Author Archives: Andy Boyer

World Cup Review, Round 1

Posted by Andy Boyer in Uncategorized

So according to the stats form my web host, the more I talk about soccer, the fewer readers I have.  So, I guess every 4 years I’ll just have to deal with a dip in traffic.

For those folks who aren’t International soccer buffs, here’s a quick overview of what has transpired over the first 5 days of the World Cup, and what it means.  (Remember, every one of the 32 teams gets 3 games no matter what.  The top 2 teams in each 4 team division move on to a 16 team single elimination tourney.)

1) Who Exceeded Expectations

  • Switzerland (Group H) – No one, and I mean no one, expected Switzerland to beat Spain.  Getting 3 points from that game was gigantic.  You kind of expected that Spain would win all 3 of their games, Honduras would lose all 3 of their games, and the Chile vs Switzerland game would decide second place.  The Swiss win probably puts the most heat on Chile.  This was one of those games where Spain dominated and Switzerland got a pretty lucky goal.  Assuming Switzerland scores against Honduras (no guarantee there) you could see this group end up with 3 teams at 2-1 and Honduras at 0-3.  Then it comes down to Goal Differential.  And so Switzerland is still going to have to find a way to score a goal to advance.
  • USA (Group C) – The tie with England was huge for a variety of reasons.  But most importantly, it gives the U.S. a realistic chance of winning the group.  You win Group C, you see Serbia or Ghana in the second round.  You finish 2nd and you see Germany and book your ticket home.  So aside from the whole national pride and an awesome comeback to annoy Englishmen for the next 40 years, this game helped the U.S. with their long shot at winning Group C.
  • Ghana (Group D) – Again probably just a slight upset, and it took a stupid penalty to make it happen, but Ghana’s win puts them in nice position.  If they beat Australia, they advance.
  • New Zealand (Group F) – New Zealand stinks.  How Slovakia let them get a tie is baffling. 
  • Paraguay (Group F) – Italy always under-performs in the opening round.  But Paraguay helped themselves by sneaking out the tie. 
  • South Africa (Group A) – Small nod here.  Mexico is not that good, and no host team has ever lost their first game.  But they did get a tie against a team better than them, and put themselves in a spot where no matter what, the 3rd game will matter.
  • North Korea (Group G) – They lost to Brazil.  But they only lost 2-1.  I think we were all hoping they would lose 6-0.  

Who Matched Expectations:

  • Teams that won who should have: Korea, Argentina, Slovenia, Germany, Netherlands, Japan
  • Teams that tied that probably should have: France and Uruguay, Ivory Coast v Portugal
  • Teams that lost that you expected to lose: Greece, Nigeria, Algeria, Australia, Denmark, North Korea, Honduras, Cameroon

Who Made the Next Two Games Difficult for Themselves

  • France and Mexico – Their fans “expected” them to win their games.  As it stands now, it looks like only the winner of this game will advance.
  • England – They *should* beat Slovenia and Algeria.  But if the U.S. does as well, they need to not just win, but win by more goals than the U.S.
  • Italy – Typical, but now they can’t mess up.
  • Spain – Tough loss since they dominated the game.  But they should still beat Chile and Honduras to advance.
  • Serbia – It’s hard to lose your first game, still have Germany on your schedule, and expect to advance.

Guest Post – UK Reaction to the 1-1 Draw

Posted by Andy Boyer in Uncategorized

Here’s reaction to the USA v England World Cup Match, from London, thanks to Lisa Miguez.

Two things happened last Friday that many Londoners did not expect.

First, the Global Naked Bike Ride came to town, weaving in all its naked glory by Trafalgar Square and Big Ben. The tourists were a happy lot

Second, England tied with the USA. The locals were not a happy bunch to say the least.

There is this never wavering belief that flows through England during the World Cup that this will be the year. We can do it this time. This team has what it takes. Sure there are naysayers, but the majority truly believe this will be England’s year. Until they don’t win a game. Last Friday I was at a BBQ in East London with equal parts Americans, British and Canadians. Us Canadians decided it be best to act like Switzerland and be neutral. Though the Queen is still officially our head of state, after beating the US team for Gold in the Olympics, many of us think the US deserves the World Cup to keep the next big piece of gold on the sports market in North America. The Americans cheered, the English made excuses, the Canadians made cocktails (to both celebrate and drown sorrows). After hearing the goalie apologise for his mistake, the English perked up, commenting that the team will do better, that this is ‘their year’.

