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Oh my, my…I cannot believe it's been almost 3 months since I've posted anything on my beloved Blog! It's unforgivable…I know! I just haven't had the time, discipline or inspiration to write anything…call it: "Bloggers block"! It's quite unbelievable how time flies, so much has happened since my last post it makes my head spin. But before I freak out trying to figure out how to come back from the abyss with a fresh, new, fun blog; I need to decide where to start. How about I start with my 2016 European Marathon that I just completed; a two months summer journey across much of Europe that has just come to a close a few weeks ago.
A big reason I was so quiet for some time is that I was finishing up my hotel project in Beverly Hills and Brentwood; as I'm sure I mentioned already, I was hired to design two hotels in Los Angeles one a year ago and I just recently finished both projects. By the end of it, I was counting the days to get out of LA and fly away, no matter where. I'm like a tiger in a cage when I stay put in one city; I need to travel or I start going bananas!
My first destination is Lisbon, Portugal; I've been meaning to visit this city for so long but never got around it so the time has finally come. After a lovely flight on my beloved Swiss International Airlines from LAX to Zurich and then to Lisbon on the new Boing 777 planes with their new fab business class pods; I arrive in this very old city full of excitement and "Yes", with a major jet-lag. I have a very dear friend from Lisbon that I've known for 30 years that and that I haven't seen for 28 that will be showing me around and look after me. His name is Nuno and last time I saw him back in Los Angeles he was out of his mind…hopefully nothing has changed!
I spent a lot of time trying to figure out where to stay in Lisbon between AirBnb or the large variety of amazing hotels dating back to the 18th century, some of them National Monuments. The one that stood out the most among the flurry of 5 star hotels was The Pestana Palace, a 19th-century palace that has been restored to its original glory. The hotel is an architectural marvel, its ornate ironwork, gilt-covered paneling, Chinoiserie elements and coffered ceilings complemented by classical furnishings and opulent fabrics, make you feel like royalty (www.pestanapalacelisbon.com).
I asked Nuno about it and he replied with an air of sass: "Well…Madonna stays there!!" Well, if it's good for Madonna it must be good for me…snap! It was even better after I found out that Nuno's good friend is the marketing director of the Hotel chain, so before you know it, I'm upgraded to a fabulous suite with an amazing terrace overlooking the old structure and the beautifully manicured grounds. Bingo!
The grand entrance to the Pestana Palace in Lisbon
The stunning 19th century Pestana Palace
The coach house at the Pestana Palace
My Uber Glam Suite
My bedroom
…and my terrace
The breakfast room
The pool and Chinese themed restaurant
The history of Lisbon is as fascinating as it is tragic; it was one of the oldest cities in the world, and the oldest in Western Europe, predating other modern European capitals such as London, Paris and Rome by centuries. Prior to the 18th century, Lisbon had experienced several significant earthquakes but on November 1, 1755, the city was destroyed by another devastating earthquake, which killed a large percentage of its population and destroyed 85 percent of the city's structures. After the 1755 earthquake, the city was completely rebuilt and you can still see to date, evidence of the old destruction. Portugal has also gone though a rough patch financially and you can't avoid noticing the level of poverty in this city; that is in contrast with the newly discovered financial boom that has taken over the city in the last few years. Many of its stunning old buildings with their signature-tiled facades, are being restored, new museums are popping up everywhere and old ones are being updated. Not to mention the boom in the service industry with many amazing restaurants, hotels, bars and shopping areas.
On my first night out Nuno takes me to a local institution, Bica do Sapato (www.bicadosapato.com) and one of Lisbon's first super trendy restaurants, co-owned by John Malkovich (don't ask me why…). The old converted port building is quite fancy and the decor is definitely avant-garde, though you can see that it has reached his age; I try all sorts of delicious fish dishes, typical of the area, on a beautiful terrace overlooking the river and the bustle of ships arriving and departing from the Port of Cais da Pedra. Portuguese food is quite amazing with all sorts of influences from the many countries it mingled with through its ancient history. Portuguese people love to drink and smoke so I reluctantly adapt to their customs and join in. I don't quite remember how I got home…but I did!
Bica do Sapato Restaurant
The bustling streets of Lisbon at night, packed with people
Just had to take a photo of this small restaurant with a huge Octopus hanging form the ceiling…
The following day it's time for my favorite activity: walk everywhere until your feet bleed! This is always the best way to see a new city and discover all its secrets. My main destinations are the usual suspects like: Praça Do Comércio, the trendy neighborhood of Chado and Baixa, the Medieval Castle and the Museum of Coaches. While in Chado I had the opportunity to visit my dear friend Pedro Girao, Chairman of the venerable Christie's Auction House in England, who is a native Portuguese. He invited me to see his new apartment up high on the hill with the most incredible views of Lisbon; it's castle and the water…just breathtaking!
The stunning mosaic floors typical of Lisbon
Just another simple entryway to the Jerónimos Monastery
Entrance to the President's residence
The odd looking 1902 Santa Justa elevator
The Praça do Comércio
Statue of King José I, by Machado de Castro (1775)
One of the city's standing churches still showing the damage of the 1775 earthquake
Nuno and Robert Kass on Pedro Girau's balcony
The breathtaking views from Pedro Girau's balcony in the Chado neighbourhood
One of Chado's oldest and most famous Cafés
Also on the list, is a local institution: Pastéis de Belém (www.pasteisdebelem.pt), a pastry shop of sorts that is world renowned for it's signature custard canapés: a small puff pastry basket filled with an "Out of this world" custard, finished with a sprinkle of cinnamon…Orgasm!!!! I had no idea what I was dealing with until I arrived to the store and saw a line of people a mile long wrapped around the building…WOW, it must be good! Thankfully, Nuno's brother in law owns the joint so we were quickly treated to this amazing dessert and a tour of the massive facility. The great thing about this little pieces of heaven is that they are only 60 calories apiece…of course I inhaled 15 of them.
The lines at Pastéis de Belém
More interior
The signature custard cups at Pastéis de Belém
The door to the secret kitchen
The final treat of the day was visiting the newly constructed Coach Museum. I mean, who would build a museum for coaches? Well, the Portuguese did and now I know why! OMG, this museum holds the largest collection of 17-18 century coaches in the world and I cannot even start saying how impressive this exhibition is. Surprisingly, I was the only one in there. I mean really…people have no imagination! I highly suggest it to anyone visiting Lisbon…bring a tiara!
Entrance to the Coach Museum
The Imperial procession coach
The week days coach
The sporty coach
The following day Nuno has arranged for a day trip to the popular beaches of Cascais, along the Estoril coastline, the stretch of shoreline that extends from Lisbon in the east to Cascais in the west (kind of their version of our Malibu) and a hike at the westernmost point of the European continent named Cabo da Roca where 2 large rocks, stand supreme on this amazing spot of the Portuguese coast. It's definitely worth the time even though Nuno told me it would be a 1 hour drive, when in fact it turned onto a 4 hours. We even passed by an enormous, bizarre, yellow castle, in the middle of no-where, that the king of Portugal built in the 18th century as an identical copy of the Austrian Imperial Palace in Vienna; these monarch…really!!!
Sculpture at Cabo da Roca at the westernmost point of Europe
Nuno Ramos and Robert Kass at Cabo da Roca
On my last night, Nuno and Gang take me to the "Time Out Market" Food Hall (Like the magazine) l. This enormous warehouse hosts a number of local food pop-ups, wine sellers, local "Jamon" booth, dessert booths and just about anything your little stomach desires. It's packed with young people and bustling with energy! We tried to find a table but that proved impossible so Nuno suggested we visit the more fancy restaurant on the second floor: Pap Acorda (www.papacorda.com). The space is beautiful and the food is decent, though not my favorite. The atmosphere is definitely the highlight of this eatery…and everyone smokes! This Food Hall is definitely a must see if you're in Lisbon; also a great place to meet the locals. After dinner the marathon of bars and dives took center stage and, once again, I don't remember how I got home…but I did!
Time Out Market
My clan
Jamon shop at Time Out Market
Pap' Açorda Restaurant
Group shot
And back to my Palace for the last night
What an amazing city and amazing people; Lisbon is truly a city of the future with the most important, glamorous and colorful past; Nuno was the best host and an amazing tour guide filled with pride and knowledge. I can't wait to come back!!!


