Dear Eric Winston. Don't judge.

Hello Eric.  You don't know me, just as you don't know 98% of the people who were in the stands Sunday.  Many of them are people like me (a season ticket holder).  (I tweeted you a welcome message last summer but I don't expect you to remember.)

I shouldn't be a season ticket holder.  I'm unemployed.  I bought my tickets in mid-June after a pretty successful May book.  (You don't know what that means but it doesn't matter)  I didn't figure I'd lose my job even before the season started.  Que sera.

I wasn't at the game Sunday.  I gave my tickets away,  I  wanted to be there but because I chose to spend the weekend in South Dakota with my family, helping our parents get ready for the winter.

Before I left, I charted all of the Chiefs-affiliated radio stations on a map that follows I-29 so my husband and I could listen to the game on the way back to KC.  We watched the first half on TV and then got in the car for the six-plus hour drive south.

We had just reached Yankton, SD when Matt Cassel went down.  Neither of us cheered.  Neither of us were happy that he got hurt.  However, I certainly understand the feelings of the good people who continue to support this team even though the product has not been what we expected.

We're frustrated Eric.  We want to love you...all of you.  But frankly, you, your coach and your teammates make it difficult.  We don't expect perfection.  We know balls are going to bounce the wrong way.

That said, most of us think you should have at least won one of the three home games this year.

We're frustrated, Eric.  But don't condemn all of us for the actions of a few.  Tens of thousands were at the game.  Hundreds of thousands watched on TV...and who knows how many of us listened to scratchy AM radio stations in South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas and Arkansas because we are passionate fans.

I know this because I've shared food with them, shared sports talk with them and screamed my fool head off with them.  But not when our guys got hurt.  Never then.

Maybe some stepped over the line, Eric.  But the vast majority of us are good, decent people.

We want Matt Cassel to heal quickly and find another job.

Leadership lessons from football

Correction alert. This post contained a misspelled name. Thanks DeAnn Smith, for helping me!


Saturday night, I watched the NFL Hall of Fame induction ceremonies on ESPN.  John was still in Connecticut, spending time with his brother so I was home alone, trying to amuse myself for a few hours.

I found the speeches to be profoundly moving.  At one point, I called Charlie during Jerry Rice's acceptance and demanded that he watch it.  I'm sure he thought I was crazy (or drunk).  I was neither.  Rice is not a great speaker, frankly.  But his words were powerful.

"My fear of failure drives me," Jerry Rice said.

Fear can be a powerful master.  It can paralyze you...or make you better.

Learning how to prevail in the face of fear is the single most important step one can take toward becoming a successful risk-taker and maximizing success.

Linebacker Rickey Jackson talked about the importance of his hometown.  He wants his name to be part of the "Welcome to Pahokee" sign where he grew up. 

I get that.  (Wagner, South Dakota, if I get famous????)

Floyd Little's son gave an incredible introduction and Floyd's message was simple--Don't focus on your weakness.  This is easier said than done.  Many of us our most critical of ourselves than we are of others.  Self-reflexion is important but keep it in perspective!

Emmitt Smith, however, took the night.  He did two things incredibly right.  First, he recognized his teammates, most notably Darrell Darryl "Moose" Johnston.  He said Johnston took care of him like a little brother and he began to tear up.  So did I.

Second, Emmitt Smith said that to win, you have to show up every day.

That takes effort.  It's hard.  The road to success is paved with obstacles, most of which are unseen.  I read "Fast Company" for manager tips and here's what one expert says about bringing your best, every day:

It's not an issue of results. It's an issue of momentum. When you believe you can have a positive impact, others believe it too. Everyone's inspired to action. And you build momentum. When you vacillate in that belief, others vacillate too. Action starts and stops. Momentum never comes. And you get resignation and exhaustion instead. In this way, delivering your best is not something you can turn off and on depending on circumstances. It must be a daily habit. It must be a manner of traveling.

There is no wait-and-see.  There is only now.

He's so scary.

Seconds after the Chiefs picked Eric Berry in the NFL draft, my son Charlie called to say he wants an Eric Berry Chiefs jersey.

I want to love the Chiefs

I love KC, I really do. I could easily create a list of a hundred things I love about Kansas City but it's hard, hard, hard to love the football team. John and I went to one game (when they were anniliated by the Giants) and the most entertaining thing was how KC football fans finish off our national anthem:



Y'all know I'm sports crazy. High school, college, pro. Basketball, football, soccer, boxing (sometimes), softball, NASCAR (sorta) and especially BASEBALL. Go Twins.

I realize I'm pretty mainstream (don't like the fights in a cage, for instance). That's how I roll.

Last year at this time, the Ravens, with a new head coach and a rookie QB, were capturing the hearts and minds of Baltimore. Gosh it was fun.

If you didn't wear purple clothes to work on the Friday before a game, you were a turd. Here, I wore a red blouse on Monday and was taunted (in fun) as being a homer.

In Baltimore, if you needed to go to Wegmans, go during the Ravens game. The place would be a ghost town. Here, the mall and grocery store parking lots do not seem to be impacted by Chiefs football.

Chiefs fans say they are the best fans in the world. I don't doubt it. There just aren't very many of them right now.

And then there's Larry Johnson. A real stellar guy who calls out his coach on Twitter and says he didn't know that the word "faggot" is offensive.

It's not very pretty. However, I'd still love to see a win over Jacksonville today!

Go Chiefs!