Zune on SALE!

Office Max seems to be leading the charge on discounting the Zune. Last week, Office Max offered the Zune for only $179 in a two-day "Friends and Family" sale. Now, Office Max is offering the Zune for just $199 to anybody who walks in the door. This is the best price I've seen on the Zune, other than special, invitation-only sales. Grab yours quick!

The Future of Zune?

I picked up a brochure at a Zune display at our local video game store the other day. It was typical Zune marketing – "spread the music," "Music the way it wants to be."

However, I did notice an interesting paragraph tucked in with the list of features. It read as follows:

"It Only Gets Better: As Zune evolves, your device can easily be updated. The Zune software on your PC will let you know when these updates are available for download. And with built-in wireless capability in each and every player, the future is filled with possibilities."

Maybe I've been living under a rock, but this is the first time I've seen Microsoft mention wireless in such a way to suggest anything more than the current Zune to Zune music sharing. This paragraph seems to tease us with the possibility of perhaps other wireless features. I can think of a few – music downloads in Starbucks, access to Zune Marketplace without a PC… Hmmm….

Garfunkel???

This is odd… I logged into the Zune Marketplace this afternoon, and of course, I always like to check the current top seller lists on the right side of the screen.

I found it very strange that an Art Garfunkel album from 1975 is listed as the number 1 album. How can that be?

I can understand Daughtry, Hinder and Nelly Furtado... But Art Garfunkel???

Denny Matthews

What can you say about Denny Matthews?

Denny has been the voice of the Kansas City Royals since their inception in 1969. He's called nearly every pitch in the history of the Royals.

He's missed a few games in recent years. Matthews has taken a few road trips off the last few years, a luxury that he certainly deserves.

But other than those few games, he's been there. Night after night, game after game, pitch after pitch.

I was two years old when Denny began broadcasting Royals games. Needless to say, I grew up listening to Denny. My summers are defined by the sound of Denny's voice.

When I was growing up, the Royals were on. We had an old transistor radio in our kitchen, and Denny's voice flowed out of that radio in a sweet baseball melody.

Denny Matthews is not a flashy broadcaster. His quiet, elegant style fits baseball perfectly. Baseball has no shot clock, and does not involve huge, hulking men crashing into one another. Baseball is a slow paced, flowing game. It is three hours of pleasantness.

Denny's style of broadcasting is like baseball itself. It's a quiet, understated flow of words that perfectly describe the game. Denny is very knowledgeable about baseball. You can learn a lot about baseball when you listen to Denny broadcast a game.

He has no catch phrase. (Personally, I want to hang myself when I hear the "Hawk" scream "HE-GONE!")

He simply describes the game in a comforting voice that makes you feel like all is good in the world. He has a wry humor that makes you smile in between pitches. And occasionally, he will tell one of his many stories that he's accumulated over the years. It goes without saying that a great baseball announcer is also a great story teller.

He is radio's equivalent to comfort food. He's there, in the car and on the porch. He's there, as a child and as an adult. He's there, with your parents and with your kids. He's there, while you work and while you play.

And now, Denny Matthews is there. Matthews was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, winning the Ford Frick Award. Congratulations, Denny. You certainly deserve this great honor.

And thank you.

Zune Bug?

Have I discovered a bug in the Zune? I'm listening to an MP3 recording of last night's Drudge Report Radio Show. It's a long "song:" 53 minutes and 24 seconds.

While I was playing this file and when it got half way through, my Zune's time counter stopped ticking. So, on the left side it showed 26:42 elapsed, and on the right side, it showed -26:42 to go. The progress bar stuck in the middle. The file kept playing all the way to the end, but I could not fast forward.

When I pressed the fast forward button, the time tickers would progress, but when I let it go, they would return to 26:42 and -26:42, and the audio would not advance. It played from the spot where it was when I pressed the fast forward button.

I tried this on the Zune software on my desktop, and it worked normally.

I'm going be trying this on several different long files.

My Evening with Dayton Moore

One of the many changes that Royals GM Dayton Moore has brought to the organization is to create a Speaker's Bureau. By making himself accessible to the public, Moore hopes to bridge the gap between frustrated fans and the club.

I experienced this first-hand Thursday night when Moore visited my brother's church. Moore spoke for about an hour, most of which was Q&A with the audience.

Moore began his talk by discussing his background and how he came to become the GM of the Kansas City Royals. Moore stated that as he began his career in baseball, at the college level, his feeling was that he did not want to be a part of Major League Baseball because of what he had observed as an erosion of morals as people moved up through the ranks of professional baseball.

The Atlanta Braves approached Moore to join their organization, and Moore declined the job. A few days later, Roy Clark called Moore and persuaded him to take the job, and after a great deal of prayer and contemplation with his wife Marianne, he took the job.

Moore was greatly successful in Atlanta, starting as a scout, then Director of Player Personnel, and then finally Assistant General Manager. In 2005, he was named by Baseball America as one of the top 10 Up-and-Coming Power Brokers in Major League Baseball. In 2004, Moore was Baseball America's top general manager prospect.

Moore's success was not going unnoticed. First, the Arizona Diamondbacks approached Moore hoping to hire him as their GM. He passed.

Then, after Theo Epstien so famously left the Boston Red Sox, they tapped Moore to be their next GM. Moore said that he felt excited about the opportunity, but after much prayer and deliberation, he and his wife decided to stay in Atlanta. Moore said that he felt that John Schuerholz would be retiring in a few years and he would take over for the Braves.

Then, in May of 2006, David and Dan Glass requested permission to speak to Moore. Again, Moore was excited about leading a baseball organization, especially his boyhood team. He considered the opportunity, but in the end, decided to stick it out in Atlanta. He called his wife and they agreed that they should stay in Atlanta. But, alas, Moore had a gnawing feeling about the Royals' job. He called his wife four hours later and she mentioned the same "gnawing" feeling. Together, they decided that he should take the job.

After the game that night, Moore called John Schuerholz into his office and told him that he had decided to take the job. He was excited to "go do something special."

Moore expressed his belief that the success of a baseball player depends mostly upon his moral character. He mentioned that there were several players in Kansas City that he felt did not have the character needed to be successful, and those players are now gone. (Affeldt? Burgos?)

Moore opened it up to questions from the crowd, which I will paraphrase below:

Q: How do you turn this thing around?

A: By doing things the right way. We know that it will take time, but we are putting people and processes in place that are the right thing to do. From that, we expect success. I know of people in other places who didn't care about their jobs or about the success of their team because of the way they were treated. We will treat our employees well and do things the right way so that everybody will work together to bring success to Kansas City.

Q: How do you rate the KC farm system?

A: My only point of reference is how Atlanta did it, and they were very successful. We are beefing up our player development and scouting. We are focused on pitching, and we have some good prospects – Luke Hochevar, Tyler Lumsden, Billy Buckner – but not enough. We've added another minor league team to increase the number of prospects we have in our system. We are investing in Latin America, opening an Academy in the Dominican Republic this year. Just a couple of years ago, the Royals were very last in spending in Latin America. We are changing that.

Q: How is Mike Sweeney?

A: He's doing well. He's changed his workout routine to focus on flexibility. He's working with a back specialist. He's a good example of players perhaps doing too much with regard to working out in their younger years. As they get older, they begin to experience these injuries, especially in their backs. He plans to have a strong, healthy season this year.

Q: What is the first thing you changed when you arrived?

A: Level of expectations. Too many people in Kansas City had just come to expect to lose. We've brought in people who have experienced winning in the past, and who expect nothing less than success. Teams who win the World Series overachieve. The talent level is pretty comparable between teams, but the teams that win overachieve, and that is caused by great chemistry and character. The players we've let go didn't fit that mold, the players we've brought in do.

Q: What will happen with Mark Teahen?

A: Teahen will ultimately play the outfield. He could play third or DH to spell other players, but ultimately, he will be an outfielder.

Q: What about the logjam of outfielders?

A: We do have a lot of outfielders right now, and that is a good problem. Buddy Bell will have a lot of flexibility to rotate players around. We also have some room for trades.

Q: What did you see in Gil Meche?

