The Blog @ http://www.terrylyons.com

Sign of the Apocalypse ... in the Heartland

tl@terrylyons.com (Terrence Lyons) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:42:23 PST

This is a line of Indiana-based book owners seeking the autograph of former Alaska Gov and failed USA VP candidate Sarah Palin....

Fahrenheit 45.9

tl@terrylyons.com (Terrence Lyons) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:28:27 PST

It was a nice, quiet Friday evening and I remember the scene as though it were yesterday. I packed up my computer, some books, papers and material for work and walked to the elevator bank on the 14th floor at Olympic Tower/645 Fifth Avenue near Rockefeller Center in Manhattan.

The long summer of global events, which included a 40+ day trek resulting in the bronze medal performance by the USA Basketball men's Olympic team in Athens, had dissolved into a busy preseason of 2004 when we staged the first-ever NBA China Games in Shanghai and Beijing. I was back home in New York City after a long streatch of travel and the NBA regular season was in full swing.

Most people do not understand that working at the NBA league office -- especially on the international goal of globalizing the game -- means that a ton of work needs to be done in the offseason. That multiplies ten-fold when you do events on three or four continents and toss in an Olympiad for men's and women's basketball. When the first two or three NBA regular season games are in the books, the work-load at the league level actually slows down and the great people at the team-level take on the bulk of the work. With that in mind, I would always take Thanksgiving Week as a break, as three vacation days would provide a wonderful ten-day break.

That was the scene as I exited Olympic Tower that Friday night, five years ago, on November 19, 2004.

Coincidentally, when my elevator doors opened on the lobby level at Olympic Tower, none other than NBA Commissioner David Stern was standing by the lobby level elevator, he too, on his way home. I don't think I'd seen him since we stood together in Beijing about four weeks before, giddy as two little children, laughing and threatening to pinch each other to be sure the NBA China Games experience was happening and that we weren't dreaming a wonderful dream together. We looked at each other and both shook our heads, saying, "Yes this is happening and we could never, ever have imagined it twenty years ago, when David had become the NBA commissioner and dispatched me and a few other loyal NBA soldiers off on a six-week sojourn called the NBA China Friendship Tour."

Remebembering the evening in '04, I recall that David was smiling and in a particularly jovial mood as he asked what I had planned for the upcoming Thanksgiving break. I was happy to tell him that I was looking at a nice 10-day break that was beginning the moment I walked out to 52nd Street and I quickly tossed in a point of business that I had met one of the original NBA Properties sales guys, Mike Suscavage, that afternoon. Stern laughed and said that he saw Mike as well and we took a second or two remembering some of Mike's antics and the days gone by. We walked to 52nd Street together and were joined by Noreen Reilly, another longtime NBA executive who ran our administration offices. Noreen joined the NBA in 1978 after assisting Stern back when he worked as the league's outside counsel for his law firm, Proskauer. David and Noreen had some 52 years of NBA experience between them which made my 23 years of service to the league seem like a fortnight or two on that fall day back in 2004.

I was homeward bound, where I enjoyed a little dinner with the family, helped put the kids to bed, chilled out to some quiet time, and then I turned on the NBA on ESPN late in the third quarter to watch some ball.

With 45.9 seconds left in that game, everything changed. And, it was not good.

All of the replays, all of the talk radio and all of the print and electronic media coverage of the incident at the Palace of Auburn Hills became a living nightmare for anyone who cashed a paycheck with an NBA logo on it and the weekend was a bad dream and blur which will always will be etched in my mind. That fight, call it a riot if you want, along with the disgrace that convicted felon Tim Donaghy thrust on the league, were the two worst days of my long and winding road with the NBA. At other points in time, we had ups & downs. Great thing were reported by the media to be greater than they actually were in reality. Terrible things, like drug indictments or altercations, injuries or sixth place finishes in the 2002 World Championship were all a part of the job. A fight like the one that took place in November of 2004 and the utter disrespect for the game that the phony felon of Philadelphia had for the NBA by his illegal actions, were, by far, the two incidents that set the league back.

I took them both hard and personally. For whatever reason, I looked upon both the Ben Wallace/Artest/Detroit fans incident and the chump-change excuse for a referee crime, as people tearing down what I had worked half a lifetime to build up. It was that simple. They were messing with my life's artwork and I didn't and still don't appreciate very much.

Stern, giddy that evening was a combination of shocked, disappointed, let down, angry and outraged as midnight fell. And, while I was deeply involved in the crisis communications mode we operated that weekend, I could not even fathom what he experienced in the days & hours leading up to the Commissioner taking the podium that Sunday evening at Madison Square Garden where the Knicks were playing a game and the media were assembled. Rather than r-create the wheel, it made more sense for the NBA to go to the media rather than drag the media out to a separate news conference.

The rest has been documented and re-documented far more than I care to get into in this blog entry.

I will say this ... and I believe I have written it before.

There is only one person on the face of the earth who performed well that terrible night in Michigan. As you review the vdeo, there was only one person who kept his cool and did the right thing the whole time.

That person's name is William "Wes" Wesley and - in the video - you can see him in a what once was a very nice, blue suit, a suit that he probably had to throw away that night because it was soaked with blood stains, human sweat stains, beer stains, soft drink stains and who knows what else. "Worldwide Wes" did one thing and one thing only that night. He did his best to take players who were and still are about 10-times bigger and stronger than he is and he hauled them towards secure areas or away from danger. He did as much as he could and he kept on doing it. In the video, you see him get a guy to the locker door, then leave and go back to assist in another way.

I knew Wes before then and I've hung with him since. We are not friends, we are acquaintances and colleagues. That night, Wes gained my friendship for the rest of our lives. A few others lost that offer of my friendship forever.

You mean they'll actually check?

tl@terrylyons.com (Terrence Lyons) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:14:00 PST

Here's how the conversation might've taken place this weekend:

Author: "You mean, they wont just read the book and believe everything I say?

Publisher's PR guy: "No, they'll go page-by-page and they'll check the facts."

Author: "Huh?"

***

Here is an AP story for your reading pleasure:

(AP) Sarah Palin's new book reprises familiar claims from the 2008 presidential campaign that haven't become any truer over time.

Ignoring substantial parts of her record if not the facts, she depicts herself as a frugal traveler on the taxpayer's dime, a reformer without ties to powerful interests and a politician roguishly indifferent to high ambition.

Palin goes adrift, at times, on more contemporary issues, too. She criticizes President Barack Obama for pushing through a bailout package that actually was achieved by his Republican predecessor George W. Bush - a package she seemed to support at the time.

A look at some of her statements in "Going Rogue," obtained by The Associated Press in advance of its release Tuesday:

PALIN: Says she made frugality a point when traveling on state business as Alaska governor, asking "only" for reasonably priced rooms and not "often" going for the "high-end, robe-and-slippers" hotels.

THE FACTS: Although travel records indicate she usually opted for less-pricey hotels while governor, Palin and daughter Bristol stayed five days and four nights at the $707.29-per-night Essex House luxury hotel (robes and slippers come standard) overlooking New York City's Central Park for a five-hour women's leadership conference in October 2007. With air fare, the cost to Alaska was well over $3,000. Event organizers said Palin asked if she could bring her daughter. The governor billed her state more than $20,000 for her children's travel, including to events where they had not been invited, and in some cases later amended expense reports to specify that they had been on official business.

PALIN: Boasts that she ran her campaign for governor on small donations, mostly from first-time givers, and turned back large checks from big donors if her campaign perceived a conflict of interest.

THE FACTS: Of the roughly $1.3 million she raised for her primary and general election campaigns for governor, more than half came from people and political action committees giving at least $500, according to an AP analysis of her campaign finance reports. The maximum that individual donors could give was $1,000; $2,000 for a PAC.

Of the rest, about $76,000 came from Republican Party committees.

She accepted $1,000 each from a state senator and his wife and $30 from a state representative in the weeks after the two Republican lawmakers' offices were raided by the FBI as part of an investigation into a powerful Alaska oilfield services company. After AP reported those donations during the presidential campaign, she gave a comparative sum to charity.

PALIN: Rails against taxpayer-financed bailouts, which she attributes to Obama. She recounts telling daughter Bristol that to succeed in business, "you'll have to be brave enough to fail."

THE FACTS: Palin is blurring the lines between Obama's stimulus plan - a $787 billion package of tax cuts, state aid, social programs and government contracts - and the federal bailout that Republican presidential candidate John McCain voted for and President George W. Bush signed.

Palin's views on bailouts appeared to evolve as McCain's vice presidential running mate. In September 2008, she said "taxpayers cannot be looked to as the bailout, as the solution, to the problems on Wall Street." A week later, she said "ultimately what the bailout does is help those who are concerned about the health care reform that is needed to help shore up our economy."

During the vice presidential debate in October, Palin praised McCain for being "instrumental in bringing folks together" to pass the $700 billion bailout. After that, she said "it is a time of crisis and government did have to step in."

PALIN: Says Ronald Reagan faced an even worse recession than the one that appears to be ending now, and "showed us how to get out of one. If you want real job growth, cut capital gains taxes and slay the death tax once and for all."

