Hate?

Today, I want to ask some questions spurred by a number of recent incidents, most notably the Ohio State loss at Wisconsin last weekend.

While this post does contain some content about football, it is not a football post.

Here’s what it is about...
*note - all you’s, we’s, they’s, & such are intended to be non-specific except where otherwise designated.

Why do we have to hate each other just because we are different?

Why do we have to show scorn for others who are not in our party, not on our team, not of the same sexual orientation, not fans of the same team, not our race, not our age, not our demographic in general?

What the hell is wrong with us?

If my team loses to another team, why are you, (folks in Michigan) laughing at our misery?

If we have a rivalry, why do you wish, (folks from both Ohio and Michigan) that the other team loses every single game including the one against your team?

Having been both a Wolverine and a Buckeye I can honestly say I think shirts that say “Ann Arbor is a whore.” or “F*** Michigan” are incredibly funny during rivalry week. But I wonder, (folks in Ohio) why those shirts were on sale during the Indiana game?

No, it is not the week before!

The 2006 game that matched undefeated teams for the first time in forever was one of the best I’ve ever watched. I can’t imagine it would have been remotely the same if one or the other of the two teams had losing records or had not won even one game.

Bo and Woody were friends for 51 weeks out of the year folks. Woody was Bo’s mentor. Heck, Bo coached at Ohio State before he went to Michigan. Jim Tressel himself called Bo a Buckeye when Bo passed away.

You’re gonna argue with “The Vest?”

I found myself a few weeks ago spouting that Sparty, (Michigan State) is evil because that’s what we said when I lived in Michigan. But, the more I thought about it... Well, I really like Mark Dantonio, (MSU head coach) and Le’Veon Bell, (MSU running back) is from Reynoldsburg, Ohio and they’re really just a bunch of kids playing a game.

Evil?

Get some perspective Jimmer!

I root for my team. You root for your’s. We don’t have to root against each other.

If I express a point of view in the comments section of the newspaper that differs from yours why does that make me a flaming idiot? or an ignorant dolt? or “fill in your insult of choice here?”

Why would you hate me because of who I choose to share my life with? Does my sexual orientation really matter to you?

Are all teenagers idiots? Are all old people grumpy? Are all rich people elitists? Are all poor people lazy? Are all “West-Siders” criminals? What about “Detroiters?”

Get the picture?

The Wisdom of the Turtle

When is the last time you saw a turtle?

Okay, everybody except you outdoors types, the city kids if you will.

Think about it...

Annette and I saw several turtles on our camping and fishing trip last weekend.  

One fella was kind enough to let Netter take several pics, some from as close as 3 or 4 feet away. He was almost posing.
(photo credit to Netter)

Because we were so close, it is odd that he would stay still for so long for us to take his picture, but not so odd to see a turtle on a lake.

But wait...

On Monday, I saw a turtle trying to cross one of the main roads on my way to work. A 4 lane highway and this turtle was far enough into my lane that I had to swerve to avoid him. The car behind me swerved too. I don't know what happened after that. I thought about going back and moving the turtle off the road, but ultimately I didn't think that would dissuade him from going where he thought he needed to go. If anything, my pushing him back would be nothing more than a delay in his trip.

(Care to join me for a little side trip here.)

On Tuesday, legendary Detroit Tiger radio announcer Ernie Harwell passed away.

Ernie was an integral part of my young life. For a variety of reasons my family moved a lot when I was a kid. I went to 3 different kindergartens, 2 different second grades, switched to Catholic schools after 3rd grade, moved from Redford, Michigan to Lima, Ohio after 5th grade and to Grove City, Ohio after my freshman year in high school. For those of you who are counting that's 9 different schools. I had to make new friends a lot, which as we all know is not always the easiest thing to do.

Ernie Harwell was my constant companion. In those days not all the games were on television. Heck, we only had 4 channels for most of my young life. If we were lucky we got one Tiger game, (when we lived in Michigan) and one NBC Game of the Week each week.

But Tiger games were always on the radio on Superstation WJR 760 out of Detroit in those days and Ernie was always there to be my friend, to make me feel at ease. I felt like I was at home.

