sas Razorback. His drive has never wavered, a drive often taken with the windows down on his Jeep while listening to Justin Moores Kinda Dont Care with a pair of teacup Yorkies in the backse

Gillian Zucker became one of the most powerful women in sports when Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer hired her as president of business affairs in 2014. Since then, she has been tasked with executing the former Microsoft CEOs vision for transforming the franchise he purchased for a record $2 billion from an eyesore into a tech-savvy, cutting-edge winner.Whats a typical day like? We spoke around 5 p.m. on a Friday, 10 hours after she arrived at the Clippers offices in downtown Los Angeles. There was an early-morning meeting with architects supervising the teams locker room renovation, her daily check-in with senior vice president Carl Lahr to go over ticket sales, a call with the NBA to go over new technology on the bench rules and a meeting with the teams marketing group about outdoor advertising for the upcoming season. And that was just her morning. The afternoon featured meetings with coach and president of basketball operations Doc Rivers, a drive across town to the teams training facility in Playa Vista for an employee event and a handful of interviews for open jobs within the organization. There were 12 other things in between, but Zucker was driving home to her three children on the 405 freeway, and it was safer to remember off the top of her head, rather than look back through her calendar. Besides, its better to hear what the job is like in her own words than list off appointments.Working with Doc RiversFor me, anything that I can do to alleviate him being concerned about anything except whats going on, on the court, means that Im doing my job effectively. I want him to interact as little as possible on anything that has to do with the hoopla. In that respect, especially during the season, I just try to minimize that. Now, that doesnt mean that we dont have really good communication, and that he doesnt know exactly whats happening. If theres anything thats immediate, Ill text or call him. Hell do the same with me. Otherwise, I try to run things through either email or through Lawrence Frank, who is the executive vice president of basketball operations.At any given point in time, what I dont want to do is be an interruption in the goal of winning. Really coming from Steve, is that No. 1 in all of our minds is we want to win. Anything that detracts from that, were not interested in supporting. I think that includes unnecessary interruptions into whatever it is that Doc has going on. Since I dont know what his day consists of, but generally when theyre traveling, I just try to be really cognizant of that and cautious about making sure Im not interrupting a practice. I dont know. They land at crazy hours of the night. If Im with them, Ill know exactly where he is and when the best time to catch him is. If Im not, I tend to try to run things through someone whos on the road.We are interested and experts at different things. It makes it very easy. I think he has about as much interest in being a part of a discussion on a legal contract as I have in trying to determine what plays we run.One-on-one with BallmerI have a one-on-one with him once a week for an hour. I try to save most things for that. I have a personal rule that he should never be surprised by anything. If theres something that I think he might get blindsided by, or that he would really want to know about in real time, Ill call him.By far, my favorite part of this opportunity is having the chance to work with Steve Ballmer. There are times where Ill be somewhere, and Im doing nothing more than listening to him interact with someone else. I still learn something from that. Hes incredibly bright. He also thinks about things in such a unique way. Part of it is because he hasnt been entrenched in the sports business for as long as I have. Part of it is because he is smart. I think that he takes a lot of the learnings that hes accumulated over his time at Microsoft, and being part of a business that was first that small and now that big. He brings them and that perspective into everything he does now. Its amazing.The other day I invited him to our ticket-pricing meeting. We have a team of people who, collectively in that room, had over 100 years of experience in ticket pricing. I felt like they were very, very prepared for this meeting. They had done a lot of research about secondary prices, primary prices, what was happening in the industry. We have the leagues perspective on it, and really felt good about the preparation going into the meeting.As the meeting opened, the person who really is in charge of pricing for us started the meeting and said, What I wanted to share with you is a little bit of strategy about how we set the prices that we will be sharing with you in just a minute. He goes, Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Were not ready for prices. Nobody says this, but were like, Isnt this surprising? He says, No. No. No. I want to start with talking about how you buy a ticket.Hes like, If I bought this ticket, how did I get it? Of course, that answer is very complicated. You could have gotten it buying it from us as a season-ticket holder. You could have it because you work for a company that gave it to you. You could have it because you came in a group outing with you cub scout group. You could have it because you bought it on StubHub. There are many, many, many other ways that you could have gotten that ticket.He said, OK. Lets write them all down. We, literally, wrote down every single way that you could get a ticket. Then, we matched the entire thing from when this all starts, the Clippers control every single ticket. Then, where do they go from there? After we were done and we had this crazy spider-looking map, our few hours were up, and he looked at it, and he said, OK, so before we set pricing, lets just follow the value chain and determine if theres anywhere that we can do better. It was just such a simple way to look at the process. Ive been pricing tickets for 25 years. Ive never done that. It was a pretty eye-opening exercise. What we discovered was a way to amplify revenue without changing a single ticket price.When I interviewed for this job, I said, If you (Ballmer) want to run the basketball team, its probably not the right job for me. He said, No. I dont want to run the basketball team. I want the basketball team to be really well-run. I think that is the value and the genius of him is that he contributes in a way that helps all of us on the business side to deliver that for him.Innovating the gameI think some really innovative, creative things that will be coming out.Hes a tech guy. He loves sports. He would be watching a game on TV, and hed say, Wouldnt it be cool if I could click on Chris Paul after he just sank that basket, and know exactly how far away from the basket he was? What if I could know what the percentage likelihood is of him making that shot right after he took it, so that if I think, Wow, that was an amazing shot, I could know how amazing that shot was.He wanted the ability to be anywhere in any space on any device, and cheer for the Clippers and have it matter. This is, essentially, how he works. Now, its up to me to put together the team thats going to come up with the concept that can realize that result.So you can get it on your computer. You can get it on your iPad. You can get it on your Xbox. It wont roll out with every single device available from Day 1, but well have the main ones all available. Itll be on iOS. Itll be on Android. Its device agnostic.Itll be like an app, but it will be quite unique. What its based on is a couple of professors at USC, who were studying artificial intelligence and loved basketball. They taught a computer how to understand the game of basketball.Theyre basically connected with the cameras and the feelings that track every player movement and every ball movement in every NBA arena. Then, they take all of that data, which is just a tremendous amount, and they were able to boil that down into a way the general managers and coaches could use it. For example, if a coach was saying to DeAndre [Jordan], When you have your shoulder out instead of your shoulder in, youre 25 percent more effective at blocking shots. Now, they can say to him that exact same thing, and then they can hit two buttons and show him. This is what it looks like with your shoulder out. This is what it looks like with your shoulder in. Heres the difference in your result. Steves idea was, Hey. Thats really great for coaches, but what about just for regular Joe fan? Why cant he have that?Were doing so much more, I think, than we were doing when I first joined the organization. Even to just look at the game presentation alone, weve completely reinvented that experience. I think youll see many, many new things this year that didnt exist last year. Thats the goal is to always keep that fresh, so that if youre a season-ticket holder and youre coming to 43 games plus playoffs, that youre experiencing something different every time. What I never want is for a season-ticket holder to turn to the person next to them and go, This next in-game?break is going to be the kiss cam. You should never know that. You should never know quite whats coming.I think that thats been something that we have become known for and want to become more well-known for. We refer to it in the office as, we want everyone to have FOMO, the fear of missing out. I can tell you, for sure, when we did our surprise tribute performance with the flash mob, the number of people who claim that they were at that game, theres no possible way that, that many people could fit. I want that. That is the biggest compliment that our team can get is that we created a moment that was so special that people want to say they were there. The goal there is that people are saying, OK. You cant miss a Monday night game against the Nets, because if you do, Steve Ballmer might dunk a basketball. Youll never get to see it again.Chuck the CondorI am so pro-Chuck. I am so pro-Chuck. Oh my gosh. Hes the greatest. First of all, every once in a while, Chuck just shows up at our office. I swear, after 20 minutes of Chuck, my face hurts. Hes a fun bird. He brings an energy that, I think, is really just wonderful. You turn into a little kid around him. He brings an excitement level that I think is exactly what Steve wants, to just inspire people to lose themselves in the excitement of the Clippers. I think thats part of