A: We often see pitchers who can "throw" but haven't developed the ability to "pitch" yet. Gil is reaching the point in his career where his ability to throw, his power, is meeting up with his knowledge and ability to pitch. It's when these two things meet that a number 1 or number 2 pitcher is created. But look, signing him may end up being a mistake. But if it is, we would still do it the same way. We needed a pitcher and we felt Gil was the best available and we were going to win that negotiation. What the critics aren't telling you is that the Blue Jays and the Cubs were willing to pay what we paid. The Cubs had 4 years, $40 million on the table. The Blue Jays had 4 years, $48 million on the table. They were willing to go to 5 years, but Gil picked us. He wants to be an ace, and we need an ace. You'll just have to trust me on this one. We feel it's a great match.

Q: Who do you think will have big years this year?

A: Ross Gload. Ryan Shealy. And certainly having Jason LaRue here will spark the competiveness in John Buck, such that I think Buck will have a great year.

Q: What's up with Zack Greinke?

A: He's doing well. I've heard that this offseason, he's worked harder than any other offseason. He's more excited about getting to Spring Training than any other year. Zack is a good example of the damage that can occur when a player is rushed to the majors too fast. He just didn't know how to react to being in the big leagues.

We're finding that a lot of our players come from broken homes, and who have never really learned wrong from right. They are immature and don't know how to handle being on their own. We've created a new Character and Leadership Program in the minors to help teach players these things. We discuss things like "how did Jackie Robinson react, and how would you react?" We hope to give these kids some direction and develop them into strong young men with character.

Q: How soon until we see some success?

A: It obviously won't happen overnight. If we win the World Series in the next 1-3 years, we will be ecstatic. We will be better this year, but we're probably looking at 3-5 years to be a World Series caliber team.

 

All in all, I was very impressed with Moore. He spoke with authority and he definitely has a plan of attack for making the Kansas City Royals the model organization in baseball. He took on criticism head on, and was realistic about the current state of things and where the sees it going. I'm looking forward to this season, but more importantly, the next 3 seasons.

The Future of DRM?

Could the end be near for DRM? Probably not, but if Steve Jobs and Bill Gates have their way, DRM would soon go the way of the dinosaurs.

Steve Jobs wrote a very interesting commentary regarding DRM in which he calls for the music companies to release their DRM requirements. Bill Gates has also indicated that he believes DRM is broken and suggests that music lovers should just "…buy a CD and rip it. You are legal then."

The DRM issues also coincide with Zune's sharing feature, which is causing Microsoft more trouble than they anticipated. Not only is the "3 plays/3 days" restriction a pain, but Zune owners are finding that as much as half of their music isn't shareable.

I certainly hope that the pressure applied by Steve Jobs and Bill Gates will help to convince the music companies to give up on DRM once and for all.

Free Music

Just thought I'd pass this along…

ArtistDirect is offering free MP3's for download at their site. There's some good stuff there, including Moby, Barenaked Ladies and Cracker, along with a bunch of stuff I've never heard of.

I found it interested that on a page featuring "Free MP3's brought to you by Zune," that right next to the photos of the Zune player is an ad for iTunes/iPod.

Vicious.

I Want That One, and That One, and That One…

I hadn't thought much about the subscription service offered by Microsoft's Zune Marketplace. Being the tightwad that I am, I just immediately dismissed the idea of paying $14.99 per month for music.

But after I purchased my Zune last week, I eventually succumbed to the temptation and I redeemed my free 14 day trial of the Zune Pass subscription service.

Wow.

How liberating is it to know that you can download any album, any song, at any time?

I'm still not sure I'll pay the $14.99 per month (or $44.97 for 3-month renewals) for the service, but that's because I'm so cheap. I do see the value in this subscription service and I think it's a great product.

There are caveats with the subscription service. I would compare to a "music rental" service. For the monthly fee, you can download and listen to as much music as you like. However, the songs are not capable of being burned to CD. And once you cancel your subscription, the songs no longer can be played. But as long as your subscription is active, it is a music smorgasbord.

Just this morning, I was looking for some Prince music (inspired by his fantastic Super Bowl performance), and found 32 Prince albums available for download. This initial search spawned a train of thought that led me to search for such varied artists as Barenaked Ladies, Crash Test Dummies, GTR, Cracker and Jimmie Lee. Zune Marketplace offered many options for all of these artists (except for GTR, whose album was not available but still listed in their database). Just in this quick 15 minutes search session, I downloaded 6 albums. If each album costs somewhere around 10 or 11 bucks, I just easily paid for several months of the subscription service.

