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Big First Inning Leads Baseball to Vicory Over NIU
MUNCIE, Ind. - A seven-run first inning and a six-run eighth inning led Ball State baseball to a series win over Northern Illinois after posting a 14-3 victory Friday afternoon at Ball Diamond.
With the win, the Cardinals improve to 28-22 overall and 15-11 in Mid-American Conference action, while the Huskies fall to 21-31, 15-11 MAC.
The Cardinals are one game away from clinching the MAC West Division title, a feat that hasn't happened since 2009.
Leading the way offensively was Billy Wellman who went two-for-four from the plate with two runs and three RBI. Wellman hit his fourth homerun of his career in the eighth inning. Blake Beemer along with teammate T.J. Weir also homered in the eighth. Weir went 2-for-4 at the plate with two RBI and two homeruns. Wes Winkle also had a strong showing going two-for-four from the plate which included a double and an RBI.
Defensively Cody Campell led the Cardinals with eight putouts while teammate Beemer added seven.
Jon Cisna tossed a no hitter up until the top of the fifth. Cisna won the game on the mound for Ball State after six innings of work improving his record to 3-3 on the season.
The Cardinals scored seven runs off of six hits in their first at bat. Ball State would then tack on another run in the fifth after a solo shot from Weir giving Ball State the 8-0 advantage over NIU.
Northern Illinois was held scoreless until the top of the seventh when the Huskies managed to cross the plate three times that inning making the score 8-3.
In the eighth inning, Ball State got their bats going which was started off by a single from Elbert DeVarie followed by a double from Campell and back-to-back-to-back homeruns from Wellman, Beemar and Weir.
The Huskies would have two hits, no errors while leaving two on base to end the ninth giving Ball State the 14-3 MAC victory.
The Ball State baseball team will close out Mid-American Conference regular season play at home Saturday in its final game against Northern Illinois at Ball Diamond. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. The Cardinals will also recognize their seniors before the game.


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Erie firefighters get education in train safety
Erie firefighters climbed on tank cars, studied valves and familiarized themselves with the components and the layout of a modern locomotive on Friday.
Their education came courtesy of CSX Corp., which brought its Safety Train to town for three days of training before rolling out of Erie and heading to its next stop after today.
The CSX Safety Train: Emergency Preparedness Program was launched earlier this year to teach firefighters and other emergency responders along the Jacksonville, Fla.-based rail company's lines about the different rail cars, how they work and how to deal with train accidents and incidents.
Erie Fire Chief Tony Pol said he planned to put as many city firefighters as possible through the daylong training sessions.
"It's basically awareness," he said. "We want the guys to see the trains, know what they are, to have some idea of what kinds of cars there are and the safety features. We don't want their first contact with a train to be at a derailment."
CSX officials said in announcing the training program in April that they were expanding their engagement with first responders to include training specific to the movement of crude oil in response to a growing market for shipping oil. CSX hazardous materials specialists are leading training sessions with specific instruction on how crude oil is shipped, the company said in the April announcement.
While overall rail traffic has increased, crude oil shipments currently represent about 1 percent of CSX's business, said Michael Bethge, manager, hazardous materials systems-field service for the company. An average of two to three trains hauling crude oil pass through Erie each day, he said.
The 600-foot Safety Train features a locomotive and four tank cars, including the new enhanced tank car for oil transport; and a flat car containing a number of different tank car valves that are currently in use, officials said.
A converted passenger car serves as a classroom where Erie firefighters spent most of Friday morning before they got out onto the other cars for hands-on learning.
"Our standard is being proactive on CSX with training," Bethge said Friday morning. "A better educated professional responder or volunteer responder makes better fact-based decisions."
Bethge and other CSX officials in Erie on Friday were joined at the training session by some of the company's environmental contractors and consultants.
"One of the key components is what we bring to the table, what we all have available. Not just what we have, but what the contractors bring. It helps in being proactive," Bethge said.
The training sessions additionally offer the "value of building relationships" with those who might be called to an incident, rather than just bringing everyone together at the scene of an accident, said Robert Rohauer, a community affairs and safety official for CSX.
The Erie Bureau of Fire has taken part in other CSX training programs, Pol said. The most recent occurred shortly before a Nov. 1 accident in which several cars on a westbound CSX train derailed near Pittsburgh Avenue. Lessons learned during the training were put to use at the incident, Pol said.
TIM HAHN can be reached at 870-1731 or by e-mail. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/ETNhahn.

