wrigley, along with some college games, and the Army-Notre Dame battles took place at the Polo Grounds and then the original Yankee Stadium. In fact, the term "subway alumni" originated as a result of this rivalry, given that Notre Dame fans and alums would journey, via that transportation mode, from the New York boroughs to the South Bronx to watch this game each year.

Here are this week's predictions:

Notre Dame over Army. Army is bowl eligible for the first time since 1999 but is facing a Notre Dame team playing with renewed confidence, given their defeat of Utah last week.

Illinois over Northwestern. Northwestern lost starting QB Dan Persa last week in the big win over Iowa, thus making the Illini the favorite in this week's game in Chicago.

Oklahoma State over Kansas. KU's season has devolved to one of "let's see if we make improvement each week," given the final three games of Nebraska last week, OSU this week, and Missouri next Saturday. Staying within the spread of 24 would be considered a good day for the Jayhawks.

Missouri over Iowa State. Has there been a more up-and-down team in the Big 12 this season than Iowa State? They've lost their last two, won the two before that, lost the two before that, and won the two before that, meaning they should win this weekend, right? No. Even though the game is in Ames, QB Austin Arnaud is out for the remainder of the season.

Colorado over Kansas State. Perhaps Colorado's win last week for interim coach Brian Cabral was a one-time thing. Or, perhaps the Buffs were shocked to reality with the firing of Dan Hawkins. I think CU builds off last week's victory with another win in Boulder.

Stanford over California. Yes, I know that Cal held Oregon to 15 points last week. The Golden Bears are good but Stanford QB Andrew Luck is special--Stanford will win in a tight one befitting this rivalry.

Ohio State over Iowa. Last week's loss had to take it out of the Hawkeyes, who no longer are involved in the Big Ten race.

Nebraska over Texas A&M. This will be the best game in the Big 12 tomorrow. And, NU seems to rise to the level of their competition.

Oklahoma over Baylor. The Bears continue to tumble.

Texas over Florida Atlantic. Don't be fooled by the name of the opponent--FAU has won three straight. And, this game is huge for Texas--win and they are bowl eligible; lose and they need to defeat A&M next week to get to a bowl.

Texas Tech over Weber State. In an odd scheduling twist, the Red Raiders finish their season with two non-conference games--against Weber State tomorrow and against Houston next week.

South Florida over Pittsburgh. This game is in Tampa--a win puts the Bulls in a tie with Pitt atop the Big East.

Season predictions to date: 84-33, or 72%.

What are we watching?

Last week I wrote about what it says about us as consumers given the shows we view on television. So, you now ask, what are most of us watching?

The latest Nielsen ratings, for last week, are released and, not surprisingly, the sport called the National Football League continues to deliver monster ratings. The Sunday, November 14, NBC prime-time game between New England and Pittsburgh delivered a 20.8 rating, meaning that 21 million sets of eyeballs were watching these two AFC rivals.

But, football didn’t deliver the best ratings of the week—that honor belonged to the Dancing With the Stars franchise, which once again is delivering big-time ratings on a regular basis. The Monday night program (ABC) has delivered a 20.9 rating, season to date, with the Tuesday results show providing a 17.2 rating.

What are the other high performers this season? Here you go (with season to date ratings, all adults):

NCIS, 21.6
NCIS Los Angeles, 17.7
The Mentalist, 16.9
Criminal Minds, 15.8
CSI, 15.6
Two and a Half Men, 15.3
The Big Bang Theory, 14.8
Grey’s Anatomy, 14.3
The Good Wife, 14.2
Desperate Housewives, 13.8
60 Minutes, 13.7
Survivor: Nicaragua, 13.2

How about some of our, and your, other favorites, as well as new shows this fall?

Blue Bloods, 12.9
Glee, 12.8
Undercover Boss, 12.6
CSI: Miami, 11.8
Private Practice, 9.8
Detroit 1-7-8, 9.3
Law & Order: L.A., 8.4

Kansas vs. Nebraska

The Kansas-Nebraska football series was the oldest continuous "rivalry" in college football. I place quotes around the word "rivalry" because the games played between these two schools have hardly resembled anything like a rivalry--the Huskers have dominated the series, 91-23-3 (including tonight's game.)

The series between these two schools ended this evening with another Nebraska win--20-3. And, yet again, we were exposed to a classless act by the Huskers. Nebraska was up by 17 with less than a minute left in the game...and passed the ball.

To review, this is the program who announced their departure from the Big 12 this past July by holding a press conference with their university's chancellor and athletic director arrogantly defending NU's academic and athletic superiority while calling out the alleged conference realignment misdeeds of schools like Texas and Missouri. And, this is the same program who, once when playing Kansas, went for two at the end of the first half, even though the score was Nebraska 33, Kansas 0. Head coach, and now athletic director, Tom Osborne's comment was "we were concerned about Kansas' explosive offense."

So, I guess that I shouldn't be surprised that the series ending in this manner--with head coach Bo Pellini instructing his quarterback, Taylor Martinez, to pass with 45 seconds left to play. (Yes, this is the same Martinez who was in the game with less than a minute left, even though he was questionable going into the contest due to injury. Why was Martinez still playing? Apparently, the boos by some Nebraska fans suggested they were wondering the same thing.)

When asked after the game about the call, Gill said, "They did what they felt they needed to do." To me, it felt like it was Pellini's way of saying, "Welcome back to Lincoln, Turner." It's too bad that Pellini won't be on the sideline when Kansas plays Nebraska in basketball--January 15 in Lawrence and February 5 in Lincoln. The record in that series? Kansas leads 168-71 and has won 15 straight against NU.