Sumptuous Fare for your Super Bowl Party

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Ron Villejo, PhD

NFL and Super Bowl Rake In the Big Bucks

Unlike Major League Baseball apparently, the National Football League draws a large national audience.  Perhaps because the gridiron offers up such a limited supply of games, compared to its brethren on the diamond, each NFL game, especially the Big Game, taps into that pool of football fanatics.

Thank you for reading, let me know what you think, and enjoy the Super Bowl!

Ron Villejo, PhD

NBA `Rolling in the Deep (Dough)

#1 is the New York Knicks, #2 the Los Angeles Lakers, and #3 the Chicago Bulls.  These teams aren't exactly running away with the NBA, in terms of winning records, which proves that the relationship between winning on the floor and carving out profits isn't necessarily a straightforward one.  Here is the full story and list - Forbes Releases 16th Annual NBA Team Valuations.

Now this makes better sense, doesn't it.  The Miami Heat, Oklahoma City Thunder, and San Antonio Spurs are such superb teams, not just for winning on the floor but also spending wisely on players.  

Hmm, what to do with Michael Jordan's team, Charlotte Bobcats?  ESPN 1000 Waddle and Silvy interviewed Charles Barkley at one point, and he spoke openly about Jordan not being all that good of an executive.  It caused a rift in their friendship apparently, but it's the truth, and sometimes the truth is a hard pill to swallow.

#5 Dwayne Wade, #4 Kevin Durant, #3 Derrick Rose, #2 LeBron James, and #1 Kobe Bryant.  Rose has raked in the big bucks, while sitting out most of three seasons now.  Nice.  

Thank you for reading, and watching, and let me know what you think!

Ron Villejo, PhD

Story of Megan Pettine and the Cleveland Browns

(image credit)

Who is Megan Pettine, and why has her tweet caught the NFL by storm?

She is the daughter of Mike Pettine, the recently hired Head Coach of the Cleveland Browns.  Our world, and consequently what we say, have become so jaded, that by many standards, it is a positively innocuous tweet.  Put different names to this father and daughter duo and to the organization he was interviewing with, and that tweet would've slipped into oblivion, just as quickly as she had tapped it out.  

But that's the rub, isn't it.  Good or bad, any NFL team is hardly likely to escape the attention of fans and the media, especially if there is something even a smidgen scandalous about any one of them.  My hope is that the Browns take a step back, and reflect on its brand vis-a-vis its target audience and the larger media.  They're not exactly hot stuff in that regard.  In fact, Forbes ranked the Browns 22nd among The Most Valuable NFL Teams in 2013.

(image credit)

Mike Pettine was expecting it, so he didn't balk when the last question asked at his first news conference as Cleveland Browns head coach was about his 19-year-old daughter's unfortunate post on Twitter following his first interview. 

As Pettine talked, it became clear how social media and the Internet can make life difficult. 

After tweeting excitedly on Jan. 16 that her father would be going back for a second interview with the Browns, Megan Pettine added: "Its the browns.. But hey, still pretty cool!" 

The tweet was later deleted, and the account deactivated. 

Still, it didn't help the Browns' already battered image. 

Pettine said when the tweet went viral and was picked up by websites that follows the NFL, Megan called her father in tears. 

"She was mortified," Pettine said. "Called me hysterically crying one day after it happened." 

Pettine said a very long father-daughter chat followed. 

"She learned a very valuable lesson in the power of social media," he said. 

Pettine added that Megan's formative years were spent in Baltimore "where she was trained to not be a Browns fan." 

"So I hope that we can give her a little leniency that way," he said. 

As he spoke, it was evident how difficult the experience was for father and daughter, and how close they are. 

"She sent me a text this morning," Pettine said on the day of his hiring, "that I think would have made most fathers cry."

Reference: Pettine's daughter 'learned lesson'.

Social media is something we've known about, and participated in, for several years now.  From fomenting the Arab Spring revolution a couple of year ago, to raking Justin Bieber over the coals this week, social media is powerful indeed and we are just beginning, I'd say, to come to grips with it.

I love this little article from ESPN, above, because how we come to grips with that power can be a very personal, family matter.  My wife and I have a 15-year old daughter ourselves, and we hate for any young person to feel so upset like that.

But live and learn, eh.

Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think!

Ron Villejo, PhD

A Question of Major Wins for Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods

One corporate algorithm I created is targeT², and it's meant to help top leaders hit tough targets.  targeT² does a complete sweep of factors, that are necessary to hit those tough targets, and one of them has to do with personal relationships.  It is hush-hush for a CEO, for instance, if he or she were having an extramarital affair.  I respect the CEO's right to decide and choose, this right being a fundamental value of a democratic society.  But if he or she saw the value of engaging me as a management consultant, then we'd have to explore anything and everything that bears upon those tough targets.

Look at Tiger Woods.  

