SJU Hype Video

I work with a video production team that graduated from St. John's.  While they're fresh out of school, they do incredible work, and SJU has employed them on a number of projects.

Here's the latest:



Go back and check out that shot of the touchdown run at the :15 second mark.  That's some incredible video work, no matter how you slice it.

There's not much better as a job than to be able to work with incredibly talented people, and that they happen to be Johnnies?  That's just icing on the cake.

Where Do We Go From Here

An unaccountable Pope.  An unrepentant and stonewalling church leadership.  A complete lack of progress, other than to wait things out and hope it gets better.

Where is my church?  

In the middle of all this, we're treated to stories like that of the two priests in Florida having sex with each other.  In public.  In the middle of the day.  Next to a playground.

My confidence in church leadership has gone.  Where we go from here is anyone's guess, but it sure looks like it is no place good.

Evil reigns.

Oh my Jesus
Save us from the fires of hell
Lead all souls to heaven
Especially those in most need of Thy mercy

Saturday Song Share: PAPA - Ain't It So

The Gift of Notre Dame

As I was watching Notre Dame play Michigan last week, I really got emotional.  That team, that stadium, that place is so rife with tradition.  I'm so fortunate I got to experience so much of it.  You see, my brother went to school at Notre Dame, and that means by extension, so did his family.

It started out with me going out there when we were both in school, and while I can't remember the game itself (who they played or the score, although I think it may have been a win against Purdue...), I absolutely remember everything else about it - the walk from the church to the game, the band, the pushups, the site, the song.  It was college football heaven.

See for yourself:



Since that first visit, there've been many others.  I've guess I've seen ND play well over a half dozen times in the stadium, plus a couple of more on the road at bowl games.  That's why when the broadcast showed the grotto in an intro, or took a shot from the end zone (where I'd bet we sat at least four times), or anything else that was familiar, I just felt lucky.  I felt lucky that my brother was generous enough to share all this with me.  

And that's what it was (and still is) - generosity.  From carting me around and showing me things that had likely become mundane when we were young students, to finding excuses for us to get together for a game when life had become so busy as adults, Notre Dame was a gift given to me by him.  

The Irish Guard.  Key plays.  The flyovers.  The band.  The announcer.  Touchdown Jesus.  #1 Moses.  The players (my goodness, the players we saw).  

But out of all of that, the best part was always this:



Thanks, Kev.  This is just one in a long line of gifts you've given me, and I can't thank you enough for letting me be a part of your alma mater.

Duck Forecast 2018

The latest numbers got released a couple of weeks ago.  Here's how the flight is shaping up for duck season 2018:

While the long-term population is up, we're down a sizable amount from last year.  A 13% reduction in birds is a significant loss, so while numbers are still healthy, hunters will likely notice fewer birds than last year.

Beyond that, the breeding population analysis shows area for concern as well.

Enjoy 2018, duck hunters.  It may be the last good one we have in a while.

Nike Walks Away from Customers

By now you've surely heard that Nike has launched their latest version of their famed "Just Do It" campaign, but this one is featuring Colin Kaepernick:

There have been a lot of responses to this, the best being a replacement of Kaepernick's face with fallen hero Pat Tillman.  There's sacrificing everything, then there's sacrificing everything.  

I won't get into rehashing the whole Kaepernick, Black Lives Matter, kneeling protest.  There's enough of that out there.  But you know what else Nike thinks there's enough of out there?  Customers.  The whole NFL thing has divided a country, and by picking a side, Nike has effectively pissed off millions - let me state that again - MILLIONS of customers.  Much like Dick's Sporting Goods did with guns, Nike is deeming it more important to be a Social Justice Warrior than it is to serve its customers.

Perhaps they feel that their SJW move can endear them to other non-Nike customers, and woke folks buying other brands will flock to Nike and offset non-woke customers.  Perhaps they just don't care, and like so many nowadays, they believe they're right, and if you don't agree with them then you're a bigot and you don't deserve to buy Nikes anyway.  I don't know.

As a marketer, I do know that acquiring customers and protecting market share, especially in a mature category like shoes, is a bare-knuckled fight.  It's damned hard work.  

Given how hard it is, why would you ever simply walk away from people that literally ensure that you have food on the table?  

I'm so tired of politics everywhere, and I'm particularly tired of politics in sports.  It used to be a last bastion where folks of different persuasions could find common ground.  Now, you either prove how woke you are, or you run the risk of being a racist, fascist, Nazi, or homophobe, even when following your favorite team.

Regardless of my political slant, the marketer in me wishes Nike nothing but failure.  The minute you take your customers for granted, especially for something like not being woke enough for you, that's the time your long-term business prospects are dubious.

Time for Action

I've had it.  The Pope's silence cannot be tolerated any further.  It's time.

As Catholics, we must demand action, not silence. To this point, it seems like that actions that have been taken have all been evil. Abuse.  Sacrilege.  Depravity.  Devastation. Cover-up. 

Enough. 

I want the righteous of Christ’s Church to go on offense. Evil cannot be ignored anymore.

Saturday Song Share: Mary J Blige & U2 - One

This is my favorite U2 song, and while it has been covered by greats such as Johnny Cash, Joe Cocker, and the Cowboy Junkies, this is more than just my favorite cover.

It's my favorite version.

Her soaring, at times angry vocals bring out an emotion that is more under the surface in the original version.  She does what any great artist does when covering a great song - she makes it her own.

Just wow: