Pujols is NOT on the list

It's been an interesting afternoon in St. Louis. Being a baseball fan, I, like millions of others , awaited Sen. George Mitchell's report on steroid use in major league (& minor league) baseball.

As I was going through my morning routine, getting set to leave my residence for work, I took it upon myself to listen to KMOX Radio at 11:00 am, for CBS radio News and local news headlines. Being busy, I kept the radio on. Rush Limbaugh enters the airwaves. He immediately begins reciting names of players who, he alleged, were on the list that Senator Mitchell was to release three hours later. He cited the name Albert Pujols. Of course, most of the names he mentioned were in the Mitchell Report. However, King Albert has not been found in that report. I read an online .pdf file - twice. I see former Cardinals' Fernando Vina, David Bell, Jason Christiansen, Kent Mercker, Gary Bennett, Cody McKay, and Larry Bigbie, as well as lengthy references to Mark McGwire and (unindicted due to lack of evidence) current outfielder Rick Ankiel (remember the New York Times story out in time for the 2007 playoffs?...) --- but NO ALBERT PUJOLS.

It seems to me that numerous "officials" get called to the carpet for plagiarism. Should, perhaps, Rush Limbaugh be called out for his ON-AIR USE of materials which were likely posted online on this Thursday morning by a source OTHER than Limbaugh's staff? He went on national radio and didn't cite a source. Just blabbed about the list, the players, and pointed out Albert Pujols as being named in the report which was to come out later in the day.

What are YOUR thoughts on this?

In this instance, would YOU BELIEVE Limbaugh had "sources close to Mitchell" who had told - in confidence - this information? If that is the case, does Mitchell now know of a "leak" in his office? Or, did Rush Limbaugh's group of researchers simply decide an online posting or blog was a credible enough source...without proper attribution...and "GET IT WRONG"???

I may listen to Rush tomorrow to see IF he apologizes. It's possible - even for Rush Limbaugh (known past drug-abuser) - to apologize. Somehow, I think he won't apologize to Albert Pujols, or Johnny Damon (he went on about him, too), or even Sammy Sosa (not named in the report).

Not surprisingly, I have a position on what has been released (I've read - well, skimmed very thoroughly - it twice this afternoon): Senator Mitchell's report could have been more revealing. The investigation could have continued. It's interesting to note what was NOT said versus what HAS been revealed. If you're the senator, what would you recommend happen to the players, the players' association, the doctors and trainers and coaches and others who covered up players who abused and suppliers of the banned substances?

At this point, the names are out in the open. Or are they?

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THE TRAVEL-RELATED QUESTION:
So, will you travel to see a baseball game featuring Andy Pettite, Roger "Hall of Fame" Clemens (if he plays yet again), Gary Sheffield, "home run king" Barry Bonds (if he plays after all the Mr. Anderson was saying to the investigators about his use of the "clear" and the "cream"), even Gary Bennett in 2008?

What travels around, goes around

You will be impacted by the ups and downs of the travel industry. It is inevitable. Whether it's the economic downturn being predicted by some forecasters, or the obvious impact the babyboomers will have on the industry over the next 35 years (do you realize how many millions of people we're talking about...most of whom will take trips, cruises, vacations that last a month or more, etc.???).

The questions are numerous, including, "Do I want a piece of this trillion-dollar-plus industry?"

The market shift has already begun. Books have been written about it. Companies have been formed to capitalize on the ideas that all kinds of entreprenuers kick around in their heads. And the questions we all ask about the industry are going to have answers inside the next 3 to 4 years. Perhaps now is the time to discuss an issue that is clouding up the newest part of the industry: internet travel agencies.

First, for those who did not read my profile, I have been a reporter for more than 20 years. Over that period, I have been friends with or acquaintences with at least four "travel professionals" who worked in a building as travel agents. At times I would hear of them barely scraping by, and at other times they reported having been blessed with a thriving business.

I know it has been widely reported for several years that travel agencies are facing declining enrollments in the "brick and mortar" side of the business. Recently, a friend entered into the business and told me about the company he joined early in 2007. I had heard about it in passing, but did not know much about YTB Travel Network. He invited me to a "Red Carpet Day" presentation and said to me, "I think you'll like what you see, but if not, you aren't going to owe anybody anything. All you'd be out is a few hours of your day and you'll even get a free lunch out of it for listening to the spiel." When I went to the Gateway Center in Collinsville, Illinois, I got a quick first impression. Well, okay, a second impression. My first impression was through the website that my friend Jim Fassero (mentioned in my first blog entry for this column) had through YTB, http://www.ytb.com/traveltips365 (Jim's site for entering the business side of YTB as a RTA - Referring Travel Agent). I looked it over and wondered very cautiously if I was looking at something of a scam. Jim, if you were to know him - as I have - for 25 years, is a REAL SKEPTIC. I, especially after what I've seen as a reporter/editor, am even MORE of a skeptical nature. And something told me to look hard at this company, dig around, listen, ask questions of people inside the travel business, look at dozens of web postings and articles about YTB Travel. In other words, soundly and deeply view the company with an open mind, and not be hasty in making ANY decisions about it.