Interestingly it has not been England’s year since 1966. They are in essence the underdogs. Taking the late night bus home on Saturday people were still talking about how it could happen, England could still win the cup. This week, they put it down to a slow start and the team finding their feet. Yes there was sadness and disappointment after the game, but overwhelmingly hope. It is a emotion that is running high across the many nations in London. Each day I have gone downstairs to check out the 12:30 UK time game no matter who is playing. The cafeteria is packed, people are showing their colors. And are cheering for their chosen side, hopeful that they will make it to the next round. 

This week I am going to watch the next England game from Florida. May try to catch the US game down there too. I am hopeful that both teams will progress. Though in England’s case, I am also hoping that none of their games go to penalty shoot outs…historically speaking that has been the demise of many a past England team. I suspect many a Londoner is also hoping the same thing – oh and that their goalie can keep his hands on the ball. 

Guest Post – The UK Prepares for the World Cup

Posted by Andy Boyer in Sports

(My friend Lisa is a Canadian who has lived in the UK since attending grad school in Manchester.  She sends some notes from her adopted homeland as they prep for the World Cup.)

It all started out very innocently. A car flag waving on a black cab. The occasional overheard office discussion as to who would ‘make the team’. The arguments about why (or why not) to support England between the English, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish.

Yesterday something changed. No fewer than six requests to join Work Cup pools ended up in my inbox. One even sponsored by the large American company that I work for. We even received an email letting us know that in all our offices the soccer (I mean football) games will be shown in the employee cafeteria for people to watch during their breaks. Good thing we have wireless in our building.

This morning as I looked out my apartment window to the big estate across, overnight all the balconies have been decorated with St. Georges cross flags and red and white balloons. Yes, World Cup fever is alive and well in London.  It is though, a different vibe than what I experienced in Manchester in 2006. In the shadow of old Trafford, football fanaticism reached unbelievable highs (and lows) – and all in the name of Mother England. London is different. While talk of England’s ability to pull off a shocking victory dominate, in this multicultural city talk often turns to other countries – the Italians I work with curse Cappello ; the French avoid any discussions of a repeat performance by Thierry Henry of his infamous  qualifying round ‘incident’; and the Brazilians push aside any claim that they have lost their groove.

Every pub, on every corner has a billboard proclaiming that they are showing all the World Cup games – beer specials and world cup ‘pies’ are on the menu. As the buzz builds to kick-off, anything is possible. The crowds are assembling, and the lager taps are at the ready. The South Africans are out in force blowing their Vuvuzela horns (a marching band styled group just walked by my office on Buckingham Palace Road – maybe they are off to entertain the queen who is in town).

The only thing missing this year is an official England World Cup song. My recommendation for those nostalgic for the cheesy cheers is definitely World in Motion by England New Order (yes, Manchester’s New Order) ….We’re playing for England (En-ger-land), we’re playing the song. We’re singing for England (En-ger-land), arrivederci its one on one….

Yes. I will be cheering for my adopted home….now where did I put my pint.

Griffey Retires….Now I’m Officially Old

Posted by Andy Boyer in Sports

In 1988, Ken Griffey Jr and I had similar career goals.  We both wanted to play Major League Baseball.

Now, while I was busy fighting for playing time at Interlake High School, Griffey was an 18 year old in San Bernadino and Vermont, already in the Mariners farm system.  But still, at that point in time, there was still technically a “chance” that we’d play on the same field.

On April 10, 1989, my friend Cale and I bailed out of practice early to get to the Kingdome, parked ourselves in the 300 level, and watched Griffey play his first game in Seattle. He only got one hit that game, but it was his first career home run, in his first at bat.  And still at that moment, I had a chance to play major league ball with Griffey.

Fast forward 21 years.  June 2, 2010.  Griffey retires.

