Indie Book Award Ceremony

Presented with his medal during the awards reception in Chicago for his book "Getting the Truth", General Non-Fiction Category Finalist, Joe Koenig. 

Congratulations once again!  Purchase Mr. Koenig's book at Store

Predicting Football Recruiting

On 6/21/2016, Matt Wenzel of MLive reported:

By Matt Wenzel | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 
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on June 21, 2016 at 8:03 PM, updated June 21, 2016 at 8:55 PM

One of the nation's top offensive linemen announced a list of finalists and Michigan and Michigan State are both in the mix.

Robert Hainsey, a 2017 four-star guard from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., released his top three via Twitter on Tuesday evening and listed Michigan, Michigan State and Notre Dame. He said he'll make his commitment during the Nike The Opening Finals, July 5-10 in Oregon.

Hainsey, 6-4 and 276 pounds, is ranked the No. 4 guard and No. 70 player overall in the 2017 class, according to 247 Sports Composite rankings. He played two seasons at Gateway High School in Pennsylvania before transferring to IMG after his sophomore year. He broke down his three finalists to 247 Sports.

About Michigan and coach Jim Harbaugh:

"Michigan has been a school I always really liked," Hainsey said. "They hadn't offered me with the first staff, but when coach Harbaugh got there they made it a point to offer me and I was glad to get up there. Coach Harbaugh is doing something really special with that program. I think he's going to take it to the top very soon, especially with the great year (they) had last year. I just really like the coaches. I feel comfortable there. I think it's going to end up a really good program soon."

About Michigan State and coach Mark Dantonio:

"I just think coach Dantonio has a real good program and he's going to keep winning with the players he gets," Hainsey said. "It's not always the best players, but they always find a way to win and I really like that. I feel really comfortable there, especially with their offensive line coach and all their coaches. I know people at the program, so I've gotten some really good insight on it, so that's helped me with my decision."

About Notre Dame and coach Brian Kelly:

"Notre Dame just has a different feel to it," Hainsey said. "It feels really at home. I'm really comfortable there, especially with the coaches. (Offensive line) Coach (Harry) Hiestand is a great coach. He produces amazing talent every year and I think that would be really beneficial to me. I think Notre Dame can do a lot for me after football, after my career is over, whether it's in the NFL or after college. No matter what, I think I'm going to have a good chance to get a great job and be very prepared for life."

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So, how do we predict which way the young star is leaning?  Here's how: I usually begin analysis by highlighting all the pronouns. Pronouns are very powerful indicators of true meaning. In this case, let's look at where he uses "they" and where he doesn't. He uses "they" only for Michigan and Michigan State, not for Notre Dame, an "Us" vs. "Them" giveaway. A missing "They" in the Notre Dame segment tells me he is much more comfortable with Notre Dame at this point. Let's also look at his statements on comfort: Michigan: "I feel comfortable there." Michigan State: "I feel really comfortable there." Notre Dame: "I'm really comfortable there." Notice there is no "I feel" introducing the Notre Dame comfort statement. Also, he uses the word "home" in his Notre Dame comments and not anywhere else. "Home" is a powerful word, loaded with uniquely emotional meaning - it is not used lightly. Lastly, he tells it all in his last sentence in his Notre Dame discussion, "No matter what, I think I'm going to have a good chance to get a great job and be very prepared for life," (by going to Notre Dame). There is no question, as of 6/20/16, he plans on committing to the Notre Dame program. #AuthorJoeKoenig #RobertHainsey #NotreDameFootball #MichiganFootball #MichiganStateFootball #GettingtheTruth  to buy Mr. Koenig's book, "Getting the Truth" go to BookStore

Exits

Always, always know your exits. #AuthorJoeKoenig

True Knowledge

"To truly know and understand, we must absorb knowledge without bias or prejudice. If we make our judgments before “absorbing" the knowledge that's available, we are relying on our "prior" knowledge, which is a formula for failure. We repeat our mistakes and don't learn. We simply feed our existing biases and prejudices – and don’t get the truth."

Author Joe Koenig

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