Of course, if there is an album or song that you would like to keep, you can still purchase songs using the confusing Microsoft Points system. Once purchased, the songs can be burned to CD and kept forever.

So, while I'm not sure I will subscribe to the Zune Pass service, I still give it hearty thumbs up as a great way to get music into your hands and onto your Zune.

Hello from Seattle

Hello from Seattle

That's the tag line on the back of my new Zune. Yes, I finally purchased a black Zune (with blue "double-shot" no less) yesterday.

Now, I've been reading a lot of reviews and blogs about the Zune, and I was beginning to get scared. According to these folks, the Zune is one device that can and will take down the free world.

Fearing the worst, I grabbed my pocket knife and cut the tape that secured the box sleeve. I slid the brown sleeve off revealing the inner box with that lame-ass slogan, "Welcome to the social."

I should take a moment here and explain my thoughts about the marketing campaign around the Zune. Apparently (actually, obviously) Microsoft is targeting the young uns. They are hoping that high school and college students hop up on the Zune Wagon and "squirt" their favorite songs to each other. All of the photos feature young, typically long-haired kids in torn jeans digging the hell out of their Zune.

This is not me. I'm a (almost) 40 year old computer dork whose musical taste leans more toward Dave Matthews than Ludacris. I also have a steady job, and so being able to afford a $250 music player wasn't as much of an issue for me as it would be for your typical student. And, I damn near hate the brown/pink/orange color scheme.

Okay, so I've removed the outer sleeve and have opened the lid on the inner box, revealing my new black Zune. Inside the plastic sleeve along with my Zune was a tiny, dead insect. I was curious if that was some kind rare Chinese bug that travel thousands of miles from the factory to my home. Everything seemed to be in order. I had a Zune, some earphones, and a sync cable. I opened the flap for the back part of the box and found the software CD, a product guide and a start guide. Also in the back compartment was the slip cover (which is barely big enough to fit the Zune with some stretching. At the pouch that came with my iPod was big enough to also hold the earphones), and my free 14 day Zune Pass. (Wasn't there supposed to be a window sticker in here?)

Brown/pink/orange colors aside, the Zune is very well packaged. It is an attractive box that Microsoft obviously put a lot of thought into. It's almost Apple-like.

I powered up the Zune to take a quick peek at the pre-loaded content. The battery was almost dead, according to the small, Vista-like battery meter in the lower right corner. I tinkered around with it a bit, but then decided to connect it to my PC to charge and sync it.

I've read all of the horror stories about how terrible the Zune software is, and that my computer would lock up and my pipes would freeze and my car would bread down. Surprisingly, none of that happened. The software installed just fine, and it found my music library and commenced with syncing it to my Zune. My library consists of about 5,000 songs, so the sync took a little while to complete. (I'm sorry, but I forgot to time it. Let's just say it took more than 15 minutes.)

The software also transferred a couple of videos it found on my laptop. One was a trailer for "Borat," one was an episode of "The Sopranos," the movie "Benchwarmers," and there were also a few Glenn Beck video podcasts (downloaded from iTunes). All transferred flawlessly, and once the sync was complete, my Zune was loaded up and ready to go.

I've had it for about 48 hours, and I've given it quite a work out. I've listened to several "albums" that I've not heard in years – it's amazing how seeing the album cover art makes you rediscover old favorites that you had forgotten about. I've also watched several videos, including the preloaded ones.

My son grabbed it and listed to FM radio for a while, and he seemed to really enjoy it.

I've since updated the background image to use a picture of Kauffman Stadium that I took on Opening Day 2004. Nothing like a baseball field to get you in the mood for spring.

So, what can I say? I've been an iPod/iTunes user for 3 years, and now I'm on board with the Zune. The Zune works great, has a beautiful screen, and sounds awesome. I can't say that Zune is better or worse than any other MP3/media player. They all have their strengths and weakness and they all have their fans and haters. I like my Zune. It does what I need and I'm anxious to see what Microsoft has in store for the WiFi capabilities.

