Your 2013 Washington Nationals

If last year was the breakout year for the Washington Nationals, this year is where expectations are met. Expectations meaning as Davey Johnson would say, ‘World Series or Bust.”

I cannot wait for the baseball season to start. I also worry about people think the Nationals have to be great everyday.

My problem isn’t with the team or management. The team is stacked everywhere: pitching, hitting, defense, bench, farm system. All credit goes to Mike Rizzo and his front office and scouts of building a team that was crap five years ago to now.

My problem isn’t with the media and their predictions. Most baseball experts from ESPN to Sports Illustrated have the Nats winning the division and winning the World Series. You can really dispute that since the evidence are there.

My problem is the fans expect to be the 1998 New York Yankees or the 1986 New York Mets (also managed by Davey Johnson). Nats fans would want a dominating team, but in reality, the only part that matters is September and October. I want my Nats to be steady and act like this is a marathon. It doesn’t matter if you have the best record in baseball; it’s the best record that matters the most.

I know there will bumps on the road like injuries or unforeseen circumstances, but that makes baseball fun to follow for six months…and that the Nats have a deep bench. I will not panic in April, May, June, July, and most of August. If they’re still in contention, all I want is the push to the postseason which leads to the World Series and bring back the title to D.C. since 1924.

Last year, they needed to win all season to get experience in the postseason. This year, they know how to pace themselves. Can the fans handle that? Let us enjoy the ride.

xxxSilver Elvis

Oh, the return of NatsJobs is today as well. Job postings are free for the month of April. Send your job posting to tracy@tranrecruiting.com or Twitter at @_natsjobs_

2012 Nationals Soliloquy

This was a fun ride.

I knew before the season, I wanted to return as a Nationals season ticket holder after attending some games the year before when I saw the Nats transition from doormat to respectability. This year was the question if the Nats could contend not only getting over .500, but for the wild card since the playoffs expanded to 5 teams.

During spring training (where I went to Viera, FL for the first time) and throughout the regular season, this was a different squad that I saw from the seven incarnations of the Nats. This team felt ready to take it to the next level. I thought the next level would be a winning season. The Nats next level went above expectations: an NL East crown and best record in baseball.

During that journey, the team was consistently winning each month, the crowds grew bigger (on and off, of course), and old and new friends forged. DC started to become a sports town when they have their summer sport. Baseball became popular when the Nats were winning. Everyone wants their piece of the pie. I will remember July 3rd when the Nats setup the “Ignite Your Natitude” Tweetup. That was probably the most fun I had in baseball:

• Running down to see Nats players (literally) from Strasburg, Stammen, Clippard, Jackson, and Storen.
• Meeting with other Nats fans on Twitter in real life.
• Mocking Angel Pagan at section 143.
• Fireworks.
• Finally, a Nats blowout (won 9-3 over the Giants)

The 2012 season was to cherish and will never forget…

Which leads me to now.

Most in D.C. became a Nats fan because they were winning and wanted to be part of it. Some followed the sport, some wanted to join in on the fun, and some  don’t care but want to follow what’s trendy. They wanted to be part of a “magical” season that suppose to happen to the best team in baseball by record. I was just happy the Nats made the playoffs and knew the playoffs are a crapshoot and there are no guarantees.

What people have learned today is the baseball gods control destiny. The baseball gods will toy with us with relief, frustration, jubilation and mystery. The final part depends on where the wind is blowing. We originally thought it would side with the Nats with the 6-run lead, but baseball has a funny way to remember history. Do you remember July 20 when the Nats blew a 9-run lead and lost in the 10th inning against the Braves? Do you remember the September 1 against the Cardinals where the Nats blew a 4-run lead? Why do you think I tweeted “IT IS NOT OVER” over and over?

Most of the fan base (and nationally) will blame Drew Storen for not shutting the door; blame the offense for not scoring a bunch more runs after the 3rd inning; blame Davey Johnson of relying too much on certain people and things; and/or blame Mike Rizzo for shutting Strasburg early.

I look at this poetically: the Nationals were not ready to handle the baseball gods. The offense relied on the regular season success to carry-over and it bit them. The fans became overconfident (myself included). The whole pitching staff (starters and bullpen) became tired, not Rizzo withholding Strasburg and that’s when the baseball gods feast on them. St. Louis won because they know what to expect from these battles. The baseball gods respect what they have done before and got rewarded. The message the Nats and their fans got from the baseball gods is this what pain feels like; how are we going to handle it?

We never had an immediate answer and thus, the season has ended for the Nats in the most cruelest of fashions, but maybe that is a sign that the Nats need to be tougher and play differently. I know the Nats will comeback next year, but what team should we expect? This as far as we know: this will be a different team next year in every which way.

