Author / Frank Maduri

Posts by Frank Maduri

I am passionate about producing quality writing as a freelance writer and business development consultant. I am also a professionally trained grant writer with experience in fire, school, and emergency services grants. I also write short fiction, poetry, and prose. I enjoy sports and I am a fan of the NJ Devils, NY Giants, and NY Knicks. I enjoy sharing my views about these teams. I was raised and currently reside in New Jersey and I enjoy writing about my state and The Shore where I live, it is a beautiful place that has inspired my writing.
by Frank Maduri

Reflecting on 9/11

Today we remember all of the victims of the 9/11 terror attacks on our nation. That day is one that I will never forget. It changed our society forever.

No words can adequately express the sorrow I feel for the families who lost a loved one on that terrible day. The courage of the firemen, police officers, and first responders that day is still very humbling to me. They saved the lives of many that day, and so many of our emergency services workers, NYPD, NYFD, and Port Authority police lost their lives in those horrible events.

It has been 12 years since that tragic day, but we will always remember, and we have a responsibility to teach the generations to follow about the attacks and the events of that day. We have children now who were not even born when the attacks took place; which is one of the reasons why I think that 9/11 should be a national holiday spent in remembrance and service to others.

God bless the victims and may they rest in peace. I will continue to pray for peace in this world and an end to hatred and violence.

 

 

by Frank Maduri

The E.P.P. and Green Products Marketing

The issue of environmental protection is one in which we all have a vested interest. The federal government and their respective agencies and entities are enormous purveyors of a huge range of products for use within their operation.

 

The Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (E.P.P.) program was started by the federal government under the umbrella of the Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.) to oversee the purchase of “green” products. The E.P.P. program was designed to improve the compliance of the federal government agencies with regard to the purchase of environmentally friendly products.

 

The E.P.P. program was started in 1993 with the following main functions:

  1. Find and Evaluate green products and services
  2. Identify Federal green buying requirements
  3. Calculate the cost and benefits of purchasing choices
  4. Manage the green purchasing processes

(www.epa.gov/epp)

 

The role of the E.P.P. is very important because the federal government is such a huge entity requiring a wide variety of products within its operation.

 

In fact, the Federal government is the largest purveyor of goods and services in the U.S. with spending on goods and services totaling
$350 billion per year (www.epa.gov).

 

 

The Five Guiding Principles

 

The central components of the E.P.P. program were divided into five principles to streamline the focus for the other federal government entities to consult the system when making decisions on product purchasing.

 

The 5 Guiding Principles of the E.P.P. program are:

  1. Environment + Price + Performance
  2. Pollution Prevention
  3. Life Cycle Perspective/ Multiple Attributes
  4. Comparison of Environmental Impacts
  5. Environmental Performance Information

(www.epa.gov/epp)

 

These five principals must be given consideration by the federal procurement or purchasing agent when making a decision on a product or a service. In my own experience with marketing “green” products to the federal government, I have found that all of these principals are important.

 

However, the two principals that I found to be the mitigating factors are: price = performance, and the life cycle perspective/multiple attributes principal.

 

The environmental protection of a product could be great, but if it has performance differentials that lag behind the “non-green” or standard product alternative, that is a big issue.

 

The sensitivity to a given price point is always a consideration with green products. It can have a great environmental protective quality, and it could be an efficient, high performance product as well. The price has to be in line with the other products available on the market; if the price point is too high then it is going to be problematic to sell to the federal government.

 

Furthermore, the life cycle perspective/ multiple attributes principal is a critical component to federal government purchasing decisions. In my experience, the requests from federal entities were made for information on the performance of our product throughout its life cycle.

 

The federal procurement officers wanted to see data on how the product performed in certain conditions over certain intervals of time (30 days, 60 days, 120 days etc.) and during certain weather conditions.

 

They would study or inquire as to whether the product could do multiple green functions, for instance, if the product could be used on both land and water. The products with versatility and multiple uses, or attributes, will fare better in potentially gaining a federal government sales order.

 

Executive Order 13514

 

The E.P.P. program was given further significance with the implementation of Executive Order 13514, which essentially orders federal agencies to use sustainable practices when buying products or services (www.epa.gov/epp).

 

In my own experience in the green products area, working for a distributor, this executive order changed everything when dealing with the various federal government agencies. I could sense a change in the approach of the procurement officers that they felt it was important for them to take a more comprehensive look at the green product alternatives available.

 

The cost benefit analysis was, and always will be, an important factor in the decision making process as well. The difficulty with certain green alternatives is that their price point may be higher than a standard product with no environmental benefit.

 

The reasons for this higher price level are variable but could include the sourcing of certain commodity ingredients which are made from sustainable sources. Due to limited supply those ingredients will be more expensive, thus driving up the cost of the finished green product.

 

Role of E.P.P. and small businesses

 

The role of the E.P.P. can be very helpful to small businesses which are attempting to gain a foothold within a federal government agency. Any small business that is trying to market products to the federal government has to be familiar with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) guidelines.

 

The FAR guidelines are a uniform policy for the acquisition of supplies and services by federal agencies (www.epa.gov). Two important decisions occurred which provided further credence to the E.P.P. program and FAR:

 

  • In 2007: The Secretary of Agriculture announced that procurement preference be afforded to biobased products within certain designated items (www.epa.gov/epp)
  • In 2008: The Department of Agriculture published rules designating 27 biobased products for federal preferential procurement within the following areas: personal & facility cleaning products, greases, oils, lubricants, and construction products (www.epa.gov/epp)

 

In the event, you were a small business with production and/or distribution rights to any of the above mentioned products, then your business had a good chance to make a sale with the federal government.

 

The E.P.P. program has a great section of the website called Information for Vendors which provides valuable information to businesses who are looking to market green products or services to the federal government (www.epa.gov/epp).

 

This section of the website contains critical information on how to sell green products to the federal government. The section also provides a link to U.S. Business Advisor, which lists all the information on federal agencies: contact information and current procurement opportunities.

 

The benefits for a small business to work with E.P.P. are numerous and should be a strong consideration if you are in the green products market, or if you are looking to gain entry into this very important market.

 

The E.P.P. program was introduced to increase the availability of green products into the operations of the federal government. The goal being to minimize the environmental impact of their activity and to create opportunities for small businesses to partner with the federal government to implement these new products or services.

 

I think we can all agree that the focus on bringing more sustainable products into the marketplace is a very positive development for our future. I encourage you to visit their website www.epa.gov/epp for more information.

 

 

 

 

by Frank Maduri

Stopping The Slide: New York Red Bulls vs. D.C. United Match Preview

The New York Red Bulls have hit a rough patch and are winless in their last three matches. The team has a chance to stop the slide in their upcoming match on Saturday night with the rival D.C. United.

 

This game is the definition of a “get right” game for New York, as they are coming off probably their worst loss in a long time, dropping a 3-2 decision to Chivas USA, the worst team in the Western Conference, last weekend.

 

Chivas USA had not won in 19 matches, and had not scored more than one goal in a game since April 27th, so for the Red Bulls to allow 3 goals to that team, it was a pretty lousy performance out in Southern California. It resulted in Red Bulls Head Coach Mike Petke issuing a public apology to the fans for the poor performance of his team (www.nbcsports.com).

 

Then, leading up to this game against D.C., the story circulated around the media that Petke and Red Bulls team captain, Thierry Henry, had a heated argument during practice on Thursday and had to be physically separated by the assistant coaches (www.nydailynews.com).

 

This is not uncommon for a team with sky high expectations and one of the best records in the entire league, to have some dissention internally during a bad stretch of games. In fact, The Daily News, did a story on how Mike Petke truly embodied a New Yorker for confronting a world class player like Thierry Henry, and not cowering to him like other Red Bulls coaches have done in the past.

 

On a personal note, Petke was my favorite player on the old MetroStars teams, and I think his hard edge, intensity, and passion is the perfect combination for a Head Coach of this group of players.

 

Match Preview

 

The match against the D.C. United on Saturday night will air on the NBC Sports Network at 8 PM (EST) and is a feature game for MLS this weekend.

 

The United come into the game with a record of 3-17-5 and have the lowest point total in all of the MLS. The team from the capital city has a 1-6-2 record in their last 8 games and is 0-9-3 on the road this season (www.usatoday.com). They are coming off a 1-1 tie with Toronto FC last Saturday at RFK Stadium.

 

The players to watch for the D.C. United are: Luis Silva, Dwayne DeRosario, Bill Hamid, and Nick DeLeon.

 

Silva and DeRosario are the two key players for D.C. to make their offense work. DeRosario is a very difficult player to guard and defend when the United midfield can get him the ball up front into open space.

 

Bill Hamid, the goalkeeper for the United, played very well in the first meeting between these two teams which ended in 0-0 draw. He will need to replicate that performance for D.C. to have a chance to keep this game competitive.

 

I added DeLeon to the list because of the other injuries in the United midfield ranks at this point. He needs to step up and provide a strong performance in this game for his team to have a chance to win.

 

This is the last game in the season series between the two teams with the before mentioned 0-0 draw and a 2-0 Red Bulls victory the results of the prior meetings. The two teams compete for the Atlantic Cup which the Red Bulls will capture on Saturday night with either a win or a tie in this match (www.usatoday.com).

 

The New York Red Bulls come into the match with a record of 11-9-6, they are winless in their last 3 matches, and they trail Montreal by 2 points for first place in the Eastern Conference, so this is an important match for them.

 

The players to watch on the Red Bulls are: Luis Robles, Jonny Steele, Kosuke Kimura, Jamison Olave, Thierry Henry, and Tim Cahill.

 

The New York goalkeeper, Luis Robles, needs to bounce back with a good performance in this match after giving up 3 goals to the offensively challenged Chivas USA side last weekend. His play in this match is going to be key in the results.

 

Kimura and Olave will be relied on defensively to mark up against the top United offensive players. Their play in the defensive third in slowing those attacking runs is going to be critical to the Red Bulls strategy to win this match.

 

Outlook

 

This is a match that, on paper, looks like it would favor the Red Bulls especially coming off the loss to Chivas USA. However, this is traditionally one of the most deep seeded rivalries in the MLS between New York and D.C., and the United will be prepared. The team from D.C. would like nothing more than to come into the Red Bull Arena on Saturday night in a national cable televised game and defeat the Red Bulls.

 

In the end analysis, I think the Red Bulls will come out focused and prepared, they play very well on their home field, and I think they will get the victory by the score of 3-1. It should be an exciting match and it is a crucial game for the Red Bulls to stop this slide of losing games to keep themselves in the mix for home field advantage in the MLS playoffs.

 

 

 

 

 

by Frank Maduri

Current Marketing Trends in Broadcast Television

I spent some time over the past few nights catching up on the hit summer TV series “Under the Dome”, thanks to the Amazon Instant Video service. This series, based on the book by Stephen King, has been a huge success for CBS, and according to the Nielsen ratings, it is the number one scripted TV series this summer.

 

So I began to think as I watched the various characters from “Under the Dome” such as Barbie, “Big Jim”, Angie, Norrie, and Junior: what makes this show a hit? I think it is a combination of an interesting plot, neat special effects, and some good character development.

 

The series also delivers something else: the “it” factor among the key demographic of 18-34 year old viewers. The “Dome” also has a huge social media buzz, which is vital to capturing that demographic.

 

The success of “Under the Dome” is a good case study in the future of broadcast television marketing. Personally, I have my wife to thank for getting me into the show because initially I had no real interest in watching it.  It made me think about how the marketing of television programming has evolved, and will continue to do so in the future.

 

NBC says “Me too”

 

Anyone who has worked in marketing, as I have, is familiar with the “me too” approach. A product or a concept is launched and is met with success, so the competition lines up in those instances to launch a similar product or concept.

In this case, due to the success of CBS with Stephen King’s “Under the Dome”, now NBC and their programming chief, Bob Greenblatt, announced that they will be running a new version of Stephen King’s “Tommyknockers” during the upcoming TV season.

 

This news and the news on some other mini-series launches were covered by The Hollywood Reporter, who also reported the announcement that NBC had hired Quinn Taylor away from ABC to run their mini-series and “longform” programming. This move is significant because Mr. Taylor has worked on previous Stephen King mini-series projects (www.hollywoodreporter.com).

 

The other mini-series projects announced by NBC include:

  • Mark Burnett produced series sequel to “The Bible” series which aired on The History Channel during Lent
  • Hilary Clinton project with Diane Lane playing the former First Lady, Senator, and Secretary of State
  • A re-make of Rosemary’s Baby based on the wildly popular book and movie

 

Now, in fairness to NBC, Mr. Greenblatt has stated his commitment for a long time now to limited series, special event, and live television programming. I have written previous articles about the need to make changes to the marketing and promotion of broadcast television programming, the limited series approach is one strategy which could be successful in delivering increased ratings.

 

Along those same lines, NBC is going to air a special event quiz show, which will run continuously for a certain number of days streaming over their website. The quiz show will air a segment in prime time each night over the course of the event, and will be hosted by Ryan Seacrest.

 

Finally, NBC is expanding their commitment to live sports television programming by landing the U.S. broadcast rights to the English Premier League soccer games. They will air games live on NBC and the NBC Sports Network. The network will also continue their exclusive coverage of the Olympics with the Winter Games in February 2014.

 

A Changing Landscape

 

I have written previously about the changing landscape of television, and the plethora of devices and services which provide content streaming over the internet.