THE FACTS: The estate tax, which some call the death tax, was not repealed under Reagan and capital gains taxes are lower now than when Reagan was president.

Economists overwhelmingly say the current recession is far worse. The recession Reagan faced lasted for 16 months; this one is in its 23rd month. The recession of the early 1980s did not have a financial meltdown. Unemployment peaked at 10.8 percent, worse than the October 2009 high of 10.2 percent, but the jobless rate is still expected to climb.

PALIN: She says her team overseeing the development of a natural gas pipeline set up an open, competitive bidding process that allowed any company to compete for the right to build a 1,715-mile pipeline to bring natural gas from Alaska to the Lower 48.

THE FACTS: Palin characterized the pipeline deal the same way before an AP investigation found her team crafted terms that favored only a few independent pipeline companies and ultimately benefited a company with ties to her administration, TransCanada Corp. Despite promises and legal guidance not to talk directly with potential bidders during the process, Palin had meetings or phone calls with nearly every major candidate, including TransCanada.

PALIN: Criticizes an aide to her predecessor, Gov. Frank Murkowski, for a conflict of interest because the aide represented the state in negotiations over a gas pipeline and then left to work as a handsomely paid lobbyist for ExxonMobil. Palin asserts her administration ended all such arrangements, shoving a wedge in the revolving door between special interests and the state capital.

THE FACTS: Palin ignores her own "revolving door" issue in office; the leader of her own pipeline team was a former lobbyist for a subsidiary of TransCanada, the company that ended up winning the rights to build the pipeline.

PALIN: Writes about a city councilman in Wasilla, Alaska, who owned a garbage truck company and tried to push through an ordinance requiring residents of new subdivisions to pay for trash removal instead of taking it to the dump for free - this to illustrate conflicts of interest she stood against as a public servant.

THE FACTS: As Wasilla mayor, Palin pressed for a special zoning exception so she could sell her family's $327,000 house, then did not keep a promise to remove a potential fire hazard on the property.

She asked the city council to loosen rules for snow machine races when she and her husband owned a snow machine store, and cast a tie-breaking vote to exempt taxes on aircraft when her father-in-law owned one. But she stepped away from the table in 1997 when the council considered a grant for the Iron Dog snow machine race in which her husband competes.

PALIN: Says Obama has admitted that the climate change policy he seeks will cause people's electricity bills to "skyrocket."

THE FACTS: She correctly quotes a comment attributed to Obama in January 2008, when he told San Francisco Chronicle editors that under his cap-and-trade climate proposal, "electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket" as utilities are forced to retrofit coal burning power plants to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Obama has argued since then that climate legislation can blunt the cost to consumers. Democratic legislation now before Congress calls for a variety of measures aimed at mitigating consumer costs. Several studies predict average household costs probably would be $100 to $145 a year.

PALIN: Welcomes last year's Supreme Court decision deciding punitive damages for victims of the nation's largest oil spill tragedy, the Exxon Valdez disaster, stating it had taken 20 years to achieve victory. As governor, she says, she'd had the state argue in favor of the victims, and she says the court's ruling went "in favor of the people." Finally, she writes, Alaskans could recover some of their losses.

THE FACTS: That response is at odds with her reaction at the time to the ruling, which resolved the long-running case by reducing punitive damages for victims to $500 million from $2.5 billion. Environmentalists and plaintiffs' lawyers decried the ruling as a slap at the victims and Palin herself said she was "extremely disappointed." She said the justices had gutted a jury decision favoring higher damage awards, the Anchorage Daily News reported. "It's tragic that so many Alaska fishermen and their families have had their lives put on hold waiting for this decision," she said, noting many had died "while waiting for justice."

PALIN: Describing her resistance to federal stimulus money, Palin describes Alaska as a practical, libertarian haven of independent Americans who don't want "help" from government busybodies.

THE FACTS: Alaska is also one of the states most dependent on federal subsidies, receiving much more assistance from Washington than it pays in federal taxes. A study for the nonpartisan Tax Foundation found that in 2005, the state received $1.84 for every dollar it sent to Washington.

PALIN: Says she tried to talk about national security and energy independence in her interview with Vogue magazine but the interviewer wanted her to pivot from hydropower to high fashion.

THE FACTS are somewhat in dispute. Vogue contributing editor Rebecca Johnson said Palin did not go on about hydropower. "She just kept talking about drilling for oil."

PALIN: "Was it ambition? I didn't think so. Ambition drives; purpose beckons." Throughout the book, Palin cites altruistic reasons for running for office, and for leaving early as Alaska governor.

THE FACTS: Few politicians own up to wanting high office for the power and prestige of it, and in this respect, Palin fits the conventional mold. But "Going Rogue" has all the characteristics of a pre-campaign manifesto, the requisite autobiography of the future candidate.

Monday Morning Media Mania

tl@terrylyons.com (Terrence Lyons) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:12:01 PST

In the summer of '69, there once was a rock show, a three-day extravaganza, known as Woodstock. To commemorate the 40th anniversary of Woodstock this summer, I frequently ran a video clip on Monday morning and referred to it as my "Monday Morning Maniac Music."

That has run its course.

So, now, I will take a minute of your Monday, Monday to post an interesting media clip. Sometimes it will be news, sometimes, music, sometimes sports and sometimes a combination of all.

To start it off, I am posting a clip about Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic who took part in the NBA's Basketball without Borders program this past summer. Both Dwight and the program are dear to my heart. He is the perfect example of a human being who benefitted more from giving his time to the Basketball without Borders program than he would have ever imagined before attending the camp.

Here is the first "Monday Morning Media Mania" newsclip:

NBAE:

Ramble On... Readability

tl@terrylyons.com (Terrence Lyons) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 03:12:00 PST

TIVO is the best invention to help TV viewing. Readability is the best thing that's ever happened to the World Wide Web. Yes, it's the single best email I have ever received and the tip came from LI/Denver's Tom Green as he passed along this info from the NYT:

Click HERE:

***

They've got my vote...

Istanbul to Organize bid for 2020 Olympic Games

After four unsuccessful Olympic bids, Istanbul will enter the race to host the 2020 Summer Games.
Turkish government sports official Mehmet Atalay said Tuesday the country has decided to launch another Olympic bid and believes the city's chances are much stronger this time.
Istanbul mounted failed bids for the 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics. It sat out the race for the 2016 Games, which were awarded last month to Rio de Janeiro.
Cities in Japan and Italy have expressed interest in the 2020 ames, and Dubai and Qatar are also considering bids.
Bid submissions to the IOC are due in 2011. The IOC will select the 2020 host city in 2013.

***

Calling Bill Russell, callling Bill Russell?

Damn, if any number in the NBA is going to be retired forever, it has to be #6 and then #13 (for Wilt Chamberlain). MJ would be a close third, for sure. See Lebron's take via CBS Sportsline and AP:

CLEVELAND -- LeBron James wants NBA players to give up their No. 23s to honor of Michael Jordan.
The Cavaliers superstar, who has worn 23 since he was a high school sophomore, says players should pay tribute to Jordan for the Hall of Famer's long-lasting impact on the game.
"I just think what Michael Jordan has done for the game has to be recognized in some way -- soon," James said. "There would be no LeBron James, no Kobe Bryant, no Dwyane Wade -- you name all the best players in the league right now and the last 10 years, there would be none of us without Michael Jordan."
James made the comments following the Cavs' win in Miami on Thursday night. The news was first reported by the Plain Dealer.
James said he has been considering the change for some time. He's willing to switch next season to No. 6 -- his U.S. Olympic team number -- and wants to start a petition to get every player in the league wearing 23 to give up the number.
"It's time," James said. "He's the best basketball player we've ever seen. Mike does it on the court and off the court. If you see 23, you think about Michael Jordan. You see guys flying through the air, you think about Michael Jordan. You see game-winning shots, you think about Michael Jordan. You see fly kicks, you think about Michael Jordan. He did so much, it has to be recognized, and not just by putting him in the Hall of Fame."
Jordan sat courtside on Thursday when James scored 34 points to lead the Cavs to their sixth win in seven games.
"He can't get the logo, and if he can't, something has to be done," James said, referring to the NBA logo that's modeled on a silhouette of Jerry West. "I feel like no NBA player should wear 23. Nobody. If I'm not going to wear No. 23, then nobody else should be able to wear it."
The reigning MVP frequently wears No. 6 as a practice jersey with the Cavaliers. He wears that number because his second-favorite player is Julius "Dr. J" Erving and it holds other special meaning.
"I wore 32 back in high school because Dr. J wore it at first," he said. "My first child was born on Oct. 6, my second child was born in June. If I'm not going to wear 23, I'm going to wear 6.

***

Notes on Internet use and the over use of Social networking sites are a little scary. Check this out:

Status updates, photo tagging and FarmVille aren't just for adults or even teenagers anymore.
Researchers say a growing number of children are flouting age requirements on sites such as Facebook and MySpace, or using social-networking sites designed just for them.
Facebook and MySpace require users to be at least 13. But they have no practical way to verify ages, and many young users pretend to be older when signing up.
Some scientists worry that pre-adolescent use of the sites, which some therapists have linked to Internet addiction among adults, could be damaging to children's relationships and brains.