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From the Learning Centers:
The Atrium Learning Center (AG-18) through its computer lab, workshops and tutoring supplies a variety of academic services that are free and available to all City Tech students. MAC computers, the Computer Literacy Program, internet access, computer assistance and subject tutoring are provided.
The hours of operation are:
Atrium Learning Center
Monday – Thursday 9:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Friday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Saturday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
The Tech Learning Center (V-216) provides tutoring services in the math and science.
Tech Learning Center
Monday & Thursday 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Tuesday & Wednesday 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Friday 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Saturday CLOSED
Please consult the bulletin boards outside each of the Learning Centers for the specific hours of the services you require.

subset: commoncrawl


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In a new series called Off the Radar, LightBox asks celebrated photographers to write about image makers whose work they admire yet may be unknown to a wider audience. Here, Mark Steinmetz celebrates a group of women who documented life in the Northeastern United States in the 1980s.
I would like to call attention to some remarkable photography made in the late 1970s and early 1980s by nine women in Massachusetts. Though not all of these women were aware of each other's work at the time, they shared a love for the camera's ability to describe the material complexity of the world and for the open grey tones of the black and white print. For the most part, they all championed the fluid use of a 4 x 5 view camera (even though this required a tripod) and they mixed flash in with daylight exposures so no deep shadows, no strong chiaroscuro, appeared in their prints. There are no large gestures or dramas here nor easy sentiment.
These artists tended to photograph their homes and their families as well as other private, largely middle-class spaces. Their interest in detailed realism and in the everyday reminds me of the ambitions of 17th-century Dutch masters; but theirs is an updated, unmistakably American realism, set in silver.
Many of these women have a connection to the Massachusetts College of Art, where Nicholas Nixon taught, and also to the Yale School of Art, where Tod Papageorge and Richard Benson were on the faculty, and all of them have gone on to teach photography themselves. Some of the women have received Guggenheim grants and National Endowment for the Arts grants, and several were included in Peter Galassi's "Pleasures and Terrors of Domestic Comfort" show at MoMA (1991) and in Aperture's "Mothers and Daughters" exhibition (1987). Despite this recognition, they have not been widely included in the commercial gallery scene, and my guess is that young photographers today are probably not familiar with their names.
The work of Joan Albert, who died two years ago, certainly deserves to be brought to a wider audience, and I hope some young curator or critic will take up the cause. Her primary subject was her children at home in Cambridge, a project she began after she lost one son in an accident. Mary Frey, like many women in this group, cites Nicholas Nixon as an influence, but she also mentions Emmet Gowin, who is known for his poetic, romantic pictures of his wife and her family. The photos in her series, "Domestic Rituals" (1979-1983), seem quite naturalistic, but are in part staged by the photographer, and she avoids the temptation to romanticize.
Sage Sohier worked with a 6 x 9 cm camera (perhaps at the prompting of Tod Papageorge, who taught at Harvard before Yale), which can be hand-held and results in a trimmer rectangle than the 4 x 5. She went to different neighborhoods around Boston, primarily photographing groups of people, and made road trips throughout America. Like others in this group, she photographed domestic situations in interiors. Sohier cites Weegee as an influence for his use of flash in daylight, and also Chauncey Hare.
Judith Black includes herself in her photographs of her four children and her partner. She uses 4 x 5 Polaroid materials and studied photography at MIT. Monika Andersson, Mary Tortorici, Cathy Griffin, and Lynn Whitney attended both MassArt and Yale.
Andersson hails from Sweden and photographed her relatives there, as well as subjects in New England. Tortorici and Griffin now both teach in Appalachia, and like many of the photographers here, eventually switched to color. Tortorici's photograph of shivering girls wrapped in towels is at the same time a subtle narrative and a keen description of a physical setting. Griffin's photo of a cow, from a series on farm animals, is a phenomenological marvel. For her part, Lynn Whitney concentrated on members of groups, such as nuns and soldiers, whom are set apart from mainstream society. Sheron Rupp was the first among these women to adopt color photography, and yet she shares their common aesthetic.
More work from these remarkable photographers can be seen by clicking the following links: Sheron Rupp, Lynn Whitney, Judith Black, Mary Tortorici, Monika Andersson, Cathy Griffin, Sage Sohier and Joan Albert.
Mark Steinmetz is a Guggenheim fellow and his work is in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and The Whitney Museum of American Art, among others. His publications include South Central 2007, South East 2008, Greater Atlanta 2009 and Paris in my time 2013. His newest book on little league baseball, The Players, will be published in late 2014 by Nazraeli Press. See more of his work here and here.


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- android.permission.INTERNET
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Natural Protected Areas
The diversity of the landscapes linked to a convergence of biogeographical influences(continental, mountain, mediterranean), as well as a privileged situation regarding the main migration routes of European avifauna, give this territory an important heritage value.
The Regional Nature Park constitutes one of the 17 French sites recognized by the international community as a humid zone of international importance, notably for water birds, according to the Ramsar Convention . The Park also has several sites of communal interest that is for the birds or the habitats of the wild flora and fauna. Finally, the Park shelters many zones of national ecological interest , with remarkable animal and plant species, some of which are protected by law.
National Nature Reserve in Forêt d'Orient
National Nature Reserve in Forêt d'Orient was created in 2002 in the middle of the Champagne wetlands. Located 25 km, East-side of Troyes.
Surface : 1560 ha, from which 99% belongs to the Lake-Reservoir Institution. It was classified National Nature Reserve due to its exceptionnal biological wealth,
The State has entrust the management of the Nature Reserve to the Regional Nature Park.
Regulation in the Réserve
In order to preserve the local Fauna and Flora, the National Nature Reserve has to comply with some regulations.
It is not allowed to :
- walk in the reserve
- fish from the shore
- bring in or bring back any flowers, plants, or animals
You need to check the regulation for :
- fishing on a boat
Access to the Reserve
The National Nature Reserve in Forêt d'Orient is not open to the public. However, some sites have been developed around the Reserve, like the "Valois" Observatory to allow you to contemplate the local fauna and flora.
Some organised tours and newspapers articles also help people to understand better the purpose or the reserve.


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No more Long John Silver's in Charlottesville
Fried fish aficionados have one fewer place to dock their appetites in the new year, as Charlottesville's Long John Silver's has gone out of business. The signs were painted over before the last day of 2011, and the sign on the door at 1254 Emmet Street reads simply: "This location is permanently closed."Read more on: Cook-Out restaurantLong John Silver's
27 comments
One more nail in the coffin of the UVa Cardiology Department. So sad to see a local icon close its doors but--as Frankie Valli sang--"Grease is the word."
R.I.P.: Edith Massey
I think this was a franchise store. Funny LJS's website still shows the location also their site has no press releases about any closings.
Is UVA Foundation on the march again to buy up all the property in town?
That is a shame...love Long John Silver's!!!!! Guess the burger joints win again. Pretty soon there won't be any choice at all. Actually the A&W burger was better than any of the other burger joints!!! Cville loses again!!!!!
I think 40 years is long enough for any fast food restaurant.
The place was built and opened in 1972 or 1973.
There was a LJS here? Go figure.
They were very rude to customers the few times I was in there.
This is how the economy is supposed to work. We don't need to prop up failing businesses. All you Occupiers out there, pay attention.
Just another sign of the times, stay tuned for more.
Bring back shaky's pizza, or caravan home of the hump burger...or barneby's pizza or perhaps even a five guys?
evil county developers are sucking the life out of the city!! Here is exhibit A!! How can city businesses survive when the evil big box stores, the county development cabal, and their acolytes on city council have snuffed out the little guy in the city by passing their diabolical water plan and building the road to nowhere which goes right through charlottesville!!!
I can't not eat there anymore. Drat.
Saw the big Cavalier Container dumpster behind it, in the drive through lane, knew something was up.....or GOING DOWN!
That stinks, oh well maybe a Captain Dee's will come to C-ville and kick butt. Fish is good for your heart, eating at LJS three times a week helped me survive a triple by-pass and angioplasty when I was in my late 20's. I guess the fish oil did something to helped me pull through.
My first job (while I was in High school and just the summer) I worked there the first year it was open. It was 1972 or 1973. At one point years later (early 90s?) they tore the old building down and built a bigger one. So it was there about 40 years.
Cook Out recently bought the site for $1.3 million. Cook Out blew up in NC and has started to expand regionally. Cheaper than your standard fast food, awesome variety of milkshakes. http://www.cookoutnc.com/
If Downtown Brown is right about Cook Out buying the space, the Cville residents you are in for a treat.
LJS was always our Friday stop during Lent.
I think one of OWS big complaints is that failing businesses were propped with their tax dollars, while they were told to jump in the lake. The real Occupiers get it.
If the country wants to develop, it can pay for the infrastructure on its own nickle, and stop building large traffic jams on state byways.
Cook Out is the bomb! it should do very well
@ not sorry
Never experienced rudeness from the help the few times we went there. In fact one of the cashier guys one time we went was extremely courteous, to the point where it actually stood out. But their fried fish was way too salty. If it hadn't been so salty we would have eaten there probably all the time since I'm a sucker for fish and chips.
In south Florida they have Miami Subs Plus, which is a 3 in 1 of Miami Subs, Arthur Treature's, and Baskin Robbins. We need one of those. :D I loved that place. Or else just an Arthur Treature's, if we're talking about fast food fish and chips.
If you want to rob a Long John's Silver now, you have to go out of town!
January 4, 2012
Harrisonburg police are trying to track down the person who robbed a Long John Silver's Tuesday night.
Police say just before 10 p.m., a man approached two employees at the restaurant on East Market Street and demanded cash. The robber claimed to have a gun in his pocket but it was never displayed.
Some cash was taken and the robber was last seen running westbound.
If you have any information, call CrimeStoppers at 540-574-5050.
Thank God! The market at work - I went there one time and it was the poorest-run restaurant I have ever been to. Just while I was there I saw three separate customers have to return to the counter as their order was wrong and mine was as well. The cashier had to call in back-up when I ordered a fish filet sandwich which he was apparently unfamiliar with.
Cook Out will have to raise its menu prices in Cville.
Brian- you sure it was "fish"?
It closed due to problems with the electricity in the building and constant problems with their computer services. As for the health of LJS, yes, certainly some of their food is bad for you, but I do have to note, one chicken plank has 140 calories. You can do a lot worse at a burger joint.


