The Irrelevant Off Week

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Hello. Why does the NFL have an off-week between the championship games and the Super Bowl? It's something I cannot figure out.
Some people may say the players have a chance to heal. Too bad. They already had that chance by getting a bye week if they were in the top 2 in their conference. Why keep us all waiting while a few guys get rested? For each of those guys needing the rest, there are a least as many who will suffer from getting rusty.
Some may also say the coaches have a chance to better prepare. Again, too bad. They prepare in one week for almost all their other games. And if I'm a good executive, I have scouts watching the other conference games to get prepared for the eventual opponent.
What other reasons are there for an extra week? Media Day? It's irrelevant if a media outlet sends a person to it, because they won't get close enough to the players people want to hear from anyway. It will all be said by everyone else in their broadcasts too, so who cares?
The Super Bowls I've enjoyed the most have been the ones with only a week in between. I hope the NFL reviews this policy. The Super Bowl usually cannot match the hype. Nothing could. It's time to reduce the hype by having only one week of it.

Regards,
Irrelevant

The Irrelevant Coach Race Story

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Hello. There have been many words written about the two Super Bowl coaches, Lovie Smith and Tony Dungy. Unfortunately most of it is about their skin colour. Smith and Dungy are the first black head coaches to make it to a Super Bowl. Obviously one of them will become the first black head coach to win a Super Bowl.
What should be written is how good these guys are as coaches. Dungy has had great teams in the Colts and Tampa Bay Buccanneers for years. Smith turned around the Bears in 3 years from doormats to NFC champs. They are 2 of the best coaches in the business.
I know some have felt the NFL was racist. Some probably still feel it is. I wouldn't argue against it. But many of the teams want to win. And winning means having the best people at all levels on your team, including coaches. Dungy and Smith are two great coaches who happen to be black, not two black "token" coaches.
If their presence helps other blacks get to be head coaches some day, that's great. However, this story should be irrelevant to the Super Bowl game itself. After all, was there a lot of media when Tom Flores became the first Hispanic coach to win a Super Bowl with the Raiders in '84? Mention coach race as a footnote, and that will tell us how far race relations have really come.

Regards,
Irrelevant

The Irrelevant All-Star Game II

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Hello. Well, the NHL All-Star Game apparently set a new low for US TV viewership, with 76% less people watching it in 2007 than in 2004, the last time the game was held.
The game did get the attention of Dave Hodge, Damien Cox, Michael Farber and Steve Simmons, the usual cast for TSN The Reporters. Dave Hodge was my boyhood broadcast hero, who has seen decades of hockey. His first (and as it turns out, best) idea was to scrap the game. Farber suggested having it in Europe. Cox recommended having it against the Stanely Cup champions, or against the host city's team. Another idea was to play against a European All-Star team of non-NHL players, a disaster waiting to happen if the NHL team loses. Still another idea was to have Canadian players vs US players, and let everyone else sit home.
As Simmons pointed out, the game itself is irrelevant. They could have an NHL Convention instead. Another idea was to have the game at the begining of the year.
If 4 great students of the game can't solve this issue, why have the game? Apparently Reebok got a chance to display its new uniforms. Yippee! Then again, Reebok give the NHL more money than NBC, so why not have a game for just that reason?
It's apparent to everyone except NHL insiders the NHL game is in trouble in the US. The whole league is in danger of becoming even more irrelevant than it already is. It may already be time for a league do-over.

Regards,
Irrelevant

The Irrelevant All-Star Game

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Hello. Last night the NHL All-Star Game was in Dallas. Did you watch? Neither did I.
There are many questions raised these days about All-Star Games:

1. Why was this one played in Dallas? Pittsburgh would've been a better choice. Anywhere where the NHL is struggling. Dallas is a great hockey market. Montreal gets the game in 2 years. Why not Nashville, or Atlanta?
2. Why does every team have a representative? Because every existing market's fans should have someone to root for. I remember when the Blue Jays had their token rep. It made me semi-interested knowing someone was there, even though the team stunk.
3. Why have a game at all? The past reasons for having one have disappeared. Raising money for the players (Ace Bailey was the recipient of the NHL's first All-Star Game) is no longer an issue. Neither is seeing all the players, as you can do that on TV. Pride in your league or conference is no longer an issue either.

