2/23: Figure Skating: Pushing the Envelope?

I’d like to say I am unique.  But when it comes to the Olympics, I’m not alone in my love for figure skating.  (32% of American residents, according to the latest Marist Poll, say skating is their favorite Olympic sport.)

My interest in the sport peaked in the late 1980s and early 1990s.  Brian Boitano, Kristi Yamaguchi, Nancy Kerrigan, Tonya Harding, Kurt Browning … these were all household names to me growing up.  Not only was I riveted to the TV screen when the Olympics rolled around, but I would tune into other competitions and exhibitions year in and year out.  I had my favorites and held my breath with every important jump, spin, and tricky footwork sequence.

But, here is my question today, has the sport become too technical?  Has the push to advance the sport come at the enjoyment of the average spectator?

Not unlike many other Americans, my interest in figure skating has waned.  (When Marist asked about Americans’ favorite Winter Olympic sport in 2006, 50% chose skating.)  But, once again, I caught Olympic fever and checked out a few of the pairs’ and men’s performances last week.  What struck me was the number of falls on the Vancouver ice.  Although skaters have had their fair share of spills in the past, I don’t recall there being that many.  Couple that with the controversy surrounding American Evan Lysacek’s gold medal win over Russia’s Evgeni Plushenko, and I couldn’t help but thinking, “This isn’t fun anymore.”

Don’t get me wrong, I applaud the athletes’ determination, their skill, and their drive to be the best, but at what cost?  Forget about my selfish desire to be entertained.  What about the athletes’ safety?  Is it just a matter of time before one of these world class skaters suffers a life-threatening injury?

Perhaps, the Olympic judges made the right call by awarding Lysacek the gold medal over Plushenko.  (Does anybody outside the sport even understand the scoring system anyway?)  Sure. Lysacek lacked a quadruple jump, but his program was clean, athletic, artistic, and had a great deal of difficulty at the end. From a spectator’s standpoint, it was the perfect balance of agility and athleticism for figure skating enthusiasts who like to be wowed but mostly caught up in the performance.

2/22: Paterson’s Path to Election

Governor David Paterson became governor under unusual circumstances.  He has served in turbulent times, and oversees a government that is seen by most New Yorkers as dysfunctional.  He has also compiled unprecedentedly low poll numbers.  How low is low?

In Marist’s statewide polls dating back nearly three decades, we find an answer.  Former Governor Mario Cuomo’s lowest approval rating was 32%.  It occurred in the fall of 1994, the year he was ousted from office.   Former Governor George Pataki’s low point was 30% during the spring of 2006.  He opted not to seek a fourth term.   Not surprisingly, the bottom fell out on Former Governor Eliot Spitzer during his sex scandal in March, 2008.  What’s shocking number-wise is that even Spitzer’s 30% approval rating, clocked just before his resignation, exceeded Paterson’s lowest score of 17% this past September and the 26% he currently has.

Governor Paterson finds himself having to accomplish something politically akin to going uphill in an Alpine skiing event.  His spirited and feisty campaign kick-off in Hempstead was a good start.  His inspirational story as someone who has already succeeded mightily against huge personal odds is moving and works when he alludes to the state’s dire circumstances.  He doesn’t quit, he isn’t giving up on New York, and neither will New Yorkers.

But, Paterson needs to do more to connect with New York voters.  He talks about his accomplishments and making tough budget decisions, yet New Yorkers are anxious for results.   Although he scores better on handling the state’s fiscal problems than his overall approval rating, his numbers are even low here.   His claim of being an outsider is probably a reach for a sitting governor and lifetime politician.  And, there’s the significant matter of campaign cash, reluctant endorsements, and the very popular Andrew Cuomo to consider.

In these volatile political times, it is probably not wise to put too much stock in electoral history.  But, Mario Cuomo enjoyed 71% and 64% approval ratings from New Yorkers when he launched his successful re-election bids in 1986 and 1990, respectively.  George Pataki’s ratings were a comparable 59% and 72% when he began his two successful re-election campaigns.