Until then, hello from Seattle.

Love/Hate

I was just reading another review of Microsoft's Zune. This one is published at Digital Media Wire and was written by "jay."

It was pretty clear early on that jay's "review" would be a bit biased. The third sentence of the review reads, "But I still prefer my video iPod."

Interestingly though, jay then spends the rest of the review describing the advantages that Zune has over the iPod, all the while still insisting that the iPod is better.

"If only Apple could just find a way to make the screen a little bigger" is followed by "In the end, I prefer the video iPod when it comes to size and design."

Jay then describes some of the other features – he gives a nod to the Zune on its UI, and iTunes takes the cake in the 99 cents vs. points argument.

In his conclusion though, jay sums it up very well: "The video iPod is the clear short-term winner."

But wait, jay then says, "If Apple manages to fit in a larger screen, add wireless capabilities and possibly a subscription service to iTunes, it will also likely be the long term winner."

Huh? The iPod is the winner, but it doesn't have a nice large screen, wireless capabilities or a subscription service. The Zune does have all of those features but is the loser?

This brings me to my point. All of this "fanboi" behavior, cult-like allegiance and fire spitting hatred is getting old. It's the same thing regardless of what the product is. Microsoft people will trash Apple stuff. Linux people will trash Microsoft stuff. It's all so sophomoric.

Here's an idea. Let's all realize that there is a place in this world for each of these companies and their products. Linux has an important role in shaping the "open source" world. Microsoft makes great software that millions of businesses rely on every day. Apple has the most elegant and well designed products I have ever seen.

iPod is great. Zune is cool. Sansa is sweet. OSX rox. Vista kix. Oracle works. SQL Server works. PeopleSoft is a great product. So is SAP.

They all have their place, and the competition between these companies and products will continue to drive those companies to give us better and better products.

Apple will respond to Zune with a better iPod screen and perhaps an FM tuner and WiFi capabilities. Microsoft will continue to improve the Zune and will release new versions with bigger capacities (hard drives) as well as smaller capacities (flash-based Zune).

All fanbois will benefit from this!

It's all good!

Feeling Better…

In an earlier rant, I was venting about my issues with technology. Several days later, I've calmed down a bit.

My "failed to start" problem was my problem. I had a typo in an XML definition file. Easily fixed and everything worked great.

I did resort to putting Windows XP back on my laptop so I could use an AirCard while I was out of touch, but I've since reinstalled Vista and things are running great.

10 deep breaths. Ah…

Is Zune Gaining Favor?

No, I still haven't purchased my Zune, so I haven't had the opportunity to explore it firsthand. But I have been keeping up with all of the Zune blogs (ZuneScene, ZuneThoughts, Zunerama, and my favorite, ZuneInsider) as well as the various reviews of the device.

It seems to me that after the initial hate-filled garbage was written at the time of the Zune launch, some of the criticism is starting to die down, and more favorable reviews are surfacing.

I theorize that this is because folks are beginning to realize that the Zune of November 2006 is nothing like what the Zune of summer 2007 will be. Microsoft is working hard on the product and updates are coming. It's already been leaked that a flash version is coming, and that MSFT is working on building Podcasts into the Zune Marketplace.

And there was news that a meeting between MSFT and the record companies may ease the sharing restrictions, which seem to be the biggest gripe of Zune haters.

I still believe that one day the Wi-Fi capability will be huge on Zune. Not only for song sharing, but for also downloading new music while on the go (like when you walk into a Starbucks, for instance).

Yes, Microsoft probably did rush the product to get it in stores for Christmas, so they didn't have the "killer-app" features ready for prime time. But I've been around the Redmond folks long enough to know that they will eventually get it right, and it will be a killer product.

Screw Your Technology!

I'm sick of my crap not working.

Understand I've always been one of the "early adopter" types. I love checking out the new stuff, even when it's not quite ready for prime time.

But I've run into issues recently that are about to drive me to drink (more). And I even waited for the production versions to be released.

I'm running Windows Vista Business. Vista hasn't been released to the general public yet, but it has been released to businesses and Microsoft partners. Of course, running a brand new operating system will always present challenges, but when Office 2007 (also brand new) keeps crashing, you know there's a problem.

