CHENer Coaches Beep Baseball Team to World Series

At the risk of mortifying my long-time colleague Bryan Grillo -- who is one of the most modest people I know -- I've got to flag this wonderful front-page article from the Watertown Tab.

For many years now, Bryan has been quietly coaching the Boston Renegades, a beepball team sponsored by the Association of Blind Citizens Inc. Beep baseball, or beepball for short, is an adapted version of the game for the blind and visually impaired. You can read more about it here.

That's Bryan in the photo above, on the right, giving sage counsel to team member Kae Ann Rausch after a failed at bat. Photo credit: Sarah Gatzke

Next week, the Renegades will travel to Rochester, Minn. for the beepball World Series. The Renegades are finishing the regular season with a 5-5 record.

Our Red Sox hats and one Yankee hat are off to Bryan for his work with the Renegades.

Story Lines that Sell

Kawasaki is at it again, giving us the SparkNotes version of Lois Kelly's new book, Beyond Buzz: The Next Generation of Word-of-Mouth Marketing. Guy recaps nine time-tested story angles that appeal to reporters, investors, employees and pretty much anyone you're trying to reach, because they're based on the simple principles of good story telling.

They include stories based on one's aspirations and beliefs, David vs. Goliath, personal stories, contrarian or counterintuitive positions and how-to stories.

Check out Guy's blog post for more. It's a great refresher course for every PR person and every marketer.