Governor Paterson is in an unenviable position as he seeks a four-year term.  We will be watching the electorate closely in the next few weeks to see if the New Yorkers are responding favorably to his effort.

Introducing Pebbles and Pundits’ Theme Song

The theme song for The Marist Poll’s website was composed by Joseph Mager, a Marist College student enrolled in the Fall 2009 unit of Political Communication and Politics.  Joe wrote and performed Pebbles and Pundits theme song as a creative project pertaining to his coursework.

Check out our theme song and get to know its composer below.

An Interview with Joe Mager, Student Composer of Pebbles and Pundits’ Theme Song

Name: Joseph Mager

Age: 20 years old

Year of Study: Junior

From where did the idea for the Marist Poll theme song come?

I would have to say a culmination of my passion for making up lyrics on the spot, funny song writing like Adam Sandler (that actually has some purpose), and the realization that I wanted to make people understand that polling and the study of elections can be fun if you look at it from different perspectives. (A lot of my friends think everything I study is boring and dull.)

What was the process of writing like?

It really wasn’t all that difficult. Clearly I had some background on the topic after taking [Dr. Miringoff’s public opinion] class a year ago along with [the Political Communications] course.  The work involved in PoliComm also gave me more time to look at how the whole of MIPO worked and allowed me to put a little twist on what was going on, in a fashionable [tasteful] manner of course.

What did you enjoy most about writing the song?

As for the song, I honestly just liked how much everyone actually liked it.  I was surprised. For people who will actually listen to it, I apologize for not having pipes like Freddie Mercury.

What did you enjoy most about the Political Communications course?

As for the course, I enjoyed all of it. I enjoyed most of the projects assigned and always felt like I had to do something.

What are you currently up to?

As of today, I am actually in London studying through the Marist International Program. I’m here doing the Hansard Scholar’s Programme where I am entitled to take two POSC courses at the London School of Economics, serve an internship, and write a 10,000 word dissertation.

I am here alongside two of my colleagues who were in Political Communications with me last year. Rob Schmidt and Marissa Ryan are currently working for Members of Parliament!  Very exciting indeed. As for myself, I am working for DODS Monitoring Company, in the Parliament Services Division. Basically, I follow specific Parliament activities here in the UK daily, or when I am working (Tuesday-Thursday,) and write up reports for various government agencies, parliamentarians, and stakeholders (generally charitable organizations, think-tanks, and unions.) Luckily, I am able to go into Parliament when I need to cover a select committee or house meeting, then, write up a story for the main parliamentary news site of DODS called epolitix.com. Check it out.

Aside from the curriculum and internship, there is time for fun. I have explored the majority of London along with its famous sites. A couple of weeks ago I was in Paris! Other trips are already planned for the next few weeks including Edinburgh, Scotland and Galway, Ireland (of course a trip to Dublin as well that weekend.) Future ventures will take me as far as Egypt I believe, but that will have to wait until after the dissertation!

Is there anything that you would like to add?

I just think it’s important to note that going into the office was always fun. It wasn’t like a normal job or internship where you sometimes grunt-and-groan when you have to go in. I want to thank all of the MIPO staff for always making the office feel like a second home, always willing to have fun and give advice on projects or assignments from a professional perspective. Without the experience I had last semester I don’t think I would think the same about PoliComm or Data analysis (which previously weren’t really all that interesting to me.)

Oh, and remember, if you are going to write a little song for something like this always use basic chord progressions and a rhyme scheme of ABCB, gets ‘em every time!

Cheers from London!

2/18: More Than A Quarter of Employees Concerned About Future Job Loss

26% of employed American residents report they are concerned about losing their job in the next year.

This includes 11% who say they are very concerned and 15% who are concerned.  On the other hand, 34% are not very concerned, and 40% are not concerned at all.

Table: Concern About Job Loss

Satisfied Workforce?

88% of American workers say they are either very satisfied or satisfied with their current job.  Included here are 45% who are very satisfied and 43% who are satisfied.  8% report they are not very satisfied, and 4% are not satisfied at all with their occupation.

Women have a higher degree of fulfillment in the workplace than do men.  A majority of women — 51% — are very satisfied in their current jobs while 39% of men say the same.

