The Lou Pickney Homepage
The Lou Pickney
Homepage


Online since
August 1995

2024 NFL Draft
Draft King

NFL Mock Draft
2024 Prospects

MORE
NashvilleLou Live
NashvilleLou.com
AcePurple.com
TigerDriver.com


Lou Pickney's Online Commentary

Expansion

Wednesday
August 13, 2003

"The reason we have elected officials is so we don't have to think!"
-Homer J. Simpson

My work with Bubba The Love Sponge is about to expand, as I’m going to be taking on new responsibilities in putting together a national ad package (beyond the current direct marketing to potential new affiliate stations) and in expanding the show’s internet presence. Moreover, there may be options in the near future involving merchandising, an area where the sky is the limit. Bubba is one of the smartest businessmen I know, and he’s already done a great deal in marketing himself and his program. I hope to be able to build on that and extend his brand recognition to a larger scale... everything from bobblehead dolls to Ned shot glasses.

At the same time, the work on the station side is continuing to flourish. It’s an exciting thing to be a part of, for sure.

The internet is down here at work as I type this. Unfortunately, due to the nature of my work, being without the internet is crippling. No e-mail, no All Access updates, nothing. Brutal.

Randy Savage
There's no word yet if Randy Savage will be wearing a crown on stage at his concerts.

Speaking of brutal, if you haven’t heard Randy Savage’s attempt at becoming a rap star… consider yourself lucky. It’s some unintentional comedy of the highest proportions when the self-proclaimed "Macho Man" takes the mic. His voice is distinctive, but having a distinct voice doesn’t necessarily translate into being a good rapper. There’s a reason that people in their 50’s don’t launch rap careers – that is a young man’s field. I’d be old getting into the rap game myself (not that I have any aspirations of doing so), and Randy is more than twice my age.

But, give it to Randy, if he’s able to dupe some people in the record industry into paying him to put together a CD, then hats off to him for working the marks. But he’d better expect the major ribbing that will come as a result.

It’s a feast-or-famine situation here in Florida concerning rain. When I moved here in April 2001, the state, and particularly the Tampa Bay area, was trapped in a drought. But since then things have shifted in the other direction, to the point of oversaturation. There are a number of communities in the greater Tampa area that have experienced serious flooding problems in the past week. We’re more than two months strong into rainy season, and unfortunately this is causing some serious problems for many families.

Insomnia can be a bear to deal with. During my nearly four year run working overnights at various TV stations, I learned to deal with sleep irregularities (most of which were linked to trying to live a normal life with a less-than-normal schedule). Spice Boy (who’s no stranger to working brutal hours) told me last month that he thought that no one should have to work between the hours of 2-6 AM. I agree with that sentiment, though in many walks of life the machine must continually be fed. So be it in a hospital or a newsroom or a police department, strange hours are just part of the job.

Unfortunately, more than six months out of the overnight game, sleep is still not something that comes easy at night. For example, last night I was tired and went to sleep at 10 PM… only to wake up from a nightmare at 12:20 AM, unable to sleep. What the nightmare was, I don’t remember. But despite having taken a soma (to deal with the headache problem) sleep was elusive. I laid there for awhile, trying to slip back into sleep, but it wasn’t happening. I tried doing some work on the computer, but again no dice. Finally I played some WWE Smackdown on the PS2, trying out the Royal Rumble match with some of the old-school wrestlers that I’d downloaded from the internet (via the X-Port). Seeing Shawn Michaels vs. Marty Jannetty was cool and all, and Mr. Perfect and Bret Hart battling in the Rumble was nice, but sleep was what I wanted. But it wasn’t forthcoming, even with the amitriptyline.

Finally I went under at 3 AM. My alarm went off at 6 AM, and while I don’t remember it, I’m sure that in my sleep I pushed the alarm ahead to 9 AM, flipped on the radio, and promptly zonked out for another two and a half hours. Another day in the life, I suppose.

Though, sleep issues aside, working during the day instead of overnight makes all the difference in my quality of life. No more bizarro schedules or weekend shift craziness. Plus the real fun comes next month when NFL season begins. Being awake to see ALL of the games – that’s some sweet action.

Las Vegas MGM Grand Hotel
I'll be staying at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas.

Las Vegas is waiting right around the corner, a little more than one week from now. I’m starting to get pretty pumped for it. Especially now with the full-time work deal in place, there’s some security on that front. The gambling will be nice and all, though I’ve visited a number of casinos in my time. It’s fun, but losing money is no good, and in the long run the house always wins. My Dad told me a long time ago to never bet against a machine that puts its back up against the wall and takes on the world. And about that he’s right, as it’s a losing proposition in the long run. Those flashing lights and "free" drinks aren’t free at all.

