NatsJobs 2012

This has been a very busy few months for me as I have been focusing and promoting a lot lately: NatsJobs.

If you have been running away from me the past few months, NatsJobs is an interactive job board where any business can post jobs during Washington Nationals games. Last year, it was a social media experiment that I was playing with and ended up as a potential cash cow for my company, Tran Recruiting. I mentioned last year that NatsJobs will be bigger, bolder, and better (somewhat in that order). I didn’t lie.

For the upcoming 2012 season, we are covering the bases. NatsJobs now has:

- A Homepage: http://NatsJobs.net
- A Twitter Page: @_natsjobs_
- A Facebook Page: http://Facebook.com/NatsJobs
- SMS/Text Messaging by texting “_natsjobs_” to 40404
- An actual email address: info@natsjobs.net
- Coming soon, the NatsJobs mobile site
- A Hologram of me…I kid. (Also, a lot of people ask me if the job will be posted on the HD Jumbotron at Nationals Park. Let me answer in two parts: 1) we’re not affiliated with the Washington Nationals and 2) It’s damn expensive)

You would think that would be enough, but I wasn’t satisfied.

Also for the 2012 season, we are holding contests and big events each month:

April: Tickets to the home opener against the Cincinnati Reds if your business post a job during the opening series against the Cubs.

May: #NatsSeekers – where 80 job seekers and 20 recruiters/HR/hiring managers network and watch the game. It’s on May 15 against the San Diego Padres at 1PM…a perfect time to do your work. Details coming soon.

June: Another #NatsSeekers opportunity, but more at a bar/restaurant. Looking for sponsors and venue.

July: I’ll let everyone take their vacation.

August: Someone will win a trip to the Season Ticket Holder event on August 4. You have to post a job with us by July 31.

September: One lucky business will not only win tickets to a Nationals game, but will join me at the Stars & Stripes Club. More details to come.

Pricing is a little different than last year. Yes, I raised the prices because we want everyone to have access to our job board either on their home computer, laptop, smartphone, cell phone, tablet, and billboard (not really). However, I kept it reasonable so you don’t bust your recruiting budget. It is $28 for non-profits, associations, government, and for-profit companies with 50 or fewer employees; $37 for for-profit companies with 50+ employees; and $99 if you want to post your job for a week of Nationals games. As an added bonus, if applicants missed your job post during the game, they can go to our job archives section where it will be there for the next 7 Nats games. If you want a head start to reserve your half-inning, click here.

If you have any questions, you can contact me. You know where I am

Of note: if you feel this blog post feels promotional, well…yeah, it is my blog. Plus, I’m both the founder of Tran Recruiting and NatsJobs, so there’s a hint.

DC Sports Review

Last year, I wrote a post on the DC Sports Renaissance and got a lot of views, even a mention on Ted Leonsis’s blog.  We are almost a year in from that post and well…DC is not there yet. Let’s review:

The Redskins stink and the lockout is still going on. There will be a season, but with John Beck. guess they want Andrew Luck.

The Wizards…you know, but they look good at it.

D.C. United has Charlie Davies and the team is meh, but could move to Baltimore.

College football rarely exists and 3 of the 4 DC area college basketball change coaches.

This leaves two teams I want to discuss:

The Capitals

I have mention this for a long time that this past regular season will be the longest preseason Caps fans have to endure. The only way to prove their worth is in the playoffs. They handled the New York Rangers easily in the first round and look like the Caps will meet expectations…then Lightning came and struck them. The Lightning swept the Caps and swept them like the most powerful vacuum known to man.  Ted Leonsis sums it up here:

Their role players outplayed our role players.

Their highest paid players outplayed our highest paid players.

In fact, their role players outplayed our highest paid players.

Right now, the Caps are what I like to call, “in the early Mark Cuban stages.” If you follow the Dallas Mavericks history, you know before Cuban owned the team, the team blew chunks and were the laughing stock of the league. When Cuban took over, he built a fun team that was the greatest show on Earth for a few years, then the transition to a championship team a few years later in 2006 and still are a contending team.