In short this game is irrelevant. As Stephen Brunt of the Globe and Mail said on a program, the NHL is ahead of the curve having it on a Wednesday on a channel no one gets. Get rid of the thing.

Regards,

Irrelevant

The Irrelevant Budget

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Hello. Why do companies do budgets? It's something that's always puzzled me. Last night I heard of another situation where it was a waste of time for a company to do a budget, because they were hit with an unexpected expense that threw their budget out of whack.
If you ask anyone in business, they'll say a long-range budget now is one year. Most would say 6 months. Find me one budget that accurately predicts the future, and I'll buy you dinner. There is just no way a budget can be planned with 100% certainty. Like a weather forecast, it does the best it can, but there are too many variables to consider.
What would I do instead? Plan to spend any savings on one thing that will greatly improve your company. Provide incentives for employees to leave the company on their own terms. In other words, focus on the right things, and treating people the right way. Don't become as anonymous as the irrelevant budget.

Regards,
Irrelevant

The Irrelevant Event Result

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Hello. Congrats to Peyton Manning for getting to the Super Bowl. Manning is one of the great quarterbacks of all time. However, he won't be considered with the quarterback elite until he wins the Super Bowl. He's favoured to do so on Feb 4th.
What makes Manning truly great? The results of Manning's performance have become irrelevant. Why? Because no matter what he does (or doesn't do) in a football game, he is news. The headlines are already written for the Super Bowl. It will either be a coronation or a roast for Manning. No other player will be mentioned that way. In fact, if Rex Grossman quarterbacks the Chicago Bears to victory, it will be seen as a fluke.
Another athlete in this category is Michelle Wie. Everyone is waiting for her to win on the LPGA or make a cut on the PGA. She has come close to doing both, and she's only 17. A very gifted player. However, no matter what she does, she's news.
These two are a marketing executive's dream. The results of their performances are irrelevant. Showing up and doing anything (or nothing) will still get headlines.
Here's hoping all of us become this irrelevant.

Regards,
Irrelevant

The Irrelevant Advice/Opinion Asker

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Hello. Have you or anyone else you've known ever used the sentence "Do you want my opinion?" or perhaps "Do you want my advice?"?
If so, you may have asked the question I have when I hear it - why are you asking?
If you reply "yes" to either of these questions, they will gladly give you their advice/opinion.
If you reply "no" to either of those questions, you will offend the person. They will give you the advice or opinion sometime later in the conversation. Let them give it now. Otherwise they will dwell on this advice/opinion for the duration of the conversation. They will not hear what you have to say. They will care about it even less than what they would've done if you had said "yes".
As the the person asking these questions, don't bother. We all know you'll say it anyways. Your question is irrelevant. Just give your advice/opinion and be done with it.

Regards,
Irrelevant

The Irrelevant Opinion

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Hello. I'm often asked what my opinion is on subjects. I used to put a lot of thought into it. Then it hit me. Why am I thinking about it so much? It's irrelevant, because I'm irrelevant.
To give a parallel, no one asks Britney Spears for an opinion on global warming, or politics. Why? No credibility. Same with me. I don't have an opinion that matters, because I don't matter.
Is this good? It certainly is, if you don't worry about rejection. You can say what ever you want, and take no time to say it. The freedom is amazing! And since your opinion gets dismissed, there's no lasting effects.
Back to my example. If Britney Spears says global warming is nothing to worry about, is that going to change anyone's opinion, let alone someone who is passionately saying the world is coming to an end? Absolutely not. Why would it? In fact if someone is that passionate even scientific evidence won't change their opinion. That's why the opinion is only important if the person asking for it is open-minded.
Don't waste your time thinking about your opinion. Just blurt it out.