He worked his ass off, and clawed back to Number One ranking in the golf world.  This, though, after his extramarital affairs exploded onto the media, leaving his marriage is disarray, and drastically pulled down his performance.  He won five PGA tours last year, but he's going on six years now without a Major win.  He's stuck at still a phenomenal 14 wins, but the very idea of breaking Jack Nicklaus' record 18 grows ever fainter each passing year.

"I know that I don't have 20 years in my prime," Woods said earlier this week. "I'm 38, I don't see being 58 and being in my prime. Most guys don't jump from the foul line at age 58, so it's a little different, but the outlook is still the same. I still prepare the same, I still work my tail off to be ready to compete at this level and beat everyone that I'm playing against." 

Would he still be happy with his career if he won "only" 14 majors? 

"All I know is that I'm still in I feel my peak years," he said. "I'm still playing well. There have been a number of guys who have gone on even in their early 40s to win major championships. Mark [O'Meara] did it -- he's the oldest one to do it, to win multiples in the same year. Jack won in his 40s, Hogan won multiples in his 40s, actually 38 and above. I feel like I've got a number of years ahead of me and I'm really looking forward to that."

Reference: Even if he does win the Farmers, Tiger Woods can't win this week.

That fact that Woods started to win in bunches again last year is obviously in his favor, and there is a good likelihood that he will win at least one more Major, before he stashes his clubs in the closet for good.  I'd love to do formal analytics of his chances at winning one, two, three, four, five Majors, and so on.  But I'd say those chances are on a downward trajectory.  

As a management consultant, with targeT² on hand, I can help Woods position himself in an even better position to break Nicklaus' record.  He definitely has reason to be hopeful, especially as he noted in that last paragraph, above.  He's on the doorstep to 40 years old, and O'Meara, Nicklaus and Hogan wait for him with wins inside the aged, hallowed house.  

But the question is, Will Tiger actually be one of them?

Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think!

Ron Villejo, PhD

NHL Strong vis-a-vis John Tortorella Nonsense

Vancouver Canucks' head coach John Tortorella

Here's the story, in a nutshell.  The Calgary Flames head coach Bob Hartley began the game with a lineup of goons, hoping to face the top line of the Vancouver Canucks.  But John Tortorella, seeing the provocation, had last dibs on which of his players to actually put on the ice.  So he countered with his own goon squad.  Not surprisingly, multiple fights ensued.  Like it or not, that much is hockey gamesmanship.  

But Tortorella added unnecessary fuel to the fire by trying to enter the Flames' locker room after the first period.  Which resulted in a 15-day suspension.

ESPN Scott Burnside offered a good piece on the incident, but I think the title is overstated:  Tortorella's actions black eye on NHL.  Yes, it's a black eye, but I simply doubt that any negative fallout among fans, for example, will be that significant.  On ESPN 1000 radio, Waddle and Silvy talked about the added difficulty the NHL will have in attracting casual fans to the game.  I just don't think this incident will unduly add or subtract from that difficulty.

At least not any more so than the impact of other dumbass actions by head coaches had in their respective leagues:

• Case in point: Jason Kidd, spilling a cup of water late in a game, to buy an unwarranted timeout (NBA, Brooklyn Nets)
• Mike Tomlin, standing in an off-limits area on the sidelines, while an opposing player was running up field along those same sidelines (NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers)
• Countless MLB managers, like Lou Piniella, making fools of themselves on the field, while arguing vociferously with the umpire

That said, the NHL is the least popular among major North American sports.  NHL news hardly appear on the ESPN home page, and even among the Chicago teams, the regional page hardly highlights the on-ice exploits and triumphs of the Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks.  That page was dominantly by the mediocre, struggling Bears, until their season's end.  Then it was dominated, it seemed, by the mediocre, struggling Bulls.  

So put this way, Burnside has reason to worry that the Tortorella incident will slip the NHL further down the lucrative food chain known as professional sports.  But again much as this was a bonehead thing to do, I don't think it will have that much of an impact.

The NHL is scoring off the ice like never before thanks to its Canadian teams.

Reference: The NHL's Most Valuable Teams.

The lockout, notwithstanding, which threatened to scuttle the 2012-2013 entirely, we hockey fans came back in droves.  Said Blackhawks won their second Stanley Cup in four seasons, and life was good. 

For one, from the above Forbes study, I have reason to believe that the rising strength of the NHL will manage any Tortorella fallout well.

For another, I am so thankful the Blackhawks don't play goon hockey in the least.  There was talk, in fact, that their championship was good for the NHL, because they play a clean, finesse, speed game.

Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think!