 

The premium cable channels such as Starz and Encore have expanded their own production on original series and mini-series programming. The entry of subscription content providers, such as Netflix, producing their own original series content has added further competition to the major networks.

 

Some media analysts believe that the network TV model of the 24 episode season running from September to May, with the break at the holidays and the traditional “sweeps” periods may be an outdated timetable.

 

The success of series in the summer months, such as the before mentioned “Under the Dome” further forces the analysts, the network executives, and the advertising industry to think about changes to the traditional model for broadcast television.

 

An economy still in recession, and the rising costs of other entertainment choices, left many families at home this summer which lead to a rise in TV viewership. Overall, the major networks all declined in ratings last year, especially in the key demographics, according to Nielsen. Each network has a different strategy to get their share of those viewers back.

 

Fall Strategy

 

The strategy at CBS is to stay with their lineup with minimal changes, they are the top broadcast channel by total viewership and their hit shows (NCIS, Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, The Good Wife, The Mentalist, Person of Interest, and The Amazing Race) are well known and well established shows.

 

The biggest new entry for the network is the return of Robin Williams to television in “The Crazy Ones” which they are heavily promoting. I think that the viewers are going to find the concept of the show as really underutilizing Williams’ acting talents, and the show will not be successful.

 

I will quantify that statement by reminding you that to be a successful new program at CBS you have to draw a huge number of viewers because they are the top network. It is easier to be a new show on a lower ranked network than to be a new show on the top network. CBS cancelled “Vegas” and it averaged 16 million viewers! That would be considered one of the best shows on one of the other major networks.

 

The strategy at NBC was detailed earlier, but the peacock network also wants to reclaim the Thursday night top comedy night spot from CBS. Their strategy to achieve this objective is to bring back Sean Hayes and Michael J. Fox to their own respective new comedy projects for primetime Thursday slots.

 

I believe that “The Michael J. Fox Show” will be a successful concept, but other critics think it will fail because it is a comedy that deals with Parkinson’s disease, which could be objectionable to some viewers. I think the very loyal fans of Mr. Fox will support the show and keep it on the airwaves.

 

I believe Mr. Hayes and his concept will be unsuccessful, and that NBC overall will still lose the Thursday night ratings war to CBS.

 

The strategy at ABC is to continue with their established programs (“Grey’s Anatomy”, “Once Upon A Time”, and “Modern Family”) while adding some new concepts such as: “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”, “Once Upon a Time in Wonderland”, and “Betrayal”.

 

The critics are mostly not enthusiastic for the other new shows they plan to introduce, and I think that ABC has relied too heavily on the fantasy angle with “Once..”, and on shows with a great deal of negative plot lines such as “Revenge”, “Scandal”, and “Betrayal”.

 

In the end, the networks will be challenged by the changing demographics and how the average viewer uses various technologies to view TV programming and content. The main objective will be innovation, and some luck, which will determine which network will land the next “it” show concept like “Under the Dome”. We will know more by the mid-season point which network was successful in marketing that concept.

by Frank Maduri

New York Knicks: 2013-14 Schedule Release

The National Basketball Association (NBA) finally released the schedules for the upcoming 2013-14 regular season after a delay of a few days. I was very excited to get my first glimpse of the schedule for my favorite team, the New York Knicks, and I was left feeling excited and optimistic after reviewing it.

 

The Knicks will open up the regular season at home in “The World’s Most Famous Arena”, Madison Square Garden, against the upstart Milwaukee Bucks on October 30th. They have their road opener the next evening, Halloween night, in Chicago to face Derrick Rose and the Bulls.

 

The team also announced today that they have signed free agent point guard Beno Udrih to a contract for the veterans’ minimum salary (www.si.com).  This is an important move for the Knicks because they needed depth at that position with Raymond Felton and Pablo Prigioni the only other point guards on the roster.

 

Scheduling Positives

 

The positive aspects of this schedule of games are that New York has balance in the schedule especially early:

  • New York has 14 of their first 28 games through Christmas Day at home
  • The Knicks will play on national television often during the season which creates a lot of off days and space in their schedule to accommodate the national TV schedule for ESPN -ABC, and TNT.
  • The Knicks have early games against tough top tier playoff caliber teams like the San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, and Indiana Pacers all at home at MSG, where they are a difficult team to beat in their own arena.
  • The Knicks have a stretch of 8 games in a row at home starting on January 17th against the Clippers which will see them host the Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Charlotte Bobcats, Lakers, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, and LeBron James and the world champion Miami Heat. This team can win several of those games and it could be a great time to solidify their division standing.

 

Scheduling Negatives

The negative aspects of the schedule are that New York plays several top Western Conference teams early in the schedule (Houston, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Denver Nuggets) I would rather play those games toward the middle part of the season in January. In that respect, the team is in the flow of the season and can handle those games differently.

 

Some other negative aspects:

  • The road trips are spaced out but they are longer in length
  • Late November trip is the first big test for this team with stops in Washington, Portland, LA to play the Clippers, and Denver. That looks like a 1 win trip to me if things go badly.
  • The January trip to Texas is going to be brutal: Spurs on January 2nd, then the next night in Houston to play Dwight Howard and the Rockets, and then one day off and at Dallas on the 5th
  • The February trip is not going to be easy with the Thunder, the Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans, Orlando Magic, and the Atlanta Hawks. The Knicks should win the middle two games because the Pelicans and the Magic are both rebuilding at this point, but the other three games are rough. I will have more on this trip later.
  • March has two road trips interjected with 5 home games. The first trip is to Chicago, Detroit, and Minnesota they have home games in between against tough Eastern teams such as Milwaukee and Indiana
  • The big trip in March is the Western trip of 5 games late in the month: Lakers on March 25th, Sacramento Kings on the 26th , then Phoenix, Golden State Warriors and wrapping up in Utah on March 31st. That is a long, difficult trip late in the season against teams that play well at home.

 

Schedule Highlights

 

The schedule features some big games and some “must watch” games for the fans of the team including the following:

 

  • A playoff series rematch against the Indiana Pacers at MSG on November 20th
  • December 5th at Brooklyn to face the new-look rival Nets with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Jason Terry to complement Deron Williams and Joe Johnson.
  • The Knicks will be a part of the NBA extravaganza on Christmas Day with a game at MSG against the Thunder. The two teams played a drama filled close game last year out in Oklahoma City – the league hopes it will get that same performance at 2:30 PM as this game is the lead in game for the feature game of the holiday: Heat vs. Lakers at 5 PM (both games on ABC)
  • LeBron James and the Heat come to MSG on Thursday, January 9, 2014
  • The Knicks will play their traditional MLK Day matinee game this year against the Nets at MSG at 2:30 PM – that is going to be a great game!
  • The Knicks will visit Kobe Bryant and the new look Lakers on January 26th which is a Sunday at 3:30 in a game televised on ABC
  • They play at Miami on February 1st
  • Knicks visit the Thunder on Sunday, February 9th at 1 pm on ABC
  • Knicks again visit Miami in a Thursday night TNT game on February 27th
  • They host the rival Nets on April 2nd   which could have playoff implications
  • They play Miami again on April 6th which is a 1 PM Sunday ABC game
  • Knicks host the Bulls on another Sunday matinee at 1 PM on April 13th
  • They finish the series with the rival Nets in Brooklyn on April 15th
  • The regular season ends at home against Toronto on April 16th

 

Schedule Fluke

 

In a weird scheduling move the Knicks will travel to Oklahoma City to play the Thunder on February 9th and then come home to play the Kings on February 12th. Then they will go back on the road to Memphis, New Orleans, Orlando, and Atlanta.

