The Sports Info Business

Eight days.  I was only gone for eight days but it seemed like a month.  In an age where I never feel disconnected from my computer, my sports blog, friends, family via emails, I pretty much turned off technology for eight days while I was in Paris and Normandy, France.

Here is just a sample of some of the things that happened while I was gone…..

Michael Vick from 60 Minutes Interview

• Michael Vick signed with the Philadelphia Eagles and is back in the National Football League after serving a prison term for running a dog fighting ring.  Speaking of whch, I watched the 60 Minutes story on Vick last night.  He was polished and prepared by his advisors.  James Brown appeared to be asking tough questions, but did not come across like the hard nosed reporting from regular reporters on the show.  I wonder, was that a condition for Vick granting the interview?
• Eli Manning became the highest paid professional football player after signing a six year extension
• Major League Baseball players were being hit in the noggin by pitchers at an alarming rate
• Speaking of being hit, Andre Beltre made headlines after taking a ball to an area a little lower in the belly button and journalists are now asking who is wearing a cup in baseball.  The details of him be nailed in the pelotas on a one hopper off the bat of Alexi Ramirez is a bit more graphic than former Dodger Jeff Hamilton, who once went on the disabled list for “general soreness.”
• Reports circulated that ESPN has stopped allowing reporters to Tweet sports news and that it has developed a new company wide social media policy.  I am still catching up on this topic.
• Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino had an affair

And a few non sports related items as well:

• A touring helicopter crashes into a small plane in New York while the guy in the control tower was busy chatting with someone in a non work related event.
• Former president Bill Clinton made headlines after a trip to North Korea to free imprisoned journalists Laura King and Euna Lee
• Government town hall meetings over health care crisis stirs emotions of average Americans.  Journalists focus on the shouting day after day in news reports.  I only know about this since I taped John Stewart and National TV News programs while I was gone.  Staged or real anger?  This debate will go on
• Director John Hughes passed away
• A Continental Express jet stranded 50 or so passengers 50 feet from a Minnesota exit and would not allow them to leave overnight as security went home after the plane had landed.

Being disconnected for eight days from technology is a bit tougher than I thought.  I am an information junkie.  Always have been and always will be.  I like to know what is going on in the world, but to what extent?  While I speak French, I was not sitting in front of a TV in Paris watching the news.  It was mentally healthy not to be in front of a computer for a few days.  I had enough to do while I was there, but by allowing myself to disconnect, I also allowed my body to recharge.

That and of course, some genius in France rearranged all of the letters on all French computer keyboards so as I contemplated trying to Blog or Tweet from France, this little obstacle stopped any thought of that.  It is good to be home.  Being disconnected for eight days or for one or two does a body good.  Take time out once in a while.  I am glad I did.

One of the things I thought about while I was away was a good friend of mine, an executive with a sports team whom I had the pleasure of playing golf with on a sunny California afternoon.  He must have checked that Blackberry 50 times during the round.  For a change, my hands were free to concentrate on playing 18 holes, which I do not get to do as much as I would like to.  Disconnecting for a bit is not a bad thing.  We all need to recharge our batteries once in a while, even if it is for a couple of hours.

Now, let’s get back at this.  There is a lot going on in the world.

American football in Paris?  Let me explain.  First of all, if you ever happen to be in Europe and mention the word football? The locals think you are speaking about soccer.  Football means soccer in Paris and football in America means football.  Get it?  Yesterday? I happened to walk by a gym, a Club Med gym in the heart of Paris.

Trying to have a little fun with the locals, I walked to the reception desk and first tried to discover if anyone spoke English, sometimes an adventure in this language protected country.

When I figured we could have a bit of a conversation with their broken English and my mangled French, I pulled out an American football and asked them if they knew what the pigskin was.  Not a chance.  The conversation did not go further when I prodded the receptionist to see if there was anyone else who might know about the game.  They did not.  I was stuck but they did ask if I wanted to workout.

Knowing that my goal was to throw around the leather I had hauled 12 hours on a plane from from California, I left the gym and headed towards a park not far from the champs deLysee.  Once I entered the park, benches lined a gravel path as the locals sat and enjoyed the sun while eating their lunches.  I thought I was in trouble as aech patch of lawn was surrounded by a two foot green fence as if to say, keep off.  The sign posted at the park entrance also had a soccer ball with a red line through it as if to tell everyone that the grass was for watching, not using.  I was just about to give up when I rounded a corner and saw a few dozen Parisians ¨using¨ the grass — okay most of the folks were either sun bathing, but it was an opportunity to stretch and get a little exercise.

A few tosses into getting my arm loose, I noticed the grass was littered with a few items I would never expect in Southern California.First there were cigarette butts strewn about the grass.  I also found a few wine corks hidden in the tall grass, par for the course in Paris and finally most of the people were sitting on the lawn reading.  I would expect this in french coffee shops but it appears that not many of the folks here believe in exercise.

A few folks peered over their books to see me throwing the strange object but interest did not last.  Based on this small reaction from different people in Paris I do not think American football ever has a chance here.  It is no real surprise then the NFL chose England to lqunch its international football experiment.

It is much easier for me to write about the Yankees current win streak, the Red Sox on a losing streak or Michael Crabtree threatening to hold out from signing with the San Francisco 49ers.

When I used to come to Paris, when the internet was new, it was so hard to receive real time information about sports leagues, teams andplayers back home.  I had to settle for a two day old USA Today or spotty reporting on U.S. sports in an International Herald Tribune.  Now? I can keep up easily and still explore other cultures and their local view of sports.

Today is a bit different from my usual writings concerning American sports or social media as I am blogging from Paris, France.

First thoughts since I arrived yesterday — while I did not bring my computer, trying to type using french technology can be a bit of a challenge.  I am a hunt and peck kind of guy.  Although I think I use about four or five fingers, I am pretty quick from the office, beating up on the keyboard as I type out my thoughts.

Here, many of the letters on the keyboard are in different places which might make blogging from Paris a real challenge.  I will do my best to spell check but if something looks a little Greek, then it slipped past the sensors.

This is my first visit to Paris in a few years.  Not much has changed about this amazing city.  And my tastes remain the same.  When someone asked me on Twitter if I have had escargot or frogs legs, I quickly answered no.  However, the baguettes, cheese and wine have made it to my stomach and I am no worse off as yet.

Since I have been here often, the ancient buildings, crowded streets and historical landmarks now seem like a home away from home.  Another strange feeling.  I landed yesterday but not trying to give into jet lag? I tried to stay awake through the evening before falling asleep.  I walked around the city and past the famous Notre Dame where the tourists were lined up by the hundreds.  I will add pictures later if I can figure how to on this French computer.

August in France is usally a time when the locals skee-daddle and the toursits take over.  French usually take off the entire month for vacation and find places in Europe, the far east or even the USA to visit.  It makes me think how Parisians would adjust to working for the New York Yankees or any other baseball or sports team for that matter.  Taking a day off much less a 30 day vacation would be seen as treason.

Time for another meal.

Bon Apetit!