You Heard it Here Last

tl@terrylyons.com (Terrence Lyons) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 08:56:31 PST

Peaking into the NBA Crystal Ball after a 10-Game Preview:

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – We’re now a full ten games into the NBA regular season and making intelligent predictions for the season is still a pretty difficult assignment.

Yes, the media from around the globe work their fingers to the bone in the preseason in order to stand on their soapbox before the opening tip-off and predict the future. They pontificate about the NBA Finalists to be, the top teams in the East and West, the future MVPs and teams that have improved the most. They speculate about all the ‘new faces in new places’ and the impact off-season trades and free agent acquisitions will have on the top contenders.

This year, nearly all of the media outlets were in agreement.

In the East, they predicted the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers would battle it out for a berth in the NBA Finals.

In the West, most conceded the conference title to the Los Angeles Lakers but cautioned the reigning champs that the San Antonio Spurs would be back on the prowl while the Portland Trail Blazers were an up & coming rival to be reckoned with as spring came about in 2010.

Somewhat forgotten in all the preseason buzz were the reigning Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic, as many believed that the loss of Hedo Turkoglu would hurt the Magic more than the addition of Vince Carter would help the team, especially in spreading the floor and forcing teams outside to guard the "three." In the West, it surprised me to see the Western Conference finalist Denver Nuggets abruptly written off by one and all.

Well, 10 games into the season, it is a lot easier to sit down in the press box "cozy confines" of the TD Boston Garden and write a short column about a “Who’s who in the NBA, than it would have been to make the predictions from a seat in the Hartford Civic Center in early October when the Celtics were playing the Toronto Raptors in preseason.

So, a kinder, gentler, more intelligent, safe and insightful NBA season preview is now coming your way.

In the East – Just as most predicted, the Boston Celtics are the team to beat. The addition of Rasheed Wallace has added depth to the Celtics’ frontline while the addition of Marquis Daniels complemented the already deep Boston forward-guard positions to provide the team with even higher quality defense off the bench. Add the healthy dose of Kevin Garnett, the high powered scoring of P2, the sharp-shooting of a still-youthful jump shooting Ray Allen and the all-star level evoloution of point guard Rajon Rondo back into the mix and you’ve got a sure-fire conference finalist.

The Celtics’ second unit can be as good as their starters and no team in the league can come close to the 10-palyer+ depth that the Celtics display each and every night. The team defense will be their key to success, just as it was when the Celtics hung the 17^th banner in franchise history back in 2008. Health will be the determining factor.

Now, the team that everyone seemed to take for granted in the preseason, the Orlando Magic, jumped out to a 6-3 record over their first nine games and currently trail both Atlanta and Miami in the Southeast Division standings. Those three teams should remain very close and equally competitive throughout the regular season. The matchups, come playoff time, will be very interesting.

The Cleveland Cavaliers, everyone’s “other” favorite to make the Eastern finals, started a bit slowly but have managed a 6-3 start, including a 4-1 record on the road.

I believe the jury will be out on the fate of the cavaliers until well past the NBA All-Star break in February. With the new personnel of the Cavs and the fact that the preseason provided some internal team turmoil as guard Delonte West tussled with his fight against depression and other personal issues, the Cavaliers will need plenty of time to gel as a team. And, just as vital to team success, the orientation of Shaquille O’Neal to the Cavaliers’ style of play and that of superstar Lebron James, will take more than a few months.

I also recommend that you cannot judge the Cavaliers until the Ides of March.

The rest of the conference can be scratched off the league ladder, much the same way you scratch an also-ran off the derby tip sheet.

In the West – No secret with the Lakers. They look good, not great and that has been without their top offensive postman, Pau Gasol of Spain. The Lakers will be there come playoff time, no doubt no news bulletin. The question for the Lakers will continually be posed to forward Ron Artest and that is: "Will he help the Lakers and contribute as a defensive stopper for the "other team's" top scorer or will his antics become a distraction and take down the mighty Lakers? Phil Jackson knows how to handle the personalities, so my jury comes in with a verdict that Artest will contribute in big ways.

Now, the surprise team, thus far in the NBA season, has been the Phoenix Suns. The Suns looked invincible and unbeatable in their trip Eastbound, and specifically to Boston, earlier this month. Steve Nash looked like an MVP and a healthy Amare’ Stoudemire together with a rejuvenated Grant Hill and Jason Richardson, sharp-shooting Channing Frye and bench strength provided by Leandrino Barbosa, Jared Dudley, Goran Dragic (can you say he reminds you of Nashie, a bit?) and Louis Amundson and you’ve got yourself a contender in the Valley.

I honestly thought the Suns would struggle early and that Stoudemire and Nash would each find the depths of frustration rather than discover the unlimited boundries and their current elation.

As predicted by most, Portland remains an up & coming, solid threat to win 50+ games in the rough and tumble western climate while Denver, behind an early season MVP-worthy performance by Carmelo Anthony, could easily return to the conference finals where anything can happen in the altitude.

Dirk Nowitzki, J-Kidd, Shawn Marion and the Dallas Mavericks certainly deserve mention as a contender. And, just as Orlando surprised the NBA and its fans with their run at playoff time circa 2009, the Mavericks might be playing well into May or maybe even to June 2010.

Write the rest of the conference off, except, maybe the Utah Jazz and their Hall of Fame Coach Jerry Sloan and hsi gem of a point guard in Deron Williams. The Spurs of San Antonio look vulnerable, especially with early season injury woes already sidelining the great Tim Duncan.

So, what’s a man to predict now that he’s been given a 10-game mulligan?

Let's go way out on a limb, eh?

Boston vs. LA in the NBA Finals. Whoever has the best regular season record and, thus, the homecourt advantage, will win the 2010 NBA championship. And, as always, one major injury to the lies of KG, Paul Pierce, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and it’s all up for grabs.

Teams to beware of? Orlando (again), Denver and, if they continue to shoot the lights out and Steve Nash remains healthy and youthful in his step, the Phoenix Suns could be very, very dangerous in a seven-game series.

So, you heard it here last. Those, my friends and visitors to Basketball 24-7, are the predictions for the 2009-10 NBA season. Let’s see what happens come April-May-June, 2010.

Terry Lyons, Contributor

A former communications and media executive at the NBA, Terry has behind-the-scenes knowledge that few others could boast. His vast experience, contacts list and knowledge of the game make him a star asset to 24/7's writing team. Lyons is currently running his own communications firm in Boston, Massachusetts while proudly helping the management team of his favorite restaurant, "Johnnie's" at 138 Portland Street, a block from the TD Boston Garden.

For more information on Terry Lyons, see:

http://www.terrylyons.com

And his regular Blog at:

http://terrylyons.blogspot.com

(Updated Saturday morning, 11-14-09)

President Obama Hits All 50

tl@terrylyons.com (Terrence Lyons) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:25:00 PST

The POTUS has made it to 28 States since his inauguration but set foot in his 50th State for lifetime travel. Pretty good. Here is a CBS News story on the President's travel as he stopped in Alaska on the way to the Orient. (Yesterday in Japan, today in Singapore).

If President Obama has one of those wall maps where he sticks a flag pin in every state he's visited, he planted the 50th yesterday.

"I have to tell you I'm also really excited because I had up until today visited 49 states. So this is officially my 50th state," he told military personnel at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska, a refueling stop on his way to Japan.

His self-proclaimed tally is clearly the result of a lifetime geographic accomplishment that includes his two years of extensive travel as a presidential candidate. But as president, he still has a ways to go before he can put a flag pin in every state.

Our CBS News scorecard shows that since taking office, Mr. Obama has been to 28 states (see list below). That reflects the 39 domestic trips he's taken since his Inauguration. It's a lot, but it's not a record.

During George W. Bush's first year as president, he visited 39 states. It took him the remaining seven years to bring his count to 49. But he never planted a flag pin in Vermont, perhaps understandably. It was a state in which 40 towns and the State Senate voted to impeach him and Vice President Cheney.

Pres. Bill Clinton was impeached, though not convicted, and he managed to visit all 50 states during his eight years in office. But he only hit #50 a month and a couple weeks before the end of his two terms by visiting Nebraska in December 2000.

George H. W. Bush hit all 50 statements in his one term as president.

List of 28 States Visited By President Obama
(in chronological order):

Virginia
Maryland
Indiana
Florida
Illinois
Colorado
Arizona
North Carolina
Ohio
California
Iowa
Missouri
New Mexico
Nevada
New York
Wisconsin
Michigan
New Jersey
New Hampshire
Montana
Wyoming
Massachusetts
Minnesota
Pennsylvania
Louisiana
Texas
Connecticut
Alaska

My List: (* denotes just a stop-over or connection in flight) which is 36 of the 50 + The District, Puerto Rico and USVI.

Hawks Zap Celtics for Second Home Loss

tl@terrylyons.com (Terrence Lyons) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:36:58 PST

Let's see is the visitors start making ahabit out of defeating the Boston Celtics on their homecourt on Friday nights. Call it Friday Night BITES. (I'll give that one to the Herald!)

The Celtics shoot 1-15 from 3-point land. Case closed.

Hawks 97-86.

See you next time.

