The Most Powerful Man in Sports

Roger Goodell at his annual post in Radio City Music Hall

Goodell with Sam Bradford, Rams QB #1 pick in 2010 draft

Goodell with a NFL-er shorter than he, a rarity

If you don't know of this man, Roger Goodell, let me introduce him to you. He is the Commissioner aka 'The Boss' of the #1 Sport in the United States, The National Football League, the NFL.

Today marks the 76th annual NFL draft held in New York City. The draft is where all 32 teams select or "draft" the eligible players from the college ranks for the upcoming season. Commissioner Goodell is center stage for the first round. He's the one who announces to the world from his wooden podium who the team chose as their #1 pick. He then man-hugs each draftee on stage and then mugs for the camera with each prized selection holding their #1 team jersey. It is a spectacle made for TV and the fans and it is one of Commissioner Goodell's finest moments. He loves this moment! Beaming ear to ear.

Goodell, 53, was born and raised in upstate New York. His father was a US Senator(R) from New York. Young Roger graduated from Washington and Jefferson College in Pennsylvania with a degeee in economics. He first worked for the NFL as an adminstrative intern for then Commissioner Pete Rozelle. From there, Goodell moved on and worked for a couple of pro teams in their front office. Eventually he returned to the NFL office and worked his way up the ladder. In 2006, after then Commissioner Paul Tagliabue's planned retirement, Goodell was elected by the Owners, as the next Commissioner of the National Football League. Additionally, he is married to a former FOX NEWS anchor, Jane Skinner, and proud parents of twin daughters.

For the last six years while in office, Commissioner Goodell has been tested again and again by the NFLPA (The Players Union)and has succeeded in mediating contracts amicably and settling with great aplomb and strength unsavory chapters in the recent NFL history, ie. the lockout and the New Orleans Saints 'bounty program.'

Goodell is an incredibly savy, tough and fair boss. His 32 Owners recognize his rare gifts. He earns $11 Million a year for his efforts. Suprisingly, he earns much less than Commissioner Bud Selig of MLB at $22 Million a year and Commissioner David Stern of the NBA at "no one knows for sure amount". Some would argue that he is underpaid for a sport with annual revenues of over $11 Billion. In contrast, MLB's annual revenues are $7 Billion and the NBA's annual revenues are a paltry $4 Billion. I'd say, Goodell needs an agent to carve out a better deal for himself with those kinds of numbers and owner of a very unique skill set.

So, tonite pull up a chair and watch one of the great shows on TV, the NFL Draft on ESPN or NFL Network (another brainchild of Goodell) even if you're not a football fan. For tonight is more than football. It is the dramatic presentation of 32 lucky, very gifted and ambitious individuals who many come from nothing and in a matter of a 10 minute selection process by a team who wants them become instant millionaires and a new member of Obama's targeted 1%ers.

The emotion of that moment when you're name is called as recorded backstage in the "Green Room" with players, Mommas, families, friends and the requisite ne'er do wells are visual treasures that far exceed the game of football. Talk about PURE JOY! Only in America can ability and hard work be so handsomely rewarded and shared by so many. Where's the Kleenex?

And Commissioner Goodell, captain of the ship, relishes these happy joyful moments for his sport.

Enjoy the show.

In Memoriam, April 19,1995

Ugliness in the background, loveliness in the foreground

Reflecting pool within the garden of remembrance in OKC

Empty chairs representing those who died that day, smaller chairs are for the children whose lives are over

The Survivor Elm Tree that withstood the blast and fire

Today at 9:02AM CDT marks the 17th year of the horrifically evil Oklahoma City bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. At 9:04AM, two minutes later, the nine story Murrah building was completely destroyed along with 168 innocent lives by a deranged hate-filled young man and his equally crazed accomplice.

The magnitude of the destructive blast of a 7,000 Pound ammonium nitate bomb staged inside a parked Ryder truck in front of the building registered on the Richter scale as an earthquake. Along with the collapse of the Murrah building and the sudden death of hundreds of human beings, 680 people were injured, 324 buildings within a 16 block radius were destroyed or damaged, 68 cars were destroyed and caused $652 Million worth of property damage. At the time, the OKC bombing of the Murrah Federal Building was the worst destructive act of terrorism on American soil until 9/11/01.

Recently, I visited OKC and visited this memorial site. A fraction of the size of Gettysburg, the OKC site, yet like Gettysburg, has on overwhelming aura of death, sadness and totally unhinged insanity. The current memorial site is a respectful tribute to those who died and to those who helped in the recovery process, the first responders.

At both entrances to the Memorial site stands a tall stark wall with the following inscription, entitled, We Come Here to Remember:

Those who were killed, those who survived and those who changed forever.
May all who leave here know the impact of violence.
May this memorial offer comfort, strength, peace, hope and serenity.

In this blog, I have attempted to remember those who lost their lives that day to unspeakable violence and to raise some level of awareness of the hate that is still percolating in our country and world today. It is solely up to us, the living, to see that hate doesn't multiply and that the acts of hate like the bombing in OKC never happen again.

Opening Day Baseball in STL

103 diamonds, 50 custom cut rubies, 14-karat white gold, and Happy Flight inscription and rally squirrel in-flight image


Finishing touches before Opening Day today in the STL


Birds on the bat, the best uniform in all of sports


David Freese is the best opposite field hitter in baseball

It's Friday the 13th and it's Opening Day in St. Louis, baseball heaven. Play ball at 2:15P Central time. The visiting Chicago Cubs faces the current World Champions, St. Louis Cardinals. World Champions...has a nice ring to it.

Speaking of rings, the Cardinals get their World Series rings on Saturday before the game. The rings are sure to be classy, impressive and yet so damn deserving.