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All News Releases By Date
Firing range cleanup agreement means Kincaid Park soccer field construction can move forward
Release Date: 10/07/2010
Contact Information: Kevin Schanilec, RCRA Compliance Officer, (206) 553-1061, email@example.com Tony Brown, EPA Public Affairs, (206) 553-1203, email@example.com
(Seattle --- Oct. 7, 2010) The Municipality of Anchorage, Kincaid Project Group, Land Design North and Roger Hickel Contracting, Inc., have agreed to complete the clean up of lead-contaminated soil at Kincaid Park in Anchorage, Alaska under a settlement announced today by the Environmental Protection Agency.
According to Edward Kowalski, EPA's Director of Compliance and Enforcement in Seattle, today's cleanup agreement will allow the construction of a new and safer soccer field at the site of a former firing range in the park.
"This settlement is great news for Anchorage-area youth, for the environment, and for the community as a whole," Kowalski said. "It means the cleanup will get done and ultimately children and their families will have a safe place to play without risk of exposure to lead-contaminated soil."
Today's consent agreement requires the parties to submit a cleanup plan to EPA within 90 days. Once the plan is approved, it will be implemented as soon as practicable.
Under the settlement, the parties also agreed to pay a penalty of just over $63,000 for violations of federal hazardous waste management rules also known as Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
Kincaid Park is a 1,500-acre City Park owned by the Municipality of Anchorage. A biathlon shooting range operated at the park from approximately 1988 to 2007. The shooting range was contaminated with lead from bullets, with lead soil levels ranging as high as 68,000 parts per million.
In May 2008, during construction of a soccer field at the former shooting range, The Kincaid Project Group and two contractors moved lead-contaminated soil at the site, thereby generating approximately 30 tons of lead-contaminated hazardous waste soil and debris. The contaminated material was stored and disposed of on-site without treatment and without proper testing. Lead contamination from other areas of the shooting range was also disturbed and spread over approximately 4-acres without prior testing to determine whether the lead levels would be classified as hazardous waste. Some of the waste has since been properly disposed of, but additional cleanup is required in order for the site to be safely used by the community.
Lead is highly toxic to people, especially children, when ingested or inhaled. Short term exposure can cause brain and kidney damage. Long term exposure can damage the blood and central nervous system.
For additional information about hazardous waste, visit: https://www.epa.gov/osw/hazard/
Subscribe to automatically receive Region 10 News Releases via email at: http://service.govdelivery.com/service/subscribe.html?code=USEPA_C19
Search this collection of releases | or search all news releases
View selected historical press releases from 1970 to 1998 in the EPA History website.


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Content: High Impact Thermoplastic
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Custom colors available with an 80 sheet minimum.
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Fast HV Transistor Switches, HTS 41-03-GSM – HTS 61-01-GSM
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The switching modules of the series HTS-GSM consist of two identical MOSFET switching paths that form a so-called half bridge circuit respectively push-pull circuit. Both switching paths are controlled by a common driver, which also provides a logic signal negation for one of the switches. The switches are mutually passively locked, so that a short in the bridge is excluded under all circumstances, including if the control input is disturbed by electromagnetic interferences (due to bad EMC design, for example). Especially in pulse generator applications with capaci¬tive load, the push-pull principle has considerable advantages in comparison to the conventional circuitry using a single-switch with a working resistor. Push-pull circuits do not require large energy storage capacitors for a low pulse drop and, because there are no working resistor power losses, the efficiency of a push-pull pulser is excellent regardless of pulse width, frequency and duty cycle. The pulsers draw only currents for charging the connected load capacitance. Thanks to an extremely precise timing of the switches, there are also almost no cross currents in the bridge, except peak charging currents of the switch natural capacitances.


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P24Regular price $85.00 Sale price $42.50
Here at Southern Point Co. we have constructed the finest polo shirt, using only the best materials. Incorporating our designs into the true southern lifestyle, our polos represent class, tradition and heritage. A timeless design for the superior southern gentleman.
87% polyester/ 13% spandex blended for your comfort
self collar
silicone Greyton™ logo
laser engraved buttons
Sizes: S-XXL
Spring 2018


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Saturday 9.2. | 19–22
Saturday 9.2. | 19–22
A soulful session of warm and uplifted beats of house & disco with Tapio K. Lifemood's preparty sessions are always about shifting into the saturday night vibe, with upfront and classic tunes mixed together. It's a trip from hip hop tempo beats through mid-tempo disco grooves to melodic deep house.
Performing at Lifemood
This event is part of the Lifemood club series
After gaining over a decade of dj experience and organizing club nights, Tapio K has cornered his own vision of music for a proper time out. Essentially we are talking about house and disco music, but still Lifemood isn't restricted to suit only a single type of event.


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News and blog
Latest news and blogs from Sue Ryder.
For journalist or media enquiries, please contact our press office.
Filter results
By Topic
Hospice Care Week 2020: 98-year-old Sue Ryder volunteer hangs up her boots after 33 years
A 98-year-old volunteer is saying an emotional goodbye to the Sue Ryder shop in Cavendish after 33 years volunteering there. Renee Rowe began volunteering for the charity in 1987 and has been supporting Sue Ryder ever since, especially after her husband received end of life care at one of the hospices.
Inspiring Wheatfields volunteer and fundraiser, Jean Piper, presented with special Sue Ryder award
Jean Piper's husband Clive was cared for at Sue Ryder Wheatfields Hospice eleven years ago and Jean embarked on the 'Dive for Clive' skydive in his memory. Even when she herself was diagnosed with leukaemia she continued fundraising and volunteering in the Wheatfields shop, and it is that determination which saw her presented with the Sue Ryder Incredible Colleagues Award for Overcoming Obstacles last year.
Meet Mabel, St John's Hospice's latest volunteer and furry four-legged friend
Meet the latest volunteer at Sue Ryder St John's Hospice – a loveable, furry, three year old Cockapoo called Mabel. Pets as Therapy dog Mabel started volunteering at the hospice last year and has proved to be a 'pawsome' pal to patients, relatives and staff. Here, Mabel's owner and fellow volunteer Debra tells us about their experiences.
'I honestly enjoy my job so much it doesn't feel like going to work every day'
For Sharon Wotherspoon, it was the start of a whole new career when her children volunteered at their local Sue Ryder shop. That was six years ago and Sharon is now Shop Manager of Sue Ryder's Mengham shop on Hayling Island.
"Bella was born to be a Pets as Therapy dog": meet Duchess of Kent Hospice's four-legged volunteer
Pets can be a great support during illness and beyond – as volunteer Barry discovered when, following his wife Sarita's death, he signed up their puppy Bella to become a certified Pets as Therapy dog.
It's time to get it right for people with neurological conditions in England
People with neurological conditions in England are being let down by the very health and care systems that are supposed to be supporting them – that's the finding of our new report Time to get it right, writes our Policy and Public Affairs Manager (England) Duncan Lugton.
Over 15,000 people with neurological conditions are being placed in nursing homes for the elderly, our shocking report reveals
Our new report, 'Time to get it right' published today, gives a comprehensive picture on how people with neurological conditions such as motor neurone disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, Huntington's disease and acquired brain injury are being let down by health and social services in England.
Why don't we talk about death?
It's a tough question that Sue Ryder are trying to tackle. Our latest marketing campaign has been launched to encourage people to start the conversation about death, and to cement our position as experts in this area.
"Making people feel good about themselves at such a difficult time is a privilege."
Self-employed hairdresser Cristina Tant spends five hours a week volunteering at our Thorpe Hall Hospice. She is part of the centre's specially trained Get Creative team, who offer hospice patients the chance to get involved in arts and crafts, use the hospice's iPads to complete puzzles or crosswords, visit the shop and take part in other activities.


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Your gift is critical to the mission of our Unitarian Universalist Association: equipping congregations for health and vitality; supporting and credentialing religious leaders; and advancing UU values in the world.
You can make a one-time gift or sign up for monthly giving.
With the UUA operating in work-from-home mode during the COVID-19 outbreak, processing of checks mailed to our physical address may be delayed—online donations are the safest, fastest way for your gifts to be utilized for this important work.


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Excellent, Fully furnished with leather suite, redecorated, wooden/ceramic floors, large Kitchen/Living Double size Bedrooms. Adjacent, Queens, MBC, City Hospital & UniLink to UUJ, Botanic Train Station and new Library at Queens.
Kitchen table and chairs, Coffee Table.
Bedroom with double bed, wardrobes, chest of drawers, Desk and Chair
Wash hand basins and Mirrors in Bedrooms
HMO Approved with Fire Alarm, Emergency Lighting,,loose fire equipment,
PAYG Gas and Electric Meters.
Modern Fully Fitted Kitchen With All Mod Cons Inc. oven & hob, washing machine & Microwave
Double glazed


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So many good reads this week at ResearchBlogging.org. Here are some of the best:
- At Lawn Chair Anthropology, Zacharoo discusses dental similarities between Australopithecus anamensis and Nakalipithecus nakayamai, an ape from Kenya dating to nearly 10 million years ago.
- At Memoirs of a Defective Brain, the Brain cleverly uses a science comic to answer the question about whether the physician Haynemann was a nostrum dealer. (Nostrum was essentially a quack formula sold at exorbitant prices.)
- From the Lab Bench, Paige Brown documents a disappointing trip to the career office as a young scientist tries to fit a passion for writing into the scientific discipline.
- Johnny Scallops is back at Chronicles of Zostera with a detailed post on how humans can influence changes to seagrass habitats which can then affect scallop populations, as well as the ecosystem overall.
- And finally, The Primate Diaries in Exile visits Times Higher Education where Eric Michael Johnson considers what the mutual aid tendencies displayed by bonobos may suggest about our evolutionary history.