I met Ernie once before a ball game at Tiger Stadium. He was walking across the infield grass during batting practice and I was sitting in the stands directly in his view. "Ernie, Ernie, um - Mr. Harwell, Mr. Harwell." I shouted, remembering my manners at the very last minute. "Alright Son, I'm coming," he said, and that's all I remember. I was in shock. Ernie Harwell had talked directly to me. He signed my program, which I still treasure to this day, and went on his way up to the press box. A brief moment with a legend I feel privileged to have and to treasure.

(Back on track)

Before the beginning of every baseball season Ernie Harwell would recite "The Song of The Turtle" passage from Song of Solomon.

"For, lo, the winter is past,the rain is over and gone;
the flowers appear on the earth;
the time of the singing of birds is come,
and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land."

I had heard this in passing, but as I didn't listen to a lot of spring training ball games I had never actually heard Mr. Harwell in his recitation until I found this video on YouTube today.



Still, as I read about Ernie and studied his history as I am wont to do when someone famous dies I kept running across this passage, and Ernie's history with it all day Wednesday and Thursday.

Today I watched the library's Summer Reading Club promo video. And... you guessed it, another turtle.



"What the heck is with all the turtles?" I wondered.

Finally, today when I ran across this post from Seth Godin on Quieting the Lizard Brain, or that part of us that makes it so difficult to do what we say we are going to do...a lightbulb went off.

I thought about that turtle last weekend who let us take his picture, even posed for us because he wanted to be in the sun. We didn't phase him. I thought about that turtle on Monday who was going to cross that street because he needed to, he wanted to, 2000 pound vehicles be damned. I thought about the turtle and his song that he sings every spring without fail because it is a part of who he is, and I considered that the turtle in the clip I saw today was there to smack me in the head and make me think about the wisdom of the turtle.

Unwavering, steadfast in his determination, and committed to the task at hand. There are no doubts. There are no second thoughts. The turtle just moves forward and keeps on going.

Quite a contrast to the lizard brain. I've had plenty of lizard brain moments in my life. Too many to count, and the more I thought about this I realized that I have found most of my success when I have been the turtle moving forward without hesitation.

Slow and steady wins the race.

What do you think?

Where I Learn Things - Cinque

I want to begin by saying how happy I was with the way my Listening post was received last week. That was very nice of all of you. I promise a follow-up post sometime in the near future to answer questions, and talk more about being a good listener.

Today I'd like to make a belated return to my series about Where I Learn Things. I've been weeding through my RSS feeds (down to 61 as of today), adding and subtracting, discovering and rediscovering some great content and I am excited to be able to share that with you today.

Right out of the gate I want to introduce you to Perry Maughmer's blog - A Wider Lens. Perry blogs about leadership, life, being human, looking in the mirror, business, strategy, and emerging trends. In other words he makes me think, (without over-thinking) and that is always a good thing. Too often we get stuck in our day-to-day, and forget to look at the bigger picture. If you read Perry's blog, chances are that's not gonna happen.

(I've only recently discovered Perry's blog. I followed a link from my friend Nate Rigg's, and my friend Christa pointed me that way as well so a big thanks to those two great folks.)

Of course the day-to-day is still a big part of who we are, and a big part of who I am is being a Dad (although happily my girls still call me Daddy). For great stories from Dads I check out a number of contributing authors over at Dad-O-Matic. From their "About" section:

Dad-o-Matic was founded in 2008 by Chris Brogan who was inspired by the work of Doriano Carta (now Editor-in-Chief) on his personal blog where he shared interesting experiences about being a dad.

The concept was simple: build a place for dads to share thoughts and ideas about parenting. This can be views, news, reviews, and advice. You don’t have to be a dad to participate. It’s just a blog from the Dad’s perspective.

For more day-to-day, keeping it real content I check in with my friend Oneita who blogs for the Detroit Free Press at her blog O Street. While it's true that a lot of Oneita's content is about Detroit, it's not just about Detroit. It's about growing up, and parenting, and being a good citizen, and even controversial topics like racism, and politics.

