This video gets me so amped to be a part of the sports digital revolution.

Things I like in this video:

• “Sports can now bring fans inside the huddle thanks to digital platforms” – @SeanCallanan
• YouTube viewers watched 7.5 hours of IPL Cricket – TV viewers only watched 2.5 hours of IPL Cricket
• “Connecting fans deepens ties to the sports teams”
• LinkedIn is Facebook for suits.

Seattle Mariners 2009 second overall pick, Dustin Ackley may be just 22 years old, but that doesn’t mean his name doesn’t carry any lore. Since breaking out as a star at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Ackley has drawn comparisons to such players as Chase Utley, Tony Gwynn and…Roy Hobbs.

Roy Hobbs?

Yes, Roy Hobbs, the protagonist from one of baseball’s classic tales, The Natural. While one might argue that Ackley is a natural himself, born of baseball blood (his father John was drafted in the third round of the 1979 draft by the Boston Red Sox and played professionally for seven seasons), the comparisons go back to the first year of his collegiate career. In an early spring matchup against UNC Wilmington, Ackley hit a grand slam. While grand slams are always considered remarkable, the truly spectacular part of the hit was that it broke Ackley’s bat.

His aluminum bat.

That one swing inspired the nickname “Roy Hobbs,” something Ackley’s teammates continued to call him throughout his college career.

While Hobbs famously said “I coulda’ broke every record in the book,” Ackley almost did. During his storied freshman year, he broke UNC records and led the nation with 119 hits, 296 at-bats and 73 games. He became just the fifth Tar Heel in program history to bat over .400 in a single season and he set a UNC rookie record with 74 runs.

Click here if you'd like to read this article in "magazine" format, as it appeared in The Dirt.

Even before heading to Chapel Hill, Ackley attracted quite a bit of national attention. He played for South Stoke High School for three seasons, helping his team to back-to-back North Carolina 1A state titles in 2003 and 2004. After transferring from South Stoke to North Forsyth High School for his senior year, Ackley earned preseason and postseason Louisville Slugger All-America honors.

Despite those accolades, Ackley went undrafted after high school. Even if he had been picked up by a team, there’s a good chance he would have turned it down in lieu of university life.

“A lot of kids go through high school and they see the money and want to go straight to professional ball,” said Ackley. “I think the best thing for me was going through college for three years and getting experience there. I think that was the best preparation for me to play professional baseball that I ever could have had.”

The decision to go to school in Chapel Hill was not a difficult one for Ackley. UNC was always in the picture for the North Carolina native.

“The baseball team had been really successful in recent years. It’s a really good program. A couple guys I had played summer ball with committed there.

“Plus, everyone in my family is a basketball fan there, so it made it really easy decision,” Ackley said with a smile.

As challenging as it might have been to balance baseball and UNC’s rigorous academic program, Ackley did follow in his family’s footsteps by cheering on the Tar Heels basketball team. “I went to quite a few of the games at Carolina. I think I went to every Carolina versus Duke game at Chapel Hill,” recalled Ackley.

While Ackley has followed in his family’s footsteps as a basketball fan and in professional baseball, they never forced him in a certain direction, allowing him to forge his own path. When asked about how his father John may have guided his career track, Ackley responded with the perhaps surprising answer that he has not tried to.

“He’s let me go my own way since college. He knew I was old enough to know what to do when the situation came,” Ackley explained.

“He’s told me about the things that went on in his professional career. The things he did. But other than that, he’s let me take this in and experience it for myself.”

Still, when you see Ackley volunteering in the community, posing for pictures with Rainiers season ticket holders, or signing autographs for fans before and after each game, you are seeing his family’s influence. When it comes to those “little things”—the little things that have big meaning for baseball fans—Ackley credits his upbringing.

“I was raised right by my parents,” he noted.

With his family across the country, Ackley now looks to role models in the Mariners organization.

“Since coming here I’ve been around a lot of people who have been in the game for awhile. They are teaching me the right way to do things. I try to do them and hopefully things will work out.

“When I first got to Seattle last August, Mike Sweeney was up with the team. He took me in and showed me everything. If it wasn’t for him, I would have been lost up there. He introduced me to everybody and made me feel comfortable. He was the first guy who really influenced me when I signed with the team.”

Just two days after Ackley joined the Rainiers from West Tennessee, Sweeney began a rehab assignment with the team. The five-time MLB All-Star continued what he started in Seattle while rehabbing in Tacoma, helping the rookie feel comfortable and adjust to his surroundings in the Northwest.

“It was great to see him,” admitted Ackley. “He’s good in the clubhouse. He made everybody relax and have fun. It’s always good to have a guy like that.”

While Sweeney’s rehab assignment has expired and he is no longer a member of the Rainiers, his influence can still be seen in the way Ackley treats the fans and his teammates, and the hustle he shows each day on the diamond.

In The Natural, Iris Gaines, a pivotal person in Hobbs’ past, tells Hobbs “I believe we have two lives…the life we learn with and the life we live after that.”

Be it family, college, coaches, or teammates, the people and experiences of Ackley’s past have taught him how the be a great ballplayer—and more importantly a great person. As his first season of professional baseball winds to a close, Ackley appears ready to parlay the lessons he’s learned into a new life in the major leagues.

–

Twas the night before game 7, I lay pondering the fate
Of how my team would fair, in a sport done on skates
B-lievers were nestled, nervously in bed
With dreams of a Stanley Cup hoist o’er head

I curled up in my sweater, and whispered a plea,
That the Stanley Cup winners, would wear a spoked-B.
And back in New England, I needn’t be told
My fellow B-lievers wore black and wore gold.

When down in the hall, I heard the crack of a door,
I sprang from my bed as I heard a loud roar.
I ran down the stairs to see what was abuzz,
And found a tall creature standing, all covered in fuzz.