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Photo by Elinor Carucci
Fragrant persimmons star in this new take on the classic British cake.
- Yield
- Makes 8 servings
- Nonstick vegetable oil spray
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup fresh persimmon pulp (from about 2 large Hachiya persimmons, pureed in processor)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup apricot preserves
- Cinnamon Crème Anglaise
- Special Equipment
- 8-cup metal pudding mold
- Butter and flour one 8-cup metal pudding mold with center tube and lid, then generously spray mold with nonstick spray. Butter, flour, and spray lid. Bring large kettle of water to boil. Place round cake rack in bottom of deep pot large enough to hold pudding mold. Whisk 1 1/2 cups flour and next 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture and beat until blended. Beat in persimmon puree and lemon juice.
- Spoon batter into pudding mold; cover with lid. Place pudding mold on cake rack in pot. Add enough boiling water to come halfway up sides of mold. Return water to boil, cover pot, then reduce heat and simmer until top of pudding feels firm to touch and tester inserted near center comes out clean, adding more simmering water to pot to maintain water level, about 2 hours.
- Remove mold from pot. Uncover pudding; let cool. Invert onto plate. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover; let stand at room temperature.
- Bring apricot preserves to simmer in small saucepan. Strain through fine strainer set over bowl. Using pastry brush, spread preserves over outside of pudding. DO AHEAD: Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.
- Serve pudding at room temperature with Cinnamon Crème Anglaise.
Per serving: 503.6 kcal calories, 31.8 % calories from fat, 17.8 g fat, 9.8 g saturated fat, 246.4 mg cholesterol, 80.1 g carbohydrates, 1.9 g dietary fiber, 60.7 g total Sugars, 78.1 g net carbohydrates, 8.1 g protein