 

This is strange because most of the time, the NBA tries to schedule the travel to certain regions around the same time. The three reasons for this weird trip out and then back to New York only for one game, could be:

  1. It could have been done to fit within the national TV schedule to put the Thunder game on ABC on a Sunday if that is what the network wanted
  2. It could be an arena availability issue with the other teams which pushed that trip off a few more days.
  3. The Kings only come out to the East Coast about twice a season so they needed to “shoe horn” in the game in NY against the Kings on the 12th

 

The schedule fluke could provide the Knicks some issues because that is a lot of travel in a condensed amount of time.

 

End Analysis

I think the Knicks schedule is spaced out well to give this team of mostly veteran players the adequate rest they will need to be prepared for these games. I have seen much more difficult schedules for the Knicks in my many years of following the team.

I am very excited for the upcoming season, and I look forward to the tip off against Milwaukee on October 30th.  I think this Knicks team should remain a top tier team in the Eastern Conference and have a chance to contend for a NBA Championship.

 

by Frank Maduri

A Huge Win: New York Red Bulls defeat Real Salt Lake

The New York Red Bulls earned a huge victory on Saturday night over Real Salt Lake in front of a spirited home crowd at the Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ. The final score was 4-3 with the game winning goal coming from Dax McCarty in “stoppage time” in the 94th minute.

 

It was the third goal of the season for McCarty, and it could not have come at a better time for the Red Bulls, who with this victory drew to within one point of first place Sporting Kansas City in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer.

 

A Wild Start

 

The match got off to a wild start with the Red Bulls striking first on a beautiful goal by star midfielder Tim Cahill. That put the home team up 1-0 and got the crowd energized early.

 

Then, a controversial call gave New York a penalty shot just minutes later on a play where the two players got tangled up in the penalty area. The Red Bulls converted the penalty shot and held a 2-0 lead.

 

However, just before halftime, the referee made another controversial decision inside the penalty area. This time, the foul was called on the Red Bulls, which resulted in a penalty shot for Real Salt Lake (R.S.L.).

 

On the replays, I thought the call could have easily gone the other way, because the R.S.L. player was trying to impede progress to the ball as well. In any event, Alvaro Saborio buried the penalty shot passed the Red Bulls goalie, Robles, and now it was a 2-1 score line at the half.

 

A Second Half of Wild Momentum Swings

 

The early minutes of the second half featured renewed vigor by the short-handed R.S.L. side, who were missing key players due to injuries, suspension, and U.S. National team commitments for the Gold Cup.

 

R.S.L. played like the best team in the league by stringing together precision passing with brilliant runs by their deftly skilled offensive players. They caught the Red Bulls off guard up the side touch line, and New York made a series of successive defensive mistakes which allowed R.S.L. to get the ball to Saborio.

 

Saborio drilled a shot past a diving Robles, who was playing out of position when the pass entered the penalty area, and now we had a “level” match at 2-2.

 

The Red Bulls fought back and battled the skilled R.S.L. side but had another series of lapses defensively and Alvaro Saborio netted his third goal of the match on a shot that no goalie in the world could have saved. The team from Utah had scored two goals in a 10 minute span to take the lead 3-2.

 

The collective energy was drained out of Red Bull Arena, I sat at home watching on MSG Network in complete shock. I could not believe that the Red Bulls had a two goal lead at home, and now trailed R.S.L. in this match.

 

 

 

The Comeback and the clincher

 

The Red Bulls again battled back in this match. A critical moment came in the 89th minute when the referee called yet another foul in the penalty area, this time on Real Salt Lake, which resulted in another penalty kick for New York.

 

Fabian Espindola, who in my preview on Friday I wrote was a key player for New York, drilled the penalty shot past Jeff Attinella, the R.S.L. goalkeeper, and the match was tied again 3-3. It was, in my opinion and that of other reporters, Espindola’s best game in a Red Bulls uniform.

 

Due to the high volume of fouls called in this game, the referee signaled for five minutes of stoppage time to be added on. The two sides exchanged more aggressive back and forth battles for possession of the ball, in what was a fast paced match from the opening kick until the final whistle.

 

It was a chess match between the two coaching contemporaries: Mike Petke for New York and Jason Kreis for Real Salt Lake. Both teams came well prepared and seemed able to counter the moves of the other side.

 

In the 94th minute, time running out, in what I thought was going to end as a tie, thus giving New York only one point in the standings, the Red Bulls broke through. A beautiful pass into the penalty area was driven home on a diving header by Dax McCarty into the back of the net past Attinella.

 

McCarty ran and pulled off his jersey and tossed it into the stands in elation. The home crowd was going wild, the Red Bulls won the match 4-3 in stunning fashion against the best team in MLS.

 

Looking Ahead

 

The MLS All Star Game will be held this Wednesday night (9 PM EST, ESPN2) in Kansas City. The Red Bulls will be represented by Thierry Henry and Tim Cahill.

 

Then the Red Bulls will play in Kansas City against first place S.K.C. on August 3rd in a huge game for both teams. The Red Bulls continue their road swing playing at Columbus on August 10th and then returning home to face the Philadelphia Union on August 17th. The road ahead is difficult but this win should provide a great deal of confidence as the Red Bulls begin the second half push to the playoffs.

 

 

by Frank Maduri

New York Red Bulls vs. Real Salt Lake : A Huge Match for Both Teams

The stakes could not get much higher for a regular season game in Major League Soccer (MLS) than Saturday night, when the New York Red Bulls host Real Salt Lake at the Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ at 7 PM.

 

MSG Network will have the TV coverage in the New York / NJ metro market, and believe it or not, the local ABC affiliate in Salt Lake City will be airing this match live for that market and their loyal fans.

 

Background

 

The Red Bulls enter the match in 2nd place in the Eastern Conference tied with the Montreal Impact with 32 points (www.mlssoccer.com). The last game played by New York was on July 20th which ended as a 0-0 tie in Toronto.

 

The Red Bulls have allowed 0 goals in their last two games and they trail Sporting Kansas City for first place in the East by 4 points (www.mlssoccer.com).

