CarusoBlog

Let's All Sing: "Take Me Out to the Jail Cell"

Composed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin--

I'm in the Dairy State to speak for an international manufacturing firm.  The company has brought its major distributors here to show them appreciation, share selling strategies and give them tools for selling more laundry equipment.

It's been a terrific event, highlighted by great people, a beautiful hotel called The Pfister and a special tour of Miller Park, the new stadium where the Milwaukee Brewers do their thing.  The park has two unusual features.

First of all, there was a bad accident during construction.  Several workers died while building the park and their is a somber memorial to them on the site.

Secondly, Miller ball park has three jail cells.   I asked our elderly tour guide why the park had three jail cells.  He thought for a minute and then said, "Well, the old one had two."

It was fun touring the visitor's club house, visiting press box and walking on the field.  All the guys from the conference felt like kids again as we toured the stadium.

Buy Bonds!

--From Chicago, IL, where I'm teaching leadership skills to talented Rotarians

It's been said that hitting a baseball is the most difficult thing to do in all of sports.  One of the secrets is to be able to correctly guess if the next pitch is going to be a fast ball, a curve ball or a slider.

It shouldn't be hard for Barry Bonds to guess the next pitch.  Major League Baseball will offer to buy him out.  Commissioner Bud Selig will finally have to deal with the persistant issue of the slugger's alleged steroid use.  "Game of Shadows," a new book by Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams, has all but convicted Bonds and the book hasn't even been published yet.

Bonds' unique situation is not without precedent.  Slugger Raphael Palmiero was recently forced to retire after repeated allegations of sterioid use.  Things got so bad that even hometown fans jeered Palmiero when it was his turn at the plate.  At one point, the man who had quietly racked up over 3,000 hits was forced to wear earplugs to muffle deafening boos from the crowd. 

Bonds must be under tremendous pressure.  His statistics may be out-of-this-world, but the man still has to eat dinner with his family.  Even if Bonds has no conscience, he is must be somewhat accountable to his old-school Dad (former All-Star, Bobby Bonds) and his "godfather," the legendary Willie Mays. 

So what's the next pitch?  Selig will soon lobby for Bonds to retire and spare everyone the grief of a prolonged investigation.  Bonds is only six home runs shy of Babe Ruth's 714 homers, the second highest total of all time, so bowing out won't be easy.  "Buy Bonds!" will become the new rallying cry for baseball purists and the San Francisco Giants pay the man to go away.

 

"I'm on television!"

Today, Detroit is hosting the Super Bowl.  I live in Royal Oak, Michigan, a mere 10 miles from the action and am enjoying the current media festival.  Media representatives are here from all over the world and Detroit is getting a lot of extra attention.

In preparing for the event,  city, state and county government have worked to put on a good face for our 15 minutes of fame.  All the painting and cleaning and advertising might prompt an objective observer to ask, "Why doesn't Detroit act like this all the time?"

I believe it was Thomas Jefferson who said, "Always act as if you are on television."