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Guest Speaker
I was asked to be the guest speaker at the Fort Atkinson Fall Athletic Banquet. I wasn't sure if I wanted to do it just because I've never spoken in front of that many people (live) before. I decided I should do it, if for no other reason than to maybe get a few more people into the Be The Match Registry. I'm pretty happy with how it went. I had my mom use my iPad to record it. It was in Fort High's auditorium, and there were 400-500 people there. In other news, I miss baseball already, and I'm counting down the days until Opening Day, T-minus 153 days!
The End
Now that I'm back from Las Vegas I figured I should write a post to wrap up the 2012 season. This is probably the best picture I took in Vegas (besides the ones of my sister and her now-husband).
Ok, I lied, here's a second one:
Back to Mission 162!
First off: I would like to thank everyone who has supported me throughout the season and made this goal of mine more attainable. I'd like to thank the Brewers as an organization for helping out and making this mission much easier on the pocketbook. While I was prepared to pay for everything on my own their assistance made it a heck of a lot easier to not fret about paying $1.33 for one banana at an airport. With their backing I was also able to reach a lot more people to help promote Be The Match. Kathy Schwab and Tyler Barnes deserve a lot of credit for convincing other people in the organization to jump aboard the Mission 162 bandwagon. Thanks to Jill and Nathan within the merchandising department. They helped get me the licensed apparel that the Brewers were providing. Thanks to my season ticket representative, Chris, who worked with other staff members to get my season tickets sorted out and helped me throughout the season.
I'd also like to thank Be The Match for allowing me to be a spokesperson for the Be The Match Registry (You can join the registry here). I feel like I could have done more earlier in the year, so personally I feel a little guilty. I might do a couple of speaking engagements so that should help make up for it.
To the twitter followers that joined me at games and donated to Be The Match: THANK YOU! I went with 31 twitter followers who donated between $20 and $100 for their ticket. There were also people who just handed me cash or check donations. In all I raised over $3,700 from the sale of my extra ticket or people just handing me donations. Another $2,000 or so was raised through my donation site.
To everyone who let me stay at your place at some point this season: THANK YOU! I only stayed in hotels 12 nights this year (and 2 of those were comped by the Hilton in downtown St. Louis). I couldn't have done it without your help.
Alex and Jess in Chicago – 12 nights on their couch. They always had Honey Nut Cheerios for me and were amazing hosts. You guys are awesome!
Annette and Dave in Atlanta – 3 nights on their couch. I hadn't seen (or talked to) Annette in over 3 years and she let me crash at her and Dave's house. Dave is a huge Brewers fan, and we hit it off (I saw that Pawnee book in the basement; awesome sauce). Thank you Annette and Dave!
Jan and Ron in Sussex – 10 nights in a spare bedroom. Victoria's aunt and uncle allowed us to stay at their house whenever we wanted. It was a great help and we would stay there mostly on Saturday nights to save at least an hour of driving time before the day game the next day. Thank you!
Mike and Anne in St. Charles, MO – 8 nights across 3 stays. Anne is my aunt on my father's side and Mike is her husband. They have six cats but since I love animals I had no problem whatsoever. They treated me and Victoria to dinner in April and were great hosts. They get up extremely early and yet got up to welcome me when I arrived very late after my flight from Miami in September. Thank you!
Allison in San Francisco – 3 nights on her couch. She is a friend of mine and Victoria from the dorms freshman year at UW-Madison. She took us on a tour of her workplace (PIXAR!!!) and joined us for a game. Thanks Allison!
Luke in Brooklyn – 1 night on the couch (I was there for part of another night but slept for only 1 hour and left at 4 AM to catch a flight to Houston). Luke graduated from Fort but we never knew each other. He writes for Sports Illustrated and is a big Brewers fan as well. Thanks Luke!
Dustin in Denver – 4 nights on his air mattress. Dustin is a true friend and he drove back to Denver (by himself) after joining me in Phoenix and Los Angeles. He also came to all three games with me when the Brewers made their August trip to Denver. Thanks Dustin!
Danielle and Tommy in Kansas City – 3 nights on an air mattress in their spare bedroom. Both of them were in the same dorm as I was freshman year. They came to the three games in KC, I didn't sit with them but did tailgate with them and a few friends before one of the games though. Thanks Danielle and Tommy!
Chris and Amber in Minneapolis – 3 nights in their spare bedroom. Amber is friends with Victoria and I had met her and Chris once before. Chris is a big Twins fan and we had some arguments regarding team supremacy but it's all good. I'll be seeing them in December for their wedding. Congrats and thank you!
Prince in Cincinnati – 6 nights on his couch. Prince was a hotdogger three years before Victoria and I met him a few times before. We went to the premier of The Dark Knight Rises in July and I'm very grateful for his willingness to let me stay. Both times I stayed he got me Honey Nut Cheerios and some bananas (breakfast essentials). Thanks Prince!
Mike and Meg in Philadelphia – 3 nights on their futon in the spare bedroom. A friend of my sister's friend and we started as complete strangers but they opened their home and were great hosts. Mike joined me at a game and does charity work for The Dude Hates Cancer. Thanks Mike and Meg!
Annie in Houston – 4 nights on her couch. Annie graduated from Fort a year after I did and I didn't even realize she lived in Houston. I stayed at the Holiday Inn the first two times but after she joined me at a game in July she offered her place during the Brewers' next visit in August. Thanks Annie!
Mark in Pittsburgh – 3 nights in a spare bedroom. Mark is the friend of a friend (Chad) of a friend (Dustin). Mark is in med school and we didn't see much of eachother but he's a great guy and I can't thank him enough for helping me out. Thanks Chad and Mark!
Claire and Bond in Miami – 3 nights in their condo. Claire is the cousin of a friend of my sister. We were complete strangers but I enjoyed my time in MIA. Bond owns a few Asian restaurants and he treated me to an amazing lunch including the best Pad Thai I've ever had. Thank you Claire, Bond (& Bas)!
Mike (and Eirwen) in Pittsburgh – 3 nights in a vacant bedroom. Mike's girlfriend, Eirwen, moved in with him and her apartment was vacant so I had my "own" apartment for three nights. It worked out great and I didn't feel like I was stepping on any toes when I got in late after the games. Thank you both!
John and Candy in Ellicot City, MD for the Nationals series – 4 nights in their spare bedrooom. John is my late father's brother. What can I say, I've been to DC three times to see the Brewers and they've let me stay each time. This time John brought home some tasty crab cakes from Baltimore: delicious. Thank you John & Candy!
Mary Kate in Cincinnati – 3 nights on her couch. Another hotdogger friend of Victoria's. I didn't see much of her because when she was at work I was at her apartment and when she was home I was at the games. A great host and a very nice person overall (despite the fact she's a Pirates and Penn State fan). Thanks MK!
Brandon (and parents Gary and Ginny) – 1 night in the basement. Brandon (a twitter follower) joined me at a few games. He's currently going to UW-Madison and his current place and my former apartment on West Washington for three years share a backyard; small world. He came home (Germantown) for the last weekend series and I stayed at his parents' house Saturday night. Thanks guys!
Pie Charts!
I made some pie charts for various things I kept track of during the season.
The pie chart below details where I stayed throughout the season. The number after each description is the number of times I stayed there. The percentage is pretty self explanatory, it's out of 180 nights. Four nights out of the 180 I didn't get enough sleep to qualify. I either didn't get any at all or got less than an hour or two. The nights without sleep gets it's own slice. You're probably going to have to click on the first chart in order to read it.
I created some charts that detail my travel during Mission 162.
I also kept track of time spent traveling. And yes, it was just as tedious as it sounds. Every time I got in my car or stepped in an airport I was keeping track in my notes app on my phone.
In kind I kept track of time spent on air travel. I broke it down into three categories, and it's a little alarming how much time was spent just sitting on the ground in airplanes (and I didn't experience a single tarmac delay).
I kept detailed notes on the money I spent throughout the season. The Brewers did provide a per diem, so the amount displayed below does NOT take that into consideration. So for you technical folk, the below includes my expenses but not my income. You may be wondering how I spent $1,280 on "tickets for others." I had paid in full for a 20 game pack with the left over money from the unused World Series tickets. The Brewers upgraded me to a full season package so in effect I paid for a 20 game pack but got a season's worth of games. That accounts for $640 of each tickets for me and tickets for others. Since I couldn't sell my tickets for profit I sold them for donations to Be The Match. The Brewers were fine with this. The other $600 comes mostly from the first St. Louis series, where I splurged and bought nice seats for me and Victoria. Miscellaneous expenses include money spent on 50/50 raffle tickets ($158 for one ticket every home game, save 2).
I kept track throughout the season of pitches seen. I considered seeing a pitch as actually seeing the pitcher throw the ball to the plate. One exception is if I miss the pitch but the ball is put in play and I see the resulting action of that play. This only happened a few times because most of the time I missed pitches that were balls or strikes and nothing else happened. Someone called me out one time and said that they didn't believe my pitches seen percentage. I will admit that it is not 100% accurate. There were likely times where I was looking at my phone and looked back in time to see the pitch, not realizing that I had missed one in between. If you joined me at games you saw my dedication to not missing pitches. I pulled off countless bathroom breaks and concession stand visits without missing a pitch, and for that I thank myself for being so efficient (and other people for not being sneaky [like me] by going to the concourse with two outs and watching the rest of the inning from there). This is probably my favorite pie chart. I was in the park for every pitch of every single game, if that counts for anything. I should also note that the total of 48,444 is the most pitches a team was involved in this year. The Indians were second with 48,320.
I finished the season having consumed 100 sausages. Some were very good (polish with sautéed onions at Miller Park), some were not (chicken apple sausage in San Francisco).
I would also like to thank my parents (Sue and Robert) for allowing me to move back in for the summer. Staying in Fort instead of Madison saved me an hour of travel time about 55 times this season (that's over 2 days!). Love ya!
Victoria was skeptical about my crazy idea and was unsure if our relationship would last the season. We both agree that it has brought us closer. I suggested that if I do it in 2013 it will bring us even *closer* together; she disagrees. Victoria joined me at 34 of the 162 games which is a feat in its own right. She was very supportive throughout the season and I can't thank her enough for sticking with me (and paying my half of the rent while I was gone). I love you and I'm looking forward to our future.
I want to thank all of my followers who read my posts. While I know a lot of my following came from friends and family (love you guys!), there were also a lot of strangers who were intrigued by my insanity to follow through with this.
It's been one heck of a journey, and taking all those game number pictures paid off. Here's the final slideshow of the season. The last 30 seconds is a quick overview of my travels from day one. I exported the movie as 1920×1080 (HD quality). I think wordpress compressed it because watching the preview it appears to be of lower quality. Either way I still think it's pretty cool. I chose the three songs I did because they're the ones that you're guaranteed to hear at a Brewers home game.
I apologize if I forgot to mention someone. I was introduced to more people this year than at any other point in my life. I know that's not saying a lot since I'm only 25, but it was still a little overwhelming. Believe it or not I'm somewhat antisocial at times and I like to mind my own business, so this season had some added challenges. I knew I'd have to become more outgoing if I was going to make a difference for Be The Match and I think I did to some degree. I'm going to be speaking in front of a couple hundred people at Fort Atkinson's High School Athletic Banquet in two weeks so I should probably get working on some talking points as to not embarrass myself.
I almost forgot to mention that I made the most recent edition of Sports Illustrated (along with Braun). My Grandpa called me on Wednesday morning to let me know (I get the digital edition on my iPad but I hadn't seen it yet). He's been a subscriber since 1954 so he was very excited. Before the season he was probably the most skeptical about me quitting my job to go to baseball games, but he's come around. He said that he's had to make a lot of donations at his Rotary Club meetings because he brags so much. Love you, Wally!