Oneita fosters a discussion in her forums that is both respectful, and insightful. I've had the opportunity to talk to Oneita a couple of times. She caught me off guard one day by calling me. I was at work when my phone rang. I recognized the area code as being from Michigan, thought it was one of my relatives, and picked up.

Me: Hello

Oneita: Hey, what are you doing?

Me: (Not recognizing the voice.) Um, I'm okay. How are you?

Oneita: Oh, hey sorry it's Oneita.

Me: (Thinking in my head: Holy Crap, Oneita Jackson just called me.)

At this point I remembered that I had emailed Oneita requesting a copy of her free blog tips, and my phone number is in the signature line of my email. As Oneita and I discussed, why would I put it there if I didn't expect to be called?

We chatted for a few minutes, she said she would check out my blog too, I requested an RSS feed to her blog specifically (instead of all of the Free Press blogs collectively), and we hung up.

A few days later Oneita called back. She needed to explain to her IT folk exactly what I wanted re: the RSS feed.

She emailed it to me a little later that day. It was pretty cool to be honest. How about that for listening to your readers?

The last blog I want to share with you today is from my colleague at the library Helene Blowers. Helene blogs about libraries, and social media, and changing trends in user experience on the Internet among other things. In other words all the stuff that occupies my attention just about every day. Needless to say, reading Helene's blog, well... I learn a lot.

What occupies your attention on a daily basis? Where do you learn things?

It's Not About the Games. It's About the People

Tough Saturday for this Detroit sports fan.

The Red Wings lost the Stanley Cup to Pittsburgh last night.

The city of Detroit has decided to tear down the rest of Tiger Stadium because no funds could be raised to save it.

Ouch!

Some athletes who make more money than I will ever dream of lost a trophy. An old stadium, in a city I don't even live in, that hasn't been used with any regularity in 10 years is being torn down.

And I'm having a tough day...?

Does that sound funny to anybody besides me? Why do I care? Why is my gut being torn apart? Why did I cry like an 8 year old little boy last night? What did I really lose? Why do I have so much invested in games?

In reality, I don't.

I love the old ball park because I remember all the good times I had there as a boy. I remember spending time with my Dad. Running around getting player autographs, and a special moment with Ernie Harwell legendary Tiger broadcaster as he walked from the field where he had been talking to the players and coaches to a little boy who couldn't have been more thrilled to meet him and have him sign my program. I remember feeling so much happiness when my hero, Lance Parrish hit a home run when we had driven all the way from Lima, Ohio to watch a game. I remember that I brought my best friend to that game. I remember taking my wife and daughters to games there including the third to the last game of the season in 1999 when the stadium closed.

You'll notice that's the only time I mentioned the stadium in that entire paragraph.

Similarly, while you'll hear me talk about the Wings and how they played I am more likely to talk about the games I attended in Detroit as a child, stories about my Dad and I watching the Wings win the Cup in 1997, and the games I've attended in Columbus as an adult, very often with my family.

I have friends across the United States and in the Virgin Islands (Right Ang?) who I have never met in person. We get together and chat in our online lounge during almost every game - kinda like an online living room.

I have a friend at the library that I talk to about hockey all the time. I have teammates who are very much like my family who I wouldn't know but for hockey.

Not a puck or a stick or a goalie mask mention in any of the above.

I might be upset that the Red Wings lost, and I might mourn the demolition of an historic landmark, but I assure you my friends I'm maintaining perspective.

While the game brings us together, the relationships are what really matter.

You see my true investment is in people.

I Love Hockey and the D - part one.

I love hockey. Ever since I laced on a pair of skates I've been addicted to the ice, well okay, there was a bit of a learning curve.

You know how some Dad's throw their kid in a lake and say; "swim?" My Dad left me in the middle of the rink at open skate, with the Zamboni coming out to resurface and said; "See you at the door."

Believe it or not, I will forever be grateful.

Know how big that Zamboni looks to a seven year old? Baby I skated, and now.