The Caps are at the end of being the fun team and are starting to transition to a championship team, but what direction will they go. It is eerie the Caps and Mavericks are alike:

Ted Leonsis – Mark Cuban
Bruce Boudreau – Don Nelson
Alex Ovechkin – Dirk Nowitzki
Nicklas Backstrom – Steve Nash (supposedly)

If you are a Caps fan, ask these questions:

1. Is George McPhee drafting on pure talent or developing talent? Talent vs. Hockey Sense.
2. Is Bruce Boudreau mentally capable of handling this job? If not, keep an eye out for Dale Hunter, Kirk Muller, and Bob Hartley as likely replacements.
3. Do you trade Alex Semin, Mike Green, or both? In addition, would you let Alex Ovechkin drop the Captain tag and give it to a veteran like…Jarome Iginla via trade?

So many questions for the Caps this offseason and the team you saw in the past 4 years is gone. Luckily for them for next season, they might be the only game in town. This was the Caps best opportunity to grab the Stanley Cup and get DC’s attention. However, 2008-2011 is the same as the ’80s and early ’90s Caps…can’t handle playoff pressure.

The Nationals

Of all the DC teams, the Nationals are the only DC team that is progressing and the future is bright. They have a young nucleus that starts with Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper and follow up with Wilson Ramos, Danny Espinosa, Ian Desmond, and an improved minor league infrastructure, which was shot during the Jim Bowden/MLB era. Also, let’s not forget the Nats have some addition money from the Lerners that they could get a first baseman next year [Pujols!].

Most will mock Jayson Werth’s contract and the numbers are not showing it this year for him, but his intrinsic value (swagger, leadership) have made the Nats a respectable team. Just imagine if they had Ryan Zimmerman back.  The team is struggling, but with a wounded lineup that is 5 games below .500, that’s not bad. Everyone knows this is a transition year for the Nats, but there is optimism. Now, the manager’s standing? That’s a different question.

Will D.C. ever be a sports town like New York Boston, or hate to say this, Philly? Not really. D.C. will always be changing, for better or worse. However, D.C. can capture the same spirit when the Redskins won the Super Bowl in the 80s.  The question is who is going to lead D.C.?  The Caps had a significant advantage the past few years as the only good D.C. sports team in town. The problem with the Caps today is they join the rest of the D.C. pack by being “choking dogs” like they were in the 90s and seem to have no resolve. The Redskins are always in flux and the Wizards need a miracle. The Caps might be the flavor now, but the Nats are coming. In D.C., it is always about winning…and joining the bandwagon.

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.

Poll: Should I bring back the Elvis Silver Wig for this upcoming Washington Nationals Season?

June 1: The Return of the DC Sports Renaissance

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Today is the day D.C. sports fans have been waiting for in a long time. ..A DC Sports Renaissance.  DC has been mocked for a long time as a sports city with the unfortunate bad luck and terrible owners.  D.C. has not won a major sports title since 1992 (I will not count the D.C. United).  Today, marks a brand new era in Washington D.C. Sports. 

It already started with the Washington Capitals with Ovi and the gang compiling the best hockey team in their team’s history and luckily, they’re playing on the road at the Winter Classic against the Penguins and were the road team and you know what road teams go to after the Winter Classic…

Also, the summer will not only focus on surrounding the Fourth of July for the next several years.  The real Washington Nationals season begins on June 7 when they’re going to select Bryce Harper with their number 1 draft pick and on June 8, it will be the debut of The Strasburg as the baseball season really kicks off and the summer begins.

Then on June 24, the Washington Wizards actually have the number 1 pick and get a player that doesn’t suck.  It’s no secret the Wizards will select John Wall, but the fun begins in July if they can get a big name free agent.  If not this year, then it will be next year with Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant on the market. 

Finally, you have your beloved Washington Redskins.  Yes, they have McNabb and a rejuvenated Mike Shanahan, but they can be either 4-12 or 12-4.  There’s still no lack of drama in Ashburn.

Can you imagine: with Ted Leonsis as majority owner of the Caps and Wizards, a community block party in Chinatown?  The surrounding areas around Nationals Park will actually be completed and sold out stadiums?  The Redskins? Ok, they will always have a big crowd.  However, today marks a new era in D.C. sports that we are not the jokes of the league, we are legitimate contenders to be the best sports city in America.

If superstar free agents don’t see that, we can say the President will be watching all the home games. How about them apples?

Tracy’s Random Thoughts July 2008 Edition

It’s summer and I’m amazed it hasn’t been that humid in DC.  Of course that will change in the next couple of days.  I wish I was in Chicago or Seattle.  Anyway, on we go:

1. Election 2008

I’m not going to get into it now since everyone wants to makes this news after one single soundbite and another, and you know how it goes.  Talk to me about it during the conventions.

2.  The Washington Nationals

Wow, this is a mess.  First, the team is not all that great to start with.  There is no offense on this team and most of the stars are on the DL.

Second, the owners want the city to pay $3.5 million, plus $150K per day of “not completing the stadium.”  By that, the owners mean the offices were not completed.  Ok, if they sound like that, the Lerners leap frog Dan Snyder as the most hated owner(s) in DC, and that’s pretty hard to do.  By the way Washington fans, the Taters start training camp next week.

Finally, MLB is investigating the front office of the Nationals from improper contracts among Latin players.  I knew Jim Bowden would be involve in this, but I’m shocked by Jose Rijo’s involvement, since he is a Dominican, but if you stuck around a guy who is been quoted saying “I want to say a prayer to [a player's] butt,” I’m not shock at all.  I won’t be shock if Bowden is out of a job and possibly Brian Cashman (DC product) be the GM since he is in hot water with George Jr. (Hank Steinbrenner) since the Yankees are in 3rd place right now.

This is not a great start for a team that opened a stadium this year and had some hopes for this year.  At least they were first place for 6 days.

3. Network Programming

This has been disturbing me for awhile, but what is with some of the networks showing movies out of the range?  For example, the Cartoon Network was showing Jurassic Park 3 and School of Rock, and Fuse (a music network) was showing some random music that doesn’t associate to music, and CMT showing something not related to country? 

This has been my worry, but there is too much media control among television networks, hence the variety of different shows in niche networks.  I can’t decide which is which anymore.  No wonder people are going to the internet to find what they are looking for. 

4.  Cricket

I don’t what’s wrong with me, but I have started listening to cricket matches because my Tony Kornheiser friends have this obsession with cricket.  I even have a newsletter for cricket on my Blackberry.  If you think cricket is boring, well, yes for the general audience.  However, just think cricket as golf, just add 1-2 days.  Cricket is only for the fanatics, but try to hear the audio commentary from the BBC.  They make the sport enjoyable.  Just think of the team of David Feherty and Gary McCord.  By the way, the International Cricket Council (ICC) are putting $300 million to make cricket a mainstream sport in the U.S.  Good luck, it will never happen.

5. There’s nothing to do in July

I just want to say that because we’re now entering the dog days of summer.  Not my favorite times.

Ok, that is all and within a month, I will make that big announcement soon, although some had a sneak peek, and I’ll shall kill them. 

 

The Metro Adventures, Part Ummm…I lost count.

The DC Metro is like the DC traffic: You enjoy the service, but one minute into it, the honeymoon is gone. I would think the DC Metro would learn its lesson. I guess not.

The first part of the story was my mistake. After work, I went to the Yellow line to transfer to the Green Line at L’Enfant Plaza. Went across the platform and got to the train…only to realize I went to the Yellow to Huntington. I transfer to the Yellow again at the Pentagon and heading to Mt. Vernon and double check that I went to the right train. I did, but now the fun begins.

I got to the right train (Green Line to Branch Avenue). However there was a hold up when someone got sick. I will say people yelled and complained (including me) about everyone exiting the train, but later on, everyone realize it was serious. So, everyone cross platforms since the train was not going to move. Now there are three trains that are going in different directions sharing one line. Twenty minutes later, the Green Line to Branch Avenue came by. One problem: the train overshot its stop. I was close at the end of the platform, so I had no chance going in but digress.  The train filled up quickly and I and many others were left out.  Then the announcer told us that the train from the other side is back running, meaning crossing platforms again. This time, I got in and everything is back to normal. Well, there is one tidbit from L’Enfant Plaza to the Stadium.

When I entered the train, I had to squeeze through the other passengers and hopefully make room for the other impatient (I don’t blame them) riders. When the doors closed, I was surrounded by Phillies, Nationals, one Orioles fan, and a woman. The latter is important because she’s a very attractive woman. Now, you’re wondering why you want to tell this part of the story.  One message: “What comes around goes around.” In my many trips to Metro, I’ve seen many beautiful women coming to the Metro (especially the one with curly, blonde hair, fit, carries a pink bag and departs at Crystal City in the morning.  That’s for another matter).  However, in a “crisis” like this, you appreciate what surrounds you and I got lucky with this one. In other cases, it will be all guys surrounding or a woman who did not put deodorant before boarding the Metro. At least I have my moment in the sun when I was standing next to her. Now the other question you’re wondering: Did you ever made a move on her?  Put it this way; she was accompanied by her father.  End of story.  However, in that train, everyone had a lot of conversation and positive vibes came out of it and we all agree Metro needs to fixed their transportation as soon as possible.