If anyone has any employment leads for a 25 year old with an economics degree, let me know (back to the grind I go). Thanks again for the support and if you'd like to get ahold of me my email address is email@example.com.
One Sixty Two
On Wednesday I got up around 8:30 and worked on Tuesday's post, arguably one of the most enjoyable days of the year for me. Bill Glauber of the Milwuakee Journal Sentinel called at 9:45 and I talked with him for about 30 minutes. At 12:30 I did an interview on 1250 WSSN and then talked with Josh Smith from my hometown newspaper, The Daily Jefferson County Union.
Victoria's aunt made us lunch and then we got ready for the game. We left at 3:50 for Miller Park and were outside of the home plate entrance at 4:35. This isn't the game number photo, but I thought it would be a good picture to have.
In the right field corner are the executive offices and we met with Brittany from Marketing and Frank from Brewers Enterprises. Also along for the trek up to Bernie's dugout was Bill Glauber and his photographer, Mark Hoffman. Frank took us down to the service level where we walked past Bob Uecker's SUV, the only person allowed to park in the stadium. We briefly went out on the field and if you've been following along since day one this picture will look very similar to the one I took on opening day.
Along the service tunnel we went, passing the Brewers Clubhouse on the way. Since the Brewers were in there we couldn't have a look around, but it was all good. I had gotten a tour from Larry Hisle in 2009 and got to see the clubhouse briefly. I remember Trevor Hoffman being the only one in there, just chilling on a couch watching TV.
The "Media Interview Room" was next and I did my best Jim Mora "PLAYOFFS!?!?!" impersonation before smiling for the camera.
After walking to the left field corner we took the elevator up to the club level and then passed through the NYCE Stadium Club and headed out to Bernie's dugout. The stairs are very steep.
When we got up there look who we found!
I'm a little upset that I didn't use my iPhone's video capabilities to record my trip(s) down the slide. Some stills will have to do. Persons not named Bernie have to sit on a piece of burlap so you don't get slide burns. Haha, slide burns.
Victoria took an action shot of me on the slide and you can tell that I'm moving fairly well.
After going down the first time I walked back up to get game photo number 162. I also took a couple standing but I think this one is the best.
The Padres were taking batting practice and while I was sitting in the slide someone on the team, I'm assuming Cameron Maybin or Carlos Quintin, hit a home run off the slide not too far from where I was. It didn't hit the inside of the slide but nonetheless, it was a little startling. Victoria informed me that she had been standing on the edge of the slide to take my picture and when the ball hit the slide it made a loud noise and she stepped off, thinking it may be collapsing. Not cool. I stood up and yelled to whoever would listen; "HEY! I'M IN HERE!!!"
I went down the slide again and then called it quits. We could've gone down more times if we had liked, but I felt bad with everyone just bumming around while I had all the fun. During this whole time Bill was asking questions and Mark was taking pictures. I'm not sure when the story will run in the paper but it'll be sometime soon I'm sure. Frank led us down to the field level and Victoria and I went to Friday's Front Row to have a beer. Thanks to the Brewers for allowing me to go down Bernie's slide, which any fan can do now (not for free though). Thanks Brittany for meeting with us and Frank for showing us around.
We were in Friday's for almost an hour and we got to see the Oakland A's clinch the AL West with a victory over the Texas Rangers. The A's trailed the Rangers by 13 games at one point and came into the final 3 game series down by 2 games. They needed a sweep and that's just what they got. Congrats to the A's, what they've done with the 2nd smallest payroll is amazing. It was also cool to watch because they showed people in the stands at the Colleseum and Victoria and I spotted Ben Christensen, former MLB Fan-caver who's from Oregon and claims the A's as his team.
We hadn't gotten our tickets scanned since we entered through the executive offices so Victoria and I exited the left field corner and walked towards the home plate entrance. The Miller clock tower and skies were ripe for a picture.
I think it was the 3rd or 4th home game of the year, but one of the bag checkers recognized me from the previous 2 or 3 games and she said "Back again?" I laughed and told her what I was doing and I've made a point to enter through that entrance to say hi to her and her husband, who also works as a bag checker. Below is a picture of Brian, myself, and Jessica. You guys are awesome and I'll see you next April.
We went up to the loge level and talked to the Ice Man for 5 minutes or so, and learned some stuff that I didn't know. He runs a basketball camp and said there are a few of his camp-goers that are now in the NBA, including Steve Novak. He pushed going to Spring Training pretty hard, and within the next couple of years (I hope) I'll be down there taking it all in.
I got my 100th sausage of the season from the concession stand across from section 213. After saying hi to Bill (the extremely) friendly usher by section 216 I stopped in front of the press box to take the picture of the "century sausage."
If you watched the FSN interview from Tuesday you'll remember that Brian Anderson said I was "hiding under my seat" when Victoria got that foul ball that rolled her way in the 3rd inning. I couldn't let him get away with it so I got in line with the FS Wisconsin booth and yelled "BRIAN!" followed by "BA!!" He and Bill Schroeder eventually looked out to see what was going on and I told him that he lied and that I wasn't "hiding under my seat yesterday." He and Bill laughed and Brian said that I was. I don't have a photo but they were both wearing bowties, which Victoria and I thought was pretty silly.
I was in my seat in time for the first pitch but wasn't prepared to take the final first pitch picture. I don't feel bad because I didn't start doing it until later in the year, so it's not like this is the first time it happened. Stinson started in place of Yovani Gallardo, which greatly decreased the likelihood of seeing the necessary nine strikeouts to set the MLB team record for Ks. Here is Stinson pitching in the 1st inning.
The Brewers put solo runs on the board in the 1st and 2nd inning and then erupted for a 4-spot in the 3rd. Aramis Ramirez was pulled from the game in the top of the 3rd to protect his .300 batting average that he had achieved in the bottom of the 1st on his RBI single. I wonder if he told Roenicke before the game that he'd like to be removed if he got to .300? Ishikawa did the major damage in the 3rd, driving in three runs on his two out double, immediately after the Padres intentionally walked Gomez to get to him.
The Padres slowly chipped away, scoring their first run in the 4th and then adding two more in each of the 5th and 6th innings. In the middle of the 6th the final sausage race of 2012 was run. I incorrectly chose Polish, even though I had wanted to select hot dog but Victoria beat me to it.
In the top of the 7th the Padres scored two more times and I didn't like the score.
If you recall the Brewers lost all three games in Philadelphia by the same 7-6 score, and they all involved early leads that were squandered. The Brewers put the tying run on base in the 9th (Segura) but Aoki struck out to end the game. Here's the last of the 48,444 pitches that were thrown during Brewers games this year:
I sat in my seat for a few minutes and took it all in. I'll be completely honest my eyes may have gotten a little glossy (just for a second!). One hundred and eighty one days ago I began a mission to attend all 162 Brewers games. As I write this today on October 4th, 2012, I can proudly say "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED."
It's like they were speaking to me, except they forgot the "crazy, never-say-never, determined" between the you and fans.
We exited Miller Park at 10:30 PM after saying goodbye to Brian and Jessica. Opening Day is in 179 days…. Round two, anyone?
The Brewers fell just two strikeouts short of tying the 2004 Cubs for the most strikeouts as a team. The Brewers finished the game with 6 strikeouts, which was impressive because they had zero through five innings. Darn.
I'm in Vegas as we speak, and my sister is getting married in four hours. There will be a summary post coming within the next week, so look out for that. There will be many thanks in said post but this will have to do for now:
Thank you all!
Personal Stats:
Daily Stats:
Season Stats:
If you want to learn more about Be The Match and how you can help, CLICK HERE
10-2-12 (vs. San Diego)
Tuesday was the second-to-last game of the year, and it was a special one. Victoria and I left Madison at 3:30 and made it to Miller Park about 90 minutes later. I met up with a friend, Josh, to play catch for a few minutes before heading inside for my first pitch. He was with a group from Fort Atkinson, and they surprised me with a $550 check for Be The Match. Thanks guys!! I probably made about 30-40 throws with Josh (bouncing one). They were kind of all over the place so I wasn't feeling too confident about my ceremonial first pitch.
Outside of Miller Park I met with Jason Newton and his cameraman, Hank. Jason is a reporter for WISN Channel 12 out of Milwaukee and he had asked to do a feature on me. Hank mic'd me up and I answered a few questions once I got inside the home plate entrance. Victoria and I met up with Kathy Schwab, and she led us down to the field. Game photo number 161:
At 6:50 Drew, who handles the pre-game on-field activities, told me that I'd be up in 10 minutes. Last week sometime I thought it would be cool if Braun could be my catcher. On Thursday I had sent a text to Ryan's dad, Joe, asking him if Ryan would be interested in catching for me. He said he'd ask him and on Monday he got back to me Ryan would do the honors. I thought he might forget or something might come up but on Tuesday I saw Braun on the top step of the dugout with his glove in hand. Awesome. As we both left the on deck area he said he wouldn't have missed this. Double awesome. I made my way to the mound and made sure to smile this time.
Sara Stathas took the following photos and Kathy forwarded them to me after the game. Thanks Sara & Kathy!
I may have smiled going to the mound but I was all business as I let go of the pitch.
You'll have to watch the videos below to see how it went, but I think my smile gives it away.
Ryan and I talked briefly as we were coming off the field. He mentioned that his mom (Diane) told him about my run-in with a guard rail on the way to D.C. It was all a blur but I think I mentioned that I can see why he's such a stand up guy after meeting both his parents and getting to know them a bit. I meant to ask if him and Larisa would want to go on a double date with Victoria and me at some point, but I forgot. If nothing else it would've been a good joke.
Here's the story that aired on WISN Channel 12 at 10:00 PM on Tuesday:
After getting the ball signed by Braun I went up to the cross aisle on the field level and did a short interview with Adam DeCock who interviewed me earlier in the year for a Cut4 piece. I saw the first pitch from there (a called strike from Thornburg to Cabrera):
Victoria and I went up to our seats in section 221 after the top of the 1st. In the bottom of the 2nd Travis Ishikawa fouled the 1-1 pitch back in our general direction. It ricocheted off the wire that supports the protective screen and then bounced off a few empty seats and rolled in our row towards Victoria. She was the quickest of the bunch and scooped it up. For future reference I just sat there and watched it unfold.
In the bottom of the 3rd inning Aoki singled with one out and then Braun and Ishikawa walked with two down. Maldonado stepped in with the bases loaded. Victoria said he was due for a home run…
Awwwwww yeeeeaaaaaahhh! Grand Salami. 4-0 Brewers.
After the 3rd inning Kathy (who was sitting across the aisle) and Victoria and I walked down to "the point" out in left centerfield. It was there that I did my last interview on FS Wisconsin with Telly Hughes. Brian Anderson dishes out a joking low blow at the end, but it's all good.
After the interview we returned to our seats, stopping to get a Polish sausage along the way, my 99th sausage since Opening Day. The Padres scored a run in the top of the 4th, added another in the 6th inning and still had the bases loaded with only one out. Kameron Loe came in to try and escape the jam and allowed only one inherited runner to touch home plate. Whew! Axford got the save opportunity in the 9th and struck out the first two batters he faced. The next two singled and the Padres had runners on the corners with two outs. Axford got the job done and induced a game ending groundout to Jean Segura at short and the Brewers held on. Final score: Brewers 4 – Padres 3.
The Brewers struck out 10 batters on Tuesday which means they need 9 as a team to break the MLB record for strikeouts in a season. It's currently held by the 2004 Cubs with 1,404. One per inning is all they need, let's do it!
I didn't like how far away I was in the game number picture so Victoria and I stuck around for a bit and I had her take one of me in my seat in section 221. Hmmmmm; decisions, decisions.