So big sigh.  

I knew this day would come.

Now at one point in time I could tell you every stat in baseball.  But we all re-prioritize, and now I know the names of more senators than 3rd basemen.  I have a better chance beating the stock market than winning a fantasy baseball league.  

But Griffey’s retirement is symbolic.  He’s the only player close to my age who I watched from his first to last day.  

Now realistically, I knew by 1990 we weren’t going to ever play on the same baseball field.  But now that I think about it, I guess have a new “realistic” goal.  Hey Ken, we play softball every Tuesday night up at Kasch Park.  We’d love to hear all the stories and thank you for all the memories.  We have room for another outfielder….you can even play center.  

Hey, there’s always a chance.

World Cup Just 2 Weeks Away – Join the American Outlaws @ Neumo’s

Posted by Andy Boyer in Uncategorized

I don’t think you should need to be a soccer fan to get excited about the World Cup.  The Tournament lasts more than 2 years, with something like 2 or 3 rounds and 20-25 qualifying games just to make it to the final 32.  It’s an extraordinarily long process in which to get to basically 32 of the same 36 or 37 teams every time.

So on June 11, South Africa becomes the Center of the Universe.  The 32 teams go into 8 round robin groups, so each country gets 3 games.  The top 2 teams in each group then go into a knuckle grinding, finger scraping, nail biting single elimination bracket of death.

Now, one game in the early round that holds international intrigue is the U.S.A. vs our former oppressors, England, on Saturday morning, June 12.  Not much of the world gives us a chance, which is what makes this game so fun.

I’ve been known to complain that there is a gulf between the soccer fanatics, and the regular sports fan.  Soccer fanatics are like the guys who follow an indie band, who almost get mad if you don’t love the band as much as they do.  It’s hard to join them if you don’t have the same passion.

So that’s why I love what the American Outlaws, Seattle Chapter are doing.  The American Outlaws are the guys you see wearing Red, White and Blue in countries like Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Estonia, etc… Those that aren’t making the trip to South Africa have set up a place where all of the rowdiest U.S. soccer supporters in the city, can be joined by all of the people who want to be huge soccer fans for 4 weeks every 4 years.  They have rented out Neumo’s, installing huge TV’s, setting up tons of bars, and getting taco trucks from around the area to feed us.  

The US v England game starts at 11:00am Seattle time, which means the American Outlaws will be there at 8:00.  650 people – you included – will be in Red, White and Blue.  You’ll get caught up in the songs, the chants, and the patriotism.  If we win or tie, you’ll share in the disbelief with a billion people watching the game around the world, and remember where you were the day every Englishman died inside.  If we lose, we’ll all console ourselves with another round and look forward to Wednesday’s game.

But kudos to American Outlaws Seattle for setting up an environment where the fanatics can be their regular fanatic selves, and the casual sports fan can embrace the fanaticism, if only for a day.

Seattle City Council Oversteps Its Bounds With Arizona Boycott Resolution

Posted by Andy Boyer in Politics, Seattle

It’s been a long time since I got on a political soapbox, but I need to vent a little about the Seattle City Council.

I’m not going to stand up and advocate that Arizona was right or wrong for passing their controversial Immigration law.  Like the U.S. Attorney General and most people with an opinion on the matter, I have not read the whole law from cover to cover.  However, unlike most others, I will refuse to pass judgement on a law that I have not read.

But that being said, I can’t even fathom how the Seattle City Council would have the hubris to pass a resolution which “urges Seattle city government to refrain from sending employees to Arizona and from entering into new contracts with businesses headquartered there –when legal and practicable.”

It’s one thing to manage and mismanage your own city.  But you cross a line when you tell another state that you could do their job better than them.  And you cross another line entirely when you actively and willfully go out of your way to harm individuals and businesses in that state.

