In Praise of: Sabbaticals

In the past few weeks, I've read a couple great articles that covered some creative ideas regarding career development through taking time off. One of these organizations is one of New York's most prestigious law firms (we'll get to that in a second), but surprisingly, the military is the other:

Defense officials are proposing an experiment in which service members could take a break in their military careers of up to three years for personal or professional reasons.

This time off — with health benefits, but without pay — would be similar to sabbaticals offered by some private businesses in high-pressure fields and by colleges and universities to some professors, but with a major difference: Most academic and professional sabbaticals are limited to one year.

Officials are calling their proposal “career intermission.” (link)

When the high ops-tempo of a two-war military meets the bullshit that often accompanies wearing the uniform, a three-year break may be just what the doctor ordered to keep talented folks in the service where they might look elsewhere under normal circumstances. (Note: I still would not go back, although I don't know if I'd be considered one of the "talented folks" about whom I write).

Under this program, mid-career officers would owe two years for every one taken, would receive no pay but continue to enjoy military medical coverage and would have a promise from their service that they will not be called upon to deploy during this time frame. Selection for the program is competitive, so as long as you're not spending your sabbatical on the couch, when you return to active duty, you'll remain competitive for promotion and advancement.


Keep holy the sabbath! Sabbatical: derived from the Hebrew shabbath i.e. sabbath, is a hiatus from work for more than two months.

Covering another interesting development in the world of sabbaticals, the New York Times ran a widely read piece covering a program where the law firm of Skadden, Arps was allowing junior to mid-career attorneys could take a pay cut to $80,000 (yes, pay cut) and take a year to do something like pro bono work or

Only in a financial world turned upside down would an arrangement like this one make sense. Looking to cut costs like everyone else, but not prepared to lay off associates, Skadden has chosen instead to offer all of its associates — about 1,300 worldwide — the option of accepting a third of their base pay to not show up for work for a year. (So far, the partners have no equivalent arrangement.)

The company is helping associates find pro bono work, and is encouraging them to do so. But the lawyers could also spend the year catching up on every episode of “Top Chef” that they missed during the boom years, or traveling around the world, “all of which is O.K. by us,” said Matthew Mallow, a partner at the firm. Other firms have adopted similar strategies, but Skadden’s program is unusual in that it has no pro bono requirements. (link)

One of the bonuses of this program is that attorneys on sabbatical are immune from layoffs, according to the firm.

On a personal note, there is nothing better than taking an extended period of time off in between gigs to recreate. I had about four months off after finishing my active duty stint and starting in New York and was able to drive cross country and do manual labor which was a nice change of pace and set me up for my next phase. I hope to enjoy the same kind of experience this summer when I prepare for my next life transition.

In Praise of Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh

In an era where it's so easy to be negative, and so easy to be negative towards America, it's refreshing to have the Olympic Games to rally every last bit of patriotism, and remind us all once again why it's great to be an American. Michael Phelps grabbed all the headlines, but I'm partial to a pair of all-American girls who used their talents to display some of the best of what the U.S. has to offer.

Today, America can be proud of the world-beating women's beach volleyball team of Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, who completed a flawless run through the Olympics, nabbing their second consecutive gold medal after a hard-fought, rain-drenched, two-set victory over China's cyborg-like Wang Jie and Tian Jia.

It's easy to observe the golden girls and not get past their impossibly fit--dare I say, 'Olympian'-- physiques or their skimpy uniforms, but the real joy in observing May-Walsh in action comes from their near telepathic teamwork. Like a well-oiled machine, the duo vanquished all challengers through a systematic dismantling that's like watching poetry in motion (did I cram enough descriptive words in there). Blessed with impeccable court awareness and terriffic athleticism, May and Walsh made it obvious to even the most casual of observers that they were something special, the undisputed leaders of their sport.

While Want and Tian were clearly the toughest opponents faced by May and Walsh, the duo beat them in straight sets as they beat all their opponents throughout the tournament.  

May is the daughter of Butch May, a 1976 Olympic (indoor) volleyball player who--as NBC reminded us numerous times throughout the tournament--was part of the first team to beat the Soviets. This was always followed by a shot of Butch in the stands, looking every bit the Butch, hawking his daughter with nary a smile.  Misty's mom, Barbara, provided a subplot as well.  More on that in a second.  

One of the highlights of the duo's run to gold were the interviews with NBC's Heather Cox. After each win, Walsh's sunny disposition was always on full display, exuding confidence while being all smiles as she never lost sight of the fact that she was playing a game. 