 

Real Salt Lake (RSL) enters this match as the top team, not only in the Western Conference, but the top team in the league with 37 points. They hold the lead in what is known as the Supporters Shield which is the name of the honor given by MLS to the team with the best overall regular season record (www.mlssoccer.com).

 

The team from Utah is a powerhouse team with a record of 11 wins 6 losses and 4 ties. The match on Saturday night will be the only regular season meeting between the two teams this season.

 

The two teams met last season in Utah in the second game of the season in March 2012, and RSL defeated the Red Bulls by a score of 2-0 (www.nbcsports.com). The all time head-to-head record for the meetings of these two teams has New York with a record of 3 wins, 5 losses, and 7 ties. The Red Bulls have won all three of those games in the series at home against RSL, the information on the records was provided by MLS archives on their website.

 

A Fan’s Perspective

 

My perspective as a fan that watches the Red Bulls frequently is one of excitement and cautious optimism for this big match. New York plays really well at home in front of their dedicated fans at the Red Bull Arena.

 

The Red Bulls are coming off a disappointing result to Toronto FC where they could not score a goal against a team which is one of the worst defensive teams in the MLS. So they need this game as a “bounce back game” or as former NFL legend and soon to be Hall of Famer, Warren Sapp, would call it a “get right game”.

 

Red Bulls head coach, Mike Petke, will have his team prepared well for this match. He knows RSL coach Jason Kreis very well as they are contemporaries having played in MLS during the same period of time, and then moved into coaching immediately after their playing days ended.

 

I have seen Real Salt Lake play a few times here and there this season, and have read the news coverage around them throughout the season. The team was my preseason pick to win the MLS Cup championship this year. My prediction looks pretty solid right now.

 

RSL is a very talented team with incredible depth. They will need it on Saturday night because, in another key reason why I like New York to win this game, RSL will be travelling east very short handed.

Beckerman, Beltran, and Rimando (their starting goalkeeper) will all miss this game because they will be playing for Team USA in the international tournament called the Gold Cup (www.nbcsports.com).

 

Then, Saunders (their backup goalie), Salcedo, Schuler, and three other role players are out for this game due to injury. Finally, Chris Wingert, who is a key player for their side, is suspended due to his total of yellow cards for rough play (www.mlssoccer.com).

 

Analysis

 

In watching Real Salt Lake play, and having played soccer myself and with my tactical knowledge of the sport; I have observed some things about their approach and strategy. They are very well organized, they play excellent defense, and can be very well disciplined.

 

They tend to stay pretty narrow through the midfield, using shorter, more precise passes to transition into the attacking third of the field. They have very talented forwards, notably Robbie Findley, Olmes Garcia, and Joao Plata. That trio is very dangerous and the Red Bulls need to be prepared defensively to combat their attack.

In the midfield, they have in my opinion, their most talented player in Javier Morales. Morales is a dynamic playmaker and passer, who can also put shots on goal with great accuracy. He is a very difficult player to defend, and the Red Bulls are going to have to determine their best man to defend him pretty early on in this game.

 

Their fullbacks also have a tendency to slide up into attack position, particularly their outside fullbacks, which can create problems for their opponents. However, I think New York has the personnel to counter this element of their attack.

 

The big wild card in this game is Jeff Attinella, he is their number 3 goalie, but because of the injuries and the players missing from the Gold Cup, he will start in goal for RSL on Saturday night. He has very limited experience, and I think the Red Bulls can capitalize on that inexperience to win this match.

 

The Red Bulls looked very tight when I saw them play against Montreal on July 13. The offense looked incredibly crisp, and defensively they played very well and had excellent structure in that game against an outstanding offensive opponent.

 

The key players for the Red Bulls are: Fabian Espindola, Tim Cahill, Thierry Henry, Dax McCarty, Jamison Olave, and their goalie Luis Robles.

 

McCarty makes that list because he may have to mark up and defend Morales. Espindola is playing against his former team, having spent many years with RSL, it will be his first game as well as Olave’s first game against their former teammates since the offseason trade which landed them both in New York.

 

Olave looked solid to me in the Montreal game, he was all over the defensive third of the field making plays on the ball. The play of Robles too was very impressive, he was very good at protecting the goal, particularly on corner kicks. He will be tested early and often by RSL in this game.

 

Tim Cahill should be able to make some plays through the midfield to transition the Red Bulls in this game, and I think Henry is determined to have a great performance against RSL, who he has always respected. If you remember, it was Henry that really engineered that trade for Espindola and Olave because he liked the RSL style of play and wanted those guys with him in New York.

 

Henry and Espindola both being “on their game” in this match could be too much for a shorthanded RSL side to handle.

 

Prediction

 

I think the Red Bulls win this match by a score of 3-1. I like that they have the home field advantage, a more talented group of 11, and RSL has an inexperienced goalkeeper. It should be a great match, which could be a championship game preview. I look forward to watching on Saturday night, and reviewing it next week. My favorite team, the Red Bulls against the best team in Real Salt Lake. This is MLS soccer at its best.

by Frank Maduri

The Value Added Sales Process

The sales process has advanced over the years with the advent of certain technological advancements, but at the core of effective selling are certain “tried and true” principles.  One of those principles is known as value added sales. I will draw upon my extensive professional experience in sales and marketing to detail this principle of selling including practical methods to utilize in your business.

 

Valued added sales is an approach that is very effective, but it is a selling method which can take a long period of time to yield results. However, those results are usually at a very impactful and measurable level, which is why it is still an important approach to selling either a product or a service.

 

Value Added Sales – My Experience

 

I have utilized the value added sales approach in my own career across various industry types. I find that this method of selling is very effective, but it is largely pro-active, so it requires a self-starter type of sales person with a great deal of discipline.

 

Please allow me to qualify that last statement further. The value added sales approach requires the sales person or account manager to introduce a new piece of information on each sales call which is of some value to the customer.

 

It requires a great deal of discipline for two main reasons:

  1. The sales person must keep organized records of all prior calls (which is a good standard practice) but with a record of what was used on each call to “add value” to make sure this information is not used again at the same customer account. In sales roles where you have high call frequency (pharmaceutical, medical supply, telecom services) this can become an issue if the data entry on customer interaction is not done.

 

  1. The sales person or account manager must do research and extra “leg work” to find what they are going to use on each respective sales call. If you are going to present an article on an emerging trend, that requires time to research trade magazines and other information sources and then make copies of the article for the customer. When you are in a sales role where you are required to make a certain number of calls per day or per week, then the time to prepare and organize this extra work comes “after hours” in the evening or at night. That requires a good degree of discipline.

 

In my experience, I have used the value added sales approach to enhance the selling process for both products and services. It can be implemented for either type of sale as well as B2B sales or B2C sales.