On my first occasion at a YTB Red Carpet Day, some things stood out. The Chairman or CEO of most companies do not tell you up front that they are all about marketing, while the staff that surrounds them is all about operating the company to the highest standards possible. Nor will you likely hear the words "integrity" thrown about in the audience before and after a set of managers talk about their business. I hadn't encountered this kind of culture in a "marketing" business. BUT - I found out that YTB is NO MERE MARKETING BUSINESS. It is a TRAVEL AGENCY, complete with training programs that help RTA's develop the TRAVEL BUSINESS side (selling airline tickets, cruises, etc.) and Reps learn about the marketing side of the company. MOST Chairmen and CEO's are not about to do something else: bring the words "faith" into their presentation, or allow the top company director to bring "God" up during his brief stage presence --- which wasn't the end of my viewing this on a slightly more elevated and spiritual level. In fact, when was the last time a nationally-recognized company had an "introducing our company to you" meeting which ended in the entire room holding hands in prayer? I don't recall hearing of that meeting or that company - not saying it hasn't happened, but it's not something widely reported unless it is a faith-based or God-based business. Certainly, you don't expect to see such a thing in a public venue with a "Marketing Company".

Let me just say that after all that --- a great number of people would be MORE skeptical than interested.

Me? I went back two more times, spent three more weeks looking into the business side of YTB Travel Network, and found myself blessed enough to [have saved up some money and been given a check from working with a non-profit group so that I could] buy my little corner of the market through YTB. It's all over the interent: ONE-POINT-THREE-TRILLION-DOLLARS in the USA is spent on travel yearly. IF I got only .005% of that, I would be able to stop writing columns forever, unless I really wanted to write (okay, I'll always want to write...you're correct).

Meanwhile - there are some falsehoods being released as facts by others on the internet. It isn't hard to spot the mistakes made by those who claim to know how YTB works when releasing their LIES and MISTATEMENTS within their so-called facts. They claim that buying into the company costs much more than it does. They claim that YTB is a "card mill", or a company that does business without meritorious training and certification. Investigate the company yourself, as I have done, and you'll find out it's not perfect - but it is well-done and you can learn the proper way to conduct yourself as a travel agent.

And because of a few industry people who don't like the market-shift or the companies who are taking advantage of such a change, others are bowing to pressures and trying to assault YTB. Well, at least one publication has made a statement regarding this kind of issue.

You can view a column in TRAVEL WEEKLY to see what they say. I'm not going to say it's painting a rosy picture of YTB Travel Network. But, it is NOT an attack. In fact, Arnie Weissmann, who wrote the article titled "YTB and political correctness" ends with a stream of thought that makes me glad that I decided to join YTB Travel Network as an RTA/Rep.

As I learn more about the industry, through classes at YTB University and other resources, I will share some of what I've learned. I am not YET a travel professional - but I will get there. And I hope some of you come to realize the importance of MARKETING in the travel business. If we do NOT market those vacation packages and deals, those airfare specials, all those CRUISES and hotels, trains, buses, car rentals, etc., we may as well pack in our business and let someone else get all the money. Are you willing to let the expedias and orbitzes and travelocitieses get all the pie at the expense of people who legitimately learn the craft? If so, take a good look at yourself and reassess your position in business - not just the travel business.

Special Note: I did not post the link to the article in TRAVEL WEEKLY, but you can subscribe or register with them at: http://www.travelweekly.com/ - and search for articles related to YTB or any other company or news item. They have a ton of great industry information. And they have copyrights - so I didn't want to violate their copyright by printing verbatim information out of the aforementioned article.

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(Now, the shameless plug: my sites are listed in the links...marketing or simple booking - look them over and see if you want to join the YTB Travel Network or buy travel through my booking site, which is morningshowtravel dot net)

Thanks for reading!

Buzz, Editor - "Morning Show Travel"

[Available for morning shows soon. Contact me for additional information.]

When we start out...

...we probably ask ourselves "what is our destination?" first. YES, it is about the destination. And yet you'd better not forget how you're going to GET THERE...and how much will it cost? I'll do my homework and keep looking for great tips for getting there, making it cost-efficient, and I SURE HOPE I make it fun & interesting! Leisure travel can truly reduce your stress level!!!

Thanks to Jim Fassero for reintroducing the idea of getting into the online travel business, and to my wonderful friends Kathy and Helga both whom have worked or continue to work in the travel business and had put the initial thoughts in my head through the years. At some point, I'll tell you more about each of these people, and - my aim is to help you find something you can "take to heart".

By the way --- I've spent my adult life as a professional broadcaster, and am a musician-singer and/or "entertainer". I'm sure this will be touched upon frequently as I blog.

You'll see some of my favorite bloggers are discussing the broadcasting industry or other forms of entertainment. I encourage visiting the linked blog sites as a way to gain knowledge or insight - as I enjoy reading "high brow" writers within their fields. You'll see some of my favorite bloggers also are discussing religion, generally about Christianity...in many of those sites, you'll see faith-based or theological posts and discussions. Keep an open eye to these topics and discussions as you can learn a lot just from reading the blogs of theologians - since they don't just talk about theology in a blog.