When Do We Wake Up?

It’s a simple question really, when DO we wake up?

This is a case of actually falling for the same routine over and over again, and never getting it right, because at times we are blinded by our own ambition, and in doing so, we fail to see that the light at the end of this tunnel, is actually the TRAIN, and not a metaphor!

I have taken positions with operations, that tell me that they want me to be a part of their operation, and that they like what I bring to the table, and that they would pay me a certain amount to do so!

HOWEVER! (Here comes the shocker boys and girls) there seems to be NO money to pay me, 

EVEN THOUGH! I have lowered my standards to be a part of something I thought was much bigger and better!

What has happened is that they operation, comes across as a multi million dollar business, and it turns out that they can’t even keep their own lights on much less anyone else. They proclaim that they have investors that are being talked to about this situation, and that money is on the way, when in fact that after the first two times they say it, maybe its true, but after the third, fourth, and so on, NOT SO MUCH!

I am in a situation, where I bought into this time and time again, because they come to me and ask me to be a part of their business, their operation, it happened in Radio, and now in Baseball!

When am I going to learn that people want you to work for free and not get a paycheck for your work that you render them!

I am not an intern, nor do I wish to be one at this age, what I would like however, is someone to own up to their shortcomings and tell me straight up front that they can’t afford me, that way I don’t waste their time or mine trying to come up with solutions for their fall out!

I love my job, don’t get me wrong, and yes in ways, it does beat working for a living, but the fact is, I do work for a living, and I work hard at my craft, just at my age, no Radio Station wishes to hire me, and no Cigar Shop wants to pay me what I am worth after 30 plus years in the business, and over 35 years in the Media, be it with a camera or with a microphone! Either way, it should bring something to the table, I am just frustrated!

I have been through this more than once, and each time there is only one person to blame—and that’s ME, since I am the one that falls for this time and time again!

So here’s the bottom line to anyone reading this, if you can use my services, and you wish to actually pay a rate more than minimum wage, (alright a little bit more—a lot more—you figure it out) please contact me through email, davemichaels@davradioproductions.com or if you are looking to advertise I will be more than glad to talk to you about that as well!

Thank you for your understanding, and your friendship! Its more important than any job out there!

Just a thought! 

A CITY OF CHAMPIONS!

Allen, Texas—The City of Allen is now known as the City of Champions, mainly because for the last three years, not only has the High School won State Championships, but now the Minor League Hockey Team that resides there, has done the same!

The Allen Eagles, High School Power House in football for the state of Texas has claimed three championships in a row, and the last year, moved up in classification as 6-A.

This past October, the CHL (Central Hockey League) folded and seven teams moved over to the well established, older league, known as the ECHL (East Coast Hockey League) including, the Allen Americans.

With this move, the schedule was such, that the Americans, and the six other teams, would play the majority of their games against each other, with a smattering of ECHL opponents thrown in now and then, but when it came to the playoffs, that would be a whole different can of worms.

And so it goes, the Americans proceed as a TWO TIME defending CHL champion in this new league, and has to fend off not only their old foes, such as the Tulsa Oilers, or the Missouri Mavericks, but new battles with Ontario Reign.

It was against the REIGN that the Americans had to go through them to get to the finals, and in doing so, showed this NEW LEAGUE, that this CHL “BEER LEAGUE” Team can hold their own against the OLDER ESTABLISHMENT!

AND SO IT BEGAN, the best of seven series that is known in sports as the FINALS, for a Hockey crown, in this particular case, the Kelly Cup!

It was an odd format, mainly because of travel and cost, so it was a 3-3-1 series, and neither team really had the home ice advantage, with visiting teams taking 2 a piece on the other’s ice, and winning one to protect, but it call came down to ONE game on Allen’s home ice, and the stats don’t lie!

Steve Martisen, the head coach and general manager of this Allen Americans team, has never lost a game seven on home ice since he has been coaching, 18 years behind the bench, in different leagues, and now NINE championship rings and banners to his claim!

This game seven started out with intensity, with the Americans scoring twice in the opening 20 minutes, then in the second period, three more times, including with time running out in the period on a power play to go up 5-0. The final period, one more goal to seal the deal, and the South Carolina Stingrays, the NUMBER ONE DEFENSIVE TEAM in the league with a LEAGUE MVP on their team in the nets, get ran off after it was 4-0!

The Stingrays, a former Kelly Cup Champion themselves, thought that they could come into Allen and take care of business, but for the first period, all hey saw were white sweaters beating down their defensive line, and finally getting to the net minder, not once, but twice within 3 minutes of each other.

