Sports Weekend – cont.

The sports theme continued through the rest of Thanksgiving Weekend.  It started out with basketball and hockey, but then it turned primarily to football.

On Saturday, my friends, Rynthia and Katie, hosted a group of friends at their beautiful farm in Purcellville.  They have a wide variety of fascinating friends, including their wonderful neighbors, the Walker family.  After a couple of hours of talking, eating and drinking, they hosted their first annual football game.   The Commissioner for the game was all-time Redskin great, Brian Mitchell.  The game was co-ed and it included young children.  So, the hitting wasn’t too ferocious and the skill level wasn’t particularly high (plus some of us were in street clothes since we forgot to bring football gear), but we had a blast playing ball.   Fortunately, no one got hurt.

Then, on Saturday night, my favorite college team, the OU Sooners, battled the OSU Cowboys.  This was a vital game for the Sooners since they’re battling the Univ of Texas and Texas Tech for the number two ranking in the BCS Series.   Just like they did last week against Texas Tech, they posted over 60 points against the Cowboys and walked away with a 20-point victory!  Of course, now there’s a three-way tie at the top of the Big 12 South.  And, the teams have to rely on two polls and the convaluted BCS rankings to see who’ll come out on top.  President-elect Obama is right — we do NEED a college football play-off tourney put in place!!!

On Sunday, my friend, Rob, visiting from Montreal, and I went to FedEx Field to see the Redskins play the defending Super Bowl Champion, NY Giants.   I thought the team would play well, especially since they were honoring the late Sean Taylor (who most of you know was tragically murdered during a robbery attempt at his home in Miami last year).   Unfortunately, the Skins came out flat and were dominated 23 – 7 by the Giants.  Boo.

Fortunately, I got home in time to see the Georgetown Hoyas play an outstanding game against their DC neighbors, the Maryland Terps.

So, this was one great sports weekend — pro hoops to hockey to college and pro football.  Plus, turkey, family and visiting friends.   The sports theme will continue as we head to Vegas next weekend for the De La Hoya – Pacquiao championship fight.   Go Manny!

Thanksgiving – Sports

First, I’d like to thank those of you that wrote very touching and personal notes about their own experience of spending Thanksgiving without a loved one.  As I wrote on Thanksgiving morning, this was our first Thanksgiving without my father, who passed away earlier this year.  I deeply appreciate the wonderful emails and comments from friends.

So, Thanksgiving Weekend became a Sports Weekend.  I went to the Wizards – Magic game on Thanksgiving Night at the Verizon Center.   It wasn’t the best idea to stage a game on Thanksgiving Night.   Although it was a nationally-televised game and the Dwight Howard, one of the best five players in the league was playing, it was a woeful crowd.  The announced attendance was 12k but it looked more like only 6,000 or so in the seats.   And, the Wizards played with little energy and got thrashed by the Magic.

Last night, Friday night, was a much better sports experience as the Capitals welcomed one of the all-time great sports franchises, the Montreal Canadiens (or the “Habs” as they’re affectionally known).   Verizon Center was jammed full … most people were in their seats before face-off … and there was a play-off like energy and buzz in the crowd.   The Habs’ ex-goaltender, Jose Theodore, now playing in goal for the Caps, put on a stellar performance and shut out the Habs 3 – 0.   The Caps and the San Jose Sharks are the only teams that have not lost a game in their home arena this season.

Although DC has historically been much more of a basketball town vs a hockey town, especially with the excellent collegiate programs at Georgetown and Maryland (and, good ones at GWU and AU), in regard to the pro game, the Caps have become a hotter ticket than the Wizards.   If you get a chance, go check out the Caps – they play at home twice next week.

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year, but today’s Thanksgiving Dinner will be a bit different since it’ll be the first one without my Father, who passed away in February after a lengthy bout with Alzheimer’s.  As those of you that know me, my Father was one of my heroes and idols.  I love him and miss him dearly.

But, instead of being down, I / we are actually happy with the thought that my Father will be reunited with his parents and four brothers for Thanksgiving for the first time in a long, long time (he was the last surviving of the five Lynn brothers).

I also want to say thank you to so many, many wonderful friends that were there for my family and I earlier this year when my Father passed, including the memorial service at Ft Myer Chapel, the interment at Arlington National Cemetery and the reception at my home.   Also, a major debt of gratitude to the U.S. Army, who honor its’ military veterans in such a classy and terrific manner.

Many of my friends asked me how I got through the eulogy without breaking down.  It was because of the love, support and friendship from so many family members and friends that filled Ft Myer Chapel.  I gained so strength from all.  And, for that, I’m eternally grateful.   I feel so blessed to have so many wonderful friendships.   Thank you.

So, on this Thanksgiving Holiday, please hug your loved ones and let them know how much you care about one another.   Happy Thanksgiving.

Year Up

I posted that I started blogging on both Facebook and Linked-in.   The sites helped drive traffic to these new blogs I just started posting over the past month.   The ones where I blog about the non-profits and philanthropy seem to generate the most comments / interest.