what I love about him.We looked at him and said, OK. We could go the route of bringing in another bear or another lion, or we could create a mascot that cant be ignored. Thats really what we want to be, is that kind of organization that takes on bold things and isnt afraid to think differently. He is comfortable in his own feathers. Wouldnt it be nice if we were all that way?Youll see a lot more of Chuck. Hes not going anywhere. I loved, actually, what happened when he was launched. There was definitely this impassioned side where people were saying, Hes odd, and hes strange, and these other people who were sticking up for him and defending him with such fervor. The minute that happened, I was like, We nailed this one.Wife, mother, presidentI think that anybody, no matter who you are or what sex, whos had a lot of success in their life will, if theyre being honest, are going to tell you it has a lot to do with the people who are around them. What I have is an amazingly supportive partner and incredibly supportive kids. When I took on this role, it was very much from the standpoint of things are going to be different. I wont be home to make dinner every night. Im not going to be able to do that. When you have your, at the time, 14-year-old stepping up saying, Well, I guess were going to learn to cook, thats when you know youre set up for success. The reality is that is not my success. That is theirs. I couldnt do what I do if it werent for that. They are incredible, and I think proud and supportive and amazing about being a part of all of this. Cheap China Jerseys Authentic . 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Arsenal failed to take full advantage of its main rivals stumbles on Saturday as substitute Gerard Deulofeu levelled with a hard shot from a tight angle in the 84th minute to give Everton a deserved point. Ahead of a crucial fortnight that will see them play against Napoli in the Champions League, Manchester City and Chelsea, Arsenal leads by five points ahead of Liverpool and Chelsea. Bret Bielema in a phrase? Fun but focused.A dyed-in-the-wool woo pig sooie -- or, for you youngsters, #WPS -- fan is departing a Razorback Club autograph line clutching her Arkansas football jersey that has just been signed by the head coach. She looks shell-shocked, as if she has just met Elvis.What did he say to you? she is asked. Trembling, she shakes her head to return to reality. He said my jersey was too nice and that I must have broken into the locker room and stolen it, and he was going to contact the police. Then he said he was joking and that I could keep it even if I did steal it because theyre going to play better than they did in those jerseys last year.See? Fun but focused.As his fourth Arkansas team files into its meeting room, Bielema stands where he always does, right by the door, calling out every single player by name and knowing a little something about each that will get under his shoulder pads. Whered my man get this haircut? Did you give it to him? Were the lights off? But then later, he grabs the same player when no one else is around. The kid is struggling in a science class and in the weight room, so the coach has a scheduling idea that he thinks might help with both. We gotta get that weight up, but we really gotta get that GPA up.Few coaches in big-time college football walk the fun-but-focused tightrope better than Bret Bielema. Some do fun at the expense of focus, but more go the other way.?Bielema, 46, has figured out how to walk that line straight down the middle. Hes the guy with the hilarious Twitter timeline that includes pics of his unknowing wife, Jen, cleaning the pool deck.Hes the guy who has replaced Steve Spurrier as the cant-miss news conference at SEC Media Days. In July, he held court on everything from Russell Wilsons wedding (I was at Russells wedding -- not in the wedding. I just sat and watched. I was the guy in the eighth row in the outside seat.) to Michigans cancellation of an upcoming series with Arkansas (The Michigan-Notre Dame thing sounds sexy to everybody else, but I think Michigan and Arkansas sounds sexy.).He stars in the reality show Being Bret Bielema, which recently moved from webisodes to ESPNU. Actually, he costars with Jen, whom, as the internet loves to remind us, he met at a Las Vegas casino. She was also the Freudian subject of a Bielema quote that YouTube will never let us forget, said when Bielema was ready to leave Arkansas roller coaster 53-52 win over Ole Miss last November, Im just looking forward to hopping on the wife -- hopping on the plane! Hopping on the plane with my wife. I cant believe I just said that.I cant believe he said that, either, she recalled with a roll of the eyes at SEC media days. But thats Bret. If people cant see the fun behind Bret, I feel sorry for them.Certainly, there are those who dont. Earlier this month, an SEC coach was quoted anonymously by GridironNow.com as saying: Arkansas is getting tired of Bielemas bulls---. He hasnt won over nine games. Houston [Nutt] won 10 and was a hell of a lot better person.That coach, and the Arkansans he refers to, appear to be outnumbered -- at least for now. Time spent listening to local sports talk radio in The Natural State doesnt come with a lot of venom oozing through the speakers. Despite his living