mariajsanderspr-blog - Tumblr blog

[mariajsanderspr-blog]

Luck is the residue of design

What’s your plan? Where do you see yourself in 5, 10, 15 years? I’ve been asked these questions a lot recently. And this type of question always seems to come up in interviews. If you ask me what I want to do it will quickly be the same answer, “I want to work in sports.” However, since starting the 24 day-long Start Experiment put together by Jon Acuff, I’ve realized one thing – planning how to get there is more important than just knowing where you want to end up.

That’s why I’ve decided to stop bs’ing a 5 year-plan and actually put one into place. On Day 3 of the Start Experiment Jon asked us to research a handful of people currently doing what we want to do. For me, those are people working for major league baseball teams in PR/Community Relations. My findings showed me they all have Master degrees in Sports Management/Marketing and most are bi-lingual. I had toyed around with the idea of grad school in the past, but after gaining this insight have decided that gaining a post-graduate degree is a necessary step in my 5-year plan.

So what does my plan look like? The basic outline includes working for the next year, hopefully in a new job that I’ve interviewed for that would give me general sports industry experience. In that time, I want to re-take the GRE, and actually try to do well, apply to several Sports Management programs, and begin taking Spanish classes. I’ve always loved the language, and enjoyed my Spanish classes in high school. It’s true though, if you don’t use it you lose it, and although my name is Maria, my Spanish is mucho limited. I’ve reached out to a program put together by a college in the city that offers night classes for professionals. I’m hoping to enroll in their Level 1 Spanish class in the fall.

It’s common to hear the phrase, “Knowledge is power.” But, I think I prefer the modified, “Knowledge is responsibility.” After learning how others already doing what I want to do have gotten there, I’m now not only equipped, but the only one responsible to reach my goals. I’m now obligated to my dreams, to put in the work and do all it takes.

Branch Rickey, one of the titans of the game of baseball once said, “Luck is the residue of design.” Rickey was responsible for a lot of memorable moments in the American Game, most notably in orchestrating the events that lead Jackie Robinson to break the color barrier. I heard his quote my senior year of college, and it’s stuck with me since. I’ve decided to let it be the tagline of this plan. So here’s to hard work, baseball, and a little stoke of luck!

[mariajsanderspr-blog]

elvis trolling beltre never gets old

h/t @dshep25

[mariajsanderspr-blog]

Heavy is the head that wears the crown: the GOAT loses his belt

(Photo via The Huffington Post)

Last night something happened I truly thought was impossible. Anderson "the Spider" Silva lost his UFC Middleweight Championship belt to the up-and-comer Chris Weidman, in just the second round of a five round championship match.

Click here to see the knockout. 

The knockout delivered by Weidman last night ended Silva's seven-year reign as the middleweight Champion of the World. Not since January of 2006 had Silva lost. Over those seven years, Silva has not only defended his title, but also made some of the UFC's greatest fighters look unsure, inept, and at times plain silly. He's defended his title against men like Dan Henderson, Rich Franklin, and Vitor Belfort, while also making quick work of soon-to-be UFC Hall of Famers such as Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar. 

Silva's reign made him legendary. He was and still is the Greatest of All Time. But, after his lackluster performance last night, and his post-fight comments, one question seems to be filling fight fans minds, "Was Anderson tired of being the champion?"

"But I don't fight anymore for the belt. I'm tired. I've fought for a long time. My (plan) for the belt is finished tonight. Chris is the new champion," Anderson said.

He's tired, but of what? Of fighting? Of being the hunted? Everyone knows the real work comes once you've reached the top, and Silva has been on top for seven years now. That's a lot of work, that's a lot of strategy. It's hard to find another comparison in the sports world to what Anderson has experienced. 

I think it's wise that no one rushed to throw out the word "retirement" last night. Silva is already 38, but it's not far fetched to believe he may still be in his prime. In MMA, sometimes you just get lucky, and last night could have been one of those times for Weidman. He caught Silva showboating, and landed a decent shot. I think there's plenty left in the tank for the GOAT, and it will be interesting to see what comes of his current 10 - fight contract once he's had some time to recover from the loss, spend some time with his family, and refocus. 

[mariajsanderspr-blog]

I would like my life to be a statement of love and compassion…and where it isn’t, that’s where my work lies.

Ram Dass (via awelltraveledwoman)

[mariajsanderspr-blog]

Cognito created the above infographic to show cost effective ways to  turn PR assets into sales. Click the image to see the full infographic. 

(via Forbes)

[mariajsanderspr-blog]

[mariajsanderspr-blog]

[mariajsanderspr-blog]

How You Feel Finding Grammatical Errors In The Things You Read..

Internally…

Externally.. 

[mariajsanderspr-blog]

People think they have baseball figured out, but baseball can’t be figured out. Baseball is abstract, not linear.

Wally Joyner 

(via @DavidLaurilaQA)

[mariajsanderspr-blog]

Don't miss the sarcasm here, but this is just too funny.

Over the weekend, after Matt Garza and Johnny Cueto got into a spat,  Dusty Baker stepped in and let everyone know that he wished baseball still had space for backroom boxing matches.  Said Baker: 

“I just wish, just put them in a room, let them box and let it be over with, know what I mean? I always said this. Let it be like hockey. Let them fight, somebody hits the ground and then it’ll be over with. I’m serious about that. I come from a different school. Guys didn’t talk as much. You just did it.”

Turns out, Baker has a lot of things he wishes would turn up on the ballfield. All to make the sport tougher. And cooler. 

[mariajsanderspr-blog]

[INFOGRAPHIC] – Twitter stays quiet during no-hit bids - until somebody breaks it up. (via MLBSocial)

[mariajsanderspr-blog]

Walk like a Waingyptian.

[mariajsanderspr-blog]

People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it

Anonymous (via dknyprgirl)

[mariajsanderspr-blog]

Among softball scholars, the matchup between the Harlem Nights club, featuring Redd Foxx, Eddie Murphy, and Richard Pryor, and the Ghost Dad team lead by Sydney Poitier and Bill Cosby, is usually reserved for hushed tones of reverence.

Because this is the day softball history was made. Eddie Murphy slashed his way to a triple short of the cycle, driving in five. Redd Foxx made three diving catches to save runs, and Richard Pryor hit two doubles and twirled six excellent innings. 

However, with Harlem Nights winning 11-9 in the game’s final innings, Cosby soft-shoed his way to the plate before cranking a double. Sydney Poitier singled down the line, pushing runners to the corners. And then, in a double switch, a Cosby’s ghostly soul came to the plate with nothing in the rule book saying clones or essences of players were barred from entering as substitutions. 

Ghost Cosby squeezed the bat, the aluminum flaking off of it from his eternal strength. He took the first pitch, low, then the second, outside, and on the third, a high, towering lob with plenty of arc, he swung, sending it high and deep into the trees to win the game. Ghost Cosby disappeared as he rounded third, but the umpires still gave team Ghost Dad the win. For how could they not? The other realms had spoken, Ghost Dad would emerge victorious. 

And yeah, I am hiring an artist to make a Ghost Dad baseball tee as we speak. 

(image by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, via Buzzfeed, h/t @sundownmotel) 

[mariajsanderspr-blog]

You cant’ just pick and choose which laws you want to follow. 

[mariajsanderspr-blog]

Today In History

‘Willie Mays, baseball legend, was born in Westfield, AL, on this date May 6, 1931. Mays, third on the all-time homerun list with 660 homeruns, was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979. He was also the National League MVP in 1954 and 1965.’

(photo: Willie Mays)

- CARTER Magazine

[mariajsanderspr-blog]

The State Treatment

Over the weekend, I had the chance to travel a little ways down the road to Starkville, Miss to watch Alabama take on Mississippi State in a double-header. Although I'd been to the State campus before, this was my first time taking in a baseball game at Dudy-Noble Field. 

After a rookie ticket-buying mistake, my friend Court and I found ourselves in the home team bleachers, completely and utterly surrounded by Dawg fans. As someone who has been hit in the head with a whiskey bottle by a rival fan, I've become naturally skittish when I find myself in the midst of the enemy's trenches.

Several times we considered trying to sneak across to the right field bleachers, where there were a few more crimson tees dotting the broad maroon landscape. But, based on lack of motivation to actually walk all the way around we decided to just stay put and deal with whatever may come.

At the fourth inning mark of game 1, and with our team down 8-2, an older gentleman looked over at us and jokingly said, "I bet I can find someone with a match to help y'all burn those Alabama shirts." A second later, we recovered and fired a friendly, "No, I think we'll need to keep these for football season." 

As the afternoon went on, we were treated not only to our Bama boys finally throwing a couple more runs up on the board, but having a full-out good time with our new State friends. 

Between questions about where everyone is from, to how we think our football team will do defending our back-to-back national championships, we had a great time. 

Weekends like this one only confirm my belief that baseball fans can be the greatest people to be around. Lou Gherig once said this about baseball, "It is our national pastime and a game for all."  

Of course rivalries exist. It's part of what makes the game what it is. But, when fans of different teams can sit next to one another for a Saturday, and leave as friends, I can't help but love being a fan of the game more. 

Examples like this one, and the way teams across the MLB rallied around Boston in the last few weeks, show that like no other, baseball fans are the greatest people in the world.