Interestingly, employees making less are slightly more satisfied in their current positions than are those earning more.  48% of those with an annual salary of less than $50,000 are very satisfied in their jobs compared with 42% making $50,000 or more.

Table: Job Satisfaction

More Than One-fifth to Look for New Job

Despite satisfaction, 22% of employed residents nationwide say it is either very likely or likely that they will look for a new job when the economy improves.  This includes 13% who think this scenario is very likely, and 9% who believe it is likely.

Younger Americans and men are heading for the door sooner.  30% of those under 45 say they will look for a new job when the economy is on an upswing.  This compares with 14% of those 45 and older who say they will start searching the want ads at that time.

More men than women are also looking for an exit strategy.  30% of men say they will plan to make change in their careers while 15% of women say the same.

Not surprisingly, employed Americans who are satisfied with their jobs are less likely to look for a new position when the economy improves.

Table: Likelihood of Looking for a New Job

Marist Poll Methodolgy

2/16: The Intelligence of Dogs

Here’s one for the dogs and the dog lovers out there!

Most U.S. residents — 80% — say dogs are more intelligent than we think they are.  Just 15% believe dogs are less intelligent than commonly perceived.  5% are unsure.  Not surprisingly, nearly nine in ten of those with a dog at home — 87% — think a dog’s intelligence is underrated.  This compares with 73% of residents who do not own a dog.

Women give dogs a big “bark out.”  85% believe canines are sharper than we think compared with 76% of men.  18% of men and 11% of women, however, report dogs are less intelligent.

And, if you’re wondering if someone you know is a dog owner, you have about a fifty-fifty shot of being right.  51% of U.S. residents say they or a member of their household have a dog at home.

Table: Dog Intelligence
Table: Have a Dog

Marist Poll Methodology

Related Story:

Are You Smarter Than Your Dog?

2/16: Are You Smarter Than Your Dog?

Statistically speaking, according to Stanley Coren, a psychology professor at the University of British Columbia and author of a number of books on dog intelligence, we begin to outpace our four legged friends, intellectually, at about the age of two.  But, that’s not to say our comparative species strengths and weaknesses can make us humans, well, feel far less than the leader of the pack.

I have owned (and been owned by) many dogs and credit them with a great deal of intellectual savvy.  After all, if they are not gifted hounds, what does that say about me?  Perhaps, I have just been well trained.  I provide treats, walks, outings, and even a favorite chair on command.  I suspect I am more than a circus spectacle, when at the sound of a scratch or a squeal, I crawl under furniture or relocate appliances to retrieve balls, bones, or thoroughly unrecognizable pieces of delightfully smelling remains.  I jump to see who is visiting at the sound of dancing feet and a welcoming howl and sprint to the backyard looking for treed prey when I hear a mournful bawl.

Dogs take their responsibilities quite seriously, too.  They are alarm clocks, doorbells, security lights, and a dining room vacuum cleaner.  There’s also nothing like a herding breed if you do not want your guests or children to leave the room.  And, I have known a hound or two to corner a house guest in the bathroom.  Some of my dogs have enjoyed TV, big screen, of course, and have looked front to back to front again for the barking retriever.  Is it a sign of failed intelligence?  Not so.  After all, I’ve been known on occasion while watching football games to scream out holding penalties to the refs.

Regardless of whether you are a disciple or skeptic of canine intelligence, there’s no denying their abilities.  Most dogs have an impressive vocabulary.  Not just stay and come, sit and down, but important associations with people’s names, toys, outside, car rides, time to eat, play, smile, hug, snuggle, clean up, sleep, go upstairs or down them, and Pup-Peroni.  Once learned, even spelling will only get you by once or twice.  O-U-T is no disguise and creates just as much anticipatory havoc as the utterance of the word “out.”

Most Americans, according to the latest Marist Poll, believe dogs are smarter than we give them credit.  Recent psychological and behavioral research points to an expanding potential in the relationship between people and dogs.  Our canine counterparts can search and rescue, detect bombs and drugs, alert us to seizures or cancer, be guides and eyes, provide psychiatric service for anxiety, panic attacks, and post-traumatic stress, be best friends, and loyal companions.