subset: commoncrawl


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OjewelPortland, OR
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At Summa, we recognize that the health of our patients, their families and friends, and our employees encompasses more than their physical well-being. When it comes to leading a healthy, productive and satisfying life, we know that the emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of good health are just as important as those that affect a person physically. This is why we have incorporated a pastoral care program into the continuum of care provided at Summa.
Pastoral Care at Summa
At Summa, the pastoral care program is headed up by an ordained chaplain who relies on the assistance of trained volunteers to meet the needs of our patients, their families and friends, and our employees. The chaplain has a myriad of responsibilities, including:
Goals of Pastoral Care
The chaplain helps patients, their family members and staff members through difficult situations by meeting their spiritual needs - however diverse they may be. The program encompasses the development and presentation of community and staff member training concerning the importance of pastoral care, what it is, the benefits it provides, and when and how to introduce a chaplain in the patient care process.
Pastoral Care Advisory Board
A pastoral care advisory board provides assistance to the chaplain in evaluating the spiritual needs of Akron's diverse communities. The members represent a broad variety of cultural and interfaith perspectives and, within the larger board, there are four subcommittees, covering pastoral services, pastoral education, finance and personnel, which help to determine the best way to minister to the wide spectrum of individuals who form the backbone of our towns and neighborhoods.
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A letter writer to The Jersey Journal complains about Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy's job performance, that of his administration, and the City Council.
John Lynch writes that the city has some positives and that local government has failed to capitalize on them to improve the city's economy. Most of all, Lynch is upset with the violence on city streets and the inability of the mayor to speak out against specific crimes or to improve public safety.
There were plenty of people commenting on the Letter to the Editor.
John, I agree. Team Healy must go, this city is going downhill. Public Safety should be a top priority in any city because protecting residents is important. Starting this November, we must start vote them out. Councilman Velazquez and Councilwoman Ahmad. Enough is Enough! I'm fed up with Team Healy.
Ain't that Healy's one kid, the fireman? and ain't that one of the other kids right behind him? no nepotism here.
The bottom line is that any candidate endorsed by the HCDO will always turn out to be a disappointment. Instead of serving the people of Jersey City, they serve the party and people who helped them get elected. They allow cronyism to run rampant, they allow the mayor to use the city's coffers to line the pockets of his friends, and they say nothing about it.
But instead of simply complaining about how hopeless the situation is, this year we have a great chance to turn the tide and elect some independent candidates to represent us in City Council. Lavarro, Levin or Mack would all make much better Council members than Velazquez and Ahmad, who will always be beholden to Healy and the HCDO for helping them get elected.
Agree -- Levin & Lavarro -- Sue Mack is Team Healy and a county employee, I guess, helping her county colleagues to split Levin's base! She should stay focused in BoE, she has not fulfilled her BoE campaign promises yet to vacate the seat. She should have stayed out of BoE elections, in case she had any aspirations to run for council seat. We have not seen her speaking for any of our issues in the council. She voted for tax increases and lay-offs in the recent BoE budget! Sue Mack is another county employee trying to be another double dipper!
Ridiculous! I'm no fan of Healy as a matter of fact I wouldn't vote for him again under any circumstances, but in major in urban areas sometimes 3 murders in one night happen. You could bring in the whole US Army in but unless you put troops in every single house and street corner murders and break in are still going to occur. What the city needs in a REAL gang prevention and intervention. I also think police on foot patrol could help at least the community can see and get to know who's policing the street maybe then people wouldn't be so afraid to call 911 when they see something.
Bring in the Troopers and National Guard how stupid and naive, this isn't Compton in the 1960's. Its street crime which in its nature is covert. Brute force does not destroy gangs, gang related crime, or street crimes. It only pushes it further underground.
Vishnu Warheer
"Team Healy, Change you can see", every time you open your property tax bill. This guy has failed on every point. The streets are more dangerous. The city is more dirty. Property taxes are through the roof and the city budget is still in the red. he has shown no leadership during trying economic times, yet as pointed out, there always seems to be more money for his patronage machine. Kick him and anyone aligned with him to the curb. They do not have the interest of the residents of JC as a high priority at all. They are there to serve their friends in high places. They treat us like we have deep pockets, like we are here to serve them. I have not one shred of respect left for Healy and his team. They should all resign in shame.