I did an interview with Bill Glauber of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal and he'll be meeting with me at Miller Park as well. At 12:30 I'll be on air with Sports Radio 1250, which is in 15 minutes. Gotta go!
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10-1-12 (vs. San Diego)
On Monday I went and got an oil change at the Honda Service Center and also got my license plate reattached to my now scuffed up bumper. I also stopped by Tetra Tech (my former employer) to say hi to some familiar faces and see the remodel job that was done since I last visited in July. I finished up the blog post and then Victoria and I left our apartment at 3:35. Someone that Victoria works with gave her four tickets to the game on Monday and we were joined by a friend of Victoria's (Ciara) and her fiancé (Andy). Even though our respective apartments are only a few miles apart in Madison we drove separately because they said they might have to leave early.
We had agreed to meet at Friday's Front Row Sports Grill and when Victoria and I entered Miller Park at 5:15 I almost stepped on this guy (or girl). I am fascinated with insects but I'm not an Entomologist. After doing a quick google search I'm confident that it is some sort of giant moth. I tried nudging it after getting the picture but it just moved its antennae a little and didn't fly away.
We had gotten to the park about 25 minutes before Ciara and Andy so I went out on the patio of Friday's to get game photo number 160.
For dinner I went with the Jack Daniel's Burger and it was very good (which probably didn't need to be said since bacon is clearly visible).
I left Friday's at 6:30 to meet up with the brother (Tim) of a Twitter follower (Jen) who had bought my two tickets in section 221. I had left the tickets at will call but met up with Tim to chat for a few minutes and to get the $80 donation check for Be The Match. Thanks Jen and Tim!
Victoria, Ciara and Andy met me in our seats in 117 and we got a picture taken before the game started. Left to right you have Andy, Ciara, Victoria and myself.
Shortly thereafter Shaun Marcum threw a called strike to Everth Cabrera to get the game underway.
In the bottom of the 1st Braun doubled and Aramis Ramirez drove him in with a single. In the top of the 3rd inning Padres starter Clayton Richard hit his first major league home run. On consecutive days a Brewers starter gave up a first career home run to the opposing starter. It's probably been done before but I'm guessing it's not a very common occurrence. Carlos Gomez gave the lead back to the Brewers with a solo home run in the bottom of the 4th. The umpire in the background is picking something up and I'm assuming it was something that fell off of Gomez, maybe part of his elbow guard? Either that or a horse was on the field and left a gift for one of the umpires (horses don't like bad calls).
The 2-1 lead didn't last long because 17 minutes later Rickie Weeks made contact on a full count offering from Richard.
Bang!!! The Brewers announced it as 453 feet and hit tracker online lists it as 441 feet. Either way it was an absolute bomb. Weeks' home run was the 200th of the season for the Brewers as a team. The friendly dimensions of Miller Park has something to do with that but they also have some very good power hitters.
The Padres pulled to within 2 runs with a solo run in the 6th. The bottom of the 6th saw the Brewers hit a home run for the 3rd consecutive inning. Lucroy put one out to left centerfield that cleared the Brewers bullpen.
The Padres added a run in the 7th but that concluded the scoring. Final score: Brewers 5 – Padres 3. With the win the Brewers secured a winning season. While that's not much of a consolation if you had asked me 6 weeks ago if I'd take a winning record when the Crew were 12 games under .500 on August 19th I would have jumped on that offer. If the Brewers pitching staff can get 19 strikeouts over the final two games they'll break the record of strikeouts as a team which is held by the 2004 Chicago Cubs. Let's get it!!!
It's past noon on Tuesday and I'll be leaving in a few hours for the second to last game of the year. I'm throwing out a ceremonial first pitch tonight and after being up close yesterday I may or may not be getting a little nervous. "Don't bounce it, don't bounce it" is being repeated in my head as 7:00 approaches. I'll be doing an interview on FSN during the 3rd inning and I'm not sure if they'll show the pitch. Part of me is kind of hoping they don't in case I embarrass myself. Either way it should be an enjoyable day at the ballpark.
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9-30-12 (vs. Houston)
On Saturday I stayed at Brandon's parents' place in Germantown. I left on Sunday at 10:05 and was parked before 10:30. Brandon had jumped on the free tickets that Ryan Braun and John Axford bought, and he had an extra. I wasn't able to find someone on twitter to sit with me on Sunday so I decided to try and sell both of mine outside of Miller Park. It took me about 30 minutes but I was able to find a couple who paid $60 for my two tickets. It's $20 less than face value, but seeing that I was hoping to get a $40 donation for one of the seats it actually worked out better.
I walked around for 45 minutes and told people about Be The Match and my journey thus far. I met up with Brandon and his parents (Gary and Ginny) in the Miller 2 parking lot. I had a few beers and a delicious steak sandwich with some onions and peppers.
Brandon and I went inside at 12:45 to get game photo number 159 in section 131.
Our seats were in section 128 so it was rather convenient. The only inconvenience was that we were on the left side of the aisle. Fiers delivered the first pitch of the ballgame (a strike) to Tyler Greene.
If the guys head in the picture above is any indication: the game for me consisted of a lot of bobbing and weaving to try and see every pitch. I think if I had just sat there and not moved I likely would've missed 20-25 pitches. In the bottom of the third I was looking at my phone and there was also a group of people coming down the aisle. I missed the first pitch of Segura's at bat, and then while trying to record what pitch I missed I also missed the second pitch of the at bat (Doh!). I think it may have been the first set of consecutive pitches that I've missed (while not doing an interview).
The Brewers pitching staff needed 51 strikeouts entering Friday's game to break the MLB record (held by the 2004 Cubs). They struck out 11 on Friday and Fiers was doing his part on Saturday.
The only problem was that he was also giving up solo home runs, four of them to be exact. The first run he allowed was an RBI double but the remaining four runs he surrendered were all via the long ball. One of them was to the pitcher, and it wasn't a cheapie.
In the 8th inning I had a fan two rows due north take a picture of us. Left to right is Gary, Ginny, Brandon and myself. I'm very grateful for Brandon and his parents allowing me to crash for a night to save me some travel time, and for letting me join them at the game. Thanks guys!
The Astros added two runs in the 8th and starter Jordan Lyles came out for the 9th inning to try and get the complete game shutout.
He got the job done and only needed 103 pitches to shutout the Crew. The Astros won 8 (EIGHT!!!) games against the Brewers this season. They have only won 45 other games so far. Only 10.7% of their games were against the Brewers and yet 15.1% of their victories came vs. the Crew. A better (worse) way of looking at it is that against everyone else their winning percentage is .317, vs. the Brewers: .471. Ugh.
Brandon is attending UW-Madison and my old place on West Washington and his current place on Mifflin basically share a backyard. Small world. He had come home for the weekend so in exchange for letting me stay at his parents' place I took him back to Madison. I got to Victoria's and my place on the west side of Madison in time to see the 4th quarter of the Packer game which helped cheer me up a bit.
It's almost 1:00 on Monday afternoon and I'll be leaving in a few hours or so for the last series opener of the season. ♫ It's the final countdown!!! ♫
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9-29-12 (vs. Houston)
On Saturday I packed up all my stuff and left my parents' place for the last time this season. It feels like yesterday that I woke up at 3:45 AM to do my interviews at Miller Park on Opening Day. Time flies when you're having fun. I got to Miller Park at 3:35 on Saturday and after dropping my extra ticket off at will call I went back to the general lot. I handed out 75-100 business cards and it looks like I won't have many left after all. There are a bunch of registry drives coming up in the Milwaukee area.
I met Brandon, who joined me at the June 18th game vs. the Blue Jays, outside of the home plate entrance at 5:30. We headed inside and went to section 129 for game photo number 158. Thanks to Brandon for being patient with me. As we get further down the line the angle makes it a little more challenging.
Up to the loge level we went and I got another Polish to bring my season total to 33 Polish sausages (98 sausages overall). The game got underway and Marco Estrada threw a ball to Jose Altuve. I know it's a little blurry, he's just so fast…
In the bottom of the 2nd inning Aramis Ramirez and Corey Hart went back-to-back to give the Crew a 2-0 lead.
If you can't tell they gave out rally towels again. I'm not complaining by any means and I actually really like the second picture with Corey framed by the towels. A two-run single by Aoki later in the inning doubled the Brewers lead to 4-0.
In the bottom of the 3rd Corey Hart got his second at bat in as many innings and he didn't disappoint. His three-run home run in the 3rd gave him two home runs and 4 RBI in a span of 26 minutes; very impressive. Second time didn't work out so well with the towels:
The Brewers led 7-0 after the 3rd and between innings the scoreboard displayed a Happy Birthday message to Brewers owner Mark Attanasio. His seats are right next to the Brewers dugout and he got some face time. He showed off a 2011 sport coat last year during the playoffs last year. In a word: Awesome.
The Brewers added solo runs in the 4th and the 8th. In the top of the 9th I took a picture of the scoreboard after there were two outs hoping it would represent the final linescore. Note the zero runs for the Astros:
Livan Hernandez was pitching and Martinez quickly changed that zero in the linescore.
I thought for sure that this would be the final linescore, that was until Castro singled and Bogusevic took Livan deep.
When the count went to 2-1 on the next hitter (Tyler Greene) I leaned over and told Brandon "one more homer and….." [Livan will be gone]. Bang!!!
I was right:
Jose Veras came in and threw four pitches to finally shut the door. Final score: Brewers 9 – Astros 5. At some point I had Kathy, who sits behind me on Saturdays, take a picture of me and Brandon.
I think it was in the 8th or 9th inning when a foul ball came back into section 221 and deflected off some hands and hit a guy in the face. Police and medics came by and he was holding his nose for the rest of the game. I looked back at the 620 WTMJ booth and saw Uecker and someone else pointing out towards the injured fan. It looks like they were laughing but I'm not going to judge (they could've been talking about something else). It just so happens that Adam McCalvy made the picture (far left) and so did Bill Schroeder (far right). Yay!
I'm staying at Brandon's parents' place in Germantown and then heading to the game tomorrow before going back to Madison. Only four games left, where did the season go?
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9-28-12 (vs. Houston)
I got up at around 10:00 AM on Friday, ate breakfast and worked on the post for Thursday's series finale in Cincinnati. After pounding out the dents in my license plate I found out I'll need to get a few parts if I want to reattach it to my car; darn. I unpacked from the road trip and left for Milwaukee at 3:30. I was parked about 60 minutes later and then dropped off my twitter follower's ticket at will call. I headed back to the general parking lot to hand out my business cards and tell people about Be The Match. I actually ran across a gentlemen who was a donor back in 1990. It was cool to hear from someone who has gone through the donor process. He said that he and the patient (somewhat secretly) communicated through the medical institutions that handled the transplant.
I went inside at 6:20 and received the two freebies that stadium staff was handing out. There's not a sponsor on the rally towel which is somewhat rare. That's a replica of Bernie's mustache on the right if you didn't put Brew and Crew together… Get it? Hahaha (it's past my bedtime).
I made my way to section 128 for game photo number 157. I asked a man that was standing nearby if he could help me out. After I started explaining what I was looking for he (politely) suggested his wife take the picture. After taking the picture I told them all about what I was doing and why and they seemed genuinely happy for me. Thank you Mike and Karen!
I went up to the loge level and got a Polish sausage, which brings my sausage count to (some would say an unimpressive total) 97. I'll likely finish right at the century mark, that's a lot of encased meat!
Carla was in her seat waiting for me and right after the national anthem the Brewers awarded Ryan Braun with the We Energies High Energy Player of the Year Award. I'm not sure who else would've won it but fans do the voting so who knows what could've went down. Nice job Ryan, well deserved.
The game got started and I completely forgot about the first pitch picture until it was too late. The third pitch Yovani Gallardo threw will have to do:
An RBI single in the top of the 2nd gave the Astros an early 1-0 lead. For the second time in less than 32 hours Carlos Gomez led off the Brewers half of the 3rd inning with a solo home run. Towel waving ensued:
The game didn't stay tied for long and in the 4th the Astros put a 2-spot on the board and duplicated the effort in the 5th. The latter coming on back-to-back home runs from Brett Wallace and Jason Castro. In the bottom of the 6th Braun doubled home Ishikawa and Weeks, and the deficit was now two at 5-3. I tried to capture all of the towel waving after Braun's double but it's kind of hard to see.
Braun stole third base for his 30th steal of the season. It's back-to-back 30/30 seasons for Braun (30 HR / 30 steals) and only the 11th 40/30 season in MLB history. Very impressive, especially considering the scrutiny he has been greeted with this entire season. Not the best picture of Braun below, but nonetheless.
After the 7th inning I had a fan a few rows in front of us take a picture of Carla and me. Carla lives in Appleton and goes to about 10 games a year. She has a 10 game pack and her seats are near the aisle in 216, which is basically the mirror image of my seats in 221. She has similar opinions regarding interleague play, the designated hitter, and instant replay, so we had a good time talking baseball and taking in the game. She made a $40 donation to Be The Match for her ticket. Thanks Carla!
The two clubs traded runs in the 8th, the Brewers' run coming on an Aramis Ramirez triple to right field… Say whaaaaaaaaa!?! It was his 3rd triple of the year, which is the same number that he hit in 2009, 2010, and 2011… combined. He's not the quickest player on the field, thus the infrequency of triples. It's also partially due to the fact that Wrigley Field isn't the best triples park (where he played his home games from 2004 to 2011). I think he's pondering "what happened out there that allowed me to get to third without even having to slide?"
The answer to his question is that the right fielder had made a sliding attempt to catch the ball and it got by him and to the wall. The Astros hit another solo home run in the top of the 9th (their 4th solo blast of the game) to take a 7-4 lead. In the bottom of the 9th Schafer singled to lead off the frame and then Segura doubled with one out to drive him in. Lucroy was up next and he hit one to 3rd that was booted so bad Segura was able to score from second.
Eric Farris pinch ran for Lucroy and I was discussing with Carla if he was going to try and steal 2nd base. Staying out of the double play and getting into scoring position would've been huge, but you CAN'T get thrown out while representing the tying run. Aoki was at the plate and was leading the majors in extra base hits in September, and a double would have likely tied it. Instead Aoki grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to end the game. Painful. Final score: Astros 7 – Brewers 6. It's sad but every time I see a 7-6 score I'm going to have flashbacks to that dreadful series in Philadelphia where each game ended with the Brewers on the wrong end of that score. [Shivers].
It's past 2:00 AM on Saturday and I'll be leaving in about 12 hours for game two of the Astros series. I'm staying in Milwaukee Saturday night and then heading to Madison on Sunday after the game. I'll go to Monday's game with Victoria and then return to Madison on Monday night. On Tuesday we'll drive to the game and then stay at her Aunt's place in Sussex. On Wednesday we'll do the same but then we'll be catching a 6:00 AM flight to Vegas on Thursday for my sister's wedding. Long story short I'm going to be quite busy over the next 7 days. There will be a ceremonial first pitch thrown in there (10/2) and a trip down Bernie's slide as well (10/3).
Goodnight (well… good morning).
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9-27-12 (@ Cincinnati)
Thursday was getaway day and the Reds had scheduled a 12:35 finale. It reduces the time between games but it also gives me a 30 minute head start back to Wisconsin. I left Mary Kate's apartment at 11:30 and was parked in one of the $10 lots 15 minutes later. I picked up my ticket from will call and was inside Great American Ballpark by noon. I had already taken 8 game number pictures from inside and outside of the park so I had some trouble deciding where I wanted it taken. I ended up going to the top row of seats beyond the right field wall. There was no one within 15 rows of me and I tried propping my camera up like I had in Pittsburgh but it didn't work too well. Shortly before the national anthem I gave up, walked down the steps to the nearest fan (Mike), and asked him politely if he could help me out. He's a season seat holder and was very interested in my mission and was nice as could be. Thanks Mike!
The Brewers relievers had just made their way out to the bullpen so I went over to the edge of the stands to get a few pictures of their handshakes. Most of them have specific handshakes with each other, and it's fun to watch. I remember seeing them do a handshake routine with some Miller Park staffers last season. It involved a handshake and then a sweeping [the floor] gesture while whistling. Oh the bullpen.
My seat was in section 112 but after seeing how empty the left field seats were I decided to sit there for a while. I couldn't get there in time for the first pitch and stopped just to the left of the batter's eye. Mat Latos delivered a called strike to Norichika Aoki to get things started.
I made my way over to the left field seats by the time the Brewers took the field for the bottom of the 1st. Ryan Braun warmed up with the ball boy that sits along the left field line to scoop up foul balls.
Wily Peralta started for the Crew and he bounced back nicely from his previous start. Here he is about to unleash a pitch in the 1st inning.
In the bottom of the 2nd Carlos Gomez made a great catch on a Jay Bruce fly ball to deep centerfield. It wouldn't have been a home run but it was mighty close. Go-Go led off the top of the 3rd and I was thinking to myself that it would be cool if he hit a home run immediately after taking an extra base hit away in the previous half inning.
Bang! Wish granted. Gomez sent the 1-1 pitch over the wall in right field to give the Brewers a 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the 6th Wily Peralta struck out Reds starter Mat Latos. When the Brewers threw the ball around the horn after the strikeout Aramis Ramirez hung onto the ball and called out the trainer. Apparently Ramirez had pointed something out to Roenicke earlier in the game about Peralta and they had kept an eye on him. Roenicke and the trainer came out of the dugout in the 6th and Peralta was pulled from the game. It's said to be a biceps issue but it doesn't appear to be too serious.
The Brewers held the 1-0 lead and I slowly made my way around the concourse towards the right field corner. I had a hot dog along the way and the concession stand worker took my money with her gloves on. She then proceeded to pick up the bun and serve me the hot dog. Interesting… I considered saying something to her but I didn't. I did stop by guest relations to let them know about the infraction. The lady at guest relations said that I should've said something. So I'm supposed to be a fan at the game and serve as the disciplinarian for the concession workers. Right……..
I got to the right field corner for the final half inning. I was hoping this would've been the final linescore:
Axford came on and struck out the first two batters he faced. One more out and the Brewers had the series. Ax started Todd Frazier off with a fastball that caught a lot of the plate and Frazier didn't miss, sending one over the centerfield fence for a game-tying home run. The next pitch was singled to left and the Reds now had the winning run at first base. A nine pitch battle between Axford and Dioner Navarro followed. Two of the pitches were hit foul down the right field line that would have been home runs had they been 20-30 feet to the left. The 9th pitch of the at bat was hit to right center and deep. I thought Aoki could've had it but he played it on a bounce and the Reds were walk-off winners. It was a heartbreaking loss that sums up the season; so close yet so far. Final score: Reds 2 – Brewers 1. If the Brewers would've held on for the 1-0 win it would've been their second 1-0 win of the season, the other coming on June 22nd vs. the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field (I was at that game too!!!).
I got back to my car and was on the road at 3:33 eastern time. I stopped for gas at 7:30 and took a picture of the sunset.
It took me 7 hours and 15 minutes to traverse the 468 miles (which includes my 25 minute stop for gas and dinner). Not bad at all. It's noon on Friday and I'll be leaving in a few hours for the first game of the 6-game home stand. I'm going to try and walk the parking lots to hand out cards and "informationalize" people about Be The Match. Knee pain be damned! Let's get it!
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9-26-12 (@ Cincinnati)
Wednesday was a lazy day for me. I ate breakfast around 10:30 and then worked on the blog post for Tuesday. At 2:00 PM I decided to get some Skyline Chili for lunch and there's a restaurant within a mile of my host's place. I'm staying with a friend of Victoria's (Mary Kate). The two of them were in the same hotdogger class (22). "Hotdoggers" are those who drive around in the wienermobile for a year after college. They weren't partners but they are pretty close friends. Thanks MK for letting me crash for a few nights!
I left for the game just before 5:00 PM and was parked at Paul Brown Stadium by 5:15. I met Barry and we walked over to the ballpark where Barry took game photo number 155. I had already gotten one taken from outside the stadium (game #73 on 6/25) but that was from outside the home plate entrance. This was taken from outside of the right field corner and from across E Mehring Way.
After getting the picture taken we walked up Joe Nuxhall Way to the Holy Grail Tavern & Grille. It's across the street from Great American Ballpark and it gets very crowded before home games. We had two beers and met up with a friend of Barry's (Will). I met Will before and he's a (somewhat) serious Reds fan. Barry gives him a hard time because he doesn't always get there in time for first pitch but overall Will is a nice guy who supports his team.
At 6:40 we walked across the street and into the stadium. In the right field corner of the field level they have a restaurant called Mr. Red's Smokehouse. I mentioned it in the post on July 21st and it's similar to the Chef's Table at Miller Park in that they have food that is popular in the visiting team's city. They had a beer brat when the Brewers were in town but I opted for a turkey leg, and boy was it massive.
I'm not sure if you can tell but it's almost as long as the bridge!!! I wish I could've seen the whole turkey. We got to our seats in section 128 with a few minutes to spare before Bronson Arroyo delivered a ball to Aoki.
The Reds scored a solo run in the bottom of the 1st but Marcum pitched better after that frame. In the 3rd Aoki homered with two outs and it was a laser that appeared to not get higher than 30 feet in the air (we'll see what the apex is listed at when hittrackeronline updates their database). I looked this morning and they say it reached 56 feet at it's apex, hmmmmmm. I took the picture just before Aoki did the finger mustache gesture, but you can see third base coach Ed Sedar doing it.
Weeks followed Aoki with a single and Braun doubled to put runners on 2nd and 3rd. Ramirez stepped in looking to give himself 100 RBI on the season. On the 0-1 pitch Ramirez lined one up the middle that shortstop Zack Cozart couldn't coral, giving Ram-Ram his seventh 100 RBI season and first since 2008. I'll be the first to admit that I was skeptical about the signing but he has performed better than even I was hoping for. I'm not afraid to say I was very, very wrong. Nice work, Aramis, my apologies.
Hart added an RBI single and the Brewers had a 3-1 lead in the 3rd. In the 6th Jeff Bianchi added some insurance with a sacrifice fly and then Braun sent some people home early with a 2-run home run in the 7th.
Aoki, who had himself a day, doubled home Bianchi in the 8th and Lucroy wrapped up the scoring with a solo shot in the 9th. Brewers win! Brewers win! Final score: Brewers 8 – Reds 1. With the Cardinals losing the Brewers pulled to within 3.5 games, and it's now going to take the Brewers going 7-0 over their last 7 and the Cards going 3-3. Never say never.
Two things I thought were kind of cool that the Reds had on the scoreboard:
1) A mustache that was fixed on the screen and then the camera guy(s) would pan the stands and put it on people. This individual was curling his imaginary mustache.
2) "Walks will haunt!" The Reds put this on the scoreboard after a visiting team walks one of the Reds batters. It's true, but after doing some brief research I've noticed there are some conflicting numbers. One website says a leadoff walk scores 38% of the time while another says 80% of the time. Interesting…… I had thought it was in the 70% range but I'll keep digging. Either way, walks are bad so the scoreboard message is accurate (just ask the Brewers' bullpen about the first 4.5 months of the season).
It's 10:40 on Thursday morning and I'll be leaving shortly for the finale of the three game set. Barring a miraculous finish and the Brewers making the playoffs today will be my last away game of the season. Wow, time flies when you're having fun. There's a 40-60% chance of rain from 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM so I'm hoping the game gets played. A 161 game season would mean that I'd just have to try it again next year.
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