Comments on: Fall of AT&T Wireless http://www.ussmariner.com/2004/09/21/fall-of-att-wireless/ Seattle Mariners blog and general baseball discussion Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:05:17 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: DMZ http://www.ussmariner.com/2004/09/21/fall-of-att-wireless/comment-page-1/#comment-2525 DMZ Wed, 22 Sep 2004 19:03:16 +0000 http://ussmariner.com/?p=1900#comment-2525 Okay, if you think everyone should be equally compensated no matter what their job, sure, that would lead you to such a view without jealousy. Okay, if you think everyone should be equally compensated no matter what their job, sure, that would lead you to such a view without jealousy.

]]> By: Don http://www.ussmariner.com/2004/09/21/fall-of-att-wireless/comment-page-1/#comment-2520 Don Wed, 22 Sep 2004 18:42:51 +0000 http://ussmariner.com/?p=1900#comment-2520 Sorry DMZ, I respect your opinion but jealousy has nothing to do with it. I simply do not believe in disparity of wealth, therefore, all ballplayers and CEO's are overpaid. An earlier post got right to the point: Jeff Cirillo. Sorry DMZ,

I respect your opinion but jealousy has nothing to do with it.

I simply do not believe in disparity of wealth, therefore, all

ballplayers and CEO’s are overpaid.

An earlier post got right to the point: Jeff Cirillo.

]]> By: Evan http://www.ussmariner.com/2004/09/21/fall-of-att-wireless/comment-page-1/#comment-2506 Evan Wed, 22 Sep 2004 16:42:18 +0000 http://ussmariner.com/?p=1900#comment-2506 0-Productive Zoneouts. I like it. O Zone * Productive Outs. Worst stat ever. 0-Productive Zoneouts. I like it.

O Zone * Productive Outs. Worst stat ever.

]]> By: Paul Weaver http://www.ussmariner.com/2004/09/21/fall-of-att-wireless/comment-page-1/#comment-2488 Paul Weaver Wed, 22 Sep 2004 06:35:57 +0000 http://ussmariner.com/?p=1900#comment-2488 Secession! Secession!

]]> By: Dave D http://www.ussmariner.com/2004/09/21/fall-of-att-wireless/comment-page-1/#comment-2478 Dave D Wed, 22 Sep 2004 04:43:09 +0000 http://ussmariner.com/?p=1900#comment-2478 When will these Northwest companies quit allowing out of town management to foul them up? Boeing gets killed from within by the Stonecipher virus -- turning the industry leader into a carbon copy of McDonnell Douglas -- brilliant! -- then not to be outdone, ATT Wireless lets these nitwits from New Jersey run them into the ground while raking in the bucks back east. The northwest really is better at running companies that work -- look at what happened to Wizards of the Coast -- they were a great success when independent, now they are a shadow of their former selves being run as a division of Hasbro. The professional entrepreneurial culture really is better here, I've lived elsewhere, and the northwest is an incubator for business growth. Then along comes some nitwit old money from outside the region trying to buy up the success, and invariably they'll screw it up. This happened to a company I worked at for 4 years as well -- when we were local it was great, once we were bought out by an eastern company, things immediately got stupid at work and decision making was now done by people 3 time zones away that had no idea what made things here tick. Just felt like ranting, I like the northwest best of anywhere I've lived, and hate to see its culture be bled off by leeches from other parts of the country that buy up what works from here then screw it up for themselves. When will these Northwest companies quit allowing out of town management to foul them up? Boeing gets killed from within by the Stonecipher virus — turning the industry leader into a carbon copy of McDonnell Douglas — brilliant! — then not to be outdone, ATT Wireless lets these nitwits from New Jersey run them into the ground while raking in the bucks back east.

The northwest really is better at running companies that work — look at what happened to Wizards of the Coast — they were a great success when independent, now they are a shadow of their former selves being run as a division of Hasbro.

The professional entrepreneurial culture really is better here, I’ve lived elsewhere, and the northwest is an incubator for business growth. Then along comes some nitwit old money from outside the region trying to buy up the success, and invariably they’ll screw it up. This happened to a company I worked at for 4 years as well — when we were local it was great, once we were bought out by an eastern company, things immediately got stupid at work and decision making was now done by people 3 time zones away that had no idea what made things here tick.

Just felt like ranting, I like the northwest best of anywhere I’ve lived, and hate to see its culture be bled off by leeches from other parts of the country that buy up what works from here then screw it up for themselves.

]]> By: Adam http://www.ussmariner.com/2004/09/21/fall-of-att-wireless/comment-page-1/#comment-2462 Adam Wed, 22 Sep 2004 01:11:37 +0000 http://ussmariner.com/?p=1900#comment-2462 If O Zone were to be combined with Productive Outs, it would be like the anti-OPS. And what would you call it? 0-Productive Zoneouts? If O Zone were to be combined with Productive Outs, it would be like the anti-OPS.

And what would you call it? 0-Productive Zoneouts?