As we say goodbye this season, it is also goodbye to a few things:

• Goodbye to Bo Porter. Good luck with the Astros.
• Goodbye to the players, coaches, and front office: rest up. You deserve a vacation.
• Goodbye to all the Strasburg talk (well, here locally).
• Goodbye to my friends who I met at Nats Park and on Twitter. We’re going to meet again, but won’t be the same in a wonderful setting. Hopefully there’s a NatsFest in January.
• Goodbye to fantasy and welcome back to the real world, where I want to return to a corporate setting.
• Finally, a special goodbye to Cheryl and Dave Nichols, who will be moving to Idaho next month to startup their photography business. If it wasn’t for them, NatsJobs wouldn’t have been created.

I’m going to summarize with the popular poem “A Ballad of Baseball Burdens” by Franklin Pierce Adams (with some changes) that sums up what we’re feeling:

The burden of hard hitting. Slug away
Like Ryan Zimmerman or like Bryce Harper.
Else fandom shouteth: “Who said you could play?
Back to the jasper league, you minor slob!”
Swat, hit, connect, line out, get on the job.
Else you shall feel the brunt of fandom’s ire
Biff, bang it, clout it, hit it on the knob—
This is the end of every fan’s desire.

The burden of good pitching. Curved or straight.
Or in or out, or haply up or down,
To puzzle him that standeth by the plate,
To lessen, so to speak, his bat-renoun:
Like Stephen Strasburg or Gio Gonzalez,
So pitch that every man can but admire
And offer you the freedom of the town—
This is the end of every fan’s desire.

The burden of loud cheering. O the sounds!
The tumult and the shouting from the throats
Of forty-five thousand at Nationals Park
Sitting, ay, standing sans their hats and coats.
A mighty cheer that possibly denotes
That Nat or anyone fat is in the fire;
Or, as H. James would say, We’ve got their goats—
This is the end of every fan’s desire.

The burden of a pennant. O the hope,
The tenuous hope, the hope that’s half a fear,
The lengthy season and the boundless dope,
And the bromidic; “Wait until next year.”
O dread disgrace of trailing in the rear,
O Piece of Bunting, flying high and higher
That next October it shall flutter here:
This is the end of every fan’s desire.

ENVOY

Ah, Fans, let not the Quarry but the Chase
Be that to which most fondly we aspire!
For us not Stake, but Game; not Goal, but Race—
THIS is the end of every fan’s desire.

We had our sadness, anger, disbelief, and now it’s time for reflection. The baseball gods are telling the Nats to improve as players, as a team, as fans, and more importantly, as a whole community this offseason. It is the only way to appease the baseball gods to get something we want: a World Series championship.

If I Were Running A Company…Localization

I hate to bring this topic again, but last weekend, the Washington Nationals shut down Stephen Strasburg for the season because he was not effective in his last few starts. It could of been he’s tired or the looming shutdown was weighing on him. The decision was made and Strasburg is done and is not likely going to play in the postseason.

This brought up a bunch of fans outside the D.C. area who are not Nationals fans and bandwagon fans who saw the Nats for the first time this season, to tweet their response ranging from:

The Stephen Strasburg decision is too sad to even joke about. It represents everything wrong with modern pro sports. #FansLoseAgain #Nats

—
Adam Graham (@adam_graham) September 09, 2012

If the #Braves benched a healthy pitcher, with a realistic title run possible, I'd be in the market for a new team. #Nats #ridiculous

—
Barry Lee (@realbarrylee) September 08, 2012

Stephen Strasburg controversy was created and mishandled by the #Nationals - not the media. My column here: on-msn.com/P4Rg62 @MLBONFOX

—
Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) September 09, 2012

You can debate on the method the Nats use on Strasburg and how he was handled, but the issue with some of the outsiders, especially the tweets shown above, are telling Nats fans should be upset that Strasburg is shutting down and we won’t go far in the postseason. They assume Strasburg was the ace, and he was in the first half of the season, but looking at his second half stats, he was the Nats 4th best pitcher behind Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann, and Ross Detwiler.

I think with all the media hype surrounding Strasburg, they assume they know the team, and by default, know the city as well. The problem is people inside the city are comfortable of what the Nats are doing because the fans have watch this team for a long time and they knew Strasburg was going to be shutdown last year , plus if other media members outside of D.C. saw the team the past year, this is a team beyond Strasburg.

Let’s transition this in recruiting.

Recruiters will tell you to think locally and you must (in order):

1. Know who you are
2. Know the company/clients you work for
3. Know your city/town
4. Know your region

You need to know what is out there in the area and you have to network on what is going on with your area. I can tell you in the D.C. area, unemployment is low because of government, government contracting, healthcare, startups and the rise of hospitality since Crestline and Hilton moved their headquarters to Fairfax and McLean, VA respectively in the past few years.

If we take Strasburg as a template, I will use Ohio as an example. My assumption is Ohio has high unemployment rate because all the manufacturing jobs are gone and there’s nothing really going on out there. In truth, although the situation is not great in Ohio, it is not bad as construction is up and the potential of investment in Ohio by the way of the Chinese.

That is a general picture of Ohio, but I can’t get the whole picture unless I talked to my networks in Ohio to know what’s really going on and that is the point I’m making. If you want to know the area you might be living and work for, ask the locals, either face-to-face or virtually, about what is out there that fits your situation. Have an open mind to the region and don’t try to make assumptions quickly.