Hawks up by 10; 4:00 mins remain

tl@terrylyons.com (Terrence Lyons) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:23:17 PST

The Atlanta Hawks will be the last team the Celtics want to see in the early rounds of the 2010 Playoffs. The teams, like I wrote earlier, match-up very well against each other. It's currently 88-78, Atlanta.

Let's watch the exciting finish, rather than hack!

Pierce Update

tl@terrylyons.com (Terrence Lyons) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:57:52 PST

The Celtics issued an injury report on forward Paul Pierce. It reads, Bruised left knee, time of injury: 3:15 remaining in third quarter; expected to return, resting and may return. Dr. Alan Curtis.

Halftime...

tl@terrylyons.com (Terrence Lyons) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:29:07 PST

Celtics 42-41 at the Half. Good game in the works here.

***

One of my favorite pastimes, watching the NBA officiating crews ... In this game, the 100-point "Richter Scale" quotient whereby you add the numerals on the back of the officials jerseys to see if it breaks the century mark or not.. This crew, Monty McCutchen (#13), Olandis Poole (#50) and Derrick Collins (#54), provide a "117" in the NBA officials uniform number game. Anything over 100 in this 'tongue-in-cheek' Richter Scale and all team coaches and GMs just cringe.

So far, the crew is doing a nice job.

With many of the new refs getting high numbers, we might have to adjust the NBA officiating richter scale to 110 for inflation.

***

Third quarter tips and it's back to the court from the press room.

Celtics vs Hawks - Second Q

tl@terrylyons.com (Terrence Lyons) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:59:32 PST

Atlanta has some offensive firepower with Jamal Crawford coming off the bench to back-up the likes of Joe Johnson and Josh Smith. Add another 13 and 10 ppg from the likes of Al Horford and Mike Bibby and you've got some offense. (107.8 ppg). The issue is the team defense, currently giving up about 102 ppg.

***

A timeout at the 5:40 mark with the Celts leading 32-31. Paul Pierce vs. Josh Smith an interesting match-up (Smith leading Pierce 9-8 in points). Ray Allen on Joe Johnson in a tough assignment for the Celtics vet. Hawks match-up well against Boston, as they did in playoffs of two years back when the Celtics went on to win the title.

***

At 3:15 in half, a Rondo layup nullified when Kendrick Perkis committed an offensive. Rondo line is 0-0--4 (pts-rebs-assists).
Hmm?

Hawks lead 37-36.

More to come at the half.

Welcome to the TD Garden

tl@terrylyons.com (Terrence Lyons) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:48:22 PST

The first evening of some live blogging from the TD Garden in Boston. Tonight, it's the nationally televised ESPN game featuring the Atlanta Hawks vs. Boston Celtics.

A few housekeeping items to begin.

Met up with a colleague from the basketball Hall of Fame pregame. Paul L. was taking in the game with his sons and drove in from Western Mass. We met up and discussed some hoops. I look forward to working with him again soon as we prepare for the Class of 2010 at the birthplace of basketball in Springfield, Mass.

On the way into the building this evening, one fan, clad in Celtics green had a posterboard sign, campaigning for a write in campaign to elect Brian Scalabrine to the Eastern Conference All Star team. (as a starter no less?) Scal is suited up tonight, but listed as day-to-day with back spasms. (Shouldn't it be night-to-night?) Anyhow, I didn't have it in my heart to ask the enthusiastic fan if he preferred Scalabrine as a starter over Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce or Lebron James in the annual classic?

A busy pre-game ritual complete with press room connections with Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald, Steve Holman, the radio voice of the Atlanta Hawks (who hails from Boston), Jim Stamos, doing courtside stats for ike Breen of ESPN, Willie Maye of the Celtics game night crew and WILD-Radio in Boston, Jeff Twiss and Heather Walker of the C's great PR staff and the esteemed Arthur Triche, the VP of PR for the Atlanta Hawks and -- like Jeff and Heather -- among the very best in the biz. I always take a second to thanks my colleagues in the PR world for their hard work and dedication to the game. Also, a nice catch-up with NBAE producer Dave Thomas.

I enjoy watching the Celtics in their pre-game intros. if you'll notice, KG has a routine all to his own, but his last step before tking the court is to bump knucks with J Twiss, then clean his shoes on the floor board, rip it up to be a new and sticky floor board, then hand the wrapping to his loyal PR guy. Home, road, reg season, playoffs, Finals - you name it. Watch the same routine. Prior to that, KG walks over to the basket stanchion and re-ties his basketball shorts so they are "just right" for the game, then he taps his head against the protective padding on the stanchion. I'm none too wild over that routine because once, in Europe, I saw a guy bang his head against the stanchion in a more angry protest and he caught his vertebral column and was paralyzed for the rest of his life. Be careful KG, and try to dream up another routine.

Lastly, after some Verizon wireless computer log-in problems which were my settings, not the Garden's - I switched over to the in-house press event system and we're in business. Looks likeanother trip to the Verizon wireless store for me.

***

Now, it's on to the game, where the Hawks jumped out to an impressive 24-22 first quarter lead. Only the Phoenix Suns, with 29 first quarter points on November 6, have scored more against the C's at the TD garden this season. The Suns went on to beat the Celtics that evening, 110-103 (213 total points). Aside from the 110 given up to the Suns, the highest point production against the Celtics this season has been 90 points by Chicago (10-30-09) and at Minnesota (11-04-09).

More to come from the second quarter...

Joakim: One of My Fave 5

tl@terrylyons.com (Terrence Lyons) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:00:19 PST

Quick editorial comment: Yes, It's a national holiday. Nov. 13th, the day Felix Unger was asked to leave his house... and yes, that request came from his wife. (Aristophanes? Ridiculous.)

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming....

***

BOSTON: When the Chicago Bulls used the #9 overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft to select Joakim Noah out of the University of Florida, they took a little heat from the hometown media. Noah had a couple of NCAA championships with the very deep Florida Gators and was viewed as a somewhat limited talent and poor shooter.

I took a liking of Noah when he played as a local NYC/Brooklyn high school player in 2003. I remember first hearing about him when his Poly Prep team matched up against John McEnroe's son at Trinity and Massimo Lopes of La Gazzetta dello Sport of Italy came over to do a story on the sons of tennis stars Yannick and John playing 'the new game' of basketball instead of tennis. Of course, Noah was quite a star and Johnnie Mc's son, Kevin, barely played in Poly's 60-30 win which wasn't much of a contest, obviously.

So, fast forward to 2007 and an NBA colleague, Mike Bantom, pulled me aside at the draft and asked me what I thought of Noah. I smiled and said. I love his personality and his game, but I'm not sure which of those will be his upside and which will be his downfall. I hope, they both pan out and he turns into a real player.

I knew he needed to work on his footwork and his shot, but I thought he could overcome those obvious deficiencies with his incredible work ethic and his ability to "win" and contribute. He reminded me of a much better version of former St. John's power forward Jayson Williams, except with smarts of Noah and model Mom, instead of the knuckle-head gene that my Redmen colleague struts.

Bantom smiled, then told me a story of how Noah walked into the Media Training session of our rookie orientation and exclaimed, "Hey Mike, I got this S*#t!" - Noah reminding everyone within listening range that he grew up with his Dad dealing with the media from around the world on a regular weekly basis, not to mention the scrutiny from a few runs to the NCAA Final Four.

That draft was my last official night as an NBA employee and, after some refreshments and toasts, Bantom and I enjoyed a cigar together out in front of the Westin Times Square. We were just doing what we loved to do and always did, talking basketball, the draft, the future Olympics, life and times, just as we did at hotels around the world ever since Bantom joined the NBA in 1989 in Rome, after his rock-solid playing career. I like Mike even more than I admire Noah, Mike being the great St. Joe's star of circa '72 and a member of the US Olympic team robbed of its gold medal by William Jones of FIBA. Ahem. (Don't get me started...)

The night ended, we packed it in and all went our separate ways until I ran into Joakim Noah last spring when the Bulls played the Boston Celtics in one of the most compelling, hard-fought, competitive and exciting playoff series in NBA history. Noah was largely the reason for Chicago's spirit and determination as he gave the Celtics fits inside while the likes of Derrick Rose and Ben Gordon scored from the perimeter.

I sat with Joakim when the Bulls practiced in Boston and we had a great chat as his personality flowed openly with the fact he knew I had followed his game since HS and also recognized my affiliation with many of his French-speaking buddies. He even put up with my attempts to parlez vous some francais with broken high school French lessons long gone in the back room of my memory.

Well, now we come to today: And, along comes Rick Morrissey of the Chicago Tribune when he filed this video story on the progress of one _ Joakim Noah. Enjoy the salsa and sports pages, Rick. I could have saved you the nacho chips of embarrassment if you had only consulted with me and a few others who enjoyed the constant progress of one of the best players and personalities in the game today... yes, one of the real best players in the game. Not Lebron, Not D-Wade, Not Kevin Durant, but JNoah.

Smile, listen to the joy in his voice and communicate with Joakim Noah's eyes and spirit. If you get it and get him, you will begin to enjoy what I was able to learn back in 2003:

Click HERE

PS: I was really hoping that Noah would play for the United States in national team competition, but I hear that he is signing up for the French NT and will be one of the talented, young players looking to upset the USA in the 2010 Worlds and 2012 Olympics. That is a huge loss to the USA. Noah is just the kind of player who can be the "heart, soul and glue" to a national team.