I think being mayor he has not done anything which the city can be proud of -- in fact after he came the crime has gone up. Like anything all he cares of is filling his under table pocket for his retirement -- doesn't care about anybody but sit in a bar & have free beer wherever possible & still dumb jersey city residents will elect him again just makes city more poor & more crime ridden.
One murder is one too many! Unacceptable.
True words VW! The Mayor and his phonies, I mean cronies have no respect for their constituents. Like wise with PO's.. Example: Allegedly a police officer on patrol was responding to an emergency. Driving into a one way street on St. Paul's Avenue where my cousin was driving. The patrolling officer turned around to harass my cousin because allegedly he failed to yield to an emergency. From what I gathered there was no emergency. The officer identified the individual from previous engagements and decided to check him out. When pulled over, my cousin asked why was he pulled over. Officer responded with obscenities! After it was all said and done my cousin drove away with five violations. None which he believed was justifiable. From seat belt to improper passing and onto failure to yield. No respect for law abiding, taxpaying citizens. One has to wonder why our badge of honors get no respect if they can't respect themselves. Mama taught you better.
You people don't feel safe because you guys are punks. Only read the stories in the paper and assume that's what's going on in the city.
I hate Healy just as much as the next guy but really step outside your house, JC is not the bad. Obviously we still have crime just like any other city but those 3 murder were the first in how long? I don't even think our murder count has even hit double digits yet if my numbers are right.
What a dope! The city is plagued with violence and ignorance. One that you display. The real punks are those who brandish guns. We speak as respectable taxpaying citizens voicing concerns. Get your head examined ...
Uh no buddy you need to get YOUR head examined. this is coming from a person who actually walks the street of JC and not just sit in my house all day reading the newspaper and makes assumption of the crime going on in this city. Obviously we're not perfect but you want to talk about cities with high crime that make JC look like a bunch of wussies? So shut up and stop fear mongering you idiot because it doesn't help the city out.
You speak as a complete fool, not for every one else in the city. The only ignorance portrayed here is your ignorance.
pferm201: as a community organizer -- I have spent three years talking about this issue, I have been to over 700 vigils of people losing their loved ones due to crime on the streets. Jersey City is BAD period, in broad daylight a man was in his car when a young teenager who was WHITE and this was a white man, shot him in the arm before he drove off on ocean ave. I have stories of other on Bergen Avenue getting shot, and if you think we are just reading the newspaper -- attend a vigil, go to these funerals -- check the hospital reports, not just of Jersey City but the surrounding cities as well for out patients coming from Jersey City. Newark has a better crime rating than Jersey City at this moment. And this isn't an attack on the POLICE -- its an attack on the LEADERSHIP. Terrible policies, lack of management, and poor economic growth leads to an increase of gang activity ... the letter writer is correct, this is an attack on Mayor Jerramiah Healy and not the POLICE.
Like i said JC is not perfect but you want to talk about the 90s and 80s.
I'd rather live in JC now then in those times so shut up both of you. Crime unfortunately happens but when you still complain when its at possibly an all time low, you are just punks just like the people who go around shooting.
Hey, there was a group of people out there trying to recall him. I remember that group couldn't get any store, or anyone besides those in the group to help them on their recall efforts. Not one political leader stepped up and called for Healy to resign, not one leader stood on the side of the people. Yet, they all will come knocking at your door starting Sept. and they all will make pledges and promises. Jersey Re-Elected him, only 16,000 people came out to vote, only 7,000 people signed the recall -- if that, and with 23 people charged with corruption, 9 convicted coming out of Jersey City, why hasn't the people of Jersey City done MORE to remove him.
How can Ms Ahmad represent us, while she represents developers to get abatement?
As per her website ( http://kahmadlaw.com/page10.html ):
Redevelopment Law
Our firm provides representation for urban developers, market developers, construction companies, home improvement companies or even homeowners seeking permits and zoning and many other clients interested in representation in the redevelopment sector including tax abatements, tax incentives, non-profit incentives and housing incentives.
-- Oh, of course, no wonder, Ms Ahmad yelled at Yvonne Balcer for an abatement!
Typical double faced, double dipping team Healy!


