In Rab's Words: Entry #8

[spiral97]

Entry #8 - September 14, 2007
Buy Some Stamps...

Do you know what Coach Crean spends an hour a day doing during his hectic and chaotic schedule? Writing letters. Recruits, coaches, friends, family, people he meets, authors of books he has read...Coach Crean is a passionate letter writer. More importantly coach believes in the power of the written word. In a day and age of email, text messaging and the good ol' phone, letter writing has sadly become a lost art. If you are an average American (which, yes, I understand most of you are above average), you will receive 100 pieces of mail (bills, junk, etc.) for every one personal letter you receive. What the postal service calls "household to household" mail accounts for less than one percent of the 100 billion pieces of mail sent every year.

The impact of receiving a personal note far outweighs the effort that goes into writing it. Folding a letter, stuffing it an envelope, finding a stamp and locating your nearest mailbox may seem like a burden, but when you measure the impact, significance and the smile that adorns the receiver's face...the effort of sending a letter pales in comparison. The US Postal Service recently published its "Mail Moment" survey and the results were bittersweet. 55% of Americans surveyed said they look forward to what the mail has in store for them each day...another two-thirds of Americans said that they do not expect to receive personal mail, but when they do it makes their day. So what are you waiting for, take Clint Eastwood's advice...go "make somebody's day."

I love the fact that I work alongside a head coach that understands the power of the personal word. And you know what? Most highly successful business executives and coaches are practitioners of the personal art of letter writing. A perfect example is my old boss and good friend, Kelvin Sampson, now the head coach at Indiana University. For nearly 11 years I saw Coach Sampson on a daily basis during our days at Washington State and Oklahoma, yet in the past seven years I'll bet I have seen Coach only a "dozen or so" times. Yet every time I send Coach Sampson a note, he ALWAYS takes the time to write me back. And each time I receive one his of five or six sentence letters, it feels like I never left his side. It's just one of the many common championship characteristics that Coach Crean and Coach Sampson share.

So put down your Blackberry...log off the computer and take some time out of your day to write someone a letter. An old acquaintance, a classmate, your son or daughter, an ex teacher...the list is endless and so is the imprint you will leave on their heart. As author Phyllis Theroux wrote, "To send a letter is a good way to move somewhere without moving anything but your heart". That's great advice Phyllis.

Until next time...keep up the support on the outside...I'll keep you "blogged" on the inside. And if you get time, write me a letter. :-)

http://gomarquette.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/082107aad.html

[mu_hilltopper]

I even have one of those letters.

Crean and his family stayed at a resort in Arizona a few summers ago, just happened to be the one which my brother in law is the GM.    My in-law gave them the royal treatment.  Might have mentioned family ties to MU. -- Although never bumped into them during their stay.

A week after they left, he gets a package in the mail, a couple t-shirts and a hand-written note from Coach Crean, thanks for the great time, here's some shirts.

Nice touch.

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

This is FANTASTIC.

[BuzzSucksSucks]

World Class Blog.. Thanks coach!

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

Tom Crean = Abraham Lincoln.

Kudos for Rab for letting us know just how lucky we are. It's not enough that Crean calls a press conference every time he fills up his recycling bin, he's now got his assistants waxing and buffing his image for us.

When does it stop?

 

[bilsu]

I do not think you understand what it takes to be a successful coach in a major conference. You have to have strong work ethic and a strong image. You also have to have an ego. You cannot convince recruits to come play for you, if you do not believe in yourself. You have to self promote, especially since there are a lot of negative people ( and opposing coaches) who will constantly take shots at you.

[4everwarriors]

to get a little meat along with all the sizzle.


ACAT

[MarkMiller]

Good grief. Rab was simply blogging about something he thought people might find of interest, something most probably weren't aware of.