What we think is global, but what we do happens locally.

If I Were Running A Company…Mike Rizzo

The sports networks are all buzzing about 1) The NFL season returning and 2) The Stephen Strasburg shutdown. Except in the DC media, everyone is up in arms of how the Nationals (most of the anger goes to Senior VP and General Manager, Mike Rizzo (above)) will actually shutdown Strasburg before 180 innings because he had Tommy John surgery two years ago. The national media wants the Nationals to be “creative” of Strasburg’s innings and see him pitch in the playoffs, while Rizzo has long said that Strasburg is going to get shutdown this year. If this were the business world, Rizzo would be applauded.

What leaders do is assess the situation and look at the long-term view and stick to it. All Mike Rizzo is doing is sticking to his plan. If crap happens like the Strasburg injury, he has a plan not only for the injured player, but for the team. Tom Boswell explains it perfectly on the shutdown. What leaders also do is make a decision that is best for the organization and person that might be unpopular, but it is necessary. It’s true not only the national media, but Nationals players, even Strasburg’s father and Mike Rizzo’s father hate Rizzo’s decision, but Rizzo is sticking with the plan, which you may not like, but he’s creating a culture of transparency and accountability.  As a result, the Nationals (as of now) have the best record in Major League Baseball.

I’m going off my HR seat for a minute and talk as a fan. Please national media…SHUT UP! You don’t speak to the Nationals (and DC) fans of what to think about the shutdown. We don’t like it the shutdown, but at least we understand. You have your own opinion and we respect that, but don’t talk like you’re part of us that you know everything about DC sports and how we should act. If you want to act like us, live in the D.C. area for a minimum of a year and experience being a DC fan. You’re always welcome to our bandwagon. Back to HR mode.

You’re wondering why Rizzo is shutting down Strasburg and why 160-180 innings? For a detailed story, read Jayson Stark’s article and for statistical reasons, read this from my friend, Ouij.

What Rizzo is doing is an educated guess at best, but he has a few examples to look at. The first two are Chicago Cubs pitcher, Kerry Wood and Florida (now Miami) Marlins pitcher, Josh Johnson. They both had talent, blew out their arms, showed glimpse of returning to form and then struggle. The last example is Rizzo’s first test on the innings limit: Jordan Zimmermann.  Zimmermann had Tommy John Surgery  in 2009, came back late in 2010, and pitch 161 1/3 innings in 2011. This season, Zimmermann has the best ERA in the National League and is projected to pitch close to 200 innings and in discussion for the NL Cy Young (best pitcher) Award. It is a small sample, but Rizzo has reviewed the data and the case studies and see if Jordan Zimmermann worked out, so can Strasburg.

Think about your Stephen Strasburg at your workplace; a talented person who might be sick, pregnant, or an life-altering moment. How would you handle your most talented worker in that situation? First, understand they’re human and assist them. Second, if the person will be out for a short or long-term, or be gone permanently, have a talent pipeline (internally, externally, or through an agency) come in and step right in. In Rizzo’s case, when Strasburg goes down, he does have a backup plan with John Lannan and Christian Garcia (who is like Stephen Strasburg, but in the bullpen). That’s why they had the number one farm system in baseball (that was before the Nationals traded four prospects for Gio Gonzalez)

Overall, Mike Rizzo’s leadership is about the basics: toughness, honesty, transparency, and accountability. However, the one aspect Rizzo sets apart from the rest is his conviction to go through the plan. People say they have a plan or an idea, but don’t follow-up. For Rizzo, he’s committed to his plan if you like it or not. The Strasburg shutdown is not a popular, but I commend Rizzo of going through the plan from his research and talking to medical experts. If that is not the best retention plan, look where the Washington Nationals were at four years ago to now. What a difference great leadership can make.

If I Were Running A Company…The Extra 2%

If you ask many HR professionals who love sports, most of the people would put Moneyball in their top 5 HR sports books of all-time. I’m not going to argue that since it introduce to the world of saber-metrics, looking at quantitative and qualitative statistics for sports and business, and thinking outside the box. The book was so good, Hollywood is making a movie with Brad Pitt (which is out on September 23). HR professionals here and here crave of the book and suggested HR should look into more data/statistics driven for their business. It was a great book and I considered being a top 5 sports book…until a few years ago.

Moneyball was a coming out party for statisticians and economics as math and business as it coincide with sports and real-time. It was a breakthrough in sports and in business. However, there were two problems why Moneyball has been devalued. The first problem is the Oakland Athletics only went far as the American League Championship Series in 2006. From 2003 (when Moneyball was published) to today, two teams with a lower payroll than the Oakland A’s that went to the World Series: the 2003 Florida Marlins (which won the World Series by beating the New York Yankees in 6) and the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays. The other (and primary) problem why Moneyball devalued is three words: the human element.