 

The key to the value added sales process is that the sales person must know their audience. If the audience is a physician or surgeon you should prepare a value added piece to your presentation that they would find of interest. If the audience is a group of product developers at an energy company, then you must have a piece of information that they will find important to their needs or business operation.

 

Tips and Potential Pitfalls

 

I have found in my past experience that the best way to prepare for the value added sales process is by starting slowly. I would suggest the identification of certain accounts, clients, or customers which can be improved in some way.

 

Then, I would set up my sales call plan and select six ideas for value added components for each customer or account. I would follow that step by gathering resources to provide that value added piece.

 

When I was half way through that six call cycle for those identified accounts, then I would identify six more components that would add value to that customer interaction. That brought me to twelve calls.

 

This approach was systematic, when I was in medical sales, I would see my top accounts once per week. This plan of doing six calls and then another six calls with value added enhancements brought me to twelve weeks, which was the end of the quarter.

 

The potential pitfalls to this approach are numerous, this approach requires planning. If you have some other issues that present themselves in your personal life, or if you are asked to work on a special project for your job after hours by your boss; then that planning time is going to be out the window.

 

The value added approach does not work without the planning and organization of finding the right piece of information on a product or industry trend which will make an impact with the respective customer.

 

The other most common pitfall is the tendency to “roll out” the program too quickly to all of your accounts or customers. That mistake will usually end in disaster for you and the relationship building process at your accounts.

 

 

 

Implementation

 

The implementation of a value added sales protocol for your business has two main approaches:

  • Custom approach
  • System approach

 

The custom approach is the scenario I detailed earlier. It is where the sales person or account manager has the freedom and autonomy to determine the best way to implement the system in a given sales territory.

 

Furthermore, the custom approach allows for the sales person to select what value added components will be used at each individual account or client. The decisions are solely with the sales person or account manager in how to implement this important selling methodology.

 

Conversely, the system approach to the implementation of the value added sales process essentially strips the sales person or account manager of any input into the manner of introduction of this concept into a given territory.

 

The company controls all aspects of the value added process by dictating to the sales person which accounts will be given the value added approach.  In the system approach, the company also decides how the value added component of the call plan will be communicated.

 

The most common techniques utilized in the systems approach are:

  1. Fax blast
  2. E-mail blast
  3. E-mail newsletter
  4. A promotional item or product sample

 

These techniques tend to be viewed with mixed results. In my experience, I have worked with companies who had some success with the “fax blast” or “e-mail blast”. The issue with those techniques are, when they fail, it tends to really turn a customer off.

 

The other issue with those techniques are that they tend to be one message on one product or product line, or one specific service which is sent to all your customer accounts. It is too much of a “cookie cutter” approach to provide true value to a customer.

 

I worked with a company which had, over the years, compiled a file of accounts that had contacted them saying they no longer wanted to receive the fax blasts every week.  A mistake occurred during a change to new software and the fax blast went to all the accounts including the ones on the “do not fax” list. We had some angry customers, which is never good, and they remained angry for a while.

 

The e-mail newsletter at least has some variety to the content which makes it applicable to most of your customer base. However, my concern with this technique is that it is impersonal, and selling is a very personal, relationship driven situation when done correctly.

 

The promotional sample technique has some inherent deficiencies too, particularly when it is the same product sampled across the board. In the event that the customer already has used the product and formed an opinion on it, then it looks bad to send them a sample of that same product.

 

I have also worked for companies which have a hybrid approach to the implementation of this important sales process. In this approach, the company still exerts some influence over how the sales person will manage the value added sales process.

 

The company will conduct monthly or quarterly newsletters or fax blasts, but as a support mechanism to the program, not as the primary driver for business development. The sales person will have the independence to have some input as to which accounts should be introduced to the value added program, and also is given the authority to determine what the value added message will be at a respective account.

 

The hybrid approach can work pretty effectively when done correctly. In the end, in my opinion, I think the most effective implementation of the program is the custom approach. I believe it works the best overall to allow the sales person the full autonomy to make those choices in their respective sales territory.

 

 

Path to Success

 

The value added sales process can be a very successful way to drive sales and develop new business opportunities in a given sales territory. The process is rooted in relationship building, which is one of the key factors in any successful sales program.

 

When you as a sales person can bring a special piece of information or new trend to a customer account, you are displaying that you understand their business and that you care about their business being successful. That builds relationships quickly.

 

The process helps to change the customers’ perception of you and your company within your business interactions. In a successful implementation of the value added process, the customer will now view you and the company you represent, as problem solving partners. You will not be viewed as just another supplier that wants to grow their market share or increase their profits.

 

The time and effort that it takes to successfully install a value added sales protocol is evident to some of your customers. This extra effort and willingness to go that “extra mile” will become a big point of difference between you and the other sales representatives that call on those same customer accounts.

 

That effort and energy will help you as the sales person, when that customer account is ready to launch the next big product or designate a supplier for a big project, and they choose you to get that business with them.

 

The value added sales process will then reach the ultimate goal on the path to success: it will grow your sales figures which will allow you to earn more through commission payments and other compensation.

 

I hope that this article will be of assistance to all the sales personnel and their respective companies which they represent, as the decision is being made on whether to utilize a value added selling process. The process, when implemented correctly, could have a significant impact on the sales growth of your business.

 

 

 

by Frank Maduri

Top U.S. TV Markets: An Analysis of American Lifestyle

The practice of watching television is a major part of the American lifestyle. In recent years, the cost for cable television has increased, and Americans will continue to pay for the privilege of watching the programs that they enjoy.

 

The landscape has grown through the expansion of cable and internet streaming services which provide the viewer with the capability to customize their television viewing habits. The cable television space has a plethora of extra specific content channels for sports, music, lifestyle, home shopping, and reality television programming.

 

The demographics of the country have a role in defining the largest TV markets in the US, and those markets drive the ratings to determine the programming options for the smaller markets in other regions of the country.

 

Some other contributing factors in shaping the size of a TV market are climate and local/regional economic issues. In areas of extreme climates either hot or cold, those factors drive residents to be indoors more than in other regions, which tends to have an effect on the consumption of televised content.

 

The economic factors which contribute to the size of a given television market are: high or low unemployment levels, and the types of industries or business makeup of a given city or region.

 

Top U.S. Television Markets

The top TV markets are well known:

  1. New York
  2. Los Angeles
  3. Chicago
  4. Philadelphia
  5. Dallas – Fort Worth
  6. San Francisco – Oakland- San Jose, CA
  7. Boston
  8. Atlanta
  9. Washington D.C.
  10.  Houston

(www.stationindex.com)

 

 

These cities and media markets drive the advertising and the programming choices to a large degree for the rest of the United States. It is also interesting to note that while the Houston metropolitan area is the 5th largest in population, it is the 10th largest TV market (www.census.gov).