Ron Villejo, PhD

Peyton Manning v Tom Brady for the AFC

November 24th 2013

Before their last match-up, Manning had never lost a game in which he led by at least 22 points, going 50-0 in the regular season in that scenario, and 2-0 in the playoffs. So 52-0 with that type of three-touchdown-plus lead (the Broncos led 24-0 at halftime), and for all places for that streak to end, it came in Manning's personal House of Horrors (Gillette Stadium), against Brady, his longtime nemesis. We keep billing it as the best quarterback rivalry in NFL history, but Brady keeps making sure it's pretty one-sided. It's 10-4 in Brady's favor, and No. 12 had by far the better night, completing 34-of-50 passes for 344 yards, with three touchdowns, no interceptions and a 107.4 passer rating. Manning turned in his worst game of the season, throwing for just 150 yards on 19-of-34 passing, with two touchdowns, one interception and a 70.4 rating. As the two prepare for Brady vs. Manning XV in this weekend's AFC Championship game in Denver, SI.com looks back at the Brady-Manning rivalry, starting from the beginning...

Reference and image credits: The Brady-Manning Rivalry.

This coming Sunday, two football legends, very much in the making, are playing each other, yet again, this time for the AFC championship.  Of course Peyton Manning and Tom Brady don't actually go head-to-head with each other, but why not, if only for the sake of juxtaposing two quarterbacks who stand shoulder-to-shoulder in some rarefied football atmosphere.

I missed that November 24th 2013 game between the Broncos and Patriots (photo, above), but it has to be one of Manning's most devastating, stunning defeats at the hands of Brady & Co.

September 30th 2001

October 21st 2001

September 9th 2004

January 16th 2005

November 7th 2005

November 5th 2006

November 4th 2007

November 15th 2009

November 21st 2010

October 7th 2012

This weekend, I'm rooting for the Patroits and the 49ers to win their respective conferences, and play head-to-head in Super Bowl XLVIII on February 2nd 2014.  But with the Seahawks in the mix, I'm not wedded to any particular teams, really, coming out of this weekend's matchups.  All four are superb teams, and all I look forward to are good, competitive football among them.  

Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think!

Ron Villejo, PhD

Sports Champions' Visits to the White House

Los Angeles Lakers (1985)

Los Angeles Lakers (2002)

Los Angeles Lakers (2010)

The Lakers were frequent visitors to the White House, having won the NBA championship 16 times in franchise history, including five in the past decade with Phil Jackson at the helm.

Chicago Bulls (1997)

The Bulls were also familiar guests at the White House, as they won six championships in the 1990s.  They were beastly dominant, but unfortunately this Sports Illustrated album has only one photo of their visits.  

Joe DiMaggio and Rocky Marciano (1953)

Ben Hogan (1953)

Stan Musial (1962)

Boston Celtics (1963)

Bart Starr, Arnold Palmer and Al Kaline (1969)

Terry Bradshaw (1970)

Ken Norton and Muhammad Ali (1974)

Pelé (1975)

Jesse Owens and John Thompson (1976)

Carl Yastrzemski (1979)

Pittsburgh Steelers (1980)

Image credits: Athletes Visiting the White House.

It was a thrill to watch the Chicago Blackhawks visit the White House this past Fall, as a way to cap their 2013 Stanley Cup championship.  Many of the players looked thrilled, too.  I may never shake a US President's hand, but I did shake the hand of Philippine (former) President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in January 2008 when she visited Dubai.  That was a special moment.

Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think!

Ron Villejo, PhD

2014 First-Ballot Hall of Famers

It was exciting to hear that two former-Chicago baseball players were inducted into the Hall of Fame last week, on first ballots, no less.  Greg Maddux was one of them, and while he played more seasons for the Braves (11) than the Cubs (7 + 3), I choose to look at him as a Cub.  He didn't have a lot of heat on his fastballs, but he had amazing control and man can he make that baseball dance as it approached home plate.
  

I don't follow the White Sox, as I'm mainly a North Sider fan in Chicago.  Still it was exciting that Frank Thomas made it to the Hall.  I listened to his press conference on ESPN 1000 Chicago, and he sounded so delighted and grateful.  It was clearly special for him to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.  He knew Maddux would get into easily, but admitted that he wasn't so sure about himself, because he played a number of years as in DH (designated hitter).  

In the 1990s, the Braves seemed to own the post-season, and won the World Series in 1995, with Maddux onboard.  Tom Glavine was the third HOF inductee last week, and those Braves had such snipers in the pitching staff, John Smoltz being among them.  Glavine that had steely look, the kind of look that would kill you with a pitch.  He'd remain unmoved and dispassionate in his demeanor, as if he were merely turning the pages of a book.  

Congratulations to these three gentlemen.

Image credits: 2014 Baseball Hall of Fame Inductees.

Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think!

Ron Villejo, PhD

Blackhawks Legend Bobby Hull a Boyhood Hero

Image credits: Classic Photos of Bobby Hull.

It was exciting to watch Bobby Hull on TV, when I was a kid, rushing up ice along the left boards and launching that rocket of a slap shot! 

Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think!

Ron Villejo, PhD