Of course, for gamblers there’s the thrill of the game. And even for casual gamblers like myself, the big comebacks take on legendary levels. My best comeback came in March 2001, right before I moved to Tampa. My friend Josh Tenisci was working at Miami of Ohio at the time, and I went up to visit him for the weekend. We went to a casino over the border in Indiana; I brought $100. Entertainment money – if I lost it all, then so be it.

Soon enough, I found myself down. The green zero on the roulette table jumped up and bit me, and I was in the hole $60. Boom, just like that. Bad times.

I decided to give craps a try. It wasn’t a game that I was particularly familiar with, and then there was the added intimidation factor of throwing the dice. If it was just your money on the line, that’s one thing. But if it’s others, then you face the unspoken-but-felt pressure from your fellow gamblers to throw something good (except for the bastards on the "Don’t Come" line, who are in essence betting that you’ll screw up). Eventually my pile of chips dwindled down to my final $5 token.

But Lady Luck is a fickle woman, and suddenly fate flipped my way. $5 became $10, and I let it ride. $10 grew to $20, then $40. Let It Ride! Again it hit, and $40 became $80.

Now at this point, rationality should’ve taken over. I’d won four straight against the house and could’ve walked away down only one Jackson. But then Josh muttered to me to let it ride, and in a moment worthy of Press Your Luck I left the $80 in chips in place. The dice were rolled… and it was another win for me. $160.

Even the hardcore gamblers around me were impressed. I yanked my $160 in chips and called it a night. The old-timers were saying “that’s smart to quit now,” not in sarcasm, but because I’d managed to go on a run and then walk away before it all crumbled underneath me. There’s a reason they say “Don’t tempt fate” – and on that occasion I had willpower enough to take the money and run.

I’ve told this story on here before, but it’s worth repeating again, if for nothing else than because of my anticipation that Vegas is going to eclipse this by 100. Not necessarily in the stakes or the thrill (that was pretty damn exciting), but because of all of the other things attached with the city.

Swingers
Swingers is one of many great movies that involve Las Vegas.

The movies certainly paint an exciting picture. Ocean's Eleven, Swingers, Casino, Go, etc. all make it look like one wild time. Even Leaving Las Vegas, depressing as it is, shows just how unique that city is. And I love unique, fun places.

There are some one-of-a-kind cities in the world that I've had the pleasure of visiting. New Orleans. Amsterdam. Paris. New York City. I’ve never been to Tokyo or Rio de Janeiro or Los Angeles, but I’d suspect that all three would qualify as well. But Vegas... well Vegas might be a one-of-a-kind among even the elites.

Not that I want to build things up too much. But in this case, I somehow doubt that it’s possible to overhype the excitement and anticipation surrounding the impending visit to Sin City. The bright lights, the colorful and amazing casino/hotels, the strip. It’s a very exciting thing to anticipate.

What’s more, I’ll be rolling up there with Gary and Rod, who should both be fun to hang with. Gary I’ve known for years, and Rod has been very cool in my interactions with him. And after the stories I’ve heard from other friends about their adventures there, it certainly paints an enticing picture. Not to attribute stories to particular people (and thus incriminate them), but I’ve heard of everything from picking up a lady at the slots at the Bellagio (and taking her back to New York, New York) to throwing up in the elevator at the Hard Rock Café Hotel to waking up in a bed with two random, unknown chicks. Then there’s the Bill Simmons article archive, which details some of the great adventures one can have in that fun city in the desert.

If you like trying new snacks, I recommend the Quaker mini rice cakes that (at least here in Tampa) are sold in the potato chip section. The cheddar cheese flavor is in particular very delicious. And while I’m at it, I have to put over the George Foreman grill yet again. It was the best kitchen creation of the 1990’s (in my opinion), and it’s helped make cooking easier and healthier for millions of people. Foreman might’ve taken quite a few shots to the cranium during his boxing career, but he was smart enough to attach his name to a product that’s amazingly effective and popular.

My sister Mary Beth starts her high school career this month, which should be an exciting time for her. 12 years have passed since I started at Father Ryan High School, and it’s astounding to me that the time has passed so quickly. As it is, I’m less than two years from my 10-year reunion. Okay, I’m starting to scare myself now talking about that. But Mary Beth has been able to meet some of her future classmates by being in the marching band. Considering that I have about zero musical aptitude, I give her credit for having the skill and determination to learn and successfully play an instrument.

It’s been a tough road lately trying to find a quality internet advertising company. With some of my newly created URLs, like Draft King and Radio Hot Talk, there’s a pretty strong level of interest from readers. Unfortunately, I’ve had a tough time lining up anything with the Google AdSenses and Fastclicks of the world. It’s frustrating...


August 2003 Commentary Page

Commentary Archive

Return to the Lou Pickney Homepage


Except where otherwise noted, all content on this website is copyright © 1995-2024 Lou Pickney, all rights reserved.
The views expressed here are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect those of any media company.