« November 16, 2008 - November 22, 2008 | Main | November 30, 2008 - December 6, 2008 »
November 29, 2008
Croom Resigns
CBS reported a little while ago that Sylvester Croom has resigned as head coach. I am saddened by the news for several reasons. First, Croom has done a lot for the Mississippi State football team. Let's not forget that just a few short years ago the team was undisciplined and we were just as likely to read about players in the police blotter as we were in the sports section. Second, Croom brought some enthusiasm to the team, enthusiasm that was sorely needed. Third, Croom was a man of honor and integrity, something that is getting more and more difficult to find in athletics.
Obviously there were problems with the team. I do believe that some changes were needed on the staff, and yes, as head coach Croom was ultimately responsible for making those changes. But he didn't. By no means am I a coaching expert, but it seems to me that when a team is in trouble the first thing that happens is that coordinators and assistant coaches are replaced one year. If things improve the next year then all is well; if not, then the head coach resigns or is fired. It seems to me that Croom did not get the first year.
So, if Croom did not get the first year was that because he was not given the opportunity to make changes in the staff or was he given the opportunity to make changes and resigned instead. I can see either one being the case.
I was disappointed with CBS in their reporting because they spoke only about Croom's race, something he did not discuss. In fact this s the guy that said Maroon is the only color that matters". The bigger issue is who is really behind this change.
Posted by robertgreen at 1:51 PM | Comments (0)
November 28, 2008
Dell's Revival Strategy Runs Into Trouble
Dell's Revival Strategy Runs Into Trouble by Justin Scheck. Wall Street Journal, Friday, 28 November 2008, p. A1.
Dell is in trouble. It has lost ground to HP in selling PCs and this article points out that Michael Dell's plan to recover is taking longer than expected. One of the main reasons, as pointed in the article, is the fact that Dell has lost its advantage in producing low-cost computers. Back in the day this was the big advantage of Dell. They could essentially produce custom-built computers at a very low-cost. They achieved this by carefully managing their supply chain and having just-in-time delivery of components. That worked then but now they are seeing stiff competition from Asia.
The article also mentions creating "Dell lust". That, I think, will be a solution to the problem. I remember in college the HP lust we engineers had. We didn't want just any calculator, we wanted an HP and we knew them intimately. If it was HP, I wanted it. I see the same thing with Apple. Those who use Macs cite near religious experiences. The question is can Dell create something similar?
Dell talks about coming out with music players and cell phones but I'm not sure that is what is needed. The company has already tried the music player, remember the Dell DJ--I had one--it was too heavy and not nearly as easy to operate as the iPod. They tried the PDA market as well and some who had the Axim's thought they were great but Dell could not compete with HP's iPaq. If they enter the cell phone market they will have to beat Apple's iPhone and RIM's Blackberry--both of which have large followings already. I'm not sure Dell is capable of coming up with a product that can beat those.
Perhaps they need to focus on some really powerful yet small and light laptops. That is a market in which they excel and can regain their footing. I hope they do because I am a big Dell fan.
One area in which I think they might be able to compete is in customer support. I love the support you get with an XPS and if they can dump the off-shore support and give could support in the US, they may have a tremendous marketing advantage.
Posted by robertgreen at 6:52 PM | Comments (0)
Mississippi State 0 -- University of Mississippi 45
Pitiful. Sorry. Lousy. Inexcusable. Unacceptable. The list of words describing the lack of performance by the MSU Bulldogs can go on and on for days. The game today was plain and simple, an embarrassment. Some players played as hard as they could, others seemed to not even want to be there.
The calls for firing Coach Croom will certainly grow louder. The TV even showed a fan holding a sign calling for him to be fired now. I can't say we are at that point yet, but we may be getting close. We have had some good games this year but performance has been sporadic. Tyson Lee has been a breath of fresh air but he got the stuffing knocked out him several times today which brings me to something I've been saying all season long--we have no offensive line. They cannot bock and they cannot create openings through which the ball can be run.
Someone will be leaving the coaching staff soon; perhaps as early as next week. I can't see any way around it. The season was a disappointment and today's game was the perfect way to end a terrible season. The big alums will start making calls and heads will have to roll. I know Croom does not really want to fire anyone so perhaps some will resign on their own; otherwise it can get pretty dirty.
As for me, football season is over for the year. I may watch a few bowl games but I really don't care about much more of the season. I did see LSU lose today and if I can see Alabama lose another time or two then I'll be a little happier. Of course I want to see Navy beat Army, but that will likely happen.
As we have grown accustomed to saying around here--wait 'til next year.
Posted by robertgreen at 6:22 PM | Comments (0)
Movabletype Upgraded
I have upgraded to Movabltype 4.21. It was relatively painless but there was a small issue. I turned on the feeds feature and thought all was well. However when I published an entry the Save button resulted in...well, nothing. Upon further review I noticed that the mt-feed.cgi file was not marked as executable. I made all of the cgi files executeable but this one must have been added later. Everything seems to work now.
Now, I have to get used to the new interface.
Posted by robertgreen at 5:33 PM | Comments (0)
November 26, 2008
Etzioni is wrong on Mullen
Retire Admiral Mullen by Amitai Etzioni
In a recent post Amitai Etzioni calls for Obama to replace Admiral Mullen and he gives several reasons for his thinking. And he is wrong on most all of them.
It seems Etzioni is chastising Admiral Mullen for speaking against the president’s plan to withdraw troops from Iraq and rather says that withdrawal should be governed by conditions on the ground. The problem is Etzioni is a might confused as to who the president is. He may be salivating over the day Obama becomes president but right now the president is George Bush and the policy Mullen has stated is THE president’s policy.
Etzioni also takes the cowards solution to problems often seen by many in academia. According to him the solution is to either go along or resign. That is a spine of Jell-O! He also erroneously states that a military officer’s obligation is to carry out the orders of the President. Wrong again, but this is a mistake often made by many. An officer takes an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, it is not to the President.
I am also completely amazed at Etzioni’s ignorance of the function of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Admiral Mullen is the president’s chief military advisor—he is not someone to merely carry out orders. Perhaps before writing again he should review the Goldwater-Nichols Act. I really don’t mind people taking issue with the military but I do wish they would take the time to do a little research and form an intelligent opinion.
I think Etzioni is a little too keen on a retreat and lacks a little understanding of the military. If he becomes an advisor to President-elect Obama this country may be in serious trouble.
Posted by robertgreen at 11:10 PM | Comments (0)