People praised Moneyball because it was innovative and became the new Bible for businesses to find talent and resources with limited funding. What most don’t know is the person behind Moneyball, Oakland A’s General Manager, Billy Beane. Before the book was released, Billy Beane was an up and coming GM who was the toast of MLB when he brought the Oakland A’s, with a small payroll and limited resources, to the playoffs in the late 90s-early 2000s. Since the book was released in 2003, the A’s have made one playoff appearance. The problem: Billy Beane. Beane had a philosophy to have almost everything based on statistics. Beane would only look at a few like how many pitches you take and on-base percentage. Beane’s other philosophy is that the field manager just manages and plays sidekick to him. It worked with Art Howe until he bolted to manage the New York Mets in 2002. It was likely going to work with Ken Macha until Beane fired him after the 2006 season when the A’s were swept by the Detroit Tigers in the ALCS. Then, Beane hired Bob Geren in 2007, who the players hated, and was let go this year. In that 2007 year, the A’s did have and internal candidate with Ron Washington. When the A’s passed on him, the Texas Rangers hired him as their manager. In 2010, Washington led the Rangers to their first World Series ever.  Simply put, Moneyball made Billy Beane from a rising star in baseball to an egomaniac that had several interests.

This leads me to the newest book HR and sports fans should have in their collection: The Extra 2% by Jonah Keri. To summarize, it’s Moneyball with more emphasis on people and relationships (and defense). It tells the story of three former Wall St. execs (owners Stuart Sternberg and Matthew Silverman and GM Andrew Friedman) that helped the Tampa Bay Rays from perennial losers to contenders in the American League. What this story sets apart fromMoneyball is how the front office views each department (baseball operations, PR, events, infrastructure) and how to get the right people for your organization. The Joe Maddon chapter from the Extra 2% exemplifies that while you have resources and talent, you need someone who can interpret your culture and information. Joe Maddon was viewed as part of the front office and not as a “middle manager.” With that mentality, the Rays won the AL pennant in 2008 and won the AL East in 2010.

The only problem the Tampa Bay Rays have doesn’t concern baseball, their team, or their front office. Their main issue is real estate. The problem playing in Tropicana Field (“the Pit”) is 1) the ballpark is an arena, hence all the catwalks and fewer seats, 2) their field is at St. Petersburg, where the nearest neighbors are 30 minutes away and 3) the expiring lease on the park is nearly 20 years away. The new ownership wants a new stadium in the Tampa area, but local officials are not willing to do it, which would prevent future free agents to come so the Rays organization have to stick to their plan.

While many HR professionals want our profession to be more data driven, be careful what you asked for. Sure, statistics are important and you want to forward your information to the executives, but it is important your know how to interpret the information and look at all possibilities with this information based on statistics, current culture, and current confidence of your organization. Statistics only plays a part of the decision, human nature makes up for most of it.

In 1999, Billy Beane was the most innovative person not only in sports, but in business. When technology helped neutralized baseball through the years, Beane stayed the course but did not make any adjustments, hence his star status dropped. What HR needs is not innovation, it needs progressive thinkers who look at all possibilities and outcomes and their consequences. If you have executives who go “by the book” from statistics and trends, your organization would do well, but will not reach its optimal goal. If you have executives who go outside the box, it’s a risk-reward but the rewards would most likely be beneficial if planned and executed right.

So HR, don’t be Billy Beane…be a Joe Maddon.

If I Were Running A Company…Jim Riggleman

If you know my writing, I love writing where sports and HR intersects. I always feel the HR department is like your sports operations department: they set the culture, they find and source talent, they develop players/employees, and they oversee the business. Sadly in this case study, this really hits home.

Yesterday, Jim Riggleman decided to resign from his position as manager of the Washington Nationals because he thought Mike Rizzo, the General Manager of the Nationals, and the front office never reach out to him about his contract and he thought he deserves an extension.  Rizzo didn’t give an extension, Riggleman gave his final stand, Rizzo didn’t bite, and Riggleman left. To have an HR perspective on this, let’s look at Mike Rizzo and Jim Riggleman.

Mike Rizzo

Mike Rizzo was considered one of the best scouts in baseball. He started scouting for the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox and then went to the Arizona Diamondbacks on their inaugural season in 1998 and became Director of Scouting in 2000, where he started to make a name for himself. After the 2006 season, he joined the Washington Nationals as an Assistant General Manager. In March 2009, he became the interim General Manager when Jim Bowden resigned after the Dominican Republic skimming bonus scandal. In 2009, Rizzo drafted Stephen Strasburg; traded outfielder Lastings Milledge and reliever Joel Hanrahan to Pittsburgh for outfielder Nyjer Morgan and reliever Sean Burnett; and signed Strasburg to the biggest contract given to a drafted player in the last minute. Those sequences lead to Rizzo removing the interim tag and became a full-time general manager.  Rizzo received a five-year extension after the 2010 season after drafting and signing Bryce Harper and made critical trades such as Matt Capps to Minnesota for Wilson Ramos and other prospects.

There’s no question Rizzo got his job because he was great evaluating talent and can make business deals with agents and other general managers in baseball. Although 80% of his job is scouting players and development, it is the 20% Rizzo is still working on and that’s handling the media. Rizzo did not handle the situation well when reporters wanted to ask Nationals hitting coach, Rick Eckstein, about the Nationals hitting slump earlier in the season. It seems Rizzo wants to control all situations, which makes him look like a dictator.