Here's to John Smallwood, one of the very best people on the planet

tl@terrylyons.com (Terrence Lyons) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:40:38 PST

As the headline says, this post is to John Smallwood of Philly, one of the very best people on this planet. Let's just make sure he's back on the road to a full recovery and we can stand at his side at a sporting event (of his choice) very, very soon.

Here's his column from today:

John Smallwood: Away from sports, and appreciating them more

By John Smallwood

I miss the rhythm of a Phillies game; the collisions of an Eagles Sunday; the lightning pace of Flyers hockey; the athleticism of a Sixers game.

Watching on television is not the same, not when you've covered sports up close and personal for 22 years.

I haven't been to a live sporting event since the Eagles' home opener.

On Sept. 24, I had successful surgery to have two defective heart valves replaced. Then something went terribly wrong.

I had complications, unrelated issues that turned a lifesaving procedure into a near-death experience.

I've been hospitalized ever since. I was placed into a medically induced coma for 2 weeks. Some of the doctors thought I would die.

I don't remember the first half of October, but it was weird to have person after person come into my room and say it was amazing how good I looked and tell me how far I had come.

Thanks to a lot of support from a lot of people, I'm still here.

I hope none of you ever finds this out, but hospitals are truly amazing places. I'm in the Christiana Care System, and the people here literally saved my life.

Obviously, you start with miracle-working doctors, who suddenly were faced with the unexpected during my surgery and reacted instantaneously to combat the issues.

But my true heroes have been the registered nurses and nurse assistants. Without their 24-hour care and assistance, I don't think I could have made it.

It's been amazing how much care they've shown. I was a stranger, but they've guarded me and watched over me as if I were their child.

Yes, I know that is their job, but it takes special souls to care the way they do.

I thank them all.

Sometimes you forget how good something is until it has been taken away.

Sports writing is the only job I've had since graduating from the University of Maryland in 1986.

But lately, I've become frustrated.

These are hard times for newspapers, and the cutbacks, layoffs and slashing of travel budgets have been taxing. Sometimes you feel as if external forces are preventing you from doing your job to the best of your ability.

I won't lie. I'm in this for the paycheck, but I still take pride in what I do.

I want to be the best columnist I can be. I want to serve our readers with the respect and appreciation they deserve. I want to continue to help the Daily News produce the best sports section in the country. Sometimes I'm not sure I am doing that.

I have one of the coolest jobs around. I get to write about things that are my passion. I've covered some of the greatest sporting events.

This has been a harsh way to be reminded of that, but it's an offshoot of what I'm going through.

By now, most of the people here know I'm a sports reporter. Naturally, the talk for a while was about the Phillies and the World Series. All I could think about was, I should be there.

I should have been at the Sixers' home opener, or writing about Allen Iverson's future. I should have been writing about Temple becoming bowl eligible for the first time in a generation. I should have been attending an Andy Reid "say-no-evil" news conference, after a bad loss to the Cowboys.

Watching the World Series on television was no fun knowing you could have been experiencing the atmosphere of a sold-out Citizens Bank Park or Yankee Stadium.

Television doesn't accurately display the explosion of emotion during a big Eagles victory.

I'm in physical therapy rehabilitation now. Hopefully, I will able to go home soon and get back to work.

The games must go on. It's just been painful to watch them go on without me.

Send e-mail to smallwj@phillynews.com.

For recent columns, go to:

http://go.philly.com/smallwood.

See:

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/columnists/20091111_John_Smallwood__Away_from_sports__and_appreciating_them_more.html

NBA Buries NY-NJ Basketball...

tl@terrylyons.com (Terrence Lyons) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 04:01:00 PST

It's official. Basketball in the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area is officially dead. The New York Knickerbockers and the New Jersey Nets, the city's two professional teams, were ranked at #29 and #30, respectively, by the league's official online site, NBA.com by its league-hired columnist John Schuhmann.

Now, throw in the fact that St. John's and Seton Hall are totally in the tank in the BIG EAST and what do you have?

Hockey season in NYC and NJ.

Bruce and The River

tl@terrylyons.com (Terrence Lyons) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:10:16 PST

The Boss rocked MSG on Sat and Sunday nights, performing two of his best albums live. While I was fortunate enough to see Bruce Springsteen at his final Giants Stadium shows where he did "Born to Run" and "Born in the USA," I was not able to get to the World's Most Famous Arena to see "The Wild, The Innocent & the E Street Shuffle" and "The River."

My buddy, Spy, who has seen over 100 shows, put Sunday's concert in his "Top 3" all-time. That is a statement that Spy takes seriously and doesn't toss around lightly, trust me.

More artists should play their albums live and in their entirety as so many young fans now purchase songs for their ipods with itunes and don't even listen to an album in full and from song-to-song. Springsteen can lead the charge for people to get back to the basics of listening to full albums.

I woud also note that the Fab Faux does such a great job of performing The Beatles albums live and in their entirety. Last month, I enjoyed "Let It Be" and "Abbey Road" both done perfectly.

Back to Bruce... I am going to suggest to one of our pals, Wayne LeBeaux, who runs Bruce's tour, that the Band entertain the idea of doing "The River" on a special short tour next summer, maybe in Boston, NY, Philly and LA.

Here are some reviews:

NYC NIGHT TWO: The River
Another magnificent night at the Garden with The River, the first-time (and if Bruce's prediction ("too long!") proves true, only) complete performance of the 1980 double album that Bruce honored as "the gateway to my future writing" on albums like Nebraska and Tunnel of Love."

Some of The River's songs, of course, are mainstays of the E Street Band's touring repertoire, like "Hungry Heart", "Out In The Street", "The Ties That Bind," and the title song. And some are brought out a tantalizingly few times a tour, usually in some far-flung outpost lucky enough to hear a rare "Drive All Night" or "I Wanna Marry You". So forRiver aficionados to hear the entire album, and so thoughtfully and energeticaly performed, it was a night to remember. The last part of the show featured some very strong performances, including one of the best "Atlantic City"s in memory, a rousing "Sweet Soul Music," not played by E Street since 1988, and a loose but moving "Can't Help Falling In Love," culminating in a great, almost endless "Higher and Higher" to lift the crowd from their seats and out in the street.

***

11/8, NEW YORK CITY: THE RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT

From Backstreets.com
Context has always been important to Bruce Springsteen's music, and he reinforced that notion with a galvanizing performance of The River in its entirety for the first time on Sunday night at Madison Square Garden. In a precise, exhilarating, and high-energy show, Springsteen faithfully reproduced all 20 of its songs. Most have appeared in shows on various tours since the album's 1980 release, and usually to great effect. But hearing the songs in their original order left many in the building gasping in astonishment.

Ramble On...THE Future of Journalism in sports is DIGITAL SPORTS DESK

tl@terrylyons.com (Terrence Lyons) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 05:14:57 PST

Interesting... and right down my alley for my "The Digital Sports Desk," a new and simple sports journalism concept to be launched soon...

By JEFF JARVIS...

The future of news is entrepreneurial:

There’s a lot in that statement. It says: The future of news is not institutional. The news of tomorrow has yet to be built. The structure – the ecosystem – of news will not be dominated by a few corporations, but likely will be made up of networks of many startups performing specialized functions based on the opportunities they see in the market. Who does journalism, why and how will change, and the skills of journalists will change (to include business). We don’t yet know what the market will demand and support from journalism, though news will look disordered and messy. There will be more failures than successes in the immediate future of news.

That statement also holds many implications for sectors of the economy and society: investment (put money into the new, not the old), public policy (don’t protect and preserve the incumbents but nurture the startups by creating a fertile and level playing field), education (how do we train journalists when everyone can do journalism? How do we train everyone?), marketing (advertising won’t be one-stop shopping anymore and that means it may support news less), PR (influence will be no longer be concentrated) and technology (there are opportunities here).

Finally, that statement does not say some things. It does not say that the incumbents’ institutions will necessarily die, only that they have proven not to be the source of innovation and growth in news.

One more point: The statement is essentially optimistic. It says there is a future to be built.

This is not the discussion we hear about the fate of news journalism. That discussion defaults too often to current models and old realities, to protection over creation, to fear over opportunity.

Columbia’s Reconstruction of Journalism report, in my view, gives up on the business prospects for news and resorts to what I believe are desperate measures – namely, the public option for news. The Washington Post has run two op-eds lately endorsing tax-supported journalism (pardon me for asking, but are things that bad there?). Alan Mutter reported on a Harvard confab last week that “gravitated to the predictable yadda-yadda: foundation funding, federal subsidies, subscription schemes and a smattering of random ruminations about revenue.” That’s hardly uncommon; it’s all we hear.

Bit by bit, I’ve separated myself from that worldview, first by teaching a course in entrepreneurial journalism at CUNY, then by directing the New Business models for News Project to research and propose sustainable futures for news. But I didn’t boil down my essential worldview to this – the future of news is entrepreneurial – until now.