]]> By: DMZ http://www.ussmariner.com/2004/09/21/fall-of-att-wireless/comment-page-1/#comment-2461 DMZ Tue, 21 Sep 2004 23:55:42 +0000 http://ussmariner.com/?p=1900#comment-2461 Ignatius -- that's an excellent example. Zeglis, for instance, set company-wide goals for the executive compensation and when they didn't make them because the company had no strategy and was going down the tubes, they just re-set them. Millions to Zeglis & Co., while down on the ground, people were getting smaller raises etc because the company wasn't doing well. Ignatius — that’s an excellent example. Zeglis, for instance, set company-wide goals for the executive compensation and when they didn’t make them because the company had no strategy and was going down the tubes, they just re-set them. Millions to Zeglis & Co., while down on the ground, people were getting smaller raises etc because the company wasn’t doing well.

]]> By: Ignatius http://www.ussmariner.com/2004/09/21/fall-of-att-wireless/comment-page-1/#comment-2460 Ignatius Tue, 21 Sep 2004 23:13:11 +0000 http://ussmariner.com/?p=1900#comment-2460 Paul- The formula I like to use rate hitters or teams is runs scored plus runs batted in minus home runs divided by at bats. The reason I like this because it shows Bonds killing everybody else, which he does. Paul-
The formula I like to use rate hitters or teams is runs scored plus runs batted in minus home runs divided by at bats. The reason I like this because it shows Bonds killing everybody else, which he does.

]]> By: Ignatius http://www.ussmariner.com/2004/09/21/fall-of-att-wireless/comment-page-1/#comment-2459 Ignatius Tue, 21 Sep 2004 22:52:39 +0000 http://ussmariner.com/?p=1900#comment-2459 Now if baseball players could just change their statistics....'let's see, I think I'll change this home run total from 14 to 42....hmmn, yeah, that looks better.' like C.E.O's do, well then, I would say C.E.O.'s should probably make as much as an average baseball player even though most of them are dumber than most baseball players. Now if baseball players could just change their statistics….’let’s see, I think I’ll change this home run total from 14 to 42….hmmn, yeah, that looks better.’ like C.E.O’s do, well then, I would say C.E.O.’s should probably make as much as an average baseball player even though most of them are dumber than most baseball players.

]]> By: DMZ http://www.ussmariner.com/2004/09/21/fall-of-att-wireless/comment-page-1/#comment-2450 DMZ Tue, 21 Sep 2004 20:57:21 +0000 http://ussmariner.com/?p=1900#comment-2450 Uh, back on-topic and off-topic: I left AWS a year ago, so I'm in no danger. Don't cry for me, cry for the friends I left there. On Zeglis and being overpaid: I resent his compensation because -- take Cirillo. As a terrible baseball player, he's overpaid. But he got that contract as a result of a free market overvaluing his future contributions. And as a terrible baseball player, he's still one of the couple-thousand best baseball players in the world. Zeglis got his job because he was given it to keep him from leaving AT&T when he was General Counsel, and he was chosen over other, better-suited internal candidates. He got a ton of money to take his job. While in his job, he proved he was the wrong man for the job, but retained his position for no reason (this being a future case study for business students in the need for a strong and independent board of directors) and was extremely well-compensated for his poor leadership. Meanwhile, on the bottom rungs, they constantly cut costs to improve the bottom line while the business itself floundered. Company has no long-term plans -- quick, lock up the office supplies! John Zeglis wants a new plane, and at the same time they cut benefits. Then, and this is what realllly gets me, in negotiating the takeover, Zeglis happens to get $20m. Wacky! Now, they're both overpaid for their contributions. But Zeglis never did anything to justify anything he got at any step of the way, and at the end, he gave himself $20m for his trouble. It'd be like... what if Gillick had a son and put him on the Mariners, gave the kid a $25m/year auto-renewing contract with a $20m buyout clause, and the only way to stop being a Mariners fan and attending games etc was to move cities and leave all your friends. That's what Zeglis was to me and my job. Uh, back on-topic and off-topic:
I left AWS a year ago, so I’m in no danger. Don’t cry for me, cry for the friends I left there.

On Zeglis and being overpaid: I resent his compensation because — take Cirillo. As a terrible baseball player, he’s overpaid. But he got that contract as a result of a free market overvaluing his future contributions. And as a terrible baseball player, he’s still one of the couple-thousand best baseball players in the world.

Zeglis got his job because he was given it to keep him from leaving AT&T when he was General Counsel, and he was chosen over other, better-suited internal candidates. He got a ton of money to take his job. While in his job, he proved he was the wrong man for the job, but retained his position for no reason (this being a future case study for business students in the need for a strong and independent board of directors) and was extremely well-compensated for his poor leadership.

Meanwhile, on the bottom rungs, they constantly cut costs to improve the bottom line while the business itself floundered. Company has no long-term plans — quick, lock up the office supplies! John Zeglis wants a new plane, and at the same time they cut benefits.

Then, and this is what realllly gets me, in negotiating the takeover, Zeglis happens to get $20m. Wacky!

Now, they’re both overpaid for their contributions. But Zeglis never did anything to justify anything he got at any step of the way, and at the end, he gave himself $20m for his trouble.

It’d be like… what if Gillick had a son and put him on the Mariners, gave the kid a $25m/year auto-renewing contract with a $20m buyout clause, and the only way to stop being a Mariners fan and attending games etc was to move cities and leave all your friends.

That’s what Zeglis was to me and my job.

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