Jim Riggleman

Jim Riggleman is a journey manager. He started managing for the San Diego Padres in 1992, then went to the Chicago Cubs in 1995, where he led them to a National League Wild Card in 1998. In 2001, after been fired by the Cubs in 2000, he was the bench coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2001-2004. Riggleman returned as bench coach in 2008 for the Seattle Mariners and became interim manager when John McLaren was fired later that year. In 2009, Riggleman was hired as bench coach for the Washington Nationals. In that same year, Riggleman became interim manager when Manny Acta was fired. After the 2009 season, Riggleman signed a two-year deal with a club option in 2012. Although 2009 and 2010 were a struggle, 2011 was looked at as a bridge to 2012, where you have Strasburg returning and Harper called up to the majors. Initially, it looked like a lost year when the Nationals were 27-36 and last place in the National League East. However, Riggleman and the gang won 11 of the last 12 games, are one game over .500 (38-37), and have sole possession of third place and possible wild card talk. In addition, this was Riggleman’s dream managerial job since he went to Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, MD and went to Frostburg State.

Although Riggleman was at home, his overall record as manager was 662-824 and 140-172 record as Nationals manager. Riggleman was getting gigs all over baseball because he was a “by the book” guy. However, in 1998 when the Cubs faced the Atlanta Braves in Game 3 of the National League Divisional Series, he put Kerry Wood on the mound, although he had not pitch since August 31. The Cubs were swept by the Braves and the following year, Wood had Tommy John surgery, ending the Cubs playoff aspirations in 1999 before the season begins and Riggleman was gone the following year. This propped up the discussion that Jim Riggleman is decent manager who does not make good baseball decisions.

The HR Perspective

The reason I wrote a long description of Rizzo and Riggleman is because you need to see two different viewpoints, where they come from and how Riggleman’s resignation resonate. On the base of communication and goal setting, I fault Rizzo for not communicating well to Riggleman before Spring Training about what were the Nationals team goals during a transition year for not only the team, but for Riggleman. If Rizzo thought Riggleman was not the right fit, he should still talk to him about his expectations and what should be discuss during and after the season. Rizzo failed on that end.

Although Rizzo did not handle the contract extensions/goal settings talk well, he always had a stance that you wait until after the season ends to make your decisions since he had to wait being a full-time general manager.  Rizzo’s negotiations with Scott Boras and making trades that eliminate part of the losing culture put him in the driver’s seat for a full-time position, and then the five-year extension.

Coming to his contract year in 2011, Riggleman knows this was his make-or-break year. He had a new team in 2011 that was young, athletic, and eager; where in years past, the Nationals were getting leftover veterans to make up the roster. If we’re basing by results, Riggleman did a great job since the Nationals are over .500 for the first time since 2005. However, from quotes from both Rizzo and Riggleman, Riggleman wanted a “conversation” of his contract extension. If Riggleman started the question with, “what are the goals and expectations of the team,” Rizzo would of listen and have that conversation. However, Riggleman talked about his contract extension and the rift started. It escalated today when Riggleman gave Rizzo a choice today and that was it.

While Mike Rizzo made some mistakes, he was right standing pat on his values that you have to finish the season to know what you got.  I believe Jim Riggleman wanted to stay in Washington because he founded his dream job. For this dream job, he wanted job security. If it was his last year, it would be likely Riggleman gets that extension because Stan Kasten was still the president of the Nationals at that time since Kasten was a people’s person. Instead, Riggleman had to deal with a baseball person, not a people’s person. Riggleman went all-in on a baseball person…and was called on his bluff. If Riggleman didn’t make good baseball decisions, he did not make a good read on his business decisions as well.

What’s Next?

With Jim Riggleman gone, how does this affect the Washington Nationals this season and even next? No one knows, but there’s one question at the end of the baseball season: Was Jim Riggleman the glue, a contributor, or a standby for the Nationals? We would know where the Nationals are in the next 3+ months.

The Reason Behind NatsJobs

If you saw the announcement a few minutes ago, I’m starting a new job posting venture called NatsJobs. It is where companies and organizations post jobs during Nats baseball games. You can get the details here. You’re wondering how did I start this?

It actually started in October during hockey season where I started to dabble on posting jobs during Caps games. It had some responses, but nothing broke through. My guess is hockey fans want to see the action more than the outside stuff, which was reasonable.

After the Caps playoff season was over against the Tampa Bay Lightning in May, my focus shifted to baseball and the Nats. At that time, Cheryl Nichols forwards a list of our mutual friends on Twitter to me of who are looking for jobs. I help gave most of the Twitter friends’ advice on their job search. It was then I decided to post jobs during Nats games just for the heck of it. To my surprise, there was a huge response of my job tweets during the Nats game. My guess is that people want to watch something other than baseball to pay attention, which can be tiresome for some fans. Posting jobs during baseball games probably was that outlet. Many people have asked, retweeted, and favorite (I have Tweetdeck, FYI) my job tweets. Some asked for me to transition this to part of my business. It was getting a lot of attention, but how was the end result?