So, today, I’d like to talk about one of the terrific organizations in the DC area … the group is called Year Up.  I’m meeting w/ the head of the DC office, Tynesia Boyea Robinson, today for lunch.   Much like Susie Kay at Hoop Dreams as well as many other Executive Directors of non-profits, Ty is a high-energy, smart, disciplined and vivacious person.

Year Up, as described on its’ website, http://www.yearup.org, is a one-year, intensive training program that provides urban young adults, ages 18 – 24, with a unique combination of tech and professional skills, college credits, an education stipend and corporate apprenticeship.

I’m a huge believer and proponent of this program since I’ve seen first-hand what kind of terrific young men and women come from this organization.   Since Jan ’07, we’ve had five to seven apprentices at AOL, every six months for the past two years.   I’ve “group mentored” each group of students — primarily meeting with them on a regular basis; introducing them to others at AOL (outside of their dept); teaching them about business, financials, marketing, networking, diversity and inclusion, etc.

After finishing their six-month apprenticeship, the goal is to gain full time employment.   We’re proud to say that nearly 50% of the apprentices have become full-time employees at AOL.  That says a lot about the program, about the quality of students and the commitment of AOL to this program.   Todd Alston, an AOL co-worker and good friend, and I have been both fortunate to be honored with Year Up’s “Urban Empowerment” Award, but this is truly a group honor since there are so many others at AOL (too numerous to list) that have been involved as managers, mentors, coaches, etc.

So, in this week of Thanksgiving, I’d like to say thank you to the leaders of Year Up for their drive and commitment to make a difference in the lives of our urban youth; to the many students we’ve worked with over the past two years for your desire to improve yourself and to create a path to a brighter future; and to AOL and the employees for their commitment to this terrific and important program.   We all have the opportunity to create a more level playing field for others, especially the youth in our community.   Thanks to all for your commitment and efforts to make this happen.

Playing baseball

Believe it or not, our team played baseball today in the frigid weather.  And, we didn’t just play one game, we played two games!  We were supposed to play in the semi-finals of our league’s play-offs last Saturday; followed by the Championship Game last Sunday.  But, the games were postponed due to the heavy rains and wet fields.

The games were rescheduled for this weekend … and due to quirky scheduling, we had to play back-to-back games if we won the semi-final game.  At 7:15 am today, I went outside to get the newspaper … it was about 22 degrees!  I was thinking we must be nuts for playing hardball today.

Our semi-final started at 9:00 a.m.  I bat lead-off and play center field.  So, what happens in my very first at-bat?  Yes, I got hit by a pitch.  LOL.  Then, I was given the steal signal.  The ground was icy hard — I did steal second but it was not fun sliding into the rock-hard ground.  We went on to win the semi-final game 7 -  6, which put us in the championship game at 12 noon.

Thanks to a great all-around team effort, including great pitching, good defense and timely hitting, we won the Virginia division of the Ponce de Leon League!  It defintely was a great feeling, especially we have a great group of guys on the squad.   No more baseball until mid-April, when it’s hopefully in the 70′s!

Christmas Shopping with Mom

I took my Mom Christmas shopping earlier today.   This is our fourth straight year that we took our annual trek to the Leesburg Premium Outlets at around Thanksgiving time.  I was curious as to whether it’d be crowded or not, due in part to the harsh economic times.  But, the place was packed.  Of course, an outlet place might do better business than the glitzy malls since people are being more careful about expenses.

My Mom is not too big … she’s about 5 feet tall and 90 pounds, but she’s full of energy!   She likes the Leesburg place since there are a number of good places for her to find petite size clothers.   Fortunately, today was another successful day as she found plenty of things she liked.   I can tell she was happy since she was chattering all the way back on the 45-minute ride back to Arlington.

I’m planning on doing most of my Christmas shopping online – primarily to avoid the crowds and associated hassles (parking, long lines, short tempers, etc) – at the malls.   I’ve already finished about 50% of my holiday shopping.

Hoop Dreams Scholarship Foundation

Later tonight will be one of our fund-raisers for the wonderful Hoop Dreams Scholarship Foundation.   We’re going to hold an iKY Clothing Fashion show at the Shadow Room, a popular new spot in DC – near GWU.  All the proceeds will benefit the HDSF.

HDSF is now in Year 13.  The phenomenal Susie Kay, who is the founder, is still plugging away.   Her energy and enthusiasm is incredible.   The group has raised nearly $3 million and dispensed over 950 scholarships for DC public high school students.  It’s great to see the efforts put in by so many wonderful and caring people.

I’ve been a member of the board of directors for the past few years.  The board is full of great people — who care and want to make a difference.   It’s so worth the effort.  A majority of the HDSF students come from a single-parent family; are the first person in their family to attend college; and come from less privileged backgrounds.

I’ve helped mentor a few of the students — they all make me so proud.  One is a graduate of Hampton and now works for Verizon; another one is a senior at Temple; a third is a junior majoring in education at American Univ (where Susie and I both matriculated); and another is sophomore at Princeton.   I’m so proud of them all.   And, I / we are very grateful to all have helped us over the years.  http://www.hoopdreams.org.