If you buy this view – and, I know, many won’t want to – then it affects so much, as I’m learning myself. Last week at CUNY’s Graduate School of Journalism, I presented to my colleagues our New Business Models for (Local) News (the segment of the project funded by the Knight Foundation, which we’re also presenting at a Nov. 11 event here that will be streamed) and the discussion turned afterward to one aspect of what we do: what we offer students in career services. No longer is that just about getting job interviews at big publications – though, of course, it still will include that as long as it can – but it now should expand to giving students who are starting businesses the services of an incubator (which we are doing for my entrepreneurial students who are now launching businesses) and perhaps to giving them the training they need to be proprietors of journalistic businesses. We’re teaching them in our January intersession how to build their own brands online. Should we give them a workshop to help them with billing and business? I’ve asked the heretical question about teaching hyperlocal blogging: How will they learn to sell ads? These are questions raised by the entrepreneurial worldview.

The public policy implications of this view for government are many. Last week, I gave a Skype talk to a session assembled in London by MP Sion Simon looking at government’s possible role in the future of news – what it should and should not do (see posts here, here, and here). Here in the U.S., the Federal Trade Commission is holding sessions starting in December(where I’ll appear on a panel with folks who don’t agree with me about all this) and the FCC appointed Steven Waldman to continue the work of the Knight Commission looking at the information needs of communities.

As my Guardian column this week makes clear, I get hives at the notion of government interference in news – in speech of any sort. I especially fear government taking a role as a nonmarket player competing with not only the weak incumbents but also with the tender sprouts of entrepreneurial ventures. I also fear talk of governments – in the U.S. and Germany – extending copyright just to protect incumbents. What should government do? Broadband for all. I’d start – and stop – there.

For investors, the entrepreneurial worldview says not only that it’s time to get their money out of old media companies – that, given their market caps and bankruptcies, has already happened – but also that it is time to invest in new and innovative ventures. That requires investors to believe, as I do, that there is a robust and growing market demand for news and that there are new opportunities to meet it efficiently and profitably. But until we start proving that, investors will be shy. This is why I wish that the capital that has gone into not-for-profit news ventures in cities across the country had gone instead into creating for-profit enterprises; so we can prove the market, so we can learn how to make news sustainable. That is god’s work.

For other industries that work with news – advertising – I would have scouts, laboratories and pilot projects staying on the forefront of entrepreneurial developments in news and even encouraging it with marketing dollars. Ad agencies and sponsors have tremendous opportunities to build relationships with customers in new, more targeted, more effective, and more efficient ways but they must shift spending to online to learn what works and create it; their old habits of one-stop-shopping with big media only leave them behind.

As for technology, there is much development of news already occurring in startups (I’m a partner in one such effort, Daylife, and I advise others; we are seeing some sprout already alongside our New Business Models for News Project). But the technology giants can also play a role. I’ll write more about this another time, but I believe Google should be packaging what it already has to help create a framework for anyone – anyone – to build news enterprises (and it should stop wasting time trying to make friends with the dinosaurs who only want to find enemies to blame for their problems). I also want to see it help support labs to develop its tools – especially Wave and Marissa Mayer’s notion of the hyperpersonal stream – for news. This, I believe, will force us to rethink our fundamental assumptions about what news is and that, in turn, will lead to new opportunities.

Where does this leave the incumbent institutions when I say the future is not theirs? I’m no longer the only one holding them accountable for their lack of innovation in the last 15 years – even Ken Auletta is. But what’s done is done, and looking back I now see it was probably my mistake to think they could have reinvented themselves. I talked with someone recently at an old, large media company who said he believes it is impossible for them to remake themselves for this new, much smaller entrepreneurial world. There’s just too much shutdown cost and pain involved and the people inside these towers don’t think like people in garages. Still, I see opportunity for them. That’s why, on this blog and at the Aspen Institute this summer, I pushed the idea that when journalists leave those towers, their companies should invest in their futures as entrepreneurs: Set them up with blogs, sell their ads, promote them, and continue to reap the value of their experience and brands (without the cost). The Washington Post should fund the next Politico in town, not see its talent walk out the door to start it elsewhere.

And what of these journalists? Well, that’s why I’m writing this. That’s why I teach what I teach. I believe journalists must become entrepreneurs. They don’t all need to be sole proprietors of hypersomething blogs. But they need to make smart business decisions when they decide where to put their effort. They need to sense and serve the market. They need to work with innovators. They need to see a future for journalism that looks different – better, even – than its past.

The future of news is entrepreneurial.

BTW- the info above written by: JEFF JARVIS

Jeff Jarvis blogs about media and news at Buzzmachine.com (http://Buzzmachine.com). He is associate professor and director of the interactive journalism program at the City University of New York’s new Graduate School of Journalism (http://journalism.cuny.edu/). He is consulting editor of Daylife, a news startup. He writes a new media column for The Guardian. He consults for media companies. Until 2005, he was president and creative director of Advance.net, the online arm of Advance Publications. Prior to that, Jarvis was creator and founding editor of Entertainment Weekly; Sunday editor and associate publisher of the New York Daily News; TV critic for TV Guide and People; a columnist on the San Francisco Examiner; assistant city editor and reporter for the Chicago Tribune; reporter for Chicago Today. He says he is at work on a book.

***

Yahoo's Marc Spears reports on Allen Iverson:

A frustrated Allen Iverson (notes) has left the Memphis Grizzlies and is not expected to return anytime soon, if at all, a source close to the situation told Yahoo! Sports on Saturday.
The Grizzlies granted Iverson a leave of absence to allow him to return to his offseason home in Atlanta. The source said Iverson wants to clear his head and is extremely unhappy about the lack of communication with Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins over his playing time and role with the team.
Grizzlies officials said Iverson was allowed to leave the team so he could attend to a personal matter. The decision came after he met with Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley Saturday morning in Los Angeles.
“I’m not going to get into the personal reason but it has nothing to do with the other stuff,” Heisley told the Memphis Commerical Appeal, which first reported Iverson’s departure on Saturday. “I’m the guy who said he could go. It’s a real family issue that I don’t think should be reported.”
TL Take: I think AI deserves the benefit of the doubt and should be given a week or two of room before anyone makes any judgement.

EUREKA, a Bill..

tl@terrylyons.com (Terrence Lyons) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:33:27 PST

As reported by the WSJ:

In a tight vote, the House passed its sweeping health bill late Saturday, marking the biggest victory yet for Democrats in their drive to create near-universal health insurance.

The bill passed by a 220-215 margin. It came after House leaders made a surprise last-minute concession that blocks abortion from the new government insurance plan in order to win over wavering Democrats.

As reported by TL:

Thank God. We have moved forward with -- at least a start -- on a real health care program for the citizens of the United States of America.

Full Story:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125757198373535753.html

Breeder' Cup Seven World Series Games in One Day.

tl@terrylyons.com (Terrence Lyons) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:57:06 PST

Yes, the question has been asked and answered once or twice before.

Q- Best day in Sports?

A- Breeders' Cup.

It's seven World Series games in one day. Yes, it's seven Super Bowl horse races all packed into one day (two days, now that they ruined it by expanding the format).

I will add a column from ESPN.com to preview the races, but first I'll highlight this great piece by Rick Reilly who called a race at Santa Anita and found out for himself just how difficult it is to keep "track" of those nags on the "track."

Reilly's best line comes early in the race when he identifies a horse trailing the field and makes a pretty harsh reference to a former actress. I won't spoil it for you. Listen in by clicking the button midway down on the page I am linking HERE.

***

Here's some info on the Breeders' Cup to be televised by ESPN (today at 3:45pm) and ABC (Saturday at 1:45pm est) from beautiful Santa Anita (Oak Tree) in Arcadia, California.

