Improve the In-Stadium Experience by Commissioning Situational Music

The NFL is talking about ways it could improve the in stadium experience.  This is because they need to create an atmosphere that is more appealing to a fan than just watching it for free at home.  As technology gets better in TV and audio, it makes putting down several hundred dollars to actually go to a game.and eat/drink during said game less appealing.

So, to combat that, it has to come up with ways to improve the actual experience.  And one suggestion I have is improving the in-stadium music.  Presently, during breaks in the action the home team usually pipes in pop-40 hits.  However, for whatever reason these songs are rarely less than 3-5 years old when played.  I mean just yesterday I was listening to Third Eye Blind's "Jumper" in the middle of the 3rd Quarter of the 49ers-Packers game.

However, even if the music choice was with more taste and timely, it would still be a song that in no way connects me to the game, fans, stadium, or team.  Rather, it acts as a diversion, taking my concentration away from the game, fellow fans, stadium, and team.  I mean, in this instance it made me think of Stephan Jenkins -lead singer of Third Eye Blind- and how much I didn't like him. Then I was wondering what he was doing, knowing that he lived in San Francisco. Then I asked Paige if she thought he would come to a game, and she had no idea who I was talking about. Then after explaining who I was talking about, I realized that I missed the next play.

So, is that what they were trying to do? Get me to lose my concentration and miss the next play? If yes, why? Does that make more likely to buy concessions? Does that make me more likely to buy fan gear? I just don't think so. Rather, it just acted a s a diversion.

Now, what if the Niners had commissioned someone to put together a series of songs to play through out the course of a game. This could be a combination of local musicians and music genres. And the music crafted could be completely original and situation specific.  Think about it - first and ten music on offense, third and long music, third and short music, music for turnovers, music for TDs, music for breaks in the action - TOs, 1st Q, etc.

I know - what a crazy idea. It would never work. Well, you know where it does work? It is a place that also has football and is not worried about TV taking away from the in-stadium experience. Still don't know? How about NCAA football?

Go to a handful of UW-Madison games.  After maybe 2 you will begin to realize that the team has a whole bunch of musical traditions tied to particular moments throughout the game.  Granted, they have a,band that provides that music, but it is music nonetheless. And it is situational-specific. With certain songs for TDs, PATs, etc.

So, that is my idea. What say you, NFL?

5 Thoughts on 49ers v. Packers

My wife and I had the fortune of going to the 2013 season-opening San Francisco 49ers versus Green Bay Packers game.  It was a bit bittersweet going to the game in person, because it meant missing out on watching the other 9 games on during the day.  However, the Packers being my (arguably) favorite sports team and only a short 1.5 hour drive away, it was kind of hard to bypass the opportunity.

Before I get into my thoughts for the game, I also wanted to thank Paige's parents, Brad and Gail, for hosting us for the weekend and taking care of Dahlia during the game.  We thought of bringing Dahlia along, but I think we made the right choice by letting Grandpa Brad and Grandma Gail some Dahlia alone time.  It was Grandparents' Day too, so all the more fitting.

As for the game, it was hot.  Hot as Hades.  We were actually sitting in the South Endzone and both got sunburnt on our face - basically, the sun reflected off the grass and sunburned us.  Pretty crazy.  But, it was an ideal setting.  And a lot of fun.

1.  Aaron Rodgers Does it All.

I will get to the 49ers and give them their due in due course.  However, I wanted to start off with Aaron Rodgers.  He is really good.  Like, magically good.  He sees every hole in the defense.  He also has a lot of confidence and trust in his battery-mates to make plays for him.  It shows and paid dividends throughout the game.  That being said, I think the most important play of the game was on his INT.  Yes, the INT got called back, rightfully, as down by contact.  But Eric Reid was running for the apparenty pick-6.  And then out of nowhere came this missile.  At first I thought it was Ryan Taylor or Jordy Nelson.  But no.  It was Rodgers.  And he makes the tackle short of the endzone, taking out like 2 49ers players in the process.  After he did that, the Packer sideline (closest to the tackle) erupted.  It was like, "holy crap, Aaron Rodgers came to play!" I think it at least inspired a better performance from the team moving forward.

2.  Colin Kaepernick is Really Good.  But he doesn't need Jim Harbaugh coddling him.

I think people need to stop searching for excuses.  This guy is the real deal.  For as well as Rodgers played, Kaepernick was better.  He was making the right reads almost the entire game.  He actually started off shaky (well get to that later), but sprung into action and was just shooting darts.  The back-and-forth between him and Rodgers was one of those performances like Elway versus Montana, Marino versus Kelly, Young versus Aikman, Brady versus Manning,  Favre versus Brees, and Rodgers versus Warner performances we have seen over the years of modern QBing.  He has all of the tools.  He has the right mindset.  It is really going to be interesting to see him (and Rodgers, Ryan, RGIII, Russell Wilson) try to fend off the Mannings, Brady, and Brees from the spotlight in the coming 2-3 years.

That being said, Jim Harbaugh's schtick regarding him is nauseating.  Yes, CMIII hit Kaepernick late on one play.  It was obvious and was flagged.  CMIII admitted it was a stupid play by him.  He and Kaepernick were hugging and smiling after the game.  It was over.  Yet, we get ole Jimmy in the post-game presser acting like CMIII had taken a shat in the Sistine Chapel by breathing on Kaepernick.  I am so over him.  He is a crybaby coach.

Two footnotes to the whole late hit penalty and resulting fracas.  First, the amount of ink spilled on that play already is embarassing.  Second, I knew that the refs got it wrong.  It should have been 4th down.  Granted, the penalty on Staley was maybe over-the-top, but it was his action that created the resulting fracas that could have turned into something even bigger.  However, two dead ball fouls negate, and let the play live.  That meant 4th-and-2 in the 2nd quarter of a one-score game.  Niners are kicking the ball there.  Instead, they replay the down.  And when they replay it, the Niners run an obvious pick-play for a TD.  Same play they ran against the Packers in the playoffs.  And the refs miss the call.

3.  Tramon Williams should have had a pick.

First drive.  Kaepernick threw a ball that hit Tramon in the hands.  It should have been a pick.  And it would have been a devastating start to the 49ers.  Kapernick stayed away from Tramon pretty much the rest of the game.

Turnovers and time of possession had a big impact on this game.  Probably the most obvious reason behind who won and who lost.  So, to have a pick handed to you and dropped was a big factor.

4.  The difference between these two teams are at ILB.  That is it.

Yes, I know that the Packers were without Heyward and Burnett.  And trust me, it showed.  Heyward would have been on Boldin throughout the game and Burentt would have thrown more support at Vernon Davis.  However, the difference in these two teams defenses is that the Packers have all of their defenders playing with a mindset of "how can we help out the MLBs" and the 49ers defense is playing with the mindset of "I can take this risk" or "I don't need to worry about that" because "Bowman and Willis" got my back.  They are that defense through and through.  Especially without Goldson behind them (although Reid had a really good game too).  They impacted two key inside route plays with Finley and Jones.  They also permit Aldon Smith to just pass rush, wretchedly, without fear of the running game.  And they are the ones that were trying to play tricks on Rodgers throughout the game - although, I think Rodgers was always one-step ahead of them in this particular match-up.  So, if the Packers ever want to measure up, they need to take a flyer on someone who either is or will be the next Willis or Bowman.

5.  Candlestick - you will be missed.

I like Candlestick.  And I am going to miss it.  I have only been to 4 games there in person, but I remember watching so many baseball and football games played there via TV or listening to it via radio.  It has great sightlines and in the early autumn, provides beautiful shots with the sun stretching across the field.  There is a nice breeze coming in off the Bay, and it is just a perfect setting for afternoon football.

As for the bad - there is a lot.  The neighborhood is pretty terrible.  The parking and transportation in and out of the park is horrible.  It took Paige and I 50 minutes to drive from Santa Rosa to San Francisco and 55 minutes to drive from San Francisco to Santa Rosa back.  However, to get into the stadium from San Francisco, it took 1.5 hours.  And to get out, it took 2.5 hours.  Pretty miserable.  A lot of B.O.

There is also something about the fans.  They aren't the same that go to Giants games.  Much more drunk and disorderly.  Makes it more like a Packers game at Lambeau, both in a good and bad way.

Like this guy.  Randomly comes up to me and asks Paige to take a picture of him being sacked by me.  So, of course we did it.

Help Me Make "Bail" - Donate to the MDA

On July 17, 2013, I am set to serve time on behalf of the MDA - Muscular Dystrophy Association - in the annual Sacramento Executive Lock-Up.  This event is done every year, locally and nationally, to promote fundraising on behalf of the MDA.  These funds then go towards research regarding a variety of muscular ailments, including ALS (i.e. Lou Gehrig's Disease).  And because many of these diseases have no known treatment - let alone a cure - there is little to no medical assistance for providing necessary care and comfort to those afflicted.  Thus, money raised also goes to providing the care and assistance those victims need.

Please visit my personal fundraising page here (http://www2.mda.org/goto/jdhein22).  As you can see, I have already raised over 10% of my bail.  However, if each of my regular readers of my blog contributed $10.00 apiece, I could easily double what has already been raised.  And every dollar counts - so even if you can only afford a $5.00 donation, it will be appreciated.

Thanks!

February State of the Yard

I know it is the dead of winter. However, I just did an audit of my backyard and right now I am feeling like 3/4 of the plants and shrubs are either 50/50 or doubtful of returning next year. Argh! Seriously, 52 drip line spots to replace! Not to mention the flag stone patio and (obviously) the vegetable garden. Oh yeah, and the entire backyard probably needs to be ripped out. It is mostly moss and crabgrass, thanks to Madison and Davis. Oh yeah, did I mention they are in the middle of a two month project of digging an unneeded and unwanted irrigation ditch leading to the gate of the vegetable garden? Thanks for the surprise birthday present, jerks.

On the bright side, the front yard, beds look great. Looking forward to putting some more drip lines on the north bed and sprinklers facing Kerry's lawn. I think the only thing that will need replacing are the Dahlias. Dang snails! But I got a plan for them. Oh, they will never see what is coming.

Gong Hei Fard Choy!

Happy Chinese New Year! Welcome, Year of the Snake.

Weekly Review of Jacksonville Jaguars

I am thinking of starting a project next year reviewing every NFL game, in-depth, for a single, random NFL team. This is something Packers, Patriots, and even Vikings fans have now grown accustomed to, from our respective beat reporters (i.e. McGinn, Bedard, and Pelissero, respectively). However, most teams - and their fans - do not have such luxury. Most do not have someone who painstakingly breaks down film, conducts interviews, and grills scouts on an individual play-by-play basis. So, my idea would be do it for a team for which I have no real affinity and for whom does not have an existing option. So, I think I am settling on the Jaguars.

The idea would be to review each play up to 10-15 times in order to determine who on the Jaguars won their individual battles on the play, who did not, and why, ultimately, each play succeeded or failed. I have the all-22 access on NFL.com, so I should be able to get a pretty good sense what happened on each play. I would award points from -3 to +3 for each player. I would also take into account outstanding or horrible effort by the opposition, and adjust my points and critique as appropriate. My goal would be to post a complete breakdown of my findings by the Friday following the game.

The goal in doing this would to see if I have what it takes to review game film, scout teams, scout players, and learn why a particular team wins and why another loses. Granted, I won't have the access to players, coaches, and scouts like the aforementioned writers do (and have rightfully earned), but at least I can try to give a shot.

Thoughts? Other than a waste of time.

Happy Tu B'Shevat!

Go plant a tree or eat some grapes, figs, dates, pomegranates, olives, barley, or wheat.

See http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/jewish/tu-bshevat for more information.

2013 New Year's Resolutions

So, 2013 is upon us.  my only proud accomplishment off from my 2012 resolutions was brewing beer. Although, i havent actually bottled it yet, so, maybe that resolution was moreso undetermined than anything.

One thing I did accomplish in 2012 that wasn't an official resolution was no McDonald's.  That is right - I never went to McDonald's once in 2012.  Given how close in proximity I live to McDonald's and that it is kind of an ubiquitous American institution, it is kind of hard to imagine that I didn't fall prey to its tempting fries, nuggets, McRibs, or Egg Nog or Shamrock Shakes.  But I did.  So, pat me on the back.

That being said, after last year's "official" debacle (6 of 12), lets set our eyes on some new resolutions for 2013.

1.  Ride my bike more.  I like riding my bike.  In fact, you might say I love it.  I also have access to a pretty nice little bike path along the American River.  I was thinking that I should go on this trip once every other week.  Would like to do it once per week, in the morning, but we shall see.
2.  No ice cream.  I love ice cream - in fact, my favorite cake is an ice cream cake.  However,  Dahlia's exposure to dairy needs to be limited her first year or so.  And that means no ice cream for Paige - who is also a big fan.  So, I think I will try to take one for the team here, and bypass ice cream for the year.  I just finished off the last vanilla and I already miss it.
3.  Grow a moustache.  Yep.  I am aiming for November - the whole Movember craze inspired me.  I will probably do something for Halloween, and then just go with it for a month.  Then we will see what happens.
4.  Eat more quinoa.  It is, after all, 2013's super food of the year. I am aiming for once a week.
5.  Go to a Raiders game.  I have never seen the Raiders play.  Granted, I am a huge Packers fan and my wife is a huge 49ers fan, so there really is no "rooting" interest.  But, I love NFL football.  So, I should go, right?  They also play Denver and Washington at home, so I could go merely to see Peyton Manning or RGIII.
6.  FaceTime for Grandparents.  With Dahlia joining Hein Family - West, I need to set-up a regular, weekly facetime/skype with Grandpa Hein and GJ.  How do Mondays at 7 PM sound?  I will encourage Paige to do the same for Grandpa Brad.    
7.  Date Night.  While movie night was a colossal fail in 2012, I think we can do a semi-monthly Date Night.  Especially with so many people volunteering to babysit.  Every month, I plan one Date Night and Paige plans one Date Night.
8.  Find some recreational activity.  I used to play summer baseball (no, not softball, baseball).  However, my arms and knees are kind of jacked-up and it makes it really difficult to dig America's past time.  I also used to play pick-up basketball, but that ended once I moved to CA and nowhere near a gym.  I have contemplated tennis again, but that is too expensive.  Notwithstanding all of these excuses, I need to figure something out and do it.  Paige has yoga (which I don't really like); so I need something for me (other than planting shrubs and grass seed all spring/summer/fall long).
9.  Help around the house more.  With Dahlia around, I cannot get away with not helping around the house anymore - otherwise, it looks horrible and I get annoyed.  So, this means more than just doing half of the laundry (i.e. starting the washer and dryer, but never folding), half of the dishes (i.e. washing/diswashing machine-ing, but not drying or putting away).  Granted, I have been already - admit it Paige! - but, I need to keep it up and make a concerted effort.  We will let Paige "grade" this one at the end of the year.  
10.  Draft a Will.  I have the technology and the brain power to do so.  I just need some "will power" to do it - especially now with a little one in the family.  I also hope that it will inspire some other - cough, Grandparents on both sides, cough - to do the same.
11.  De-Clutter.  Dahlia is about to turn 5 months old.  That means she is going to be mobile soon.  It also means we will need to baby-proof the house.  This provides us with a good excuse to de-clutter.  Go to a more streamlined ascetic in our house.  Less knickknacks, etc.
12.  Try-Out for a Play.  Wow.  Yep, why not?  I am sure I could find some play or skit or thing I could do. Or at least try to do.
13.  Fly a Kite.  Of course.

So, those are my resolutions. What about you?

Potential Packers Free Agent Targets

Here is a list of NFL free agents that the Packers could, should, but won't investigate in free agency. Not because these players aren't good or a good fit, but just because the Packers never spend any money on other teams's draft picks. However, if the Packers are truly adamant about re-shaping their team to be a more physical and tough team, they will need more than the draft to accomplish it in 1 year.

All of these players are 28 or younger. All are coming off so-so years.

So, with further ado, here are some potential (but always long-shot) targets for the Packers:

Offense
1. Mike Goodson, HB (Oakland) - tough; sparingly used (college, pros); success in zone-blocking
2. Dustin Keller, TE/FB (NY Jets) - ideal size for H-back; assignment sure, good hands; better leak option than Kuhn (see what Rams did with Kendricks?)
3. David Nelson, WR (Buffalo) - giant (6'5"); can box out; fascinating pairing with Finley
4. LaRod Stephens-Howling, HB/KR (Arizona) - mighty-mouse, but a completely different runner than DuJuan Harris; KR
5. Chris Ivory, HB (New Orleans) - buried on depth chart; has looked like dynamite when given opportunities
6. Mike Pollack, C/G (Carolina) - size, agility, flexibility for interior line
7. Ramses Barden, WR (NY Giants) - genuine monster, at 6'7"; would diversify the receiving corp.
8. Brandyn Dombrowski, G/T (San Diego) - great size, youth; tatted-up means nasty, right?
9. Branden Albert, G/T (Kansas City) - tall, long tackle, agility to even play guard; might be out of price range.
10. Brady Quinn, QB (Kansas City) - whaaa? Sure, why not? How about a young, beaten pup of a QB for McCarthy to mold?

Defense
1. Matt Shaughnessy, DE (Oakland) - tall, long arms; strong against run, setting edge
2. Sean Smith, DB (Miami) - Safety size with CB speed
3. LaRon Landry, S (NY Jets) - feared across middle and in run support; attitude
4. Shawne Merriman, OLB (Buffalo) - can lightning strike twice? Might help to be exposed to winning culture.
5. Terrance Knighton, DT (Jacksonville) - nickname is "Pot Roast"; another big, run-down body
6. Victor Butler, OLB (Dallas) - replacement for Walden, faster than Moses
7. Jason Jones, DE (Seattle) - again, tall, long arms; can set edge.
8. Bradley Fletcher, DB (St. Louis) - good size/speed guy; buried on depth chart
9. Louis Delmas, S (Detroit) - addition-by-subtraction, more so than anything; feared across the middle
10. Keith Rivers, LB (NY Giants) - don't you just need to take a flyer on this guy?
11. Kenny Phillips, DB (NY Giants) - perfect size/speed for Safety in Capers's scheme. Why not?
12. Antwan Barnes, LB (San Diego) - pass rushing specialist out of 3-4
13. Antoine Cason, DB (San Diego) - perfect size/speed; experience in 3-4

Blogger!

Well, that sucked. I was trying the new Blogger iPad app and it ate a blog entry I was drafting. Spent about 2 hours on it analyzing potential Packers free agents.