After winning the gold, it was especially refreshing to hear Walsh thank the president for his inspiration. While the media often gives us so much to be negative about--and much was made about Bush's day at the beach, where he visited the two and took photos--its nice to remember that at the end of the day, we're all Americans.  For the two weeks prior, the media had a blast mocking the president's photo op with the pair (I'll spare the PG ones):


Adding additional cheer to the post-match interview, after thanking the president, both May and Walsh gleefully spoke of starting families (in their giddiness, they sounded like they were going to start after the match), talking about creating the next generation of beach volleyball champs.  The duo then grabbed NBC's Cox and hugged her, catching the reporter off-guard with their powerful display of affection.

At the end of the post-match spectacle, May followed a tradition she began after winning gold in 2004, and poured some of her mom's ashes onto the court (albeit a little too close to some Asian gentlemen minding the playing area, some of those ashes blew a little too close).  This was a fitting act of sentimentality that again highlights the character of the team:

They care. They care about their families, about their sport and about the United States.  And their contagious enthusiasm is what this is all about.  

In Praise of...the 39THIRTY

During the past decade, my distinct lack of hair (especially during three of the past four years, which were also marked by a distinct lack of humidity), I never really had much need for a cap.

Going to work in the morning, I'd wear my standard uniform cover. Working out, specifically in Albuquerque, sweat would evaporate before it became a nuisance. But that all changed when I came home to Long Island.

Upon commencing my return engagement with the Empire State, I've grown my hair out and returned to the annoying stickieness tied to living on a land mass surrounded by water. The equation is quite simple:

Hair + Humidity = Sweat + Annoyed Morgan

Hair gettin' in my face, sticking to my forehead, sweat getting in my eyes; this is a recipe for disaster. And seeing as I will not cut my hair out of a sense of pride (and the fact that it's yet another thing I can do the Col. Voldemort cannot, add that to actually running the run portion of the PT test...freaking cheater), I'm left to find out how to fix this.

Do I go sweatband? Man-dana? I mean, there's a time and place for both of those things. However, I'm an American first and foremost. I love apple pie and Midwestern girls. And above all else, I love the game of baseball.

As the official hat of  Major League Baseball, New Era's 59FIFTY is an institution. It's like a Chevy or a Nathan's hot dog.   In fact, New Era recently sent shockwaves through the hearts of purists when they reengineered the lids to better perform in game situations. Upgrades included a conversion from wool to an all polyester design, a black sweatband to hide stains and a black undervisor to reduce glare.  

Head Cover Performance in Action

Alas, I sweat like a Yeti, and even with the new specs, the 59FIFTY doesn't cut it when I'm working out.  Thankfully, a few years ago, New Era, in a shining example of capitalism, introduced a cap designed for batting practice, the 39THIRTY. According to New Era, like me, the 39THIRTY is built for performance. This is a match made in heaven.

From the New Era Web site:

The 39THIRTY is the true fan cap.  With its stretch-comfort fit, the 39THIRTY comes in either a performance mesh fabric or wool-stretch material for anyone or any lifestyle.

The 39THIRTY, while fitted, has an elastic band that allows for some flexibility. So while Air Force Morgan rocked a 7 3/8; Freebird Morgan has to go 7 1/2. The 39THIRTY gives me both, as I fit in the Medium-Large, and it's snug and comfortable.  

In my capacity as the consummate performer, I enjoy the performance mesh fabric, which is perfect for sopping up my sweat during intense training sessions like my interval workouts. Did I mention that in the morning if my face is a little puffy, I'll put on an ice pack while doing stomach crunches.  I can do 1,000 now.

I have to admit, I bought the Yankees 39THIRTY, but I had to hold my nose when picking it up at the Lids store in Times Square the other day because its very existence rips my sentimental heart out.  The interlocking NY should only appear on the famed navy blue caps of the NY Yankees.  Save the alternate uniform gimmicks for expansion teams like the Mets.  

I've also betrayed my Yankee pride and allowed myself to enjoy the caps of non-Yankee clubs.  My personal favorites include the Yankee-themed AL All-Star cap (modeled by yours truly above and shown below), as well as the TB Rays 2008 version (shown above)  There still remain some teams (Boston, Los Angeles Angels of Orange County-Anaheim-Sherman Oaks, Los Mets) that I'll never rock.

And so it goes, mo' hair, mo' problems.  But thanks to the folks at New Era, I have a reasonable solution to keep tabs on my loathsome locks.

To buy the 39THIRTY, visit:

New Era's online shop

MLB's online shop