There were two factors why I created NatsJobs. The first reason is the business aspect started to creep up during a discussion I had during an awards dinner this past week. It was the rare time I wore a suit and tie and add in the heat during the summer; it affected my decision. The second and main reason was my job postings were getting results. A few people have contacted me and got hired as a result from the job tweets I posted during Nats games. That to me puts a smile to my face and at that moment, it was time to put it to the next level. Thus, NatsJobs was created.

The purpose for NatsJobs is for companies and organizations to tap into the Nats community, which is diverse in every way from skills, ideas, and personalities. NatsJobs is also a way to communicate who you are looking for and the one area everyone is looking at one setting. NatsJobs is not only for Nats fans; it is for job seekers and businesses that are looking for and want to be part of an open community like the Nats organization and their fans. NatsJobs is always an open door for both the job seeker and business (though not sure about the Phillies).

Now, NatsJobs is part of Tran Recruiting and although my staffing firm focuses on nonprofits, associations, and small businesses; NatsJobs is a job posting service for any business that needs to advertise their job to a diverse market at a reasonable price.

In addition, no one or few businesses will dominate all the job postings during the Nats game(s), so I’m asking for 17/18 different businesses if they have a job to advertise for each game. I know there are businesses out there who want to advertise their jobs, and NatsJobs is a great avenue to go to.

Finally, and I didn’t mention this on the initial announcement, but when we post your job, it will not only be on my company’s Twitter and Facebook page, it will be also on my personal Twitter page, Linkedin profile, and my Google+ Buzz section (Oh, my whole Google+ page if you’re interested). In addition, you can add the Tran Recruiting twitter account to your RSS feed/Google Reader and follow via text messaging when a job is tweeted, so your job posting will get more bang for your buck.

I can’t wait for July 26 when NatsJobs officially begins and it will be a new arena for not only to attract talent, but keep the Nats community growing as a baseball town and a tight community people can rely on.

Public Media and Baseball

A few weeks ago on a #pubmedia chat session on Twitter, I mention what has public media done well and what public media should add. I mention public media should add sports, but sports that fit to the public media culture. The sport that first came to mind is baseball. Not because public media needs baseball, but baseball needs a partner for the long run.

I was a decent baseball fan throughout my life. In 1999, I went to my first baseball game at Camden Yards when the Red Sox faced the Orioles. I was semi-interested, but the Orioles weren’t my team as I learned DC used to have a baseball team and got rejected from MLB owners (mostly Peter Angelos). I started to get into baseball fully when the Montreal Expos moved to Washington to become the Nationals in 2005. It was in 2008 that I understood how special baseball is.

I had partial season tickets to the Nats inaugural season at Nationals Park and attended 20 games. However, it was my trip to Chicago that I went to Wrigley Field for the White Sox-Cubs interleague rivalry and words can’t describe the experience as a tourist in Wrigley Field. I wanted to like baseball, but the Nats were stinking up the joint. Then when Stephen Strasburg arrived in Washington for his MLB debut last year, I understand how baseball is that magical.

Baseball every year has these magical moments. The problem I have with baseball is not the game (although there need to be tweaks, but that’s for a different post), but the broadcasting.

The problem with baseball announcing is that it is trying to excite you artificially or that they don’t care for the game. I’m looking at FOX, who bought a lot of money to get the MLB package, but from the looks of their broadcasting team, coverage, and theme music over the years, it seems like Fox put baseball in the back-burner. TBS are at the same boat since they’re in a network that shows comedies. ESPN is being ESPN.

In addition, youth baseball has been dropping every year since 1996 because sports like lacrosse and soccer have constant motion and have excitement, but in baseball, you stand there most of the time. I mostly blame that on managers (mostly parents) who want to be the alpha people among the teams by yelling and screaming, when the game requires patience, which most of us don’t have.

This brings me to public media, specifically PBS.

What baseball is missing in most broadcasts is storytelling. Baseball announcers are renowned for their voice and stories. Vin Scully comes to mind as a great broadcaster and storyteller. Without commercial breaks, PBS can use the middle and end of each inning to describe what is going on and why it matters and if the game is a blowout, a few stories to tell. The PBS broadcast would let the game flow dictate how to call it.

Another thing PBS can bring to baseball is the element of community. PBS affiliates do a great job promoting arts and culture to their local community. Teaming up with MLB and minor league baseball, not only you would get an engaged community, but a diverse community that is lacking in public media. In addition, you bring the 170 million Americans who contribute to public broadcasting and have something to unite.

If baseball came to PBS, it would eliminate the “elitist” label that public media perceived to have since baseball is a global sport. PBS has done some sports from golf, tennis, and Ivy League football, but those sports tend to be the high-end of the spectrum (to be fair, they did air the FIFA World Cup in 1982). Although baseball is played by world-class athletes, it’s the magical moment people want or do not want to believe that makes the sport special.