By Jay Privman

ARCADIA, Calif. - The Breeders' Cup was designed to showcase the sport's best runners and decide year-end championships, and even in its current 14-race format, it has been a great success over its 26-year run. Yet as good as this year's event is, and it is quite good, the sport's ultimate title might not be on the line, even with such accomplished horses as Summer Bird and the unbeaten, popular mare Zenyatta meeting on Saturday at Santa Anita's Oak Tree meeting in the premier event, the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic.
Rachel Alexandra has been considered the leader for Horse of the Year, based on a series of impressive victories that included the Kentucky Oaks and, against males, in the Preakness, Haskell, and Woodward stakes. She, however, is not here, her 2009 campaign having ended in September, with majority owner Jess Jackson saying he did not want to run her on Santa Anita's synthetic Pro-Ride surface, where his Curlin was fourth in last year's Classic.
There are those, though, who believe the Breeders' Cup should be supported regardless, that it should be as advertised, the venue to decide championships.
"This is what the Breeders' Cup is all about, so we feel it's our responsibility to participate," said Zenyatta's trainer, John Shirreffs.
"This is supposed to be the championship races," said Tim Ice, who trains Summer Bird. "Whoever wins should get top honors. My opinion is that each sport has its championship game, and you should compete in them for championships. This is the stage where Horse of the Year should be decided."
Both Zenyatta and Summer Bird certainly have the credentials. Zenyatta, owned by Jerry and Ann Moss, has won all 13 of her starts, including four this year. The Classic will be her first try against males. Summer Bird has put together victories in the Belmont, Travers, and Jockey Club Gold Cup. If either adds the Classic, it makes for a compelling resume.
Regardless, a horse with a worthy campaign will be slighted. Especially if the vote comes down to Zenyatta vs. Rachel Alexandra, because they never met, yet both will have stepped out of the box to beat males.
"If Zenyatta wins it, I wish they could give Horse of the Year to both owners," said trainer Bob Baffert. "We need more of that in racing."
"It'll be like the year Ted Williams hit .406 and Joe Dimaggio had his 56-game hitting streak and was the MVP," said Rick Mettee, the North American-based assistant to Godolphin Racing trainer Saeed bin Suroor, who has Girolamo and Regal Ransom in the Classic.
"We'd like it to be on dirt, but it is the championships," Mettee added. "You can't win the AFC Championship game and then pass the Super Bowl because you don't like where it's played."
Zenyatta is certainly the star attraction in the Classic, which highlights Day 2 of the 26th Breeders' Cup. She is unquestionably the best older filly or mare in the country. Now, the stakes get raised.
"For Zenyatta at this point in her career, the Classic is obviously a big challenge," Shirreffs said. "But to not do it, when she's doing particularly well, would be just as big a mistake. Mr. Moss is not thinking Horse of the Year as much as wanting to see Zenyatta compete at the highest level."
The fans are expected to be in her corner. Jon White of Santa Anita has installed her as the morning-line favorite.
"Zenyatta brings so much excitement to the race," said Baffert, who will try to beat her with Richard's Kid.
Zenyatta will put on a show before the race. She is quite the ham in the paddock, stretching and prancing, throwing her legs out like a Rockette. But first, she admires the scene.
"When she walks to the paddock, she stands there like some Roman god," said her jockey, Mike Smith.
Zenyatta regularly trains at Hollywood Park. She came to Santa Anita on Wednesday afternoon, and had a routine gallop on Thursday morning. She will be racing 1 1/4 miles for the first time.
"She's never failed to catch her target," said her exercise rider, Steve Willard.
Even those who rarely have seen Zenyatta accord her great respect. Christophe Clement, who is sending out Gio Ponti in the Classic, wishes Zenyatta would have run Friday in the Ladies' Classic, which she won last year.
"We're all trying to make a living around here," Clement said, joking.
Rip Van Winkle, the European standout expected to vie for favoritism with Zenyatta, galloped on Thursday morning. Even though he has been battling foot problems, he was not wearing any corrective shoeing on Thursday morning.
The Classic is the ninth race on a 10-race card that begins at 10:05 a.m. Pacific with the Damascus Stakes. Eight Breeders' Cup races follow, beginning with the Juvenile Turf at 10:45. The Sprint begins an all-Breeders' Cup pick six that has a mandatory payout. The Classic, the last BC race of the day, has a scheduled post time of 3:45 p.m. The Oak Tree Derby follows the Classic and completes the card.
All the Breeders' Cup races will be televised live, first from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Pacific on ABC, then from 12:30 until 4 on ESPN.
The weather has been delightful all week and is forecast to remain so through Saturday, with predictions calling for a high temperature of 75 degrees, partly cloudy skies, and no chance of rain.

Misc Items from the Past Few Days ...

tl@terrylyons.com (Terrence Lyons) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:36:50 PST

This in from the Election Night Returns...

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Tuesday's election transformed Ohio from an anti-gambling state to one that will welcome four major casinos, including a glitzy new one in the Flats, just across from Quicken Loans Arena.

Issue 3, the constitutional amendment for casinos in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Toledo, coasted to victory Tuesday night with 53 percent of the vote, thanks in large part to voters in Northeast and Southwest Ohio.

With Cavaliers majority owner Dan Gilbert pledging that construction of the $600 million Cleveland casino would begin no later than the second half of next year, city supporters are looking forward to thousands of new jobs and more tourism from this new form of entertainment.

"We're going to deliver something very special," said Gilbert, who declared victory shortly before midnight at a party in the Cavs' practice court on the fourth floor of the Q, a couple of hours after the Cavs' win over Washington.

***

President Barack Obama's Facebook Page, according to SLATE:

http://www.slate.com/id/2234008/

***

The Phoenix Business Journal profiled Suns CEO and former NBA Properties Prez Rick Welts. In the sports world front office category of talent, it doesn't get any better than Rick Welts:

Rick Welts is bracing for a challenging 2009 season, both on and off the court.
The Phoenix Suns play 17 of their first 22 games away from their home court at US Airways Center, and Welts knows how important that tough stretch will be for the franchise — and its bottom line.
The Suns, notorious burners out of the gate, will have to do it again this year, not only to ensure a playoff run, but to make the season financially stable.
“Anyone who says the economy isn’t what they’re focusing on is on a different planet,” said Welts, who was named team CEO in April, taking over the position from Managing Partner Robert Sarver. Prior to his promotion, Welts was president and chief operating officer of the franchise. He remains president.

***

Wow, the next thing you know, they'll no longer use wood and will make graphite sticks. Whoops been there and done that, eh?

See this from our friends at the NYT:

New Skate-Sharpening Method Takes Hockey by Storm

By JEFF Z. KLEIN

The technological history of hockey is littered with elaborate ideas that did not pan out, like the Fox network’s glowing puck, the heated skate blade and Cooperalls.

But since last November, a simple innovation that costs next to nothing has become popular among N.H.L. professionals and weekend warriors alike: a skate-sharpening method called the flat-bottom V.

“It’s been great for me,” said Jack Johnson, a defenseman for the Los Angeles Kings and a candidate for the United States Olympic team. “It’s sharper, but at the same time, you can get just as much glide as with the old sharpening, so you get the best of both worlds.”

BlackStone Sports, the Ontario manufacturer of skate maintenance equipment that developed the flat-bottom V method, says players on about 20 of the N.H.L.’s 30 teams have switched from the traditional sharpening method in use for decades. The list of notables includes Zach Parise of the Devils, Joe Thornton and Rob Blake of the San Jose Sharks, Jason Arnott of the Nashville Predators, Milan Michalek of the Ottawa Senators and Doug Weight of the Islanders.

“It started with Cory Stillman in Florida,” said Steve Wilson, who founded Blackstone with his father, Murray, and developed the flat-bottom V cut with him and with company engineers.

“I was down there last year with a prototype to show the Panthers’ equipment manager, and Cory said, ‘Hey, I want to try it.’ He went out, loved it, and demanded that I leave the prototype there.”

Word spread through the Panthers’ dressing room, Wilson said, and other teams picked up on it.

“You know how hockey players are,” Wilson said. “They talk to each other.”

Proponents of the new method say this combination provides a sharper bite on turns and a freer glide in straight-ahead skating.

Conventional skate sharpening uses a grinding stone that creates a concave arc in the bottom of the blade.

The flat-bottom V uses specially made spinners to carve out tiny fangs along the skate blade’s ridges that bite into the ice for turns. The flat bottom between the fangs, similar to the flat cut of a speedskater’s blade, puts more of the blade’s surface in contact with the ice and is supposed to increase speed.

“Having the angles instead of the arc was quite intriguing,” said Wilson, who is awaiting the results of a University of Ottawa kinesiology study on the effects of the flat-bottom V. Depending on the angle at which the fangs are cut, he said, “when a player stops, he doesn’t have that ‘chattering’ effect.”

The dimensions involved are minuscule. A flat-bottom V cut of 90/75 means the width of the flat bottom between the “fangs” is 90 thousandths of an inch, and the height of the fangs is 75 ten-millionths of an inch.

Tiny, yet some players swear by it.

“My turns feel good, and I don’t feel slow coming out of them, so I’ve got no complaints,” Johnson said.

The Devils’ David Clarkson said: “I feel like I have more of a stride, that I glide a lot better when I push. So far I like the way I feel.”

Clarkson’s teammate Paul Martin started using the cut at the end of the preseason.

“It’s a little more efficient, so you glide better — you’re not working quite as hard,” Martin said before he sustained a fractured arm that will sideline him for up to six weeks.

Beyond the different feel, the flat-bottom V costs next to nothing in a sport where one player’s equipment can easily exceed $1,500.

“It cost me $10 to get my skates sharpened this way instead of the usual $5,” said Mike McBride, a 53-year-old recreation-league player in Detroit. “I had it done about two months ago, and I noticed a little difference right away. It didn’t make me go faster, but it provided me with more stability; it made me firmer on the ice.”

Internet message boards for rec-league players have been alight over the cut for several months.

The last innovation in hockey skates came about five years ago and involved heated blades, which were meant to create a thin layer of water between blade and ice to add speed. But it never caught on, because of its expense and the cumbersome battery pack players had to carry.

There, in the dustbin of hockey history, it joined Cooperalls (long pants of early-1980s vintage to replace the customary shorts and socks, and worn briefly by the Philadelphia Flyers and the Hartford Whalers) and the glowing puck (a visual aid on Fox telecasts of the mid-’90s meant to make it easier for American viewers to follow the action).

The flat-bottom V seems more likely to have a longer shelf life.