 

Now, this ranking for Houston could be determined by many different factors. The weather could lend itself to many outdoor activities especially during the peak TV ratings periods, commonly known as “sweeps” periods in September, February, and May.

 

The prevalence of outdoor activity either for work or recreation is also evidenced in the differential between Houston’s TV ranking (10th) and according to Arbitron, their radio market ranking (6th). Their radio ranking is more in line with their population ranking, and I believe it is a better measurement of the demographic factors involved in that marketplace.

 

In my background research for this article, I found some news stories centered on Houston remaining in the Top 10 TV markets nationally and how important that is given the reasons I detailed earlier. The city of Detroit is currently ranked 11th, and is on a population decline due to a horribly recessionary economy.

 

The marketing and advertising industry players located in Houston are concerned about being pushed from the Top 10 TV markets by Phoenix.

 

Phoenix currently sits at the 12th position in the TV markets rankings, and according to the Office of Management & Budget (O.M.B.) data, that metro area is gaining in population (up 3.26%) from 2010 to 2012, and is on a rapid growth trend.

 

Philadelphia – A Top 5 market

 

The current situation in Philadelphia is also interesting because they are currently ranked the 6th largest U.S. metro area according to the O.M.B., yet the city is ranked as the 4th largest TV market.

 

Furthermore, Philadelphia is the 8th ranked radio market in the U.S. (www.arbitron.com). So, the radio ranking is below their population ranking but their TV ranking is above their population ranking.

Some of this differential can be explained by the demographic areas used by both TV and radio to determine the rankings. The geographic areas are different: the TV market is drawn from a different region of suburbs surrounding the city into southern New Jersey and also includes a large portion of Delaware.

 

This regional area creates a 20 station TV market for Philadelphia and a large population base (www.stationindex.com). The city is also the headquarters of the cable giant, Comcast, which has recently touted the 2.1 million cable subscribers in the Philadelphia TV market (www.comcast.com).

 

Comcast has made it no secret that they want to be the number one cable TV provider in their own home market, so they promote their services very heavily there, and are very active in the community sponsoring a variety of charitable activities. This is a contributing factor to the size of the marketplace as well.

 

Conversely, the radio demographic region is drawn up differently and does not reach the same areas. It has only one station included in the radio market in Delaware, and that is in Dover (www.arbitron.com). So that explains some of the difference in those rankings.

 

I believe that the draw of TV in the Philadelphia market has more to do with the types of industry and commerce located there and the service industries needed to support that commerce. These jobs are around the clock, so when people get home from a long shift of difficult work, they watch TV.

 

The final factor in the scale of the TV market in Philadelphia is the huge viewership numbers that marketplace gets from live sports related programming.

 

San Francisco – The TV mammoth by the Bay

The marketplace in San Francisco is also an interesting case study in that their metro area (which includes Oakland and San Jose) is ranked 11th in population, but they are ranked as the 6th largest TV market.

 

Now, the factors surrounding the San Francisco market are driven by a huge number of TV station outlets (22 stations) for their population level (4.45 million as of 2012 according to the O.M.B.) and the weather is also a contributing factor to ratings there as well.

 

Besides the weather, the number of stations in San Francisco is based on the diverse multicultural population of that market. The high number of Hispanic and Asian residents facilitated the creation of several TV stations which have programming specifically for those audiences.

 

Due to the large sizes of these respective audiences, that programming also draws a very high viewership rating, and provides international companies with direct marketing opportunities via TV advertising.

 

The weather in San Francisco is also a contributing factor to the TV ratings there, it is famous for cool, foggy weather. It is the coolest of all major U.S. cities during the summer months of June (average temp: 68), July (average temp: 69) and August (average temp: 70).

In January, February, and March the average temperature ranges from 57 to 63. Then, the period from November to April is known as “the rainy period”, this information was all gathered courtesy of The National Weather Service and The Weather Channel (www.weather.com).

 

It is pretty clear, that with temperatures and conditions like that, you have many nights in that market that lend themselves to staying indoors and watching television.

 

Boston – A Northeast top tier market

 

Boston is similar to San Francisco in that it is the 10th largest metro area by population in the U.S. according to the O.M.B., but it has the 7th largest TV market. Boston is also very similar to San Francisco in total metro area population with 4.64 million based on 2012 statistics given to the O.M.B., and it also has very similar contributing factors for the size of its TV market.

 

Boston has 17 TV outlet stations in their respective marketplace territory, which stretches into Western Massachusetts and parts of New Hampshire. The highly diverse population also contributes to specific TV stations with multicultural programming.

 

The weather in Boston is also a factor in the TV viewership levels overachieving the metro areas’ respective population level. The temperatures in January (average: 35 degrees), February (38 degrees), and March (45 degrees) according to the National Weather Service, coupled with the precipitation provide ideal conditions for a market to consume broadcast television programming.

 

In Boston, July is the hottest month with an average temperature of 73 degrees (www.weather.com). The months of October (average temperature: 61), November (average temp: 51) and December (average temp: 41) are prime TV viewing months from the late fall until the end of the year. Now, couple that with an average of 10 days of precipitation per month in each of those 3 months and that provides an explanation for Boston having such large TV viewership numbers.

 

In a similar way to Philadelphia, Boston also has all of the major professional sports represented in their city, plus a vibrant college sports scene; the fans in Boston are particularly loyal, consequently driving huge ratings for live sports related televised programming.

 

Dallas – Fort Worth

 

The Dallas – Fort Worth TV market is shaped by many factors dealing with demographics, weather, and a strong economy. All of these factors combined with the appeal from a marketing and advertising perspective of having a huge cross section of people to expose to your product or service, have made this market the 5th largest TV marketplace in the country.

 

The ranking is in line with the population because the Dallas- Fort Worth “Metroplex” area is the 4th largest metro area in the U.S. according to the O.M.B., with a population of 6.645 million, and it also has the 6th largest economy in the U.S. as well.

 

Dallas has common factors to the other markets in this article which contribute to the growth of their TV marketplace. The city and metro area surrounding Dallas is very diverse, including a huge Hispanic population.  The market has 18 television outlet stations with some outlets dedicated to multicultural and Hispanic programming.

 

Dallas also has the contributing factor of weather, except unlike the other markets focused upon in this article previously, it is weather which is too hot. Dallas has some of the hottest summer temperatures in the continental U.S. and according to the National Weather Service, it is quiet common for 70 degree days to occur throughout the winter months there as well.

 

The heat and humidity of those summer days’ forces people to have to remain indoors in air conditioning which strongly impacts the prevalence of consuming televised programming. This is particularly evident if you look at the May “sweeps” period, which is critically important in the television industry, and where weather can play a huge role in the viewership levels for Dallas. Those factors combine to make this market very important to advertising companies and large manufacturing companies to market products.