Furthermore, the Council shows its complete hypocrisy, making sure the resolution does not interfere with the city’s biggest contract with an Arizona company: the red-light camera agreement with American Traffic Solutions.  This borders on the insane.  The Council is so upset about the potential civil liberty infringement upon the legal and illegal residents of Arizona caused by asking potential illegals for paperwork, that it is boycotting doing business with the state.  EXCEPT – it is fine with crossing the fuzzy line of infringing on the civil liberties and privacy of Seattleites with their profit generating “Gotcha” Red light cam program. You have to re-read the last sentence several times to let it sink it.  The Council is incensed at Arizona for allowing their State Police, when there is probable cause, to ask someone for proof of legal identification papers; BUT the Council is fabulously in love with its contracted army of 29 Orwellian traffic cameras that take pictures and send tickets to our own citizens.

Federalism works because people can move from state to state if they have objections to the laws their government implements.  It becomes an inherently flawed system when the state government cannot make decisions on behalf of its citizens, due to the fear that another state will punish it.  If this practice took hold, California, New York and Texas could pretty much dictate the laws of every city and state in the U.S.  

Furthermore, Seattle has our own issues that have gone unsolved for far too long, without wasting time debating how other states are handling theirs.  

Finally, the fact that the resolution passed 7-0 should scare everyone in Seattle into actually paying attention in 2011 to the next election cycle.  Not one person on the Council found it shortsighted or hypocritical to threaten an entire state based on their reaction to a law they had no influence on drafting.  What’s next?  Will we boycott buying products from any state that bans gay marriage or abortion?  How about we boycott doing business with any state where a Senator votes for sending more troops to Iraq?  Where does our Nanny-state City Council want to draw the line when telling other states how to run their business?

If I were Arizona, I’d respond by issuing a $1 million tax on every flight that lands in Sky Harbor Airport from a company based in Seattle.  Or put a $1 million per location franchise fee on every coffee company based in Seattle.

Disagree with me.  Am I way off base here?

Carol Bartz Talks Leadership at UW

Posted by Andy Boyer in Big Businesses, Marketing

You’d be hard-pressed to find someone with a tougher executive position than Carol Bartz.  As the CEO of Yahoo, she had to step into the shoes of the Founder, fix the mess he caused with the board, figure out what her company actually “does” these days, and then decide how to compete in ecosystems dominated by Google, Microsoft and the sports and entertainment giants.  So when I heard the UW Foster School of Business was bringing her into town for their “Redefining Leadership” series, it was a can’t miss opportunity.

First impression – I was shocked and pleased by how personable and affable she is.  It was a fairly conservative environment – a large auditorium and a moderator doing Q+A – but she was candid and downright funny.  The moderator did not take us through much of a story arc in his line of questions, so rather than recap the event in paragraph form, here are a few bullets that stood out.

On teamwork:

(paraphrase) Business schools put too much emphasis on “teamwork.”  Individuals have different goals, even within a team.  It’s unnatural to think that in a team setting, you can all be motivated by the same thing.  Learn teamwork on a sports field instead.

On Corporate Strategy vs Executing on Tactics:

It’s tempting to go into a firestorm and put your head down, and ignore what the road looks like outside the fire.  3,4, or 5 year plans never work.  In fact, any plan that you had in December is now wrong.  But there are always people in a company who love thinking long term about what the company should be doing down the road.

You need to build your business so that 70-80% is stable and going to be consistent, but that 20-30% can change and be changed to adapt quickly to what is happening around you.

Thinking is a skill.  Understand when you have someone who is good at it.

On Joining Yahoo:

Yahoo had been working with tons of data, but hadn’t actually made any real decisions for a while.  She needed to make a couple of decisions quickly to shake people up.  She also found that people were hungry for interaction, or even communication, from the executive level.

In her first 5 weeks, Bartz held 45 minute conversations with staff members, and always ended the conversation with, “Who else should I be talking to?”  From this, a clear pattern of thought leaders and key influencers developed, which didn’t necessarily map to an org chart.  The standout members at Yahoo were recognized by multiple people she talked to.

The Yahoo Ad campaign was meant as much for the staff as more the consumers.  She needed to show the staff that Yahoo was relevant, and being on national TV helped that.

On Change:

Fail. Fast. Forward.  You have to try new things.  If you aren’t ever failing, you aren’t innovating.  But make sure you can fail quickly, so you can change course and try the next thing.  Always be looking forward.  Don’t dwell on the failures, and don’t penalize people.  Take the learnings to the next test.  