“I’ve got four sons,” Wilson said. “I know how much it costs to outfit a player. The nice thing about this is that it costs pretty much the same as regular skate sharpening. It’s definitely not like buying a pair of $800 skates or a $300 stick.”

McBride, who said he never played organized hockey as a youth and considers himself “no better than the average weekend player,” recalled that he heard about the flat-bottom V from someone at his office whose 12-year-old boy was playing at the pee-wee level.

“His son was raving about it, as were the other kids on the team, so I decided to try it,” McBride said. “I’m going to stick with it.”

What a Moron...

tl@terrylyons.com (Terrence Lyons) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:33:00 PST

Countdown with Keith Olbermann featured this item during the Monday night "Oddball" session... and the name of the MSNBC feature fit the article's writer -- Mr. X -- perfectly:

Why the US Congress Should Revoke ESPN's License to Broadcast

I have just about had it with ESPN.

On one hand, I can imagine that ESPN employs respectable people, yet the big picture of ESPN is that ESPN is nothing more than propaganda that only serves to divide people in many ways, including racial lines.

ESPN is nothing more than yellow journalism and not in a harmless or entertaining way.

On one hand, you'll get hacks that laugh at distraught fans (see, College GameDay); on the other hand you'll get more hacks that washed out from some school yet somehow insinuate themselves into places that they don't belong (see, cast of Around The Horn ).

Ooh, but we should feel badly about ourselves because we aren't puppets that, "get to" be on the flickering idiot box, believing that the job is inherently a higher plane of intelligence.

It seems fitting that the former host of SportsCenter would be Keith Olbermann, whom is one of the most divisive names in the mainstream media. Olbermann even called ESPN a "Godforsaken place," and later backed down from his criticism and shouldered the blame in an article called, "Mea Culpa."

I wonder how many pellets they had to feed to Olbermann for him to cave. But don't get me wrong, Bill O'Reilly has been just as bad, but Olbermann relates to ESPN.

ESPN has stooped to a new low. One of the few shows on ESPN that may have had a scintilla of integrity, Outside the Lines, has now engaged in a hit piece against Raiders coach Tom Cable, in which his ex-wife and former girlfriend accuse Cable of repeated abuse.

This hit piece by ESPN is transparent. The sports media has already allowed for Randy Hanson to defame Coach Cable with bunk accusations of assault.

Now, with egg on their face, because you know, they aren't journalists, columnists, or even sufficient critics, they have decided that it would be prudent to report this junk about Cable after ESPN refused to report the civil charges of rape against Ben Roethlisberger.

For years, ESPN refused to investigate the problem of steroids in baseball, only to allow their job to be dumped on the US Congress.

ESPN refused to investigate Spygate. ESPN refused to investigate the veracity of accusations against Pacman Jones and thus allowed Commissioner Goodell to in effect end the career of the troubled player for unsubstantiated accusations against him.

And yet, ESPN will report this nonsense that was never reported to law enforcement or any other agency.

Why? Because the one incident against Cable was 20 years ago. Cable admittedly slapped his wife on the face in anger, because he learned that she had been adulterous. Cable openly regrets what happened and has stated that he has regretted ever since.

Yet, ESPN in their malice has decided that they need to cover their rears after giving a forum to Randy Hanson and picking on that story like vultures.

ESPN has shown over the course of the years to engage in malicious attacks against the Raiders organization, including Bill Plaschke of Around the Horn and Jay Mariotti of the same show.

In August, the Pittsburgh native, Mariotti would even refer to the legendary organization as a "God-awful franchise," and that Cable should be suspended and that Al Davis should "vanish."

While Plaschke openly used his time on ATH to call for the suspension of Cable even after the Napa County DA announced that there would be no charges against Cable for assault, and that Hanson had broken his jaw after falling backwards in his chair, because he had his feet on the table.

Even Tony Kornheiser of Pardon the Interruption asserted that the witnesses "may have" been intimidated, which is a ridiculous assertion and effectively questions the integrity of the Napa County DA.

Had the Napa County DA believed that intimidation was occurring, the DA surely would have investigated.

Kornheiser has also admitted to his "East Coast bias" when talking about how much he loves the match-up between the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies.

ESPN doesn't have a FCC license as its a cable network... and

God Help Us All...

tl@terrylyons.com (Terrence Lyons) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:41:00 PST

This story from the Philadelphia Inquirer:

Tim Donaghy's tumultuous journey through the federal prison system, which he says included a beatdown from an inmate who claimed to have New York mob connections, finally is coming to an end.

The Havertown-bred former NBA referee is scheduled to be released (Wednesday) from the Hernando County (Fla.) Jail, where he's finishing a 13-month prison term for his part in a gambling scandal that triggered an avalanche of negative publicity for the league.

Donaghy, 42, pleaded guilty in 2007 to federal wire-fraud and gambling charges. He admitted to accepting cash payoffs from two childhood buddies from Cardinal O'Hara High in exchange for betting tips that were based on his inside knowledge of the game.

"I've dealt with a lot of felons and I think he is sincerely repentant and contrite,'' said Pat Berdan, of Executive Prison Consultants, a firm that has been assisting Donaghy in prison.
"I see no intent, not even a hint of it, of revenge or retaliation or attempting to put the NBA in their place or anything like that,'' Berdan said. "He is quite remorseful about the whole thing.''

The Villanova grad served the bulk of his sentence at a minimum-security prison camp in Pensacola, Fla., where he suffered a knee injury when, he said, a man who claimed to have mob ties assaulted him.

Donaghy was transferred to a halfway house in June, but was sent to a county prison in August for a federal rule violation. His attorney, John Lauro, said Donaghy believed that he had permission to go to a health club to work on his knee, but federal authorities said it was an unauthorized trip and locked him up.

Lauro said the last few months have been tough on the ex-ref, who still needs knee surgery.

"County prison is the last place in the prison system that anybody would want to be," he said.

***

TL Comment: I just can't even believe this guy is doing testimonials for Executive Prison Consultants. You just can't make this stuff up? An admitted liar and felon being your go-to guy as a spokesperson? Someone who hasn't proven - for one second - that he is remorseful or looking to make a positive impact in life. Christ? Volunteer for some local charity or join the Marines. Do something.

By the way - this is ACTUALLY on the Executive Prison Consultants online site:

"Executive Prison Consultants did more for me than I ever thought possible. They helped me get things done that attorneys told me were not realistic. Thanks to EPC, I left prison months before my originally scheduled release date. The professionals at EPC get results!"
-- Tim D (convicted liar and felon)

Look Back: One Year -- Where is the Drive and the Determination?

tl@terrylyons.com (Terrence Lyons) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:45:41 PST

A year after the most important election in our lifetime, the spirit and the drive that was the backbone of a new, young, impactful candidate has been reversed and undermined by the political opponents defeated a year ago tonight.

I ask why?

Why have we allowed the enthusiasm and the desire for change to be sucked right out of our daily lives?

Why have we cowered underneath the pressures put forth by the people who bring you Fox News?

Why aren't we out there making the changes happen instead of backing down to the very people who stand by their actions to sabotage something as basic and decent as providing health care to our fellow citizens, many of whom can not afford a doctor or simple check-up?

I ask? What happened America?

You were out there a year ago. Now, you sit on your ass and complain or - worse yet - you listen to the Republican political sabotage machine that has taken this country into the worst economic period of our times and now have the gall, the audacity, to try to revise history and blame others.

Get out there and vote today. And, nearly as important - get out there and work. Take a minute and decide what you are going to do to help move this country forward. Don't stand still and settle for what was yesterday, what was troubling, what was setting us back. Don't settle for so-called leaders who put barriers in front of change and then question why hasn't change come quickly.

I am doing that by backing Michael Flaherty of Boston for mayor. I am not settling for the past 16 years of ancient and back room political influences. I want Boston to be a better place for me and my family. I want some progress.

It's Election Day 2009 and Election Day is the most important day of the year. It is not just your right to vote, it is your obligation.

Tommy Sheppard...Nothing but the Best

tl@terrylyons.com (Terrence Lyons) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:59:00 PST

Here's to T-Shep with a story courtesy of Eddie Sefko at the Dallas Morning News. Sefko "broke" this baby quite quickly... must've had a source at the NBA or in the District:

The NBA has an award for everything and one of them that fans don't hear much about but means plenty within the fraternity of people involved with the NBA is the Splaver/McHugh "Tribute to Excellence'' Award.
Every year, it goes to a person who is or has been a member of the NBA public-relations family.
This year, the pickers could not have done better, awarding it to Tommy Sheppard, the Washington Wizards' VP of Basketball Administration who oversaw all internal and external player relations with the Denver Nuggets before joining the Wizards.
Sheppard has been in the NBA 16 seasons and is universally considered one fo the best communicators and organizers in the league, not to mention one of the best dudes.
He's scouted, dealt with agents, mastered the salary cap, evaluated college and high-school talent and pretty much done it all as Wizard president Ernie Grunfeld's right-hand man.
Among other winners of the award are: Former NBA VP of international communications Terry Lyons (2008), former Seattle PR director and current Phoenix Suns' president and CEO Rick Welts (2006) and former Mavericks' PR Director Kevin Sullivan in 2004. He went on to be White House Communications Director under President George W. Bush.
--Eddie Sefko