But, intelligence doesn’t always mean easy to train.  In fact, the most intelligent breeds often present the greatest challenges to mere mortals, like myself.  It’s not that they don’t understand what’s expected, it’s just that they can figure out a better way to do it.  If it matters to your canine relationship which one of you is more intelligent, don’t be fooled by a pretty face.  Some personal soul searching into your habits and daily routines combined with a little research into the instincts and inclinations of a breed can go a long way to helping you find a perfect, life-long match.

Related Links:
Dr. Stanley Coren – Disciple – http://www.stanleycoren.com/
Coren’s Top Ten Breeds http://www.stanleycoren.com/e_intelligence.htm
Dr. Clyde Wynne – Skeptic – http://www.psych.ufl.edu/~wynne/psychology/Welcome.html
Julianne Kaminski – Researcher – http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/41972/title/Dogs_show_a_fetching_communication_savvy
http://en.scientificcommons.org/juliane_kaminski
Lee Charles Kelley – Dog trainer – http://www2.psychologytoday.com/blog/my-puppy-my-self/200904/tuning-in-your-dogs-emotions

2/11: Let the Games Begin! 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver

Tomorrow night, the eyes and ears of the world will be focused on Vancouver, British Columbia for the Opening Ceremonies of the XXI Olympic Winter Games.

While Canadian pride is sure to glow during the games, how engaged will Americans be?  76% of U.S. residents report they will follow at least a little of the games.  This includes 37% who plan to tune in a little, 22% who say they will watch a good deal of them, and 17% who are die-hards and report they will watch a great deal of the games.  24% will not check out the Winter Olympics at all.

Although there is little difference between the sexes on this question, there is an age gap.  Older Americans are more likely to watch at least some of the Olympics than are their younger counterparts.

Table: Watch the 2010 Winter Olympics
Skating Glides In To Top Spot Among Americans

U.S. residents have definite preferences when it comes to their favorite Olympic sport.  32% enjoy skating the most.  29% pick skiing as their favorite, and rounding out the top five are snowboarding, ice hockey, and bobsledding, each receiving 6%.  11% report they do not have a favorite Olympic sport.

When Marist asked this question prior to the 2006 Olympic Winter Games, skating topped Americans’ list with 50%.  26% reported skiing was their preferred sport.  Hockey and snowboarding each received 6%, and luge followed closely behind with 5%.

Americans may have their preferred sport, but most do not have a favorite athlete participating in the games.  89% of residents do not have a specific competitor who appeals to them, and the remaining 11% do have an athlete on their radar screens.

More men than women have a favorite athlete competing in Vancouver.  14% of men compared with 8% of women have a specific athlete who they will follow.

Table: Favorite Olympic Sport
Table: Favorite Olympic Sport (2006)
Table: Favorite Olympic Athlete

Athletes Good Role Models … Steroids Not the Norm

Most Americans – 88% — believe Olympic athletes teach children mostly good things while only 6% think they set bad examples.

On the question of steroid use, seven in ten Americans believe steroids are not commonly used by Olympians.  23%, on the other hand, think their use is common practice by many of the athletes.  7% are unsure.

Younger Americans are more cynical here.  31% of those age 18 to 29 and 27% of those 30 to 44 believe many Olympic athletes use steroids.  This compares with 19% of those between the ages of 45 and 59 and 18% of those 60 and older.

Table: Olympic Athletes as Role Models
Table: Steroid Use Among Olympic Athletes

The Road Most Travelled?

Just how many Americans dreamt of standing atop the Olympic podium?  Not as many as you might think.  Just 13% aspired to become an Olympic athlete as a child while 87% did not.

More younger Americans than older ones dreamt of becoming an Olympian as a child.  21% of those 18 to 29 wanted to be an Olympic competitor compared with 13% of Americans 30 to 44, 14% of residents 45 to 59, and 9% of those 60 and older.