[Harrison]

i think waht can annoy some people is that as 4ever says ...it's all crean all the time..
I absolutely agree you have to be constantly promoting the program, selling it etc.  And to that end Crean IMHO has done a wonderful job building the face of Mu BBAll in the nation's eyes, recruits obviuosly included. 
I think what annoys people and me at times included. Is that fact that 4ever states its all Crean...all the time.  case in point Crean adds a wonderful touch of the hand written notes, having been around the program i personally know TC does a great job of knowing everyones names, remebering stuff about them asking how they are.  very good about that no doubt. 

But Again what annoys people is that we all already know this, it has been written about before, and yet again Rab is (or has been directed to) to write how great TC is yet again.  My personal preferrence for the blogs would be to learn more about Christopherson, to learn more about Hazel, the development of the 3 amigos, cubis summer trips etc.  I think that builds as much fan interest/excitment/ownership etc.  than endless self promotion of our head coach. 

[Tulsa Warrior]

Target audience right now probably is not the fan base.  My guess is the blog is a recruiting tool.

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

i think waht can annoy some people is that as 4ever says ...it's all crean all the time..
I absolutely agree you have to be constantly promoting the program, selling it etc.  And to that end Crean IMHO has done a wonderful job building the face of Mu BBAll in the nation's eyes, recruits obviuosly included. 
I think what annoys people and me at times included. Is that fact that 4ever states its all Crean...all the time.  case in point Crean adds a wonderful touch of the hand written notes, having been around the program i personally know TC does a great job of knowing everyones names, remebering stuff about them asking how they are.  very good about that no doubt. 

But Again what annoys people is that we all already know this, it has been written about before, and yet again Rab is (or has been directed to) to write how great TC is yet again.  My personal preferrence for the blogs would be to learn more about Christopherson, to learn more about Hazel, the development of the 3 amigos, cubis summer trips etc.  I think that builds as much fan interest/excitment/ownership etc.  than endless self promotion of our head coach. 

You are much more diplomatic than I, but this is a perfect assessment and reflects my feelings exactly.

[spiral97]

My personal preferrence for the blogs would be to learn more about Christopherson, to learn more about Hazel, the development of the 3 amigos, cubis summer trips etc.  I think that builds as much fan interest/excitment/ownership etc.  than endless self promotion of our head coach. 

You are much more diplomatic than I, but this is a perfect assessment and reflects my feelings exactly.

Oh good.. so you're interested in finding more about the players.. awesome!  If you feel that the discussion is heavily weighted towards crean, let me suggest spiral97's fairly straightforward "personal thread interest growth program" (tm) consisting of the following 3 steps:
1.) go research the topics you ARE interested in
    a.) attend games and open practices and provide player by player breakdowns/critiques after each one
    b.) contact the athletic department and inquire about getting an interview with your player(s) of interest
    c.) go hang out at the rec center and try to play one or more of them in a pick up game
    d.) check into their history - maybe talk to their high school coach
2.) start your own blog covering the information you find - or even easier, just report back here as you develop the profiles, results, info that you find
3.) quit contributing to the threads you find yourself disinterested in and instead contribute to only those you ARE interested in

On the other hand, if you don't like the focus of a thread, might I suggest spiral97's simple 1 step "thread dislike coping program" (tm): 1.) ignore the thread.

I would absolutely LOVE to read your take and perspective on mu basketball related topics that you are interested in.
But, quite frankly, I'm tired of hearing you two complain about the content you DO see.  The blogs and posts that you read are FREE.  The people writing them can generally do their job and get paid without taking the time to write them in the first place.  When you personally start paying for the content THEN you have a leg to stand on.  Until then, take a bit from the bowl and put it on your plate or just think "no thank you" and move along.

Note that you can successfully implement BOTH of the above programs without even having to leave your seat - INCREDIBLE!  I encourage you to begin your road to recovery NOW.

[Harrison]

spiral glad to see you have an opinion too.  we each have one, the neat thing about a forum is people express their's and dialog insues. 