Regards,
Irrelevant

The Irrelevant Service

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Hello. The Star articles re poverty continue to give me a new perspective. Today's is regarding "squeegee people", those who come up to your car when you're parked asking for money in return for a clean windshield.
I confess I've never given any squeegee people money. I've just shook my head and told them not to bother. I've found them to be quite annoying in the past.
It goes back to how I was brought up. We never helped anyone financially. We put money in the church plate, and then a nominal amount. Having said that, I did make a donation of my own money to a cause associated with Jean Beliveau when I was about 10. My dad was so proud he matched my $2. For some reason that lesson didn't stick with me. I was more aware of the times we didn't donate, or even tip.
So now the Ontario Court of Appeals has said sqeegee people can't squeegee anymore because the Traffic and Safety Act overrules the Constitution. What I think they're saying in the article is
the act of begging is still okay, but doing it on the roads, even though you're providing a service, is not. This service is not only irrelevant, but it hurts your cause. And since you're not a visible minority, you're not being discriminated against.
I now feel very ashamed. Why I think the sqeegee people were annoying is beyond me. In fact, they're very clever to figure out how they can provide a service with minimal expense and do it quickly enough to not detain motorists.
The next time I see someone asking for money, I'm going to take them to the nearest restaurant and feed them.

Regards,
Irrelevant

The Irrelevant Waiting List

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Hello. I'm continuing to read the Toronto Star's articles re poverty. Today's topic was daycare. It's a real Catch-22 for all parents of young children (myself included). Do you stay home, and probably make no money? Or do you go to work, and try to raise enough money for daycare? Will you have enough money left over to make it worthwhile?
After reading this article, what I'm finding is these questions are irrelevant. Why? Because there's not enough daycare. The article mentions a couple who put their name on a daycare waiting list before their child was born. The child is now 3.5 years old, and they're still waiting. 4 years!
Why bother having a waiting list? In this case, there are only 69 spots. Yet the waiting list is 200+. That means all these spots have to turnover 3 times before the last person on the list gets to be in the place. Since we're only talking 6 years for a child to be eligible, and a child can be in the daycare for 6 years, it's just not going to happen for anyone past the top 20 on the list.
Given this situation I would recommend parents do one of the following:

1. Hire a nanny
2. Become a certified daycare provider, and open your own business
3. Find a career where you can be at home with the kids when your spouse is not

Whatever your choice, raise yourself above an irrelevant waiting list stat.

Regards,

Steve

The Irrelevant Poor

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Hello. I was reminded yet again about how fortunate I am to be in the situation I'm in by a couple of recent events. One was watching the movie "The Pursuit of Happyness" with Will Smith playing Christopher Gardner, a tremendous rags-to-riches story. The other was seeing articles in the Toronto Star about poverty in Canada in general and Toronto in particular.
People who are poor are definitely irrelevant in our country. There is no political urgency to assist them. It's more urgent to help business people who employ minimum wage earners by keeping the minimum wage low.
Unfortunately, it seems like there is next to no way of breaking the "welfare wall" as the Star articles call it. Even Chris Gardner had a university education, and became broke because he had started an ill-advised business. Going from rags to riches when your rags are being uneducated and malnourished is another story. Compared to these people, Chris Gardner was very rich.
As in divorce, poverty affects the children most of all. Poverty is not just a daily bleak reality; it becomes the only world they know. This robs them of hope for a better future.
If you know anyone who is suffering especially now that winter weather has finally appeared, please assist them. If you want to know why, please read "Me to We" by the Keilburger brothers. It does a much better job of answering that question than I every could.

Regards,
Irrelevant

The Irrelevant Posting

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Hello. The past couple of days I haven't posted. I had difficulty switching to the new blogger.
Did it matter to me? Well, I did miss posting. I felt I had been pretty faithful for the last few months. When I couldn't get through, I felt I was missing something. Then again, I didn't kill myself trying to figure out what was wrong. When you share a machine with other family members, especially young children who want their daily dose of video games, It's important to keep everyone happy.
Did it matter to anyone else that I didn't post? Well I hope so. I really don't have any idea if anyone on the Web reads this. And I don't care. That's not the point of writing it. My motto has always been that I do this first for me. If someone else benefits, it's gravy. If someone complains about it, I respect their opinion. I'll analyze what they said and see if it's worth changing. If not, I'll keep going.
As long as what you do is relevant to you, the rest is irrelevant.

Regards,
Irrelevant

The Irrelevant Booster Seat

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Hello. Last week our family went to see Clifford The Big Red Dog live in a theatre. My 5-year-old son said he was able to see the stage from our seat. That changed once the show started.
As he was sitting on my knee I realized to him there was no difference between my lap and a booster seat. He didn't care if he was kicking the seat leg or my shin with his heel. It was irrelevant to him that he was squirming on me instead of some plastic. He didn't care that my view was blocked with him in front of me. He didn't care that the people behind us had a tougher time seeing. All he cared about was that he could see the stage. Since he could, the day was a success.
Isn't that the way it should be? Absolutely! And who cares if I missed any percentage of the show. I certainly didn't. I went in there with the sole purpose of making sure our children had a good time. The day was a total success.

Regards,
Irrelevant

The Irrelevant Snow

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Hello. Today it's supposed to be up around 10 Celcius (50 Fahrenheit) today yet again. 2007 has been very warm for this time of year. It's supposed to stay above freezing for the next 10 days! Unbelievable. January thaw has a new meaning.
Was anyone sad there wasn't a white Christmas? How come? The travel is better, there's no need to wear boots or shovel. Seems great to me!
What I've discovered is we are an indoor society. The baby boomers were the last generation to spend the majority of their play time outside. Now, with the Internet, digital and cable TV and indoor facilities for previously outdoor things (would you believe I used to skate on real ice outside?), people just go outside to get to another inside place.
Does it look nicer at this time of year if the ground has a little snow on it? Absolutely! However, I like it the most when the sun is shining. It makes these short daylight days go faster. The snow is really irrelevant right now.
Enjoy this great weather!

Regards,
Irrelevant

The Irrelevant Children's Video

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Hello. My children are watching Buzz Lightyear of Star Command for the umpteenth time. In spite of the fact they received several videos over the holidays.
Why? Why are they not watching these new ones?
Some they have watched a few times. Scooby Doo is a hit. So is Cars. And Little Einsteins.
Yet they haven't watched Clifford the Big Red Dog. Even though we're going to see him live in a theatre tomorrow. Or other new releases.
It's Buzz. And Blue's Clues. They're the ones that keep them coming back.
I think video creators are over thinking. While Pixar and Shrek have been great for adults, the kids don't care about moral messages. They just want to be entertained. Period.
Will we see classic videos like Lion King again? Probably not. They take too much time and money to create. Then the Law of Diminishing Returns comes into play.
Focus on entertaining only, creative people. Keep it simple. Appeal only to the lowest common denominator.

Regards,
Irrelevant

The Irrelevant Resolution

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Hello, and Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a happy holiday season.
Did you make any resolutions for 2007? If so, have you lasted this long (1.5 days)? Congrats if you have!
I drink a lot of cola. My resolution was to reduce. I decided to spend all of yesterday without having a cola. I made it to 9pm before my spouse asked me if I wanted one during our financial discussion. I said yes. 21 hours. Yippee!
If nothing else, a resolution makes you aware of a problem. That is half the battle. I've had only one so far today, but that will change tonight when I go curling.
Am I disappointed my progress on this resolution is not very good? Not really. I have already cut back. I don't drink alcohol, so cola is my social drink.
Next year I wilol make a resolution a waitress told me about. She said she was going to quit smoking. I replied that I didn't know she smoked. She said she didn't. That's my kind of resolution.

Regards,
Irrelevant