Table: Olympic Aspirations

Marist Poll Methodology

Related Story:

2/11: The Winter Games: An Interview

2/11: The Winter Games: An Interview

The Winter Olympics come around once every four years, but how popular are the games today?  Verne Lundquist is CBS Sports Play-By-Play Broadcaster who has covered the 1992, 1994, and 1998 games.  And, in a candid interview with The Marist Poll’s John Sparks, he discusses this year’s competition, addresses the issue of steroid use, and shares some of his own memories covering the games.

John Sparks
Verne, you worked through Winter Olympics in ’92/’94/’98, I believe, for the network and of course you followed the Winter and Summer games for years. Do you think that folks follow the Olympic events as much as they have in years past?

Listen to the Interview, Part 1:

Verne Lundquist
I get a sense that they don’t follow them quite as much, and I think particularly that’s true of Vancouver that’s coming up. I don’t … I just sense a general lack of a buzz about the games. And I live in a ski resort and we’ve got 17 athletes who either live in Steamboat Springs or train in Steamboat Springs and even there where you would expect to have a lot of conversation about what’s going to happen in Vancouver, I don’t get that the sense that it’s that prominent on anybody’s radar.

John Sparks
What do you think is the reason for that?

Verne Lundquist
I don’t know. I really don’t know. There just seems to be a real lack of awareness that the Olympics are going to take place.

John Sparks
You know when I think of your covering the Olympics, I immediately think of figure skating, of course. Is figure skating the event that you like the most?

Verne Lundquist
Yeah, absolute. Yes, absolutely it was. I just accidently fell into that. I can vividly remember when we were awarded the Olympic Games at CBS in the late ’80s and our first one was going to be in 1992. And as I just mentioned, I live in a ski resort, so I naturally assumed that I would get the chance to do the Alpine events, the downhill slalom, giant slalom. Billy Kidd was then our CBS analyst. He’s the director of skiing at Steamboat and a good friend, so I thought well that’s – - it’s just so natural. And then I got the call from New York and they said, “You’re doing figure skating.” And my initial reaction was not really positive, and the dirty little secret that I’ve managed to keep now, for what, almost 20 years, 18 for sure, since the ’92 Olympic games in Albertville, I didn’t know one jump from the other, and that’s where my dear friend Scott Hamilton saved my professional reputation because every time a jump was about to come up, he would reach over and just tap me on the forearm as if to say, “Shut up now, and I’ll take it.” And we’ve remained dear friends, and I’ve grown to love the sport.

John Sparks
Are there other events that you especially enjoy from the winter games?

Verne Lundquist
Yes, there are. There’s one particularly, and I think it would surprise folks, but again it goes back to where I live in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Over the course of the last half century, maybe even more than that, our little community has sent now more than 80 athletes to the Winter games, 80. It’s astounding, and the most prominent of those who have represented our country from Steamboat are the Nordic Combined guys. And Todd Lodwick is kind of the leader of that group. He grew up in Steamboat, and I’ve known Todd for better than 20 years. Johnny Spillane is another Steamboat native who’s a part of the group, and a young man named Bill Demong, D-E-M-O-N-G, is from upstate New York, but he’s lived in Steamboat for a decade, and those three kids, not kids, I mean Todd’s in his 30′s now, and this will be his fifth, fifth, Olympic Games. That’s (unintelligible). But they might medal in Vancouver. They’ve gotten that good. So our whole community is going to be watching that event, the Nordic Combined. It’s a combination of ski jumping and cross-country racing and it’s really not on anybody’s radar in our country. It’s enormously popular in Scandinavia, as you can imagine.

John Sparks
Is there one particular event, one particular performance that stood out above all others in your memory at a Winter Olympics?

Listen to the Interview, Part 2:

Verne Lundquist
Oh yeah. Yeah, John, 1994, we were involved in the cartoon that is known as Tonya and Nancy, right. And Scott and I were right in the middle of it, the whole unbelievable build up to that event. I just got a word from CBS, one of my friends who’s a vice president at the office in New York just sent me word that our Super Bowl coverage had an overnight rating of 46, a 46 share, which — or 46 rating rather, and that is the highest since 1987 for a Super Bowl, so we’re going to set a record number of viewers. In 1994 for Tonya and Nancy on the ice in Lillehammer, we had 48.5, and it’s the all-time highest rated Olympic show, and I don’t think anybody’s going to top that now on a fractured universe. So just to be a part of that is very, very memorable.