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Coinstar (NASDAQ: OUTR ) CEO Paul Davis is to step down from his position and retire at the end of March, the company said in an official announcement. His replacement is current CFO J. Scott Di Valerio, who will also take a seat on the board of directors.
The company was fulsome in its praise for Davis' work. According to board of directors Chair Deborah Bevier:
For nearly four years as Coinstar's CEO, Paul has successfully guided the company to tremendous growth and profitability through a wide range of initiatives.
Coinstar also said in the statement that it maintains its existing guidance on 4Q and fiscal 2012 revenue, and anticipates core diluted EPS to come in at the higher end or above the provided range.


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on March 1, 2013 - 12:01 AM
, updated March 1, 2013 at 3:51 PM
Dixie Longate, the fictional Tupperware saleswoman who has been peddling her plastic wares in theaters across the country for the better part of the past decade, returned to Shea's Smith Theatre (658 Main St.) this week for a two-week run of her popular show.
"Dixie's Tupperware Party," an interactive production that is half sales-pitch, half drag-driven entertainment spectacle, officially opened Thursday night and runs through March 10. Buffalo's last visit from Dixie (performed with camp flourish by actor Kris Andersson), in November of 2010, was met with an ecstatic response from the crowd. Reviewer Ben Siegel gave the show three-and-a-half stars, calling Andersson's character a "spunky Southern homemaker who talks like Kathy Griffin, sounds like Paula Deen, dresses like Mary Ann from 'Gilligan's Island,' and packs a lunch that would make June Cleaver blush."
Audience members can actually purchase pieces of Tupperware at the show, ranging from Dixie's trademark "Onion Keeper" to her seemingly superfluous "Cake Taker." Tickets are $40, with more information at 847-0850 or www.sheas.org.
– Colin Dabkowski


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The project to transform an old Norristown shopping center into a movie studio was supposed to bring the glitz and fortune of Hollywood to the sagging seat of Montgomery County.
Build it and filmmakers will come. Build it and jobs will come and lift Norristown to prosperity.
That dream fizzled like a box-office bomb last May, when the project's investor filed for foreclosure against the developer.
The forlorn shopping center, Logan Square, sits half-empty, its fate likely to be announced in the coming weeks. The county is grappling with how to recoup the $25 million it sank into the project - including $10 million in federal funds it must repay - and its lawyers are preparing a lawsuit against the developer. And prosecutors are scrutinizing the deal to see if more than bad luck and poor judgment were to blame.