When I was a kid I went to the rink every day for two straight winters. It was such a routine, that my Mom came home once and asked me why I wasn't at the rink? Did she forget to give me skating money? What was wrong?

Um, Mom - I was grounded. (She gave me the 50 cents I needed and sent me on my way. Thanks Mom. Btw, does anything cost 50 cents anymore?)

My Dad took me to my first game. The Detroit Red Wings vs. The Colorado Rockies at Olympia Stadium in Detroit - 1976. I've told this story before. This is a poster I got at the game? Yep, I still have it hanging in my office. Once ravaged by thumbtacks and scotch tape, it was saved by my fabulous wife, matted and framed. I think that my last "little boy look" probably came the day I asked her if she might salvage it because I didn't want it to "just hang in the garage," and she made it look authentic, and old school, a tribute to my favorite sport, and the place I consider my hometown.

I have other memorabilia from the D of course. These are pennants from my first Tiger game in 1976 (Orange), and from the last two games we went to before they closed Tiger Stadium in 1999.

As every true Detroit native must, I also have the obligatory Lion's paraphernalia - fitting that it's a trash can I suppose. (Oh Dear Lions, please don't draft another QB until you have someone who can protect him.) The Bucket isn't from Detroit, but is a commemorative ice bucket from Superbowl XL which was played in Detroit, purchased at my local Kroger on sale for five dollars.

We have been to Ford Field though. After a friend asked me to go with him to Heinz Field in Pittsburgh the season that it opened, I immediately put an inaugural season trip to Ford Field on our agenda. So my ladies and I ventured forth, and of course came home with a prize. Well okay, the girls got stuffed "Roary" Lions, Netter got a cool Lions Santa ornament, and I got this very cool football.

I continue to root for the Tigers, and Lions, even the Pistons to this day, but the cancellation of a season in 1994, more than 50 years of what might best be described as mediocrity and probably more accurately as pitiful gridiron performance, and my inability to recognize anything basketball like in today's NBA leaves me with one true love, one sport that is pure, one sport that owns my heart. My doctor thinks it sounds funny, but I always find peace on the ice. I feel at home. I feel free. I feel like I belong.

Enter the Detroit Red Wings. For 33 years now, I've followed their fortunes. Sometimes I lost track as we moved around. Not a lot of hockey coverage in Lima, Ohio and we didn't have the Internet in 1979. Even during the eighties in Columbus there wasn't a ton of hockey coverage. Still I got everything I could from the local paper, and whenever we visited the D during the season, the Free Press and I were fast friends.

As the ESPN network grew, and the Columbus Chill came to my new hometown, I was able to once again fully embrace my love affair with the game I think defines me. I started playing again in 1997, and only a year later the NHL announced that Columbus, that's right Columbus, Ohio was being awarded an NHL franchise - later named The Blue Jackets. (I still think the Chill is a cooler name.)

Friends who knew me asked if, when the Blue Jackets began to play I would renounce my allegiance to the Red Wings, and become a fan of the CBJ.

What?!?!!!? Throw away what was then more than 20 years, of heartache, and failure followed by sweet success and two straight Stanley Cups to root for an upstart franchise full of castoffs from other teams, and begin the struggle again? Are you kidding me?

As my friend Juice would say H - E double hockey sticks - NO! Not on your life.

I said then, and I still say today actually I will always root for the Blue Jackets to do well, but I'm not about to root for them to beat my Red Wings.

Some may know of my struggle to deal with being a Michigan fan, and my eventual conversion to being a Buckeye, and suspect that one day I will change my mind in this situation as well.

Let me assure you that will not happen. I became a full fledged Buckeye for a number of reasons - all detailed here, but as much as I am passionate about The Ohio State University now, I am that much more passionate about the Red Wings.

Yet, somehow these Blue Jackets, the CBJ have found a soft spot in my heart, and I find myself watching their games with a similar passion to when I'm watching the Wings, and they are "the local team," and without even planning on it, I've become a fan and I am really rooting for them to do well.

But do I want them to beat my Red Wings? Would the inconceivable really happen?

I'll tell you next time.