As a historical perspective, since 1882, the baseball fans of St. Louis have celebrated opening day in four different stadiums: Robison Field, Sportsman's Park, Busch I and today's Busch II. In 1882, the team was known as the St. Louis Brown Stockings, changed the name to the Perfectos in 1899 and then changed it again to the Cardinals in 1900. In that slice of history, the Cardinals have won 11 World Championships, most in the National League, and 18 NL Pennants.

So, here's to you Cardinals fans, the best in baseball and custodians of baseball's finest tradition, enjoy the spectacle today and...

GO CARDS 2012.

Easter White

Resurrection of Christ and Women at the Tomb, Fra Angelico 1440, fresco in convento di San Marco, Firenze

This Easter Sunday, Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York reflected on the hopefulness of peoples lives and in the world and reminds us all that "God has the last word."

He continues, "In the great debate we call life, who has the advantage of the last word? Good Friday was an afternoon of sadness...where evil seemed to have the last word. Does the world seem to be a Good Friday afternoon or an Easter Sunday Morning?"

May this Easter Sunday be a start of new hope for all of us and may the meaning of the dazzling whiteness of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ be our life's guide.

Happy Easter 2012.

Game of Thrones for Dummies

Start of Season Two on HBO tonite at 6PM PDT


The Iron Chair symbol of ultimate power in the realm


Tyrion, aka The Imp and The Half Man plays a huge role in Season Two


Lady Catelyn Stark of House Tully and wife of Eddard Stark


Queen Cersei, Queen Regent and Protector of the Realm


Princess Arya, a girl of ten, Lady Catelyn's daughter


Daenerys Targaryen aka Stormborn, Mother of Dragons and Khaleesi of the Dothraki


George R.R. Martin, the creative genius behind the Game of Thrones franchise of 5 volumes

Tonite on HBO begins Season Two of the wildly popular Game of Thrones series. If by chance you missed Season One last spring, you can catch up quickly by just reading the following:

The story takes place in a fantasy continent called Westeros in a galaxy of time far-far-far in the past. It is a time of gods, dragons, witches, sorcerers, comets and an assortment of flawed and crazy characters after power, glory and sex not too dissimilar from our current White House and Congress crews. Maybe that's why "GOT" is so popular today...it's a mirror of us with a slightly different backdrop of knights, castles, wolves, violence, mud, swords, horses and wenches.

Westeros is an island somewhere out there in fantasy land and measures about half the size of Australia. Within this realm lies seven ruling families that aren't too happy with their own little fiefdoms. They all share one thing in common. They have all been damaged by one or all of the other families. And they want justice and more power usually by violent force. GOT is kindof a Middle Age/Mafia-style revenge-dripping drama. Instead of "drop the gun and take the cannoli", it's more like "bring me his head and put it on a stake for all to see".

Last year, Season One, set up the multiple storylines of all the families and exposed the ancient hurts and planned revenge of family against family. This season, Season Two, war is raging across Westeros with all the families taking sides all the while killing and maiming one another. Blood red is the dominant color in Season Two. No one is safe this Season. So, why can't they all just get along?

And what are they after? The Throne. See the picture above. The Throne represents control and power of the realm but sitting in it proves to be uncomfortable and tenuous. The seat doesn't get too warm for too long.

Characters to watch in Season Two:

Tyrion, the Imp. Very clever little man who has a thirst for women and wine.
The Queens. Catelyn. Cersei. Daenerys. Very powerful women who stop at nothing to protect their own.
Catelyn's children. Robb. Sansa. Arya. Bran. Rickon. They all play huge roles in this unfolding epic.
The Children's direwolfs. These huge man eating wolves protect the kids from harm.
Lannisters. One of the ruling families who are incestuous and vicious.
Baratheons. One of the ruling families who are equally vicious but possess a rightful claim to the throne through birth. Stannis Baratheon is a new character this year. Joffrey Baratheon, a boy of 13 years, is the King for now.
Lord Petyr Baelish and Varys the eunuch. Two crafty and unscrupulous members of the King Joffrey's council.
Jon Snow. Eddard Stark's bastard boy. He is serving the realm on "The Wall."
Wildings. Dead men with blue eyes north of "The Wall".

Places in Westeros to know:

The Wall. A vertical ice wall of 800 feet tall and as wide by 300 miles long which separates the arctic wilds from temperate civilization.
Kings Landing. Castle home of the realm and the Iron Chair.
Winterfell. Castle home of Family Stark in the far north.
Red Waste. A wasteland that Daenerys must cross on her return to Westeros from Dothraki.

A word of caution to the uninitiated, if television violence disturbs you, do not watch this show.

For the rest of you, enjoy a journey that is unlike anything you have EVER seen on television.

"Cold winds are rising."

A. P. R. I. L.

What a glorious month April truly is!

American poet, Ogden Nash, wrote a poem about April which is posted below the last photo. As an opening act to that poem, using acronymic form, this is what A.P.R.I.L. means to me. Nash's brilliant poem below speaks loudly of the L in my life.



A. AUGUSTA in APRIL. The annual rite of spring for all golf lovers.


P. PLAY BALL is the umpire's April siren song to starting the new baseball season.


R. RESURRECTION of Jesus Christ celebrated on Easter Sunday in April serves as the meaning of existence for all faithful Christians.



I. INCOME TAXES due in April just to keep the rest of April's joy real and meaningful.


L. "LUV" my name for my wife who celebrates her birthday in April.

Always Marry an April Girl by Ogden Nash
Praise the spells and bless the charms,
I found April in my arms.
April golden, April cloudy,
Gracious, cruel, tender, rowdy;
April soft in flowered languor,
April cold with sudden anger,
Ever changing, ever true -
I love April, I love you.

Enjoy this fairest and finest of months.