 

The final component to the growth of the Dallas- Fort Worth metro area was an unfortunate one: Hurricane Katrina. When that terrible tragedy struck New Orleans in 2005, many victims were displaced and put on buses to Dallas.

 

In the aftermath of the storm, those former residents of New Orleans found their homes either destroyed or their neighborhoods too drastically changed for them to return there, so aided by the strong economy in Dallas, they were able to get jobs and settle there. This migration of people caused a population surge coupled with population growth in later years due to the recessionary economy in other parts of the country.

 

The recession did not affect Dallas in the same way as many other regions of the country, so the city saw another influx of people from other parts of the country coming to find jobs.

 

They were successful in a short period of time in finding work, so those “transplants” remained in Dallas. One survey I read attributes 50% of the Dallas metro area population to being from outside of Texas. This statistical demographic measurement makes Dallas very attractive from a marketing and advertising perspective.

 

Rise of New Media

 

Any analysis of the television industry would be remiss if it did not include the current trend of new media technologies and their respective subsequent effect on the television landscape.

 

New media is any service which facilitates the delivery of content, in this case television programming, in an immediate “on demand” fashion directly to the consumer. That is how I would define some of these new services and products which have flooded the marketplace in recent months.

 

The rise of “video on demand” services through major cable television and telecom providers as well as other internet providers has created a whole new subsector of the television industry.

 

Some of these services are: Apple TV, Google Play, Amazon streaming video, iTunes, Netflix, Hulu, Ustream, Roku, and Aereo.

 

The obvious reaction to some of the before mentioned services from the major television broadcast companies has been one of resistance. The most recent was a high profile lawsuit, widely reported in the media, regarding the Aereo service by the major American broadcasting companies.

 

A federal court, according to reports, ruled in favor of Aereo stating that the content did not violate copyright infringement laws because they were not “public performances”; the content was being provided to paying subscribers.

 

The decision just solidified that the television and media industry has changed dramatically and will continue to adapt in the months and years ahead. The demand for content will only continue to grow as the number of specialized outlets for that content will expand.

 

The growing prevalence for the ready accessibility of DVR technology forced the first changes to the Nielsen ratings system in many years (www.nielsen.com). The ratings service now uses data to incorporate the replay of a program via DVR on the same day.

 

The future

 

The gold standard for television programming at this point is live sporting events because people can so easily access scores on their smart phones, tablets, or other devices. The need to see that sporting event live while it happens is still a huge draw, which correlates to the massive sums of money the broadcast companies are paying to the major sports leagues for the rights to that precious content.

 

The strongest case for the importance and relevance of sports is the huge ratings numbers that the Super Bowl has garnered in the past few years, setting ratings records for television (www.nielsen.com).

 

In the end, the demand will still remain for the traditional television viewing of certain programs and events. The challenge for the TV broadcasting industry will be to continue to provide content which is highly relevant in an increasingly complex world.

 

That will prove difficult, but not impossible, it remains to be seen how it will be implemented. However, it is clear from this analysis that Americans love watching television, and that trend will not change any time soon.

 

 

 

 

by Frank Maduri

New York Knicks News: J.R. Smith out 10-14 weeks / Metta World Peace returns to NYC

The recent news as reported by CBS Sports, is that the New York Knicks guard J.R. Smith recently underwent knee surgery and will be out 10-14 weeks. The team also announced it has reached agreement with small forward Metta World Peace (a.k.a. Ron Artest) on a 2 year contract (www.cbssports.com).

 

The fact that Smith had to have these knee surgeries done is a concern to me as a fan on a couple of levels. First, the injuries to Smith’s knees have been chronic and what if these procedures do not fix those problems?

 

Now, the Knicks have signed him to a 4 year contract, and he could hypothetically miss extended periods of time due to nagging injury.

 

However, Smith has battled through injury his entire career and has shown toughness and resilience in the past, but I do think that the injuries have an effect on his shooting capability. It could help to explain the long scoring drought he had in the playoffs this past season.

 

Who is going to help Melo?

 

The second area of concern I have regarding the absence of Smith is that he will miss training camp and the beginning few weeks of next season. That timetable, of course, is if everything involving in his rehab goes well. What if he has a setback?

 

In the absence of Smith, who is going to be the secondary scoring player to help Carmelo Anthony (a.k.a. Melo)?

 

The Knicks are going to need some scoring help from one of the other guards on the roster. I would look to Iman Shumpert as a potentially capable source of that offense.

 

I know so far Shumpert’s calling card is his ability to play lock-down defense, but the Knicks sent him to play Summer League ball in Las Vegas specifically to work on the offensive aspects of his game.

 

The other option is that secondary scoring might have to come from the front court with Andrea Bargnani. He has a very well rounded offensive game, as I covered in a prior post here on “Frank’s Forum”. Any seven foot guy who can shoot the 3 pointer, drive to the basket, and shoot mid-range jumpers is difficult to defend.

 

The opposing team will be looking to stop Carmelo Anthony, so that may open up some shots for Bargnani to knock down.

 

Outside of those two players, I do not know where the Knicks are going to find the points that Smith would normally contribute. In his absence, they need to put together a game plan to figure that out.

 

Metta World Peace: return to NYC

 

It was widely speculated that following the Los Angeles Lakers using their amnesty buyout on the contract of Metta World Peace, he would come and play for the Knicks.

 

The rationale behind that rumor was because he would still be paid by the Lakers the remainder of the money on his contract with them, the Lakers just eliminated those dollars from the salary cap and the luxury tax figures.

 

The Knicks have very little money left to spend on free agents but figured to offset the money he was receiving from the Lakers with half the mid- level trade exception which is around $1.6 million.

 

The Knicks used the other half of the mid-level trade exception to sign Pablo Prigioni recently to bring him back after his successful first year with the team last season. Prigioni will fill an important role in the Knicks backcourt in the upcoming season.

 

Metta World Peace (a.k.a. Ron Artest) figured to resume his NBA career with the Knicks because they are a potential title contender (he has played 14 years in the league so he was not going to go to a bad team at this point) and he is from New York City. The Knicks have a need at small forward, so this is a good move for all sides.

 

I know that World Peace has had a checkered past history, but I believe in redemption and second chances. He has grown into a solid defender and rebounder as well as a locker room leader which Kobe Bryant wanted back with the Lakers. This is a guy who used to drink beers before games when he was with the Indiana Pacers.

 

Then, he famously changed his name and thanked his psychiatrist after the most recent Lakers championship series victory a few years ago. He will fill an important void for the Knicks in their frontcourt and in the locker room. I think Coach Woodson will get a high caliber of effort out of him as well.

 

So, Knicks fans, we have a bad news and good news type of day. The team still has a couple of smaller roster moves yet to make, including the continued negotiations to bring back Kenyon Martin, which I think is imperative for them to do moving forward. Stay tuned.