Philanthropy

When it comes to Philanthropy, I’ve been blessed with two outstanding mentors, Ted Leonsis and Mario Marino.   They have done so much for this community … and they have also taught many of us the importance of community service, mentoring and giving back.   I’ve also witnessed the great philanthropic efforts of Jean and Steve Case, Raul Fernandez, Jack Davies and so many others.   It’s heart-warming to see the positive differences and changes they’ve made for so many people  in the greater Washington, DC region.

In regard to “giving back,” there are four basic options — 1) donate time, 2) donate money, 3) donate time and money, or 4) do nothing.   A majority of the people do option 4.   Everyone is busy and not everyone can give back, but it’s important for those of us that are involved in philanthropy to teach others and to set examples for others in the community.

With the downturn in the economy, people made not be able to donate money, but they can clearly donate their time in helping with the non-profits and community service organizations.   To be able create a more level playing field for others is a good, inner feeling.

I work with a number of outstanding organizations.  Here’s a listing of the various groups that I work with either as a board member, advisory board member, mentor, connector, adviser or donor.  If you’re interested, please review the links and I’ll be more than happy to put you in contact with any of the organizations.   Thank you.

- Hoop Dreams Scholarship Foundation — www.hoopdreams.org/

- Venture Philanthropy Partners — www.venturephilanthropypartners.org/

- Super Leaders — http://super-leaders.org/

- Asian-American LEAD — www.aalead.org/

- Year Up — www.yearup.org/

- Posse Foundation — www.possefoundation.org/

- Giving Back Fund — www.givingback.org/

- Hispanic Heritage Foundation — www.hispanicheritage.org/

- America’s Promise — www.americaspromise.org

- National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship — www.nfte.com

- Greater DC Cares — http://www.dc-cares.org/

‘Skins – Cowboys

The Redskins lost to their dreaded rivals, the Dallas Cowboys last night 14 – 10.   It’s a bummer to lose to a NFC East rival at home.  But, hats off to both teams for playing a hard-hitting, well-played game.   Romo did his best despite his injured pinky … and Barber ran all over the ‘Skins in the 4th quarter.  But, fortunately, the Skins are still in the middle of the play-off hunt.

There’s so many memories from the Dallas-Washington rivalry … some good, some bad.   It’s still definitely one of the best rivalries in the NFL.

It is interesting how one’s perspective changes.  It used to be that we would gloat in victory and totally be bummed out in defeat.  The next day would stink if your favorite team lost to a dreaded rival.   But, as one gets older and other things start to matter more, whether your favorite team won or lost takes on less weight.

For me, this has been a tough personal year with the passing of my Father.   We used to watch the Redskins games on TV together nearly every Sunday.  And, I spoke about my Father’s passion for the ‘Skins during the eulogy I delivered.

So, as personal situations change … the global economic crisis affects so much … watching Sports is still fun and a relief, but it’s no longer the most important thing in the world to have your favorite team win all the time.  That being said, Go ‘Skins!  Go Caps!  Go Nationals!  Go Wizards!  Go Hoyas!

Alexander the Great

It’s not too often that a city can boast the greatest player in their respective sport plays for the home team.  But, Washington, DC can make that claim — the world’s best hockey player, Alexander Ovechkin, plays for our hometown Washington Capitals.

Alex showed off his amazing skills again last night with a last-second goal that tied the game 5 – 5 with the NJ Devils.  They did lose the game in OT, but they earned a point.  After a fairly slow start (for him), Ovechkin has been on fire lately as the Caps have played great hockey and reclaimed first place in the Southeast Division.

I first met Alex on his second day in the U.S.   One of my mentors, Ted Leonsis, who’s our Vice-Chairman, Emeritus at AOL and majority owner of the Capitals, pinged me a few summers ago and said his new number one draft pick had just arrived in the U.S. and he wanted to show him some cool things to do in the U.S.  So, on his second day here, we took him to Baltimore to see the Ravens play the Redskins (pre-season game).

We did our best to explain the rules of the NFL to him.  Since he grew up in Russia, he had seen very little NFL action.  At half-time, I took him from the suite down to the field so he could do an interview on Comcast SportsNet as well as witness the fast-paced, hard-hitting action up close.   He was extremely impressed with the size, the speed, the trash-talking and the physicality of NFL players.

Ironically, he brings the same type of action to the ice.  Not only is he a great scorer, but he’s extremely hard-hitting and a good passer.   It should be a great joy for DC natives to be able to watch “Alexander the Great” for many, many years to come.   A recipient of the Art Ross, Rocket Richard and Hart memorial trophies, it’s amazing to watch him in person.

Ted and his terrific partners deserve a great team for their commitment to the community and for providing a young up-and-coming team on the ice.  Fortunately, they’ve already started drawing well — the Verizon Center has been packed.  It’ll get more crowded, fun and action-packed in the winter months.

Let’s go Caps!