Finally, baseball has two things on their side: history and government. Baseball’s history is rich and with PBS having Ken Burns (Baseball, The Tenth Inning), the game can be preserved. Add to that, most government officials and politicians are still fond of baseball (1994 strike, steroid hearings involved the U.S. government). If baseball is struggling, MLB can rely on the U.S. government to help, possibly bring MLB back to the non-profit side. The U.S. government still allows the NFL to be a non-profit for some odd reason.

Baseball might be dropping like boxing and horse racing not because of steroids or parity in the field. The problem with baseball is networks like Fox, TBS and somewhat ESPN are trying to spice up baseball with graphics and hyperbole when the game doesn’t require it.

This is a perfect time for PBS and its affiliates to pony up and get baseball after the 2013 season, when MLB’s TV contract with Fox, TBS, and ESPN are up, to bring baseball back to life and give the sport its proper due.

Realistically…

MLB would want a big contract with the major broadcast and cable networks after 2013 and wouldn’t care about the long-term effects of the game. MLB are still thinking about being cool at the grown-up table instead of being the adult.

PBS and their affiliates do not have the resources to pay a quarter of what MLB is asking and really can’t do anything except do stories and make documentaries about baseball. In addition, who pays for the TV rights: PBS, PBS affiliates, a third party?

Public broadcasting and baseball would have been a great relationship because both need each other and would fill each other’s weaknesses. It would be similar to hockey in Canada with TSN doing the heavy load of the work and CBC handling the major hockey events (Winter/Heritage Classic, All-Star game, Stanley Cup Final). Instead, greed will always win in baseball and some in the public media audience would not appreciate baseball as an art form. That’s a shame on both accounts.

Two-Day Double Dip

The past two days, I went to D.C. for four events: Cherry Blossoms, Natsfest, Nationals Opening Day, and a Caps game. The only reason I wanted to go is to experience my first D.C. Sports Doubleheader. This one is special because it was opening day in baseball and the Caps push to the playoffs.

Here are the pics I took the past two days

Cherry Blossoms

I have done this the past three out of four years. It never gets old. There’s nothing to add except I would like festival organizers is more choices for JapaDogs. That day, it felt like Vancouver.

Natsfest

I walked from the Tidal Basin to Nationals Park to go to Natsfest. It started to rain when I arrived and I was amazed there was a solid crowd who came. I would imagine a smaller crowd with the weather and it was a school day, but this shows there’s a growing fan base in Washington. With the rain coming down, practice was cut short and there were no autograph sessions, but people saw memorabilia of Washington’s baseball history and Q & A sessions. The star of Natsfest Washington Senator great, Frank Howard, who told his nine consecutive strikeout story at least two times and it never got old. The event went well under the circumstances.

Nationals Opening Day

This was my first opening day. I would imagine a sunny and a crisp 60 degree day. Instead, it was drizzly, but freezing. All the weather reports said there was a good chance of rain and in the mid 40s. It almost felt like it was 25 degrees. This was easily the coldest event I went to and I was outside for a good 6 hours, although I did get a free bratwurst and water as a result from broken registers . I don’t mind the cold, but it’s spring and it’s suppose to be warm, but on the plus side, I met most of the Nats tweeps in real life and made this a better event, even in the cold. I have been to 4 different home openers and by far, baseball is the most genuine I attended, although the 2006-2007 George Mason men’s basketball home opener was very special. As for the game, the Braves beat the Nats, 2-0. A disappointing result, but a wonderful event everyone should attend and if you’re lucky, next year’s opening day might be a buck.

Just to go back on Natsfest; the Nats lost and I mostly think the weather play a role, but another part could be about Natsfest. There are several fans who were upset Natsfest was a day before Opening Day and not in January, where most baseball teams have their annual fanfest. Mark Lerner, principal owner of the Nats, said this was the only time to bring all the players to come to Natsfest. I heard all sides and both make compelling arguments. I understand Mark’s standpoint of holding the event the day before the game, but this event needs to happen a week before the first game and the Nats can’t do it because of spring training. January is a great time to do it, but I understand this is the players’ offseason and they have their own schedule, plus going into D.C. in the winter has started to become brutal with snowstorms. There are two options the Nats can take:

Option 1: Still hold Natsfest the day before Opening Day and have a deal with the DC public schools to bring kids to the park after school and bring them to the field and have the players stay in the field, meet and greet, sign autographs, and take pictures.

Option 2: Have Natsfest in January, but social media has to play a role since nearly everyone in D.C. has a social media profile (remember, DC is the most socially networked city in the U.S.). Word can get out quick and the players will respond. Right now, the Nats do not have a strong enough fan base to have their voices heard, but when 2012 comes around with Strasburg and Bryce Harper on the team, things might change. In addition, we know Strasburg and Harper have Twitter accounts, so we can bother them why they can’t attend.

