Bierman’s Six Pack: Issue #15

Welcome to this week’s Six Pack! Each week, I’ll share a mix of thoughts – some sports-related, some not – and I’d love for you to jump in with your reactions, ideas, or recommendations in the comments. Here’s what’s on my mind this week.

1. Family, Friends, and the Emerald City

I want to start this week’s Six Pack by giving a little love to two good friends of mine (and the other founders of Sandman Sports) – Bill Sanders and Craig Phalen. Bill and Craig live in Seattle, and I’m based in Cincinnati, so we don’t get together a ton. But every few months, we make it happen – and this time, it was my turn to come to Seattle. And this trip, I brought my wife and daughter along for the ride.

My daughter Mackenzie, now 23, has always loved Seattle but had never been. When she was 12 or 13, Bill randomly sent her a Seahawks t-shirt out of the blue, and she thought it was so cool. That prompted her to become a Seahawks fan, and that love for the city only multiplied when she started watching Grey’s Anatomy a few years later. Throw in the fact that she’s a Starbucks nut, and this town’s been calling her name for years.

A trip here with Mac was supposed to happen as her high school graduation gift, but that was in 2020, and Covid put a stop to that. But as they say – better late than never. And Seattle certainly did not disappoint.

Pike Place Market, the original Starbucks, T-Mobile Park for a Mariners game, wineries in Woodinville, great dinners, awe-inspiring views of water and mountains, lots of alcohol, and even more laughs – it was an incredible weekend. Huge thanks to Craig and Kelly for hosting us and showing us an unforgettable time – and to Bill and Marci for making the trip even more special

Mac’s expectations were sky-high, and Seattle more than delivered. We’ll definitely be back!

2. The Great Bottled Water Debate

Speaking of the Seattle trip, I have a quick rant (and question) here. So we’re at the airport about to board the plane, and we stop to grab bottled waters. My daughter says, “Not that one or that one – those taste gross.” Then my wife agrees. They both soon spot Smart Water and say, “Yes, definitely get two of those!”

Really?

Different bottled waters taste that different? Maybe I’m just naïve, or maybe my taste buds don’t work as well as they used to, but I’m not buying it. I get it when someone prefers Coke over Pepsi or Miller Lite over Bud Light, But this is bottled water. Please people. Let’s not overthink this.

But I’ll throw it to you, Sandman Nation – please help settle the argument: Is there really that much taste difference in bottled waters?

3. Quick Takes from the Draft

I won’t dive into all the post-draft grades and team-by-team breakdowns here, but I do want to share a few quick musings and tidbits that caught my eye from this year’s draft.

First, the Shedeur Sanders slide. Wow. I’m not a big fan of his game and don’t think he’ll be a great pro QB, but it was still shocking – and honestly, a little gratifying – to see him fall so far. In my opinion, his lack of humility, skipping pre-draft events, poor interviews, and the circus around his dad didn’t exactly help. That said, like any draft pick, he’ll have the chance to prove it once camp opens.

Here are a few other draft nuggets I found interesting:

• The 49ers went defense-heavy. They used their first five picks on defenders. The last time they did that was in 1981. And they won the Super Bowl that year.
• The Saints finally broke a drought when they selected QB Tyler Shough from Louisville with the 40th overall pick.
  Shough is their first QB taken in the top two rounds since 1971. Reactions are mixed on the pick itself, but the streak is officially over.
• The Browns made history as they became the first team in the modern draft era to pick two quarterbacks and two running backs within the first five rounds. Hmmmmmm. That’s a bold strategy, Cotton.
• The Ravens drafted a kicker for the first time in franchise history when they scooped up Arizona’s Tyler Loop in the 6^th round That doesn’t sound good for Justin Tucker’s future with this squad. His production has dipped lately, and the sexual misconduct allegations certainly don’t help his future.
• The Steelers’ current QB depth chart reads like this: Mason Rudolph, Skylar Thompson, and sixth-round pick Will Howard. Yuck. If Aaron Rodgers doesn’t end up signing there, it could get ugly fast. Honestly, it might even with him.
• The SEC keeps owning draft weekend as they led all conferences in total picks for the 19th straight year. They also tied their own record with 15 first-rounders (matching 2020).