And don't even get me started on trying to set up an AirCard on this Vista machine. Ugh.

Then there's SharePoint. The brand new version of SharePoint has just been released. One of the great new features of this version of SharePoint is the ability to build custom workflows. I have a client who needs just this kind of functionality. So, I'm trying to build a simple workflow to rename a document when it gets put into a Document Library. No dice. It took 2 days just to get something built that would install into SharePoint successfully. Feeling good about that, I set out to fire off my workflow to test it.

"Failed on Start." That's all it says. No error message. Just "Failed on Start."

I wrote previously that I'd decided to buy a Zune. I still plan to, but am wondering what kind of headaches that will bring.

Maybe it's because I'm getting dangerously close to the age of 40, but I'm starting to get pretty cranky about being on the leading edge. I think I may have to start creeping back toward that trailing edge a little bit.

I'm sure it will reduce my blood pressure.

Podcasting via Zune

I haven't purchased my Zune yet. I have been reading up on some of the Zune blogs, and noticed an interesting bit on Clikzune regarding podcasts. One of the big criticisms of Zune is the "lack of podcast support." Of course, that's not correct as the Zune can play podcasts just fine. What's missing is the lack of a podcast directory on Zune Marketplace.

I listen to a lot of podcasts, a lot of which I retrieve using iTunes. Several are not DRM'd by iTunes, so my Zune software (yes, I've downloaded and installed the software without yet having a device) picks them up and can play them. I assume they will sync and play on a Zune.

I shall soon Zune

I've decided to buy a Zune. I'm not sure when the purchase will be made – perhaps this week – but it will indeed be made.

You may be wondering why I've made this decision. I have a perfectly good (back from the dead) iPod. It is an old sucker that nearly bit it last month, but it's still cranking out the tunes.

And now there is word that the killer feature of the Zune, its wireless music sharing, is crippled at best. Even if it worked as promised, the "3 days, 3 plays" restriction just kills any excitement about this feature. The record companies and their paranoia are nixing all of the innovation around these exciting technologies.

Still, I will buy a Zune. Part of the reasoning is my job. I work for a Microsoft partner, and so I am a bit biased when it comes to Microsoft. But I'm also very interested in Microsoft's future plans for the Zune. We all know that Microsoft will expand the Zune's wireless capabilities. The technology is there, so I can see a day when the Zune will allow users to wirelessly purchase music and sync. I can also envision an entire line of Zune-branded devices and technologies for home entertainment.

At any rate, the time has come for me to get a new digital media player. I've decided on the Zune. I'll keep you posted on my impressions of the device when I get it.

Welcome to the social.

Person of the Year

I am Time Magazine's Person of the Year.

I am very grateful to receive prestigious award. So as not to disappoint the folks at Time Magazine, I offer these bits of random thought:

• The ads say it only happens once a year, but I believe Toyotathon is a year-round event.
  
• Of the thousands of videos on YouTube, I would venture to guess that only 2-5% of them are worth watching.
  
• Debt is dumb; cash is king.
  
• If Microsoft really wants people to buy Zunes instead of iPods, maybe they should offer it with either more disk space or a smaller price tag. (BTW – I'm fighting the urge to buy one)
  
• Yes, "LOVE" by the Beatles is just another attempt to make money off of some dead guys, but it is a joy to listen to.
  
• Maybe I'm a baseball romantic, but I love JoPo's optimistic outlook on the Royals this year.
  
• Vista is quite beautiful, but only if you have the video hardware to support it. Otherwise, it's a pain in the ass.
  
• I'm starting to believe my wife: Lamar Hunt is responsible for the Chiefs' making the playoffs. There is no other explanation.
  

Shouldn’t the Record Companies love iPods???

Why are record company executives such morons? I mean, seriously.

They sit in their corner offices and espouse all this hatred toward music lovers; specifically, music lovers to take their music with them on portable music players.

Universal CEO David Morris is quoted as saying: "These devices are repositories for stolen music, and they all know it. So it's time to get paid for it." These executives are suggesting that a surcharge be added to every iPod, Zune, Sansa and every other portable music player sold. Microsoft has already caved, sending $1.00 for every Zune sold to the record companies. Are you kidding me???

The problem with the music industry isn't stolen music. Check most iPods. They aren't filled with stolen tracks. They are filled with music ripped from the user's personal CD collection (perfectly legal). They are filled with songs purchased from iTunes for 99 cents. iTunes has sold over a billion songs. And the record companies got their cut.

No, the problem isn't this so-called stolen music.

The record companies still can't get over their early rage about Napster and it's free music file sharing. They still assume every music lover is a thief and are trying to make them pay for their indiscretions.

Maybe the record companies should be thankful that music lovers care enough about their music to go through the hassle of ripping their CD's. The record companies should embrace these new technologies and make it easier for music lovers to get a hold of the music they love. iTunes (and other online music stores) are a great start, but there are still problems with Digital Rights Management and competing file formats. Most music lovers would like to think that once they purchase a song, they can do anything they want with it. Purchased a song on iTunes and want to load it onto your new Zune? Too bad.

Microsoft is trying to make it easier for music lovers to find new music. Their Zune digital media player has a cool new feature that allows users to send songs to one another wirelessly. It's a great idea, and the record companies should be thrilled in this innovative new way to spread their product around. If a friend was to send me a song and I liked it, my next logical step is to purchase more of their songs or their CD. But the record companies are so paranoid about this music sharing that they forced Microsoft to put restrictions on this sharing technology – so much so that the feature is essentially useless. I had a band a few (okay many) years ago. We never signed a recording contract, but if I wanted to send my music to my friends, I would be met with the same restrictions as a Jay-Z song. How can that be?

Instead of investing all of their time, money and energy in fighting these so-called music thieves, the record companies should invest in finding quality artists who can produce quality music. With the "music" they are producing these days, even 99 cents for a song feels like a rip-off.

Free Agent Signings

The Royals have been making a splash over the last two days. They signed pitcher Gil Meche to a 5 year, $55 Million contract, and reportedly have also signed close Octavio Dotel. The Royals are still pursuing Miguel Bautista as well.

A lot of folks are a bit up in arms over the amount of money the Royals are giving to Meche. Meche has been an average pitcher of the last few years, but is only 28 years old and still shows promise. But is he worth $55 million? Probably not.

But Royals GM Dayton Moore not only needs to rebuild the team’s on the field success, but also the perception of the organization. Signing Meche will not put the Royals in the World Series this season. But what it does is it tells the rest of baseball that the Royals are not the same anymore.

The Royals are telling the rest of baseball that they no longer will accept being the door mat. They are aggressively spending money to improve themselves. By signing players like Meche and Dotel, it improves the impression to the rest of the players, and next year or the year after it suddenly becomes much easier to attract players.

It’s the same tact the Tigers used after losing 119 games in 2003. They spent way too much money on players, but they were able to attract players and three years later it paid off with a World Series.

If Moore can stabilize the pitching, and the young players all come along over the next two years, it is not beyond the realm of possibility that the Royals will be contending in a year or two.

That’s the hope, anyway.

Buck O'Neil

We met Buck O’Neil in March of 2004. My son Joey and I were in Arizona to see some Spring Training. We saw Buck at one of the stadiums where the Royals were visiting. I don’t recall which stadium or which team the Royals were playing that day, but I do recall it being a warm, beautiful day. Of course, all days in Arizona are beautiful in March.

We were walking through the stadium looking for our seats when we spotted Buck near the field greeting folks, shaking hands, hugging ladies and signing baseballs for kids. I sent Joey down to get his autograph.

Any kid who asked Buck for an autograph will have this same story, but it is special nonetheless. Buck told Joey that he didn’t want to sign his ball unless Joey could prove that he could catch it. He sent Joey up the steps and then he tossed the ball to Joey. Joey brought it back and Buck told him to scoot back a little more. Another toss and another catch.

Buck then signed Joey’s ball and ruffled his cap. Joey’s 13 now, so he won’t admit how special it was. But I believe Joey does recognize the impact that Buck had on baseball and Kansas City.

I’ve seen and met Buck several times both in Arizona and in Kansas City, and I’ve always been amazed at how gracious he was. He was a special man.

Our family felt a short, sad moment when we heard Buck had passed. But, Buck himself said “don’t shed a tear for me.”