Capitalogix

Yankees, Rangers payroll disparity largest in playoff history

Even if you are not a baseball fan, here's a statistic that jumps out and demands attention. 

When the Texas Rangers competed against the New York Yankees, it marked the greatest disparity in raw dollars between payrolls in the history of playoff baseball, at $152 million.

 

In case you don't get enough spreadsheets at work, here is a
comparison of the 2010 payrolls of both teams. 

 

In addition, there are some fun facts for you to impress your friends.   For example, the Rangers could triple every current player's salary, sign Mark Teixeira away from the Yankees, and still have a lower payroll.

 

Another reminder that money is not the best way to motivate better performance.

Inspirational Video from Facing the Giants

"If you think you can do a thing ... or think you can't do a thing; you're right."

-    Henry Ford

I love football season, and I'm a sucker for plot devices like this.

Here is a clip from the movie "Facing the Giants".

 

 

There are times in life when it is hard to imagine finding a path to victory.

So often the answer is as simple as committing to the outcome desired, showing-up, playing full-out, and giving your best until there is absolutely nothing left.

Related Articles:

• Learning to Inspire Yourself (blogs.hbr.org)
• Movie 'Facing The Giants' Review (lockergnome.com)
• What movies inspired you as a youngster? (ask.metafilter.com)

 

Watch as Texas Stadium Implodes

Whether you love or hate the Dallas Cowboys, you might enjoy watching the demolition of Texas Stadium.  It was vacated when the Cowboys moved to their new $1.2 billion plus home last year.

Texas Stadium was built in 1971 at a cost of $35 million.  The implosion cost $6 million.

What's Next for that Land?

The Texas Department of Transportation is paying $16 million to rent the space, for 84 months, as a staging zone for construction projects.

Here Are Some Videos.

Here is a video from the outside.

Here is a 360° immersion video of the explosion. You can click and drag to see different perspectives of how it happened, from inside the Stadium.

Other Resources.

• Here is what the Dallas Morning News had to say.
• Here is what that site looks like now.
• Here are links to other videos of the demolition.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Texas Stadium Implosion Captivates YouTube [VIDEO] (mashable.com)
• Texas Stadium imploded by huge blast of dynamite (thestar.com)
• Gone in 60 seconds: old Texas Stadium (sportsillustrated.cnn.com)
• Texas Stadium leveled in successful implosion (sports.espn.go.com)

Obama Scores Big During the Final Four Telecast

President Obama played a game of H-O-R-S-E with former NBA star Clark Kellogg during the Final Four telecast yesterday. My expectations were low, and I expected it to be corny.

Unlike the North Korean Supreme Leader's penchant for hitting fictional hole-in-one shots on the golf course, Obama started slow and was willing to show some weakness.  Nonetheless, throughout the video, he seemed confident and athletic.  Moreover, the bantering and interplay seemed to provide some insights into the President's psyche.

All-in-all, I thought it was a good move by him ... and that it did a nice job of polishing-up his image and reminding people why he is so popular.

Here's the video from CBS sports.

Watch CBS News Videos Online

As you may know, Obama is a lefty.  When asked if he can you go to his right, Obama replies: "I can go to my right, but I prefer my left." 

One more note, Obama's personal aide is Reggie Love, a former Duke basketball player. 

Related articles by Zemanta

• Obama Plays P-O-T-U-S (cbsnews.com)
• Clark Kellogg, Obama Play Basketball: CBS Sports Analyst Takes On President In A Game Of Hoops (VIDEO) (huffingtonpost.com)
• Obama provides TV commentary during Duke Blue Devils-Georgetown Hoyas game (sports.espn.go.com)

Brazil's Campaign Video

If you're still trying to figure out why Chicago lost the Olympic bid, this RIO 2016 commercial might explain it. 

Nicely done; short and compelling.  It certainly makes me want to visit.

Here's a List of Fun iPhone Apps Worth Using

I wanted to create a list of the coolest iPhone apps. However, cool doesn't necessarily mean useful. Instead, this is a list of the applications that I use most.

This week I'm listing the lighter and more fun iPhone apps.  Here is the link to the list the business and productivity apps that I use most.

I limited myself to the top two applications per category.  Hope you find some cool stuff in here.

Social Media

• Facebook
• TweetDeck

Food & Fun Finders

• Yelp
• IWant

Games: Strategy

• Flood-It
• Block-Out

Games: Puzzle

• Sudoku
• DropSum

Games: Pattern Matching

• Moonlight Mahjong
• Triazzle

Games: Text

• TextTwist Turbo
• Scramble

Music

• Pandora
• Rhapsody

Photo Fun

• Photo fx
• ColorSplash

Health & Fitness

• iFitness
• Lose It!

Relaxation

• Pzizz Relax
• Ambiance

Sports News

• Sportacular
• Plusmo Football Plus

Shopping

• SnapTell
• Amazon.com

Even if you don't have an iPhone, check-out the links to see what is available.  I am amazed at how much of my computing and basic research are now done on a Smartphone.

That's it for now.  Let me know if I forgot your favorite or you found something worth sharing.

An Experience Worth Paying For ...

What does $1.2 billion buy nowadays? Apparently, an amazing stadium that will change the way you experience events.

As I was leaving the first preseason football game played in the new Dallas Cowboys stadium, one of the guys I went with said "that was the best football game I've ever seen." He was wrong; it was, however, probably the best experience he's had at a football game.

