I heard that baseball spring training will begin soon. Every spring I think to myself, "I'm going to get interested in following baseball this season." The Texas Rangers are just north of me up Interstate  35, and I live in the hometown of the owner of the Houston Astros, and yet I never get around to following baseball.

The game is historic. It is really popular with some people. But "I'm just not that into it." However, I've got some ideas for enlivening baseball. Follow me on this--it's boffo stuff.

First, we need to bring baseball into the 21st Century. Hang on. We're not going to harm the game that millions of fans love. We just need to jazz it up a little in order to attract reluctant would-be fans like me. Okay, here's the first thing: I know that the big leagues use wood bats. Little Leaguers, high school, and college baseball teams use aluminum bats. When I first heard the sound of an aluminum bat meeting a baseball I thought, "Ewwww, that ain't right." The sound is supposed to be a sharp "Crack" of the wood bat against the cowhide ball. But an aluminum bat hitting the ball says, "Plink."

But wait; that sound can work for us in jazzing up baseball. The "Plink" can work for us. Instead of despising that plinking sound, let's borrow a trick from video games by adding amplification and creating a real "PLINK." And we're just getting started.

How old are the designs for baseball gloves? They're antique. Let's upgrade them to bright colors, add colored lights, and include some sound effects. Man, we're onto something here. Imagine this--a swing of the bat, an amplified "PLINK," a base hit, the shortstop snares the fly ball in his fire-engine-red glove that flashes with red LEDs upon contact with the ball, and the glove then emits an exciting "Bing-Bing-Bing" sound signifying a catch. Wow! "PLINK," whoosh, "Bing-Bing-Bing"--flashing red lights. It sounds like a pinball machine.

Outfielders would have yellow gloves, the pitcher a blue one, the catcher would have an orange glove, the first baseman green, second baseman white, and the third baseman purple. All with LEDs and "Bing-Bing-Bing" sound effects. Excitement reigns.

There's more! Each base pad and home plate will be outlined with LEDs to flash in a circular pattern round and around the base when a runner arrives. With a homerun, the lights should ''jump'' from base to base around the diamond, with home plate flashing in a series of rainbow hues. At this point, the scoreboard would fire off the obligatory fireworks, sirens will blare, and--get this--the seats in the stands will vibrate wildly in celebratory ecstasy.

Umpires get technorized too. Instead of shouting "Ball" and "Strike," they'll raise the appropriate arm and that side of his uniform will flash with colored strobe lights, green for balls and red for strikes. On top of each player's cap, we should have an infrared transmitter that activates whenever that player...uh...you know...when he scratches himself. The infrared signal will trigger a public address system soundtrack saying something like "Uh oh, Oh no--he scratched."  His cap blinks red.

Lights, sounds, sensations. Wheee. Let's remake baseball into a lifesize pinball machine or video game. PLINK. Bing-Bing-Bing. Whee. Snap, crackle, pop. I could get into that!

"I have tried simply to write the best I can. Sometimes I have good luck and write better than I can" -- Ernest Hemingway.

It's nice when that happens.  -ML 

A local outdoor advertising company, Lamar Advertising, has an understated and yet powerful billboard beside Interstate 35. It asks "Does advertising work?"

It just did.

Worth thinking about.

I think that I am of fairly average intelligence. For months now I have been trying to figure out how to make money on the Internet, and I seem to be helping others make their web fortunes but I'm not seeing any income myself. Is it just me? These guys (and some gals) assure you that they are the "maverick entepreneur" who will at long last dare to reveal the true secrets of Internet success. I hate to admit it, but I have purchased some of their "secrets." Then you learn that they will--for additional fees--set you up to sell those same "secrets" to others. It's like the pea under the shell scam--you lay out your money but somehow you never find the pea.

-- Mike

1. To follow-up on a salesperson's call
2. To set up an appointment
3. To apologize for something you may have done wrong
4. To compliment someone for something
5. To recognize an anniversary of almost anything
6. To celebrate holidays other than Christmas -- Thanksgiving and Valentine's Day, for instance
7. To solidify the telephone contact you've made
8. To solidify the in-person contact you've made
9. To thank someone for seeing your demo or hearing your presentation
10. To thank someone for making a purchase
11. To thank someone for their time even if they said "no" to your offer
12. To thank someone for giving you a referral
13. To welcome someone to anything at which they're new
14. To applaud someone for a job well done
15. To reiterate how much you've enjoyed working with someone
16. To congratulate on a promotion or new job
17. To mention that you saw the person in the news (include the clipping)
18. To congratulation on a special achievement or award
19. To thank a person for doing a favor for you
20. To thank someone for exceptional service
21. To let a person know that you appreciate their product or service
22. To thank a person for their time
23. To express regrets if regrets are merited
24. To thank someone for inviting you to something
25. To tell someone that you hope they get well
26. To express condolences
27. To congratulate someone on a new baby, marriage or new home
28. To recognize a person's birthday
29. To announce a new product or service that you offer
30. To give advance notice of a discount you'll be granting

These letters should be accurate, brief and clear. They should get directly to the point and have an intense personal feeling, which can be conveyed by handwriting. These should never be form letters. The idea is not to impress anyone, but to express an idea.

Each letter should be warm and reflect your personality. For these tips, and for thousands more, I owe my thanks to Rick Crandall's content-rich book, "Marketing Magic," published by Select Press, http://www.amazon.com/Marketing-Magic-Proven-Pathways-Success/dp/0964429438/sr=1-18/qid=1166812035/ref=sr_1_18/102-5685533-9335312?ie=UTF8&s=books .

Howdy  --  5 years ago, I couldn't have envisioned using the word "blog." I didn't know there was a word "blog"--and now I am a "blog" (more correctly, I guess I am actually a 'blogger'). I'm new at this web journal thing, this blogging. I'll be sharing thoughts and ideas from time to time, and I hope that you will add to the conversation appropriately as you have a chance. I'd like the topics to revolve around writing, marketing, creativity, and so on. But we shall see where the trail meanders. 

     My "To Do" list right now includes two books I'm working on, plus a magazine article, some promotional efforts for my book Patience, My Foot!, and a one-man show stageplay about a local character and raconteur. Well, let's see how this goes. Thanks for dropping by, and please come back.   -- Mike