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I am a Manx from rockbridge, OH
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About that ID
August 29, 2012
If you were to look at ballots on election day, can you tell what ones are filled out by illegal aliens? Can you tell which ones were cast by dead people? Can you spot the ballots that were made b......
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SUNY Oswego has awarded a Presidential Scholarship of $18,800 to Kristen L. Manahan of Somerville. The award recognizes past academic achievement and potential for success. Manahan also received a Destination Oswego Scholarship of $8,000 a year.
Manahan reserved a place in the incoming freshman class for the fall semester. She was scheduled to begin classes Aug. 25.
SUNY Oswego honored more than 675 incoming freshmen with merit scholarships. Outstanding first-year students are offered Presidential Scholarships ($4,700 a year for up to four years), $6,000 Deans' Awards ($1,500 a year for up to four years), $3,000 Merit Awards ($750 a year for up to four years) and, for outstanding students from outside New York state, Destination Oswego scholarships of $5,000 to $8,000 a year.
First-year students who have completed the strongest academic programs with the highest grade averages and standardized test scores are invited to become Presidential Scholars. Students receiving the $18,800 scholarships have average high school grade averages of 94 and average SAT scores of 1240.
The awards are part of about $4 million in merit scholarship money offered at SUNY Oswego. These funds are in addition to the more than $80 million in need-based grants, loans, work-study and scholarship awards that SUNY Oswego students receive annually.


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> The "take whole classes of problems off the table" approach
> is what engineers consider elegance of design. It's that kind
> of elegance that is mostly lacking in how we do operating
> systems and security system design, today.[/color]
i suspect there's a metalayer of usefulness here, as well. one could
conceivably *argue* about which starting assumptions were chosen for a
specific application. but the mere fact that the designer can state, in
simple sentences, what the starting assumptions *are* suggests a level of
careful thought that i have never seen in most of the marketing literature
i've read over the years.
if a vendor can't tell me, in buzzword-free yet technically-comprehensible
english, what the problem is that they're trying to solve, it's a fair bet
that i won't be interested. high tech, plain english.
cheers - tbird
firewall-wizards mailing list


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Episode 28
England depart for Australia and the Podcast is in special preview mode looking ahead to all the action Down Under - with Andy Flower and skipper Andrew Strauss.
Hugh Robertson, Minister for Sport, is among those wishing the team well full of confidence; as is Podcast pundit Mike Gatting...hoping to offload that long-standing record as an Ashes-winning captain on foreign soil.
From within the camp the Podcast also chats to Steven Finn and newly appointed batting coach Graham Thorpe, while John Emburey says how important spinner Graeme Swann will be to England's chances.
Download podcast MP3 file
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Adding artificial turf in Palmyra Area High School's athletic stadium would cost about $650,000, according to estimates given the Palmyra Area School Board Thursday night.
About 75 parents and community members came to hear a presentation on artificial turf, with some questioning the cost and others saying the improvement is needed.
Brian Weidler, athletic director, said the turf field would provide a predictable, quality playing surface regardless of weather, and would eliminate maintenance concerns due to overuse.
A second field for field hockey at the high school also has been suggested, Superintendent Larry Schmidt said.
Ray Battistel of Shaw Sportexe said the fields provide improved safety and last 12 to 14 year
Funds for the fields could be added to the second part of borrowing for the new Lingle Avenue Elementary School, district officials said. Last year $10 million was borrowed, and another $12 million will be borrowed this year.
Bids came in $4 million under estimate, so the district is considering whether to borrow more than the $12 million needed for the school, and use it for capital projects such as the turf fields.
Each additional $1 million borrowed costs taxpayers the equivalent of an additional $1 in real estate taxes per year, said Darcy Brenner-Smith, district director of business affairs.


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Star Tracks: Monday, May 16, 2016 42 years, 2,191 covers and 55,436 stories from PEOPLE magazine's history for you to enjoy
Latest News!
- Katherine Webb Is Working on Getting Back to Her Pre-Baby Body: 'But There's No Rush'
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- WATCH: Adriana Lima Demonstrates How to Get Her Signature Sexy Pose
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People Top 5
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PEOPLE Top 5 are the most-viewed stories on the site over the past three days, updated every 60 minutes
- May 29, 1978
- Vol. 9
- No. 21
Pretty