somewhere along the same timeline as fellow next-generation SEC head coaches such as Texas A&Ms Kevin Sumlin or Tennessees Butch Jones, Bielema doesnt seem to be shadowed by the statewide screams of Its time to get on with winning or else!I think people know we are building something here, and were trying to do it the right way, Bielema said.He audibly groans when thinking back to 2013 and his first Arkansas team, which went 3-9 and 0-8 in the SEC. He admits to wondering if the reasons he went to the conference -- the high levels of competition and passion -- might also be the reasons given for running him out of that conference before hed barely unpacked. The following seasons of 7-6 and 8-5, increasing SEC wins from zero to two to five and ending with bowl victories, have eased his mind. But only a little.We dont have guys getting into trouble anymore, certainly not like they were, he said. Weve brought our academics way up. And I think parents know that when we say were going to look out for their son, they know we mean it.dddddddddddd And their son knows hes going to have fun but also work hard.Then the coach repeats a mantra heard since his hiring. That being said, all of that only works if we win games. Were getting there. Im just fortunate to have people around me who know this is a long-term project.Certainly, a big portion of that sense of security comes from his boss, athletic director Jeff Long. It was Long who sent Bobby Petrino packing and went searching into decidedly non-SEC corners for a replacement. Ultimately, he found his way to Wisconsin, impressed by Bielemas Badgers and their three consecutive Rose Bowl trips, but even more affected by the handwritten note he received from the Wisconsin head coach complimenting the AD on how he handled the bizarre Petrino situation.What was portrayed as an unconventional hire makes a lot of sense in retrospect. Bielemas tractor-pull style of football was the opposite of Petrinos QB-centric methods, but it tapped into decades of Arkansas pigskin DNA. Bielema was painted as a Big Ten guy, and rightfully so, but Fayetteville has always been more Midwest than southeastern or even southwestern, no matter what conference it might belong to. The southern border of Iowa, where Bielema played for and coached under Hayden Fry, is just five hours north up I-35. Kansas State, where he coached under Bill Snyder, is also a little more than five hours to the west.He was always going to be a better fit here than some people were willing to admit, but theres a certain attitude you have to have to be at Arkansas, said Jimmy Johnson, who was a Razorbacks player and coach under Frank Broyles before he became the builder of The U and rebuilder of the Dallas Cowboys. Johnson certainly never had a difficult time balancing fun and focus. You have to come into Fayetteville with a bit of a chip on your shoulder. We arent Texas or Alabama, so we have to work harder. And when you do finally beat Texas or Alabama, that makes it just that much more fun, knowing what all you had to do to get there.Thats kind of like being at Iowa and beating Penn State. Or being at Kansas State and beating Oklahoma and USC. Or being at Wisconsin and beating Ohio State and Michigan. Bielema was there for all of that, learning under the tutelage of Fry, Snyder and Barry Alvarez, all members of the College Football Hall of Fame.A man with that kind of mentors isnt one to run a loosey-goosey sort of program, even if he runs that program while wearing flip-flops and blaring country music in his office. That office is covered in notes -- legal pads packed with observations from practice that will be ripped off and placed in front of Arkansas players and assistant coaches. They know those notes might come with the occasional ironic elementary school teacher-ish smiley or frowning faces, but they also know the information written below those scribbles is ultra-serious, just as they know that being late for anything -- and on time is late -- is an offense punishable by public humiliation.Youre only ever late to anything once, senior linebacker Brooks Ellis said. He is the perfect kind of Razorback, a Fayetteville native and pre-med student with a near-4.0 GPA. I honestly dont know what the punishment would be if youre late twice because no one ever is.This is the unmistakable work ethic of Bielema, a kid who grew up on a farm in northwestern Illinois, rising early every day to do chores and schoolwork, study football and work toward his dream of becoming an Iowa Hawkeye. Now hes an Arkansas Razorback. His drive has never wavered, a drive often taken with the windows down on his Jeep while listening to Justin Moores Kinda Dont Care with a pair of teacup Yorkies in the backseat hanging on for dear life.Everyone should have a goal in mind. I dont care what you do for a living, he said. But you also need to live your life a little bit. Look around, and see whats there. Find some fun. If you dont, this will drive you crazy. So head it off at the pass and be a little crazy first.That sounds fun, right?Yeah, coach, it does. Fun but focused. Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys cheap jerseys Cheap Jersyes Cheap Basketball Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys cheap jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '