I think not

Maybe if FaceBook existed pre-Cubs, pre-Dodgers, pre-Oakland (???), sure. Maybe if I saw this before '04 and '07, no question. Even after "thanks beautiful" and the SI cover, in a heartbeat. But now you're a little late.

Don't get me wrong. It's not about you. Believe me when I say it was never the same with O-Cab, Renteria, Lugo, Lowrie, Green, etc. either. It's just that things have changed. I'm almost 30 and well... I stopped bringing my glove to games and putting posters up on my bedroom wall a long time ago.

Just know that I've got a #5 jersey tee in a drawer back home somewhere.

Better eat your...Frosted Flakes??

Say it ain't so Michael Phelps. Sure, you've got eight Gold Medals, seven world records and are worth an estimated $100 million, but you'll won't be gracing the cover of a Wheaties box anytime soon.

Kellogg's, Co. beat out the "Breakfast of Champions" for the honor of having Phelps grace the cover of its Corn Flakes and Frosted Flakes cereal boxes.

Phelps and his handlers may have charted a new course for cereal box glory, but it remains to be seen if this will be seen as a cultural/marketing/sporting faux pax. The iconic orange box, after all, is as much as a part of Olympic excellence as gold medals, national anthems and ticker tape parades.

All I know is that I'd love to be a fly on the wall of that meeting to find out exactly how much Kellogg's had to pony up for this Olympics' golden god. Or maybe Phelps was just a big fan of Tony the Tiger growing up.

Madeup Word of the Week 1.2

Backblogged
noun (bak-blog-d)

The state of having an abundance of interweb links that one intended to blog about, but did not, and is now left to write about said links in an incredibly untimely manner.

This situation occurs when an individual spends their time soley perusing the interweb in hopes of finding juicy nuggets of information, as opposed to forming an opinion and raising salient points regarding said nuggets of information.

Derived directly from the English word backlogged, meaning: a reserve or accumulation, as of stock, work, or business.

Faceless in a Crowd

Appearing as mysteriously and as suddenly as Britain’s famed crop circle phenomena, two mysterious and faceless figures were recently spotted at this weekend's contest at Wimbledon.

Elegantly dressed and having popped up at a variety of other British A-list events (including Harrods Summer Sale and Sir Elton John’s White Tie Ball) the duo appears literally faceless, devoid of mouth, eyes or nose. Upon closer inspection the couple appears to be wearing thin rubber/latex masks to obscure their faces.

As of yet, no one knows who this faceless couple is or the reasoning behind their appearance. Various theories include: a duo of performance artists, extra terrestrials (!!!), Scientology protestors, simple limelight seeking pranksters, or characters from a yet-unknown viral marketing scheme. My money is on the latter and I can’t wait to find out who is the brains and bankroll behind this masked couple.

UPDATE: Faceless People revealed as marketing for the launch of the Lotus Evora.
www.facelesspeople.com

Madeup Word of the Week 1.1

Starviataion
noun (star-ve-a-shun)

The state of being ravenously hungry while trapped on an airplane with your only source of sustenance being two measly packages of pretzels.

Often accompanied by Food Envy, directed towards the person two aisles over that had the foresight to pack a sandwich.

Starviation is a direct response to the conditions airline passengers encounter while traveling. Travelers not only need to arrive at the airport two hours (minimum) before departing, but they must also stand in endless lines of security and are put through rigorous searches. Once finished with security, many travelers are tired and hungry and simply don’t have the time or wherewithal to grab food before boarding.

It's gotta be the shoe(less)

Living in a world where the average person is exposed to over 3,000 messages every day, you have to applaud the efforts of an advertiser that has found a unique way to break through the clutter.

I recently had the good fortune to travel back home and noticed this while going through security at SFO:Lo and behold, inside the plastic security bins used to hold your shoes (and other items) as they passed through the X-ray machine, was an ad for Zappos, an online shoe retailer.

Brilliant. The security line was one of the few places in the entire airport where I wasn't being advertised to. Sure, there were the countless warnings and restrictions (in a variety of languages), but not a single ad in sight. I'd say that 99% of my fellow passengers were just like me - standing barefoot and at rapt attention...just waiting to absorb some message.

And to top it off, the message was for new shoes at the exact moment when I’m staring at my old pair. Not only was the ad amusing, I’ll also definitely remember what it was for.

A nice big bowl of Kevin Bacon-Os

Please show how the following items relate to one another: increasing divorce rate, cable television, the space shuttle Challenger disaster, the popularity of South Park and instant messaging.

The consumption of cereal. Hear me out.

a) Couples that take the time to make and prepare dinner together are much less likely to argue; thus also less likely to get divorced. And if said divorce should happen neither person is likely to be up for cooking elaborate meals. Their only option: to eat a bowl of their favorite cold cereal.

b) And what do people do when they’re alone? Park themselves in front of their television set. Maybe some History Channel, a little Bravo or whatever’s on ESPN2 these days. And so as to not miss the exciting conclusion to Flava of Love, they pour themselves a bowl of Special K.

c) The majority of people I know were raised in the halcyon days of the 1980s. And be it elementary or grade school, most of these people were situated in front of a television set to watch history be made, as a teacher was set to fly aboard the space shuttle Challenger. A teacher, someone a six-year old kid could relate to.

Now I don’t know exactly how much of an impact the resulting explosion had on my generation. Maybe thousands subconsciously dedicated their lives to aviation and science or perhaps they turned towards other more earthbound endeavors. But if you poll them about their all-time favorite television show, there’s a good chance that Seinfeld would make the cut. And as any good fan of the show knows, when the eponymous named character was not engaged in trivial banter over coffee or sharing a “meal” with Banyan, he was often times eating a bowl of cereal.

d) Another television staple of my generation is South Park, which as we all know is the flagship program of Comedy Central. Which has a core demographic of 18-25 year old college students, whose diet consists of at least 35% cereal. I’ve seen/experienced it myself. Whether it’s tuna ravioli night in the dinning hall or just another ravenous munchie-induced night of Lucky Charms, cereal is and always will be a staple of any Cartman-watching undergrad.

e) And finally, for most people cereal has and always will be a breakfast food; something that is consumed because it is quick to prepare, filling and somewhat nutritious. But for others it has an emotional connection. The simplicity of eating a bowl may conjure up lazy Saturday mornings watching cartoons with a sibling or perhaps time spent all day in bed with that special someone. Either way, cereal can be seen as a return to a happy moment where you’re connecting with someone.

Nowadays we are all so busy, that we rarely have time to call those special individuals in our life. Instead we turn towards writing a quick email or an IM. Often while enjoying a moment to collect our thoughts and enjoy a bowl of Frosted Flakes.