Everyone loves their draft class in April. Let’s see who’s still smiling in January.

4. Customer Service Should Still Matter

I’ve said it for years: one of the easiest ways to stand out as a business is by investing in customer service. And yet, more and more companies seem to be sprinting the other direction. No live people to talk to. No live chats. Sometimes not even a phone number. And even when you do reach someone, the whole “customer comes first” mindset feels like a thing of the past with rudeness or stringent policies often taking center stage. It’s brutal.

Two examples last week just drove this home for me.

First, I went to Shake Shack one evening to grab some takeout. Despite having only five cars in front of me, I waited almost 30 minutes to get through the drive-thru. (Not kidding.) When I finally got my food and pulled away, I realized they had messed up my order. So I parked, went inside, waited in line again – and when I got to the counter? No smile, no greeting. Just a deadpan, “Yeah?”

When I explained the issue, there was no apology, no urgency – just eventually handing me the correct food. I walked out thinking it will be a long time until I return.

Then the next morning, at the airport, I tipped the shuttle driver fairly generously – and he couldn’t even muster a polite “thank you.”

Come on, businesses (and people). Do better. Your customers are people. They value personal experiences. They’ll pay more for them. They’ll stay loyal because of them.

It’s not complicated – but it’s amazing how many places still don’t get it.

5. Pickeball is Here to Stay

For years, it felt like people rolled their eyes at pickleball. Most just assumed it was a cute game for retirees to play after golf. I haven’t played a ton myself, but my wife and I did jump into a local league a few times (and it did make me wonder if this game was invented by divorce lawyers?)

But in all seriousness, I actually enjoyed it and I’d like us to play more. The game continues to grow and there’s even a massive indoor pickleball center that just opened near us, packed with memberships and it looks very busy every time I drive by.

Now comes the latest proof that pickleball is going mainstream: Andre Agassi is making his pro pickleball debut, teaming up with Anna Leigh Waters, the world’s No. 1 female player, at a PPA tournament in San Clemente, California. It’s part of a new event called the Pickleball Slam, designed to bring even more star power to the sport.

When legends like Agassi – along with other big names like McEnroe, Roddick, and Sharapova – start playing, it’s only going to help legitimize the pro pickleball tour and get more people actually watching, not just playing.

With over 36 million players now in the U.S., pickleball isn’t just a fad. It’s here to stay – and it’s only getting bigger.

6. Trash Some of that Talk

I love a good rivalry. Most people know I’m a huge Michigan fan and part of the fun is talking a little trash. But sometimes, the trash talk gets just… stupid.

Midway through the NFL Draft first round, I saw a bunch of Michigan fans bragging that we had three first-round picks in the top 13, while Ohio State had none.

Ok. Cool, But… so what?

And then guess what? Ohio State ended up with four first-rounders by the end of the night – more than Michigan.
And again – so what?

Then I saw a Buckeye fan brag that Ohio State has the most first-round picks all-time (97). That’s impressive – it says a lot about recruiting, development, and coaching over the years.

But again, is that what we root for? Do we tune in on Saturdays to watch our teams rack up NFL Draft picks?

No. We root for wins. Rivalry game bragging rights. Big Ten titles. National championships.

Both Michigan and Ohio State have way more important things to debate than meaningless draft numbers. So let’s up our trash talk game – stat!

Thanks for checking out this week’s Six Pack, Sandman Nation! I’d love to hear your thoughts: what resonated with you, what you disagree with, or your own takes on these topics. Drop your comments and let’s keep the conversation going. Also, if you want to see more content like this, here are some past issues of Bierman’s Six Pack:

Bierman’s Six Pack: Issue #14

Bierman’s Six Pack: Issue #13

Bierman’s Six Pack: Issue #12

Bierman’s Six Pack: Issue #11