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I was not a fan of Tim Tebow… then I watched this video. Now I can’t help but like him, even if I hate the Gators. Watch it… feel stupid about your selfishness, pass it along.

As I worked through the unread posts in my RSS reader, I came across several posts along these lines today. This one by Kem Meyer touched me the most… particularly the end. I can not say it any better, please go here and read what Kem has to say about the 9/11 tragedy, and the effect it’s had on her.

For the record, here’s my memory of that day: I was still asleep when the first plane hit (I had a pretty sweet schedule my senior year of high school, my first class wasn’t until 11:30). My mother woke me up with the news that: “A plane hit the World Trade Center”. That didn’t mean much to me… I assumed it was an accident, and proceeded to go back to sleep. A few minutes later my mom came back in and said: “They think it may have been terrorists”. In 2001, the word “terrorist” didn’t really mean what it does in 2008, nonetheless, I rolled over, and flipped on the TV in my bedroom. Casually watching the news coverage, and realizing how serious this “accident” was, I was lying in bed when the second plane hit. My mom screamed from the living room where her and my dad were watching the same coverage. Instantly everything changed, my mind raced to the possibilities of the extent of what I might see next. I remember running out into the living room too watch all of this unfold with my parents. We soon found out when the 3rd plane hit the Pentagon, and the 4th crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. 

The next few hours went something like this: We prayed, my mom cried, my dad enrolled in the army (just kidding, but he was close), my brother called home from college, we watched the news, we heard about a plane crashing into a building in Dayton, Ohio (sheer coincidence, small single engine plane, but just imagine what we were thinking), I drove both of our cars to the gas station to get gas (the lines were so long), I didn’t go to school that day.

I’ll never forget that day. One day I’ll try to convey to my children what we all felt and experienced that day. While I hope they are moved, and gain understanding from the things I’ll share with them, I hope they never have to experience themselves. My prayers tonight will be for the families of those lost in the various stages of this tragedy, and for the men & women all over the world serving our country to prevent a similar catastrophe for future generations.

I eluded to this topic in an earlier post on this blog. It’s taken me a couple of days to formulate what I want to say, and gather the time & words to say it. I’m glad I waited to publish this, because Marvin Lewis (head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals) further confirmed my feelings. Here goes…

I’m finished with the Bengals. I simply can’t do it anymore. I love them, I’d love to continue rooting for them… truth be told, I’ll probably still watch them, and secretly hope that they win. I love the team, and the players However, I am not going to support this team financially, or emotionally any longer. I will not support a team ran by an owner more interested in cashing checks than winning football games. I will not support a team coached by a smug, arrogant, inexperienced, clown of a coach. Today in his press conference, Marvin Lewis said the following in response to a question about what he would say to fans who were “on the ledge”, Lewis said: “Do what you gotta do. I’m not gonna keep talking about it… If you’re a fan be a fan”. Today Marvin, I’m doing what I’ve gotta do. Picking a new team!!

Now for the exciting part… I’ve been thinking about this since the debacle against the Ravens on Sunday. Here’s what went into my decision: Owner/Franchise, Coach, Players, Tradition, Geography, City, Past Success & History.

First I’ve gotta eliminate teams… I’ve broken this down into categories as follows:

• Steelers, Ravens, & Browns (Vomit… Plus their in the AFC North. That’s too close to home)
• Patriots, Colts, Chargers (Too much winning… I can’t be accused of being a frontrunner)
• Giants, Jets, Bears (I’m a city boy, but not a big city boy)
• Packers, Raiders, 49ers, Bills, Redskins (Too much tradition. These fans deserve their teams)
• Dolphins, Falcons, Lions, Texans, Cardinals (These teams remind me of the Bengals. Once was enough, thanks)
• Chiefs, Jaguars, Panthers, Titans, Vikings, Seahawks, Rams (These teams seem boring. They should combine, then they’d be exciting)

I want to hear your thoughts on this video. What does it say to you? What does it stir inside of you? Tell me in the comments.

It’s no secret that I’m a huge sports fan. It really doesn’t matter what the sport is, if it’s on TV (especially HDTV), I’ll watch it. However, I get especially geeked up for the start of the NFL season. Here are my thoughts from a wild week 1 of the NFL.

• 20 minutes into the season, one of the best QB’s in NFL history was rolling around on the field, and last year’s most dominant team was facing reality in the face without their MVP Superstar QB. Tom Brady’s injury is a huge deal for the Patriots, the NFL, and my fantasy football team. Thinks look grim…
• The Colts & Chargers lose to NFC teams. Maybe the AFC isn’t so dominant after all…
• Brett Favre looked like Brett Favre…. Aaron Rodgers better bring “A” game tonight vs. the Vikings, or that crowd is gonna be unhappy! 
• The Bengals are the worst franchise in the NFL. I’m predicting a 4-12 season. I was one of the few optimistic ones…. yesterday proved my ignorance.
• I’m looking for a new team to cheer for. Seriously… my fan allegiance is up for grabs… more on that in a later post!
• Donovan McNabb might be the MVP this year… looks like he’s back, if he can stay healthy, the Eagles will dominate.
• I think I need to improve my NFL menu for next week. I wasn’t impressed this week. Here’s the rundown: Chicken breast strips with Crazy Sauce and curly fries from Wings & rings. Double cheeseburger & large sweet tea from McDonalds. I bought the cheeseburger spontaneously thinking the rest wouldn’t be enough… turns out it was, and I didn’t eat it…. score one for my arteries.  

I’ve spent a good amount of time over the past couple of weeks watching the Republican and Democrat National Conventions. I’ll keep all opinions and preferences out of the discussion, because I don’t want my blog to go near that conversation… it’s often boring, hateful, and filled with predispositions that aren’t worth discussing. That said, this post is less about political ideas, and more about business ideas.

In 2003, Seth Godin wrote a now infamous book entitled: Purple Cow. Below is a summary of the book: 

Cows, after you’ve seen one, or two, or ten, are boring. A Purple Cow, though…now that would be something. Purple Cow describes something phenomenal, something counterintuitive and exciting and flat out unbelievable. Every day, consumers come face to face with a lot of boring stuff-a lot of brown cows-but you can bet they won’t forget a Purple Cow. And it’s not a marketing function that you can slap on to your product or service. Purple Cow is inherent. It’s built right in, or it’s not there. Period.

So here is my question: After dozens of speeches, hours of conventions, and endless debates, will either of these candidates/parties/tickets arise and be a Purple Cow? Come November, will we be able to say: “I’m voting for candidate X because he/she brings something unique to the table. Something that no one else does… something that is phenomenal, counterintuitive and exciting”.

I wish we could get past all of the rhetoric, party loyalty, and brown bag speeches. I wish a candidate would stand up and say: “I’m a Purple Cow, and I deserve your vote because I bring this to the table, and no one else does, nor ever has…”