During the game, these came in my thoughts:

• Obama wins the majority of pledge delegates and Hillary is still fighting.  Hillary, your spotlight is over.  You’re not fighting, you’re being desperate.
• How in the hell did the Chicago Bulls get the number one pick in this year’s NBA draft?  Did one of the Bulls representative slept with David Stern?
• Six Degrees of Wikipedia is a fun game.
• I hope there’s a Lakers-Celtics final.
• What’s my next outfit to the Brewers and Cardinals game coming up?

By the way, it was an entertaining low-scoring game (sarcasm not included), but the Phillies edge out the Nats, 1-0.

Riding home, I sat with a guy who was talking about baseball and told stories like I was his grandson.  It was very touching to end this crazy day.  Although it was nuts, it was enjoyable and stress-free (except crossing the platform 4 times).

The Saturday Odyssey

This is one of those days I really enjoy and hopefully do more, but with work and others, I savor this one.

Costco:

I went there for groceries to start off they day to have food for the week.  That’s all.

The Cherry Blossoms:

This was my first time seeing the cherry blossoms in a weekend, since I only see them during the weekday at the old building my company used to work.  I need to get there early.  When I got to the Vienna/Fairfax Metro at 2 PM, nearly all the trains were full and people were shoving to enter at each stop.  Nearly everyone went to the Smithsonian to not only see the monuments, but the cherry blossoms, which are in full bloom now.  Since I only had one hour previously because of work, I have plenty of time taking pictures that I wanted.  I also for the first time went to the other side of the Potomac and saw the other side of the cherry blossoms.  No wonder there was a full crowd over at the Mall.

Nationals Park:

After the cherry blossoms, I walked to the L’Enfant Plaza Metro, which is several blocks from the mall.  I did not want to go to the Smithsonian Metro, because both sides were very crowded and in full capacity.  So, I go there and I think I may have regretted that decision.  When I entered the Green Line Metro, it was filled, which I expected, but there was woman who didn’t wear any deodorant or perfume and had that stench for two stops and wanted to run.  Gladly, I escaped and ready to see the new park. 

As for the stadium, it is a wonderful place and is going to be the new Verizon Center and will help the Navy Yard/Anacostia area.  Of course, there’s a lot of construction and cranes, so in the next two to three years, you will the area in full and might have a better idea what the area will be.

Inside the stadium, the view is one of a kind.  If you’re in the upper deck, you can see the U.S. Capitol and the Washington Monument.  The field is like Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, but with an HD scoreboard.  They really made the stadium an instant landmark already.  Now, I was going to remark on the smaller scoreboards surrounding the stadium, but they fixed it and happy about it. 

The food and service is a different story.  I heard someone had their steak sandwich 15 minutes after they ordered.  In my case, I went to a sausage eatery and was held up for 10 minutes.  The people working behind the area did not know the difference between a kielbasa, and Italian sausage, and a bratwurst.  I finally got there and asked for a kielbasa.  Instead, I got an Italian sausage.  I did not argue because there’s a huge line behind me and did not want to hold up, so I took the order, but the service and knowledge of the foods must improve.  I might have to bring my own food if that happened again.

Overall, there are some minor flaws, but The Washington Nationals are on the right path and $611 million spent on the stadium is money well spent.  Of course, the parking and Metro will be a huge issue all season long, but the stadium experience is well worth it.

Other:

In hindsight, I was glad I went to the stadium.  I knew I would miss the Elite 8, but most of the games were blowouts.  The Davidson-Kansas game was the only exciting game I saw over the weekend.  I didn’t care of my brackets because it was already busted, and it’s boring that all no. 1 seeds made it to the Final Four, but it will be exciting next weekend.  Oh, if you read this, I have the 20 game plan.  If you want to go to Nationals Park anytime, I have a ticket if you want it.

This is truly a day I will cherish. 

Below are the pictures I took:

The Usual

Brand New

Fire Up