Caps

After 6 hours in the unexpected freezing weather, I travel to Chinatown to California Tortilla to get a burrito and getting a “10″ hot sauce to warm myself up. After that, I went to see my friends and it was off to the game. Caps won 4-3 over the Columbus Blue Jackets in overtime, but it shouldn’t be like that since Columbus didn’t have Rick Nash in the lineup and fielded an AHL team. The Caps might be in the playoffs, but without possibly Mike Green and Dennis Wideman, can the Caps advance? The longest preseason is almost to a close, but the real season begins and let’s sees if the Caps have learned from past seasons.

For these past two days, it was a time to relax and enjoy something special that may never happen again, unless you have the Beltway Series and the Stanley Cup Finals, which would be the penultimate. Overall, these past two days is a great time to be a Washingtonian…unless you’re a twitching little freak who is ticked by this and this.

Memo to the D.C. Metro

If you’re an avid reader of this blog, you know I have a disdain for the Metro. I’m a proud public commuter. I love taking buses and trains. I find it more cooler than driving on the beltway. I love Metro so much, it hurts that I contribute to Unsuck DC Metro, which is a great source of Metro news and fodder.

However, I saw this harmless article about why Cliff Lee chose the Phillies over the Yankees, Nationals, Rangers and others because both Cliff and his wife, Kristen, love taking the train. I could argue about DC being a more cultural than Philadelphia or that most Philly fans throws batteries, boo Santa Claus, and taser their fans:

However, I don’t blame Cliff Lee rejoining the Phillies to create the “Four Aces” lineup with Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, and Cole Hamels. He wants to win a World Series championship. Who can blame him?

I don’t blame the Washington Nationals because they are trying to progress as an organization and although they signed Jayson Werth, they didn’t get Werth’s best friend on that team 2 years ago.

I blame you, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA).

In the past few years, you not only scared people away from taken the Metro at its peak, but you have scared off potential clients, ruined businesses, forced conferences to relocate , and your transit system has killed people.

The first straw that broke the camels back was the SHRM Conference was scheduled to be in D.C. in the next year or two. However, due to “transportation issues”, the SHRM Conference is going to Las Vegas next year and Atlanta in 2012. I don’t mind traveling to Atlanta since I have friends there, but it would have been much cooler in D.C. Yes, the 2006 SHRM Conference was a mess because of the monsoon hit that week, but you couldn’t work out how the buses and trains will run (plus our incompetent drivers)? You lost 15,000 additional tourists because of that.

Another strike to your company is your trains have caused double-digit fatalities in the past few years when trains most likely injure people at best. What’s worse: people are committing suicides by just jumping off the platform and get crushed by your trains than jumping off the bridge.

To be fair, other transit systems have the same problem, but in L.A. and Boston’s case, it was incompetence by the human. In your case, it was incompetence by the machine.

The Cliff Lee thing might be small beans, but in the bigger picture, your transit system was going to be an asset to attract people to buy/rent houses and apartments and bring businesses near the Metro stations. Instead by staying on the status quo, your transit system is a liability to work out a deal.

The good thing that is happening to the WMATA board is a potential clean sweep of the whole board to bring in the new one. I do not want my board members to say:

“To an extent, it’s thankless and it’s very time-consuming,” said Maryland board member Elizabeth Hewlett, one of those who wants to step down. “Obviously no one likes to be criticized, especially when you are working so very hard.”

or

“Some of the comments were not well-received,” said Maryland member Gordon Linton, who decided to leave before the reports came out, but officially announced his departure Thursday. “It was wondered whether they understand how the board actually functions.”

or

Board member Jeff McKay and other members faulted the reports – one by a task force organized by the Greater Washington Board of Trade and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, and the other by Metro’s Riders’ Advisory Council – for making recommendations that were unrealistic, detrimental, or reflected a lack of understanding of how the board works.

or

“They need someone willing to be heavily scrutinized, work for free, not have a conflict of interest, and have a schedule to devote two days of your week to this…” — Jeff McKay

Really? Two days to devote on this and you can’t do the job? Here’s what you do: Shut up, F*** the system, and do what’s best for Metro and not be a talking head for your district or state because you actually have a job the 6% of the D.C. Metro area wished they do because they are unemployed.

I want D.C. Mayor Vince Gray, Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (and his right hand sock puppet, Ken Cuccinelli), and the Federal Government to get board members who are passionate about public transportation from engineers, advocates, business people, and others to can contribute to the agency. By the way, your guerrilla marketing strategy...seriously?

I rarely write blog posts like this, WMATA, but I have to because I care about public transportation and enjoy going to the Metro, but you’re at a crossroads right now.  Ridership and Fare hikes are not your issue; it is how inefficient your trains and systems are. Get reliable people who know how to operate a subway station; bring innovators on the engineering and business front; and bring people who are proactive and WILL DO the job, not use the board as a resume enhancer. When you have the trains and systems in check, people will come to the Metro plain and simple, but you made this more complex than it is.

Also, I don’t want to hear about “Multi-Jurisdiction Dysfunction.” We’re a bunch of grown-ups now. If the majority of states in this country can accept tax cuts and repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” two states and the District can solve the Metro, right?

Think of this as your “Kick In The Ass!” memo, Metro. It’s time to do it and back it up.  Your golden opportunity is now and it is slipping away.