9.27.2009

Purdue, a Timeout and a Loss of Hope

I have had a few hours to digest the Purdue loss - but it is still one of the worst I have experienced as a Boiler fan. I don't think anything will surpass the Orton fumble game (at least I hope I never.) The thing is, I came into the game expecting a loss, when you lose to Northern Illinois you kind of figure that your season is garbage. But that changed in the second half of the ND game, that is until the final drive... and one of the worst coached series I have witnessed since Jim Colletto roamed the Ross-Ade sideline.

I have been a critic of Joey Elliiott all season, but in the second half he had me believing he was at least Billy Dicken... the problem was Coach Hope wasn't Joe Tiller. I know we all need to give Coach Hope time, but when you basically give away a game there is only so much of that the fans will be willing to take (you know, the fans that finally came to life last night and had the stadium roaring.)

Why, why, why do you go into a prevent...ever? Especially when your defense finally had a swagger they had not had all season. They shut ND's scoring down the entire half, until that ridiculous coaching decision - ND marched down the field, and as a result scored... meaning we will have to hear about the miraculous Jimmy Clausen for years (is he is courageous as Brady Quinn now ESPN announcers?)

But even bigger than the prevent defense... how, oh how do you call a timeout when you stop the other team inside their 5 with about 30 seconds, the clock running, on third down, when they have no timeouts? They would either have to rush a play or spike the ball making it fourth down. Guess what, your D stopped them on third down (on what might have been fourth if not for the timeout.) How do you call that? Because you have no faith in your defensive players to stop them and you want to preserve time. What kind of message is that - what kind of message is that when you include that with forcing the D into a prevent? What that does is deflate the players and you have to hope it does not carry over into future games... or you have lost them, and for how long.

Every loss to Notre Dame stings - but this one stung more. It stings because Purdue should have won, should have had momentum, but bad coaching lost the game. I can't take another lost decade of Purdue football.

9.14.2009

My Apologies to Moby

OK, in a blog I recently posted about baby products for dads I made some pretty unflattering comments about the Moby Wrap. I believe my exact words were: "It is a baby carrier that once you get it all on you look like a ninja or a star wars fanboy." I also said I could never see myself wearing it. Well...


I guess this is where I apologies for that. 


Why am I doing this? Well, earlier tonight I wanted to make a sandwich, Torry was finally getting some time for herself after I got home and Logan was really getting upset. I knew that if I held him I could get him to calm down, but I also needed my hands to make the sandwich. Then I thought about the Moby. If I just threw it on quickly to make the sandwich (and eat it) it would be over quick. So, I put it on and got Logan into it.


Surprisingly it was really comfortable, and I had almost complete mobility. So after my sandwich I kept Logan in the wrap for some time after - it was kind of cool how calm he was and how natural it felt. So, for opening my mouth before even trying something I apologize. And, in truth, I didn't look half bad (however I would have looked much better in black to cover my love handles.)


On a somewhat more serious note I will add that I am someone that radiates heat and after an hour with Logan that close to me I was getting very warm, so if any other dad does try a Moby keep that in mind.


So in closing after further review the Moby would get a 4 out of 5 in my newly created (like just now) Dad Star Rating Scale.

9.13.2009

Marketing to Dad

Over the last few months I have spent a lot of my time focused on all things baby and making sure we had everything set when Logan came home from the hospital. What amazed me was how much things had changed from when Bailey was born eight years ago. Especially when it comes to products specifically designed for dads or with dads in mind. It was actually nice that businesses finally realized that there are a lot of dads out there that actually do try to be a big part of the raising of their children, and carrying a pink diaper bag that looks like a purse is not high on our product wants list.

One huge difference now is baby strollers - back when Bailey was born we had what basically amounted to a one-size fits all stroller, it was big and it was ugly. But now there are about as many options in the stroller market as there are in the auto industry. What is amazing is you can see there was some thinking in mind about the fact that dads will be pushing these around. In fact Uppa Baby strollers were actually designed by a dad. In the end we chose the Bugaboo Frog. First, the thing just looks cool, but beyond that it is increadably practical from the suspension system to its easy manuverability, this thing glides through the city. Bugaboo makes other models that include really smart features like an extendable handle for the taller dads out there - while these aren't necessarily a dad product, they are a product a dad will love to have.

More specifically targeted to dads are all of the new diaper bag options. In fact, there is an entie line out now called "Dad Gear" - Gone are the pastel flowers and Winnie the Pooh, they have been replaced by messenger bags with skulls and flames. Personally, that doesn't really fit my style, but the bags with collegiate logos are very cool (but where is the Boilermaker Bag?). Another very cool option are what look like fleece vests or jackets that actually have hidden components that function as a complete bag. In the end my wife and I decided to go with a bag that worked for both of us, and settled on Columbia Treckster bag - which is a lightweight backpack that is easy for any of us (including Bailey) to carry, or, with its handle straps it easily can be attached to the handle bar of the stroller. I still may consider the fleece vest, and if the Boilermaker bag ever comes to the inventory list of course I am going to get that. But for ease of use, looks and price you can't go wrong with the Columbia.

One of the things my wife did buy that I just can't see myself using is a Moby Wrap. It is a baby carrier that once you get it all on you look like a ninja or a star wars fanboy. It actually looks cute when Torry wears it, but I would have preferred the Baby Carrier by Ergo. Once Logan starts getting heavy I am pretty certain that we will be getting one so I can help carry him in public.

These are just a few examples, let me know if you have any products that you think a dad shouldn't be without. I will continue to post my favorite products for dads.

9.03.2009

All the Pieces are in Place

I don't often talk specifically about my day job on here, but I felt the need to do so since I am excited about some of the work I have been lucky enough to be a part of.

For the past year I have been working on launching and building the Social Media presence of SAVO. Yes, the past year. The process was long, but well thought out and well worth the effort. The final piece of the puzzle was put in place last week, Blog.SAVO.

Blog.SAVO offers the company the opportunity to extend the conversation and share expertise and experience with the public. One thing that is noticeably different compared to many other corporate blogs is that multiple voices, from all levels in the company are represented. This is core to some of the central thinking at SAVO that Tribal Knowledge can come from anyone within the company. I am lucky to work with a lot of very talented people every day -  and in time, as the content on the site grows, this wealth of information will be shared well beyond the walls of the company.

For me this marks a very exciting time - my vision is coming together. While we have implemented multiple pieces of the strategy already, the blog is my personal crown jewel (if it weren't for the birth of my son Logan three weeks ago I would have called it my baby.)

I see you... Who are you?

A factoid that might interest only me… I use Google Analytics behind the scenes on the blog here (side note, if you have a blog and you aren’t using some sort of analytics you need to be doing so) – anyway. Since I wrote the piece title Little Green Truth I have had a bizarre trend in my analytics. Each day I get at least one direct traffic hit to this article, even more interesting to me is that it comes from either Haverford or Havertown, PA. Whoever you are, first, I love you. Keep coming back to my blog every day.

It makes me wonder why, or what the reasoning is. Could it be a bot? I thought maybe it was some weird AOL thing, but if I am remembering correctly it would be a hit from WV not PA (I could be way wrong on this but it is what I remember.) Or, is it someone who is trying in someone strange way to help me drive traffic to this article? I know that isn't how it works, but a Google search for little green truth does find the article in the #1 spot. ;)

I use analytics all the time in my day job, monitoring traffic sources, patterns, etc – and maybe I just overlooked a similar anomaly occurring elsewhere on other sites, but this one is just a strange one to me. If anyone else has experienced something like this, or knows something I don’t – please fill me in.