June 17, 2008
TUESDAY, JUNE 17- 3:34 PM
Well, the summer is officially here.
So what do I do during the summer since no home events are actually taking place?
Ideally, I’m still searching for my million dollar idea.
Million dollar idea, you might say?
Yes… I firmly believe that somewhere in my brain is an idea worth a good chunk of change (I may have to look hard, though). Of course, to flush this grand idea out, I have determined that I need to take a vacation for a year in Hawaii so I can clear my head.
Not likely, right? (You’re right)
But, if I were funded to do so.. I could probably come up with an idea as brilliant as The Slanket. Enjoy!
Actually, the summertime is full of planning to get ready for the next athletic season. I just returned from a national marketing conference (NACMA) last week that was full of great ideas. University reps from around the country spent three days in Dallas discussing how to better their departments with brainstorms, speakers, forums, etc.
One thing that stood out was the keynote address from Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager, Jerry Jones. Whether you like him or not, I thought the following remarks he made were spot on…
“I’ve never thought that I owned the Dallas Cowboys,” Jones said. “You can’t own the University of Texas; you can’t own the University of Notre Dame.The alumni own it, the fans own it, and the people that have coached, played, and worked there own those institutions.The Cowboys are no different. The tradition, the fans, the ones who have played, and people like [former] coach [Tom] Landry own the Dallas Cowboys.”
Well said, Mr. Jones.
In other news, game 6 of the NBA Finals is tonight. The Celtics lead the Lakers three games to two as the teams return to the Garden.
You’ve probably seen this commercial a million times during the playoffs… but I give props to the NBA for rolling out this spot with Larry Legendand the Magic Man to go with their overall playoff theme of the split faces (whether it freaks you out or not).
And I agree with the League… there can only be one Fat Bird and one Fat Magic.
Oh, and here’s an old school Converse commercial that Tom submitted that has both Bird and Magic. (Does this ad make you feel uncomfortable?)
In some news that actually relates to Vanderbilt… A.J. Ogilvy is trying to make Australia’s national team for the Summer Olympics in Beijing (thanks for the email James).
Australia’s currently playing Iran in a three-game challenge right now with the Boomerstaking game one last night. Ogilvy started in that game, so that was a good sign for his chances of making the team (but no box score was available to see final stats).
National coach Brian Goorjian plans to make some more cuts in the near future to meet the 12-man roster requirement for the olympics. From reading this article,it seems like three of the 12 spots are filled, and 17 players including Ogilvy are fighting for the last nine openings.
Good luck, A.J.
Also, for those of you trying to keep track of how some of our baseball players are performing in the summer leagues,
And make sure you keep up with Goldy’s blog on VUcommodores.com. Personally, I’m jealous that he got to take BP at Fenway a few days ago.
Finally, Eric Nichols — Vanderbilt Athletics marketing director (and my mentor) — recently announced that he has accepted the same position at the University of South Carolina.
Eric has excelled in a variety of positions at Vanderbilt since arriving in 1998 including as the Director of Game Operations as well as the Director of Online Services before heading the marketing department in January of 2004.
His departure will be a big loss for at VU. Sometimes we think about the impact of coaches and players leaving, but in my opinion, Eric’s work has beenjust as vital to the strength of the department. Consider these numbers he achieved during his tenure —
*Net ticket revenue grew 50 percent in four years, adding millions of dollars to Vanderbilt’s athletic bottom line
*Season football ticket sales doubled to an 11-year high-water mark in 2007
*Men’s basketball games and baseball games were sold out on a season basis and the 2007-08 women’s basketball average attendance also jumped from 33rd in the country to 17th
Now that’s just a brief list of his accomplishments. We could go on and on about what he did during his time on West End. Personally, it was a pleasure to serve under him and to have the opportunity to learn from one of the best minds in the business… but more importantly I’m proud to say he was a good guy that really cared about the people he worked with as well as our loyal fan base.
Best wishes to his wife, Christina, and their daughter, Grace, on their move to Columbia at the end of the month.
In true Barca Blog fashion, I will leave Eric with a video from the old school version of Alvin and the Chipmunks (that probably only his daughter will enjoy).
When Eric announced he was leaving, I tried to put together a benefit concert to keep him here… sort of like when Alvin and Brittany (of the Chipettes) tried to save a nest of bald eagles on Mount Placid that was threatened by a condominium development.
(I know, it’s a stretch)