[Murffieus]

What in the world does hand written letters have with winning BB----IMO no one cares if it is a text message or a handwriiten one----the important thing is the message and what's in it---not how its delivered. In fact when I get a hand wriiten letter (not often), I question whether the author is living in the new millenium.

In the end substance wins out over style!

[Henry Sugar]

i think waht can annoy some people is that as 4ever says ...it's all crean all the time..
I absolutely agree you have to be constantly promoting the program, selling it etc.  And to that end Crean IMHO has done a wonderful job building the face of Mu BBAll in the nation's eyes, recruits obviuosly included. 
I think what annoys people and me at times included. Is that fact that 4ever states its all Crean...all the time.  case in point Crean adds a wonderful touch of the hand written notes, having been around the program i personally know TC does a great job of knowing everyones names, remebering stuff about them asking how they are.  very good about that no doubt. 

But Again what annoys people is that we all already know this, it has been written about before, and yet again Rab is (or has been directed to) to write how great TC is yet again.  My personal preferrence for the blogs would be to learn more about Christopherson, to learn more about Hazel, the development of the 3 amigos, cubis summer trips etc.  I think that builds as much fan interest/excitment/ownership etc.  than endless self promotion of our head coach. 

I didn't know that Tom Crean does handwritten letters every night.  I think that's kind of cool, and I'm glad that Rab shared it on the blog. 

Previously, Rab did a nice summary job talking about the statistics they collected and how those stats reflect on the players' performances and coach expectations.  Not every blog post by Rab can be about how well (or not) the players are doing.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

What in the world does hand written letters have with winning BB----IMO no one cares if it is a text message or a handwriiten one----the important thing is the message and what's in it---not how its delivered. In fact when I get a hand wriiten letter (not often), I question whether the author is living in the new millenium.

In the end substance wins out over style!

I think type of delivery is just as important as the substance.

It's like public speaking, you might have a great message... but you have to be able to deliver it to make people listen.

The point of Rab's blog was that not too many D1 coaches take the time to write hand-written notes to people... and I think he is right.

It's as simple as that.

[Murffieus]

Rab probably is correct in that not too many coaches take the time to scribble messages----probably NONE as a matter of fact. But in this day and age hand written messages has gone the way of the Buffalo----just because it's different doesn't mean that it's enhanced delivery----like I say, if i ever got one of those hand written messages, I'd think the author was passe (behind the times)-----or just trying to be different to gain an advantage.

What most of these these guys are PRIMARILY interested in is how do they fit into the offense and can this coach develop me to the point where I can get drafted into the NBA!

[Schoolyard]

Entry #8 - September 14, 2007
Buy Some Stamps...

A perfect example is my old boss and good friend, Kelvin Sampson, now the head coach at Indiana University. For nearly 11 years I saw Coach Sampson on a daily basis during our days at Washington State and Oklahoma, yet in the past seven years I'll bet I have seen Coach only a "dozen or so" times. Yet every time I send Coach Sampson a note, he ALWAYS takes the time to write me back. And each time I receive one his of five or six sentence letters, it feels like I never left his side. It's just one of the many common championship characteristics that Coach Crean and Coach Sampson share.

http://gomarquette.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/082107aad.html

Coach Sampson also likes to pick up the phone and call people...about 500 times more than Myles Brand would like.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Rab probably is correct in that not too many coaches take the time to scribble messages----probably NONE as a matter of fact. But in this day and age hand written messages has gone the way of the Buffalo----just because it's different doesn't mean that it's enhanced delivery----like I say, if i ever got one of those hand written messages, I'd think the author was passe (behind the times)-----or just trying to be different to gain an advantage.

What most of these these guys are PRIMARILY interested in is how do they fit into the offense and can this coach develop me to the point where I can get drafted into the NBA!

I agree that the actual substance is really what the recruit is looking for, but delivery is important because it shows the level of interest (actions speak louder then words sometimes).

Also, as others have pointed out here, Crean doesn't just write letters to recruits, but to other people who help the program or have impacted him. I don't think the whole "letter thing" is just about recruiting. 

