Sailing is Hardcore

Just what we need

My brothers in Philly

I spent a week in New York last year and befriended some fellas from Philadelphia. This spot rocks...this is for my brothers from Philly.

The boys of summer.

As I sat through another grueling hour of seven and eight-year-olds kicking daisies and overthrowing first base tonight, I wondered why we do it. Sit there, cheering our little leaguers on. After 8:30 in the evening, it's obvious those little daisy-kickers don't wanna be there. They'd rather be home watching TV or fighting bedtime. They are excited about the season until it actually begins and we have to make them honor the commitment - sit there each game to make sure they're there for the team. And my tired backside is so not in love with that wooden bleacher. And let's face it. When not played well, baseball is like watching the grass grow. On the other side of town though, the King B is watching the 11 and 12-year-olds at the same game. How did I get gyped on this deal? Now these boys of summer have got it figured out. Not only the game. But the love of the game. It's finally worked it's way into their blood - and they want it. It doesn't matter if they win or lose - even though they want to win. They'd play either way. And they're starting to master their craft well enough that even Mom and Dad are enjoying the show, anticipating another game at the end of a hard day's labor - a simple reward. And that's why we sit through years of games where our little daisy-kickers fumble through. So they can learn to love the game too. Just like we did when we were kids.

Tonight's festivities reminded me of a really great post by our ad friend and fellow-blogger, Mark Fenske. Not only does he share a passion for the ad game with us, his life observations make you stop and think about simple pleasures that we are often too busy to recognize or appreciate. This recent post of Fenske's is worth passing along. So the proper credit here: Copyright Mark Fenske 2007.

Monday, April 02, 2007
It's a good day to work in advertising.

Today is opening day of baseball season.Yes, the Mets played the Cardinals last night in the "Season Opener". That was a night game. Doesn't count. The season doesn't open till a game is played in daylight. The first day of baseball season is a good time to remember how lucky we are to work in the business of advertising. We can take the afternoon off and go to the game. Is the world going to miss one afternoon's worth of advertising? Will anyone be able to tell if you withheld an afternoon's worth of effort from a campaign? However, leaving work to go to a baseball game will make a difference inside you. Leaving work to go to a baseball game opens something inside your heart that advertising has been doing its best to lock up. The quest for award-winning work keeps you at work late. The struggle to do better than those around you makes you work through dinner, get up early, cancel the vacation you planned. There are times these sacrifices bear fruit. Mostly they don't. Because greatness at writing ads comes only partly from how hard you work at reaching inside yourself. A greater deal of it has to do with being a person worth reaching into. Leaving work to go to a baseball game is a sign you have taken charge of your life. It's a sign you accept death is coming and have chosen what to do about it for today. It will do you no good to learn to write from your heart if you have nothing in your heart. I was slow to learn this. Here's hoping you won't be. Go give your heart away for the afternoon to a team who can break it. Eat the hot dogs and damn the sodium because we are for lives that are more full than they are long.
posted by Fenske at Monday, April 02, 2007

Bacon

Yep. So, bacon is the best part about bacon.

Thank You, Steve