If you look at life, the biggest mistakes are always the things you didn’t do.

Change is a muscle.  If you don’t exercise it, you lose the ability to do it, or do it well.

You need to have a good understanding about what in your business needs to stay stable, and what parts can change.  Know that your people need to be able to handle that.  

You need people who can be interrupted without negative effects.

On Culture:

You have to pick your battles and understand what is really important.  Your culture is secondary to having a company that a) Makes Decisions, b) Moves Forward and c) Gets Things Done. You can’t sacrifice any of these things for “company culture.” 

On Identying Strong Performers, and Career Development:

Think of a bell curve.  It’s really easy to spot the folks on either extreme.  Your top performers easily stand out.  They volunteer for projects, they are the ones you think of first to solve a problem for you, and they tend to self-select and join in a pack together.  So, they are pretty recognizable.  

But the harder thing is to find the people with that same potential, and stretch them to turn them into top performers.  They may be quieter, or not on the projects that get as much recognition.  So it’s important to find these folks and put them in positions where they can become stars.  They aren’t the average employees making the most noise – so you need to look hard for the hidden talents and figure out ways to cultivate these quiet ones with potential.

On the other end, you need to be direct and clear with the ones who slow you down.  They’ll perform well somewhere, it’s just not necessarily in your company.  The worst thing is that the rest of the team knows when an employee is a bad fit.  and it makes management look bad when they don’t help them move on to a place where they can be more successful.  You do everyone a favor when you cut them loose and help them find a better fit.

Every employee should be involved with sales.  Sales is not a dirty world.  You simply can never really understand what your company does until you actually try to sell it to someone.  Understanding why someone says “no” to you will help you figure out what your company can do better.

On Personal Life vs A Business Life

Yahoo delivers 100 Billion emails a day, and filters out another 600 Billion spam messages.  When their servers go down, it’s a big deal.  But, Yahoo doesn’t cure cancer.  It’s a web site.  Your job is probably not curing cancer either.  Enjoy yourself, experiment, laugh – don’t pretend you are more important than you are just because you have a boss or client who wants something.  Chances are pretty good the world will go on without you completing that one task you are stressing out about.  

Don’t add pressure to yourself by thinking about the “would haves, should have or could haves.”

On Developing Employees:

Annual reviews are a waste of time.  Yahoo quit doing them.  Instead employees and managers are tasked with making sure they have a substantive conversation at least once a quarter.

An annual review is useless because you have an opportunity for feedback, and have to sit on it for 6 months.  You wouldn’t wait 6 months to reprimand your puppy for going to the bathroom in the house, why treat a human that way?

Difference Between Succeeding in Technology vs Other Industries:

At the end of the day, business fundamentals are the same no matter what.  a) Understand what your customer wants, and deliver it.  b) Measure your success and failures.  c) Recruit and cultivate talented employees. 

No Runner Left Behind Vs “The Bridge”

Posted by Andy Boyer in Personal, Sports

I’ll admit, going into this year’s Beat the Bridge race, I was worried.  A groin injury, back issues, too much work, not enough exercise, and a diet in which banana peppers were considered a vegetable, all pointed towards an uphill climb.

This year, Team No Runner Left Behind got some late momentum, and by race day we were up to 20 runners.  Our oldest runner was pushing 40 and our youngest not even 10.  We supported Team Livestrong, and clad ourselves in Lance Yellow.  

With 20 runners, a strict buddy system was implemented.  Our goal was to reach “The Bridge” and wait, crossing in one uniform mass of yellow joy.

We all got off to a good start in a front wave.  The announcer yelled, over a loudspeaker, “Don’t worry folks, we won’t start the 20:00 until the second wave gets going.  We had at least a 2:00 head start, so no one would have to worry.

Team NRLB slowly separated from each other, but we all stayed close to a buddy.  Our pace was good and strong.  Kevin and I reached the halfway point at 8:45.  Surely, we wouldn’t be the fastest guys in the group, so it looked good for everyone.