As far as being "passe"... I guess it's a matter of opinion.... I mean, there is a reason why thank you cards, invitations, birthday cards and such are always hand written. It adds a personal touch. Can you imagine getting a wedding thank you via text message? I mean, c'mon... somethings need to be hand written.

Call me old fashioned, but I think the letters he writes are pretty cool.

[Harrison]

2002mu alum

I agree that the hand written note is a nice touch. I am in sales and I feel the handwritten corresponednce, ie thank you is better than the "pre-approved read to print" note.

However you go on to say:


It's like public speaking, you might have a great message... but you have to be able to deliver it to make people listen.

The point of Rab's blog was that not too many D1 coaches take the time to write hand-written notes to people... and I think he is right.

It's as simple as that.

Yes, however, Rab reference the two head coaches he has worked for and they both do it.  That's 100%...as opposed to your take of "not too many do it"

[spiral97]

Yes, however, Rab reference the two head coaches he has worked for and they both do it.  That's 100%...as opposed to your take of "not too many do it"

agreed Harrison - I had the same reaction to the post.  But I believe that 2002mualum is also generally right though  as I also got a strong impression from rab's blog that he was really trying to say that it is quite rare.  The thing is that this was only an impression.. Rab didn't really come right out and say it; nor did he back up that impression with any examples or facts (would be very undiplomatic to do so).

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Yes, however, Rab reference the two head coaches he has worked for and they both do it.  That's 100%...as opposed to your take of "not too many do it"

agreed Harrison - I had the same reaction to the post.  But I believe that 2002mualum is also generally right though  as I also got a strong impression from rab's blog that he was really trying to say that it is quite rare.  The thing is that this was only an impression.. Rab didn't really come right out and say it; nor did he back up that impression with any examples or facts (would be very undiplomatic to do so).

This is where I got the idea that Rab was saying that letter writing is rare.



"Coach Crean is a passionate letter writer. More importantly coach believes in the power of the written word. In a day and age of email, text messaging and the good ol' phone, letter writing has sadly become a lost art. If you are an average American (which, yes, I understand most of you are above average), you will receive 100 pieces of mail (bills, junk, etc.) for every one personal letter you receive. What the postal service calls "household to household" mail accounts for less than one percent of the 100 billion pieces of mail sent every year."


I dunno, I guess I thought the article was pretty cool because I don't know anybody who hand writes letters anymore. Maybe a lot of college coaches do it, but I don't think the average person does it at all.

[rocky_warrior]

In case you're tired of debating this one - there's now an entry #9, with this tidbit:

http://gomarquette.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/082107aad.html

Ooze - My favorite thus far...turns out ooze is not just the 6'10" starting center for the Golden Eagles. No, ooze is sediment that contains at least 30% skeletal remains of microscopic floating organisms. Yuck...I like our "Ous" a whole lot better...not too mention his ability to score in the alley.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

2002mu alum

I agree that the hand written note is a nice touch. I am in sales and I feel the handwritten corresponednce, ie thank you is better than the "pre-approved read to print" note.

However you go on to say:


It's like public speaking, you might have a great message... but you have to be able to deliver it to make people listen.

The point of Rab's blog was that not too many D1 coaches take the time to write hand-written notes to people... and I think he is right.

It's as simple as that.

Yes, however, Rab reference the two head coaches he has worked for and they both do it.  That's 100%...as opposed to your take of "not too many do it"

Yea, I know what you mean. I guess I was looking at the overall context... but you are right, he does say that other coaches do it as well. Touche for you.

I was thinking more about how Crean writes thank you notes and stuff, not just letters to recruits. Maybe a lot of coaches do it, I guess I don't really know. I still like that he does it.

Oh well. Realistically this isn't a big topic, I guess I just felt compelled to respond.

[ecompt]

Coach Rab should be ashamed of himself for writing positive things about our coach. And how dare TC hog the spotlight by appearing in Al's Run? Fire the man immediately.