I've been to hundreds of professional sporting events. Yet, Jerry and Stephen Jones, HKS Architects, and the rest of the team that built that stadium found a way to surprise and excite me, while exceeding my expectations on almost every level.

Years ago, I read a book called "The Experience Economy: Work Is Theater & Every Business a Stage", which explains that as the world cascades towards sameness, a business can achieve a sustainable competitive advantage by differentiating the experience it provides to its customers. The Cowboys have done that with this stadium.

There's a certain amount of theater, pageantry, and spectacle that you expect from a professional sporting event. Even the word "event" implies that, doesn't it?

Well the Cowboys got it right; and it was larger than life.  Watching people as they walked in the stadium, it was amazing to see how many of them said "Wow!" And during the game, I can't tell you how many times I heard somebody say "this is incredible" ... and they weren't talking about the game.

Do You Watch the HD Screen ... Or the Field?

A few weeks ago I wrote about the stadium.  This time I'm writing about what it is like to attend an event there.  One thing worth noting, the GINORMOUS HD video screen is so clear and so large that it changes how you see the game (I certainly never paid attention to cheerleaders before this, and the video is so clear you can literally read the tattoos on a player's arms during a play).  Frankly it was slightly unnerving because I couldn't figure out how best to watch the game. I found myself drawn to the massive video screen rather than the field. I literally had to train myself to watch the play on the field, and then to allow myself to look up to see the replay (often from multiple angles).

You know how some movies whisper "wait for the DVD" while other movies were clearly built for the Big-Screen. This stadium changes how you consume a live event product (like an NFL game), and makes it worthwhile to be there.

It is hard to control what happens on any given Sunday, but with this, the Jones have created a sustainable brand promise and set a new standard.

You've got to experience it for yourself. 

My guess is that it will change stadiums around the world. Bravo.

For More On This:

• Here is an Article Giving a Different Perspective on the Stadium.
• Here is the NYTimes Take on the Video Board.
• Here is a DMN Article Getting Reviews From Fans.

How Much Is a Burger at the Cowboys' New Stadium?

"Everything's bigger in Texas" takes on new meaning while touring the new Dallas Cowboys football stadium. The stadium cost over $1.1 billion to construct; and it makes a big statement.  In addition to being massive (large enough that the Statue of Liberty would fit comfortably inside), the new structure is quite distinctive and technologically innovative.

From inside the stadium, with the roof closed, it was designed to look like the old Texas Stadium's roof (with its visual trademark hole).  However, it can be fully-shut or fully-opened.  Actually, it does a lot more than open; it slides back and then the end-zone entrances shift sideways to create the appearance of a totally open stadium, all the way out to the parking lots. My sons and I tried to figure-out how they did this ... and surmised that they spent a whole bunch of money and a lot of time to make this stadium act like a Transformer. 

Another technological marvel is the high-definition video screen hanging above the field. It is a massive, and currently the world's largest screen.  It measures more than 11,500 square feet (72feet tall and 160 feet wide) and weighs over 1.2 million pounds.  In addition to experiencing the event live, they've tried to make the multimedia experience in the stadium better than you'd get on your television set.  It will be easy to follow the action from any seat in the stadium.

By the way - that screen, alone, cost more ($40 million) than the entire construction of the Cowboys' previous home, Texas Stadium ($35 million).

In addition, the Cowboys owner, Jerry Jones, has shown that he is an innovative business man as well. He focused on selling far more suites than stadiums before this had available. Moreover, even though the stadium is designed to hold approximately 80,000 people for normal events, it can expand to hold over 100,000 people for special events (like next year's Super Bowl).

He extended an olive branch to the common man. Not in the price of a pizza, which costs $60 at the stadium.  However, the Cowboys now offer a "Party Pass" that allows access to the game for $29, so long as you're willing to stand in the concession areas.  Believe it or not, that Party Pass idea is getting great press and opens the live game experience to a whole different range of socioeconomic backgrounds. At least until they see how much a burger costs of the stadium.  I cut off the price of the alcohol or you'd need a drink. 

Here is my impression of watching a game there.

Other Information:

• Here is a link to Cowboys Stadium site and its Wikipedia Entry.
• Here is a link to the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.
• Here is a link a multi-media Fly-Through of the Stadium and other to Videos.
• Here is a link to an Interactive Virtual Seat Map.

An Early Sign of Economic Recovery?

I got to visit the Cowboys' new $1.1 Billion Dollar stadium, which opens next year.

It is a lot bigger than the model in this picture.

There is a lot of development happening here in Texas.  Part of it is because of Oil & Gas money.  I suspect that part also is an early sign of economic recovery.

P.S., My corporate lawyer tells me deal-flow is great here too.

Resilience

Watching the Olympics has been an uplifting reminder for me.  The sport of it is fun to watch.  Yet, the deeper story is even better.

For example, Michael Phelps was expected to break Mark Spitz's record in Athens four-years ago.  While he was dominating, it just didn't happen, then. 

Can you imagine setting world records, winning gold medals, and still feeling like you came up short?

Can you imagine how many times he replayed the missing hundredths of a second that separated him from his dream?
So how did he do it this time?

Somehow the great ones are resilient and durable in distressing situations.  They adapt and cope; and ultimately gain strength from adversity -- often converting it into a gift.  They find a way to transform what seemed like setbacks into the fuel they need to get to the next level.

Nietzsche said "that which does not kill me, makes me stronger."  And that statement applies to trading and funds management as well.   Trading often seems like it is not fair - and that can be very good for us.