Making it Tough

Last night was the last kickball game of the season (the tourney is on tap now), and the band at our post-game haunt was heating the place up. You could tell they were really enjoying themselves, but, when some girls next to me started yelling for the Pixies, I realized... huh, this band's setup would be perfect to cover the Pixies. So, I got in on the action as well, shouting for the Pixies.

One of the girls yelling for the Pixies then suggested that we write it into their setlist while the band took a break... She hooked up the pen, and I put it in, with a message that we'd go nuts if they played it. Apparently, we hit on the one band's songs that this band didn't know, as my female teammates related to me that the singer was hanging out nervously in the ladies bathroom, explaining to whoever would listen that they didn't know any Pixies songs...

Hah, now that I wrote it down, it seemed a lot more poignant last night.

Coors Surprise

One of the last cases in my strategy class this past semester focused on Coors. The point of the case was in the importance of price and price warring vis a vis the perception of quality among other things.

Surprisingly, Coors used to be regarded as a very premium beer. President's had it flown into the White House and people would drive hundred of miles to get cases. Coors itself was at that time, a stickler for quality, and tightly monitored the temperature of all the trucks, trains, and wholesaler warehouses to make sure that the beer was never warm. Then, they decided to expand, drop their prices, and put out a "light" version to compete with Miller and Anheuser-Busch, and their brand perception went to pots after that.

In any case, I was curious to see what Coors' orginal brew, Coors Banquet was actually like... And actually, it's pretty good, like a cross between a Pilsner and a Lager, and it goes down smooth. What a pleasant surprise.

Finally - In a place known for it's St. Patty's Tradition

St. Patty's is less than a week away. I'm trying to score some tix for The Dropkick Murphys' show for a reasonable price. Even if that doesn't happen, looks like in the right place per this article on CNN:

Political wit a hit in Boston, Massachusetts

The link to Ireland couldn't be stronger than it is in Massachusetts, where a quarter of the population claims Irish heritage.

And while the state capital is awash in green cheer at this time of year, a tradition of exchanging political barbs has kicked off each morning of the St. Patrick's Day parade, dating back about 60 years. The March 15 breakfast, including song and dance amid the playful ribbing, was an outgrowth of the community's involvement in politics, which runs as deep as Irish humor.

"It allows people to see their elected officials [local, state and national] in a role they don't normally see them in," explained state Sen. Jack Hart (or, as he says it, "Haht") of south Boston, who's hosting the political roast for the eighth year. The televised event draws about 4 million viewers and "beats the Sunday morning talk shows."

Neither Sen. Ted Kennedy nor Sen. John Kerry is expected this year, but getting a call from the nation's highest office isn't unheard of. Vice President Joe Biden has attended, and Hart said they're working on getting the attention of President Obama. Or is that O'Bama?

CEOs and Beer Games

Thursday heralded the end of orientation. It had been a crazy week - 12-14 hours a day of constant activity. The day opened with a session with the CEO who was the protagonist of the case we'd read earlier in the week. He explained more detail on the situation, gave us the low-down of what had gone on after the case had ended, and took our questions. Then he gave us his 6 pieces of advice for running a company - and this is from a guy that ran a multi-billion dollar company - unreal.

We ended orientation by playing the Beer Game, which actually doesn't involve drinking beer. It's ultimately a market-psychological experiment that always repeats itself with similar results, and predicates that ultimately, you will not totally trust the other players, and create an inefficient market. My partner and I came up with a strategy to follow to make sure that her and I wouldn't panic at any moment, and it worked well, but the other teams weren't so fruitful... Fascinating game. I want to play again!