John Sparks
I can imagine. As a follow-up, do you have a favorite Olympic athlete who will be competing this month in Vancouver?

Verne Lundquist
Yes, I do, and I already mentioned him, Todd Lodwick. He’s … his grandparents lived in Steamboat Springs. His mom and dad served as the grand marshals of our winter carnival last weekend. The 97th winter carnival in Steamboat history, and it is — for a small community, it’s a huge event, and I’ve known Todd not since … well, since he was a teenager, a young teenager, and I first saw him compete in the Olympics in Lillehammer in ’94, and he’s been a part of everyone since, and they finished fourth, the team did, in Salt Lake City. They had a breakdown at the last minute, so I know how much it would mean to him if he could lead the Nordic Combined team to any kind of a podium finish in Vancouver.

John Sparks
Verne, there’s always been this issue about athletes being role models, and it’s difficult, as you know, to make a broad general assessment, but I’m going to ask you anyway. Do you think that the actions of the Olympic athletes teach our kids mostly good things or bad things?

Listen to the Interview, Part 3:

Verne Lundquist
I think mostly good. I’m an optimist in some ways about what the lessons are that emanate from the athletes down to — into the young people’s world. I think the whole Olympic concept, I know it’s over-commercialized. We all understand and accept that, and I know that in the summer, I mean, the shoe companies just dictate so much and it — that tends to make one very cynical. But here again, I keep going back to these — the two sports in the Winter Olympics that I know best — figure skating and Nordic Combined. I really do know the kind of sacrifice that skaters, male and female, go through to earn a spot on their respected Olympic teams and the effort that’s put in, the dedication that’s required, and I know the same about the much less popular sport of Nordic Combined. And I think, I really believe, that on the whole, the lessons learned from these people who compete at that high level are beneficial to our youngsters.

John Sparks
Now Verne, no matter what the sport may be, whether we’re talking amateur or professional, the issue of drugs comes up, specifically these days performance enhancing drugs. And I’m just curious how common you think the use of steroids is among our Olympic athletes?

Verne Lundquist
Well I was optimistic about the previous question. I’m a little pessimistic and somewhat cynical about this one. It’s there, and it’s a constant race between those who find ways to mask the use of steroids or other performance enhancing drugs and those who try and catch them. We’ve seen what happened in baseball. I’m not foolish enough to think it doesn’t happen in the winter sports and the summer sports as well. I mean what track and field has gone through and may still be going through is alarming, and we’ve all heard about blood doping and other — anything it seems to me that by a certain group of people that can help you go become stronger, faster and jump higher, their level of cynicism seems to be a dominant facet of their lives. I’m going on and on here, but it bothers me. As pure as I’d like to think they are, I’m realistic enough to know that not all of them are.

John Sparks
Verne, anything else you might want to comment on concerning the Olympics which we haven’t talked about, and then I certainly want to ask you what’s going on with you these days?

Verne Lundquist
I’m heavily involved in our college basketball. I’ve got … I did a game in the West Coast last week. We had — Duke-Georgetown a week before in Washington and were blessed to have the President do commentary with Clark Kellogg and me. If I had to do one event before it’s all over for me, I’d love to get a shot at one more Olympics, either winter or summer. I’ve never done the summer, ever, ever. I’m terribly envious of Tom Hammond, who at NBC, who gets to do track and field in the summer and figure skating in the winter. That would be something I’d really love to do.

Related Story:

2/11: Let the Games Begin! 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver

Verne Lundquist

Verne Lundquist first joined CBS Sports in 1982.  During his tenure, he has broadcast over 20 different sports for the Network. Currently, Lundquist serves as the lead play-by-play announcer for CBS Sports’ coverage of college football, alongside analyst Gary Danielson. In addition, he serves as a play-by-play announcer for the Network’s coverage of NCAA Basketball, including the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship. He provides commentary for the Masters , the PGA Championship, among other PGA TOUR events. Lundquist was inducted into the National Sportscaster and Sportswriters Hall of Fame in April 2007.

He marked his 25th year covering the Masters in 2009 and was a regular member of CBS’s golf announce team from 1983-95. Lundquist returned to CBS Sports in 1998 after having previously worked for CBS from 1983-95. During his career, he worked with Terry Bradshaw and Dan Fouts, and occasionally with lead analyst John Madden, on the Network’s NFL broadcasts and was lead play-by-play announcer for CBS’s coverage of figure skating during the 1992, 1994 and 1998 Olympic Winter Games. He had extensive involvement in the Network’s previous coverage of the NBA.

His extensive credits at CBS Sports include track and field, swimming and diving, boxing, volleyball, gymnastics, soccer, weightlifting, free-style skiing, archery, horse racing and horse jumping. He spent eight years at ABC Sports and three years as a play-by-play announcer for TNT’s coverage of the NFL, NBA and golf and figure skating coverage (1995-97). He is well-known in Texas as the long-time radio voice of the Dallas Cowboys (1972-84). Lundquist was sports director at WFAA-TV in Dallas for 16 years and won seven consecutive Texas Sportscaster of the Year Awards (1977-83). He was inducted into the Texas Radio Hall of Fame in 2003. Lundquist was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.

It was the first time in the 55-year history of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame that members of the media were inducted. Lundquist was part of the inaugural class along with seven other legendary sportscasters and sports writers. He was named a 2005 Legend of the Sun Bowl by the Sun Bowl Association. Lundquist presented former Pittsburgh Steeler great Terry Bradshaw at his induction ceremony in Canton, Ohio for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He began his career at KTBC-TV in Austin at a station owned by President and Mrs. Lyndon Johnson.

Biography from CBS Sports

2/8: A Successful Presidency for Obama? An Onside Kick isn’t Necessary, But…

It’s one down and three to go for President Obama, and no one is suggesting the first year was stellar.  But, President Obama doesn’t need to pull any Super Bowl Coach Sean Payton’s razzle-dazzle just yet… a strategic redirection, though, wouldn’t hurt.

The latest, national Marist Poll points out the trouble spots for President Obama.  His approval rating continues to lag in the mid-forties.  His efforts to attract Independents and appeal across party lines have come up way short.  A majority of Independents disapprove of his job performance.  Four in five Democrats give him high marks, and a similar proportion of Republicans think he is failing.  Almost half of the electorate reports he has fallen below their expectations.

A 2010 referendum on President Obama has to be far down the Axelrod wish list.  Just slightly more than one-third of the electorate thinks Obama is changing the country for the better.  A majority of voters tell us the 2010 elections are more about sending a message to D.C. pols and less about local issues important to their state or community.  And, who tops the list of Beltway types targeted for unhappy voters?  It’s Congressional Democrats, followed by President Obama, and then Congressional Republicans.  It’s the end of the first quarter.  President Obama has no choice but to reverse direction and bring the GOP into this political scrimmage.

The White House strategy of defining the 2010 elections in terms of Obama vs. GOP policies could still have traction, if the contests revolve around the economy (as they inevitably will).  President Obama frequently references that he inherited the nation’s economic problems, and 62% of registered voters agree with him.

Successful presidents have followed divergent paths on the road to their own re-election.  Take the case of Presidents Clinton and Reagan.  President Clinton suffered on likeability but flourished in terms of the job he was doing on policy.   Although coming up short in the current numbers, this could still end up being the Obama direction.  More likely, President Obama will follow the Reagan roadmap.  Higher likeability scores than job performance ratings.  Currently, President Obama’s favorability rating is running six percentage points better than his approval rating.

This is not to argue that President Obama will score the kind of policy points Clinton did or enjoy the adoration of Reagan.  But, until the public believes he owns the economic problems, his Democratic base erodes, or his likeability ratings fall to where his job approval numbers are, he’s still very much alive in the political ballgame.

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