For those who don't know, Malcolm Gladwell is one of Canada's top intellectual minds who is highly respected on the world stage. I am sometimes spellbound when I watch an interview with him by his logical way of thinking and how he can make any subject he's discussing very interesting to the common person. He calls it the "Come Out and Play" factor.......in other words, he'll entice you to want to read his thoughts and ideas by making it fun and simple. In many ways, we see the same in Bob Young when he speaks. He can take the most technical subject and bring it down to a level that most of us can follow along. Both Gladwell and Young are interesting story tellers I find and make the listener/reader somewhat riveted when they talk or write.
Now, having said all that, I just read an entry on Mr. Gladwell's blog concerning drafting professional Quarterbacks and how the theory of the # 1 round picks being the best pick is way flawed. The # 2 round picks are far better for managers to go after.
Give it a read anyways. I agree with the rather complicated, but rational, reasoning as it makes perfect sense.
An interesting read, deerhunter. Thanks for posting it.
It may also be of interest to know that Malcolm Gladwell and Jim Balsillie are good friends having both attended Trinity College at the University of Toronto. Although Mr. Balsillie did not reach his goal of bringing the Phoenix Coyotes to Hamilton, he and his legal team accomplished the same type of enlightenment in the Arizona bankruptcy court proceedings that Mr. Gladwell achieves on the printed page.
I didn't know they were buddies TCTD......that's interesting
By the way, this (see link below) is one of my favourite Malcolm Gladwell speeches.......on Spaghetti sauce......it's fascinating actually in that the bigger message is something I hadn't thought about. ie: the "horizontal plane" theory concerning manufacturing and marketing products and what the consumer really wants and needs but never expresses it.
It really is tough to walk away once he starts a speech.
To be clear, Gladwell didn’t claim that the 2nd round picks are better players, but that they are paid less and that their “value” (as measured by observing the exchange of players on the trade market) per dollar of salary is greater.