He didn’t say much, but it knew from his stare,
This was none other than the famed Bruins bear.
His eyes didn’t twinkle, no cheeks like a rose,
He was brown, he was hairy, with a long snoutish nose.

When he stood on his hind legs, oh what a sight,
I couldn’t believe what was happening that night.
More rapid than slap shots, he started to name,
All the bears who would play a role in this game.

“Score David Krejci, and Ryder, and Marchand,
Lead us Big Chara, and Recchi, and Bergeron,
Show us your heart, young Lucic and Seguin,
Prove to the world this is your moment to win.

Be strong on the blue line, Tomas and Dennis,
The same message goes out to Adam and Ference,
Be in the moment Shawn, Paille and Boychuk,
Timmy Thomas protect as you dive for the puck.

Shane Hnidy and Kampfer, and goaltender Rask,
You are Boston Bruins, with or without mask.
In all that you do, be a part of this team,
As you bleed black and gold and follow this dream.

Campbell and Kelly, Peverley and Kaberle
You have made it this far, continue to play.
Work hard in your battles in corners and walls,
Now grind away! Grind away! Grind away all.

Do it for Chief, Cam, Ray, Dit and Orr,
Do it for Hitchman, Milt, Terry and Shore.
Do it for Savvy, and the pride in your chest,
Do it for Horton, and the ‘B’ on your crest.”

With a tear in my eye, matched by one in his fur,
Our hearts filled with longing Lord Stanley could cure.
We both knew our mission, this Game 7 Eve,
No matter what happened, we had to B-lieve.

“I’m off to Vancouver” he said with a roar,
He waved his right paw, and made way for the door.
As I watched the bear travel, away from my sight,
I heard him say surely “Tomorrow’s our night.”

Yes, that James Norris.

Marguerite Norris was just about as close as you can get to hockey royalty. Her dad was the legendary James Norris, who in the 1930s purchased the Detroit Falcons franchise—promptly changing the name to the Red Wings.

Despite owning the team, the Norris family didn’t often make it out to games. James had a heart condition, which forced him to stay in Chicago for much of his tenure as team president. Still, he managed to stay plenty informed about the goings on of the team, connecting with coach/GM Jack Adams (yup, that Jack Adams) by phone after each game.

While unable to travel far from his home in Lake Forest, Illinois, James taught his family to love the game of hockey as well. Standing just one inch shy of six feet tall, Marguerite used to play goalie during family hockey games. Although she shared her father’s interest in the game, Marguerite pursued her owns interests as well, earning a degree from Smith College, then working for Dun & Bradstreet in New York and West Farm Management in Chicago.

When James passed away from a heart attack on December 4, 1952, Marguerite took over control as president of the Red Wings per her father’s wishes. Although she had attend many games in Chicago and New York, the game she attended on December 18 of that year was first Red Wings game she had seen at Detroit’s Olympia Stadium in 20 years (in case you were wondering, the Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs tied 1-1).

Not much has been documented about Marguerite’s time with the Red Wings, but the team finished in first place during the three seasons she was at the helm. Marguerite was not shy about her disdain for coach Jack, but Mr. Adams remained the Red Wings head coach and guided the team to two Stanley Cups under Marguerite’s reign (1954, 1955). During the 1955 off-season, Marguerite lost an intrafamily struggle to her brother Bruce, who took over the team until 1982.

After leaving hockey, Marguerite moved to Connecticut and pursued an interest in raising cattle and horses. In her adopted hometown of Southbury, she was introduced to John Riker, the man she would marry in 1960. John was a graduate of the University of Alaska, had a master’s degree from Columbia University, and worked in the television business. While running their farm, the Rikers established themselves as leaders in the American Quarter Horse community. They were instrumental in introducing English events to the circuit and developed a popular breed of horses.

Marguerite died from heart failure in Connecticut on May 12, 1994. Her memory is honored each year with a scholarship to a graduating student at Nonnewaug High School—an agricultural high school not far from where she and John owned their farm. The scholarship goes to a student who excels in math, science and athletics and has financial need.

If you have any more information on Marguerite Norris, please post a comment or get in touch via email.

I think this video is fantastic.

What Makes an Exceptional Social Media Manager

I would like to add something to the “bonus point” section, which reads:

“You never call yourself a social media maven or guru.

Most social media mavens or gurus could never actually manage a social media campaign; they just play the super hero role in meetings.”

Throwing “never call yourself a social media rock star” on that list too.

This is where I became inspired. The Shamrock Shake is so elusive each year. It’s one of the most popular hashtags on Twitter right now. There is even a website dedicated to where you can find Shamrock Shakes in the month of March (the very aptly named www.shamrockshake.com).

So McDonald’s, why not create a location based smartphone app next year where people can check into their McDonald’s, update users of the app where the Shamrock Shakes are, and then stream to their social networks? You can have a map that showcases the closest locations as to where Shamrock Shakes are and have people share their thoughts on this magical drink. You can even use it to provide fun and useful Shamrock Shake facts, like where Shamrock Shakes are most popular (helpful for those markets where franchises chronically under order).

I think this would be a good way to “shake” things up!

Credit to Mashable and my friend Megan for sharing.

In case you were wondering, I will be celebrating with a Shamrock Shake:

And if you were wondering where the leprechaun sketch came from. Enjoy:

A few weeks into my graduate program at the University of Massachusetts, I realized that it was possible that I could one day win a championship ring.

Well, two years after graduating, I am proudly wearing one. Next step? World Series ring. After that, I want to be woman #13 with her name on the Stanley Cup.

Have you ever marketed with Twibbons? Have you seen a company or organization use them successfully?

To me, they are just twons of fun!