Once the sixth goal was scored, the celebration in the stands started for real, with chants of “THREE PETE” going up and the countdown at 10 seconds, and then the balloons dropped from the ceiling, it was the party that six thousand fans had been waiting for!

The Americans have proven that this team, is a team of the Decade in Hockey, the only team in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex to have won championships for the last three years, that is considered a professional team.

The Rangers came close, but didn’t pull it off, the Mavericks won in 2011, the Stars last won in 1999, the Cowboys in 1996, FC Dallas hasn’t won a championship but came close, the Frisco Rough Riders won in 2004 the Texas League Championship, but it’s the ALLEN AMERICANS that hoisted the championship cup THREE TIMES in THREE YEARS- and in a City north of Dallas, they lay claim to the CITY OF CHAMPIONS!

Congratulations ALLEN!

Just a thought!                                     

Weighing In On Josh Hamilton

The return of Josh Hamilton to the Texas Rangers the last week or so, has had its good and its bad!

First the GOOD!

He has hit home runs… hit a pinch hit 2 RBI Double to win a game, he has endear himself to the home crowd of which at one time, he alienated them when he left the Rangers and headed to the west coast, to play for the Angels!

Here’s the scoop, Josh Hamilton is a lightening rod, he just makes fans love him to death or hate his guts, and there is usually no gray matter in between!  He is just that polarizing!

I have watched his heroics in the stadium when he was helping the Rangers win back to back American League Pennants, he could have been the BIG hero in Game Six of the 2011 World Series in St. Louis. Then in 2012 the sluggish way he approached a pop fly in center field against the A’s in Oakland to allow them to win the American League West, and then the boo birds showed up when the Rangers had to play the Orioles for a one game wildcard playoff game.

Alright, now fast forward to the present, where he left the Angels and did so, with leaving them with a sour taste in their mouth, comes back to Arlington, puts on a Ranger uniform, plays on the road, does ok, comes back to the Stadium against the Red Sox for a four game set, and wins two of the three for the team, and the LOVE FEST is back on!

I never disagreed with what he said about the fans in Texas. As his quote, about this not being a “baseball town”.

After hearing that, and knowing this part of North Texas as I do, living here my entire life, (alright except for the 2 ½ years that I lived in Lufkin, Texas) this part of the state is very much a Football Town. They live and die with the Dallas Cowboys, and when they are not rooting for them, there’s the Texas Longhorns, the Texas Aggies, the TCU Horn Frogs, the Texas Tech Red Raiders, and then you still have SMU Mustangs, and UNT Mean Green Eagles. Whew—wait there’s the high school football.. you are seeing a pattern here.

The Cowboys lead ALL news items in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, whether they are in season or not, they also lead most of the talk stations in the metroplex as well!

Ok.. So that leads us to what DOES make a baseball town. Well I would consider the following baseball towns.. NEW YORK—oh DUH! Then there is St, Louis, I would put Detroit up there, and Cincinnati!

For the most part—even the Houston Astros have to deal with the Texans and to an even stronger point the Houston Rockets of the NBA. Though when the Astrodome was the basically the ONLY game in town, they still had to compete with the University of Houston Cougars and the Rice Owls, so as you can see, there seems to be a pattern here.

The Rangers have always been the step child, even when the Mavericks came to Dallas in 1980, the little baseball team to the west in Arlington, seemed to have to take a back seat.

When the Rangers had the announcement of their 1995 All Star Game, the Cowboys still stole the show with the signing of Charles Haley’s contract, BIG- HUGE—announcement on the sports and news talk stations, stealing thunder.. that’s what Jerry Jones does best.

So for whatever reason, Josh’s assessment that this is not a Baseball Town! Well I can’t argue with it! I agree with him, and the Rangers, for their two years to the big dance, this WAS a baseball town. Delirious with excitement, pretty much wearing Ranger gear, as much during that time as you would see Cowboy’s gear and apparel. The difference though, is that it was only kept to this part of the country, while the Dallas Cowboys are STILL America’s Team.

So with all of this said and done, the Rangers opened up their arms and the clubhouse, and welcomed Josh back into their fold, and into the family, the Crowds (up to 40,000 for two nights in a row) cheered and loudly for his return, so maybe all is forgiven, and maybe Josh can and will keep his sobriety up!

The real bad news is the fact that he has pulled his hamstring and will be out a month or so… so once again! Here  we go again! Another injury to Josh—and another time to wait and see if he returns better than before, was he pushed too soon to return to the Major League club or could he have waited a bit longer to get back into shape?

Its just a thought!