At the 1.8 mile mark, Kevin and I were in solid shape, under 17:00.  3 minutes to go and smooth sailing.  We reached the Bridge and saw two teammates, and we all stopped.  Slowly a few others assembled, one blew right by in some sort of adrenalin induced trance.  We still had at least a minute, possibly more to get everyone across, and so we looked for our remaining teammates.

Then the Bridge cheated.

The Bridge decided it wanted to go up early.  And suddenly bells, whistles, lights and moving parts were among us.  A sudden thought – maybe our teammates crossed already.  We should get to the other side and check it out.

But sadly, there were no more runners on the other side.  And as the Bridge stretched itself to the sky, announcing its presence with authority to the throngs stranded on its south shore, we realized that Team No Runner Left Behind had indeed, left runners behind. 

Going into 2010, Team NRLB had only left 2 folks back in 5 years.  This year, we left 8.  One one hand – success.  We got 12 people across.  On the other – failure.  8 broken souls.  Heartbreak city.

Regardless, the champagne brunch afterwards erased all tears of shame.  Let’s focus on the fact that NRLB surpassed 20 folks, which makes a 30 person goal in 2011 completely reasonable.  

If we start training now, then it doesn’t matter how much the Bridge tries to cheat, we’ll get there in time.  

See you all next year.

Is Old the New New?

Posted by Andy Boyer in Human Behavior

People who haven’t watched Saturday Night Live for years are raving about last weekend’s Betty White episode.  The masses took control.  They created a Facebook page demanding she get to host.  They promoted the show with reckless abandon through blogs and Twitter.  And then they watched, either live, on Hulu or YouTube.  The reviews were outstanding.  SNL had it’s highest rated show in 18 months.  All thanks to someone’s devotion to an 88 year old TV legend.

So that made me think about some other articles I’ve read recently.  SI had a nice piece on Hank Aaron.  The death of Ernie Harwell brought tributes from across the land.  CNBC continues to replay a great interview with Warren Buffet.  All of a sudden, being old is cool again.  

So what caused this?

It wasn’t long ago when old was synonymous with being almost dead.  An entire generation of new voters rushed to the polls to stop John Mc Cain from getting the keys to the White House.  Bob Dole looked impotent in his race vs Bill Clinton in 1996.  And we all have sheepishly wished bands like Kiss, The Eagles and other legends from the 60’s and 70’s would just stayed retired.

But look what happened when we put all our faith in the “young” generation.  We had a President busted for an affair with an intern.  Another President running around starting wars on a giant credit card.  Our young movie stars are dying of drug overdoses or ending up in jail.  All those hot shot 25 year old CEO’s in 2000 brought the economy to collapse, thanks in part to the 40 year old VC’s.  Then in 2008, the hot shot 35 year old Finance folks brought the economy back to its knees with a derivative debacle.  We put our faith in the young, and have learned the young are a lot like us.  And if we wanted someone like us running the show, well maybe we’d run the show ourselves.

So maybe there’s a new appreciation for the old.  Not ALL the old, but the old who have passed through the past decade with grace and aplomb.  Betty White never went on Celebrity Apprentice.  Hank Aaron didn’t try to regain spotlight during Barry Bonds’ Home Run chase.  Ernie Harwell never hosted Best Damn Sports Show, Cabo Edition.  The kept being classy, and now maybe, the mainstream is leaning back towards classy.

Perhaps, just perhaps, shows like Jersey Shore and the Hills have become tired.  Maybe we’ve grown weary of Lindsey Lohan, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie types.  Could the Octomom and the crazy people from John and Kate plus 8 disgust us?  

So what does that leave us?  For the last 10 years we’ve shunned making stars of what would have been the “new” old to make stars of the young.  So with that void, what we have to fall back on now is the “old” old – at least those who are still alive.  Betty White, Carol Burnett, Dennis Hopper, Sir Alex Ferguson, Vin Scully, hell even Queen Elizabeth is back en vogue.

Anyway, while my data is arguable, my hypothesis is that Betty White on SNL is an indicator that “Old” has made a comeback.  In a world of confusion, we liek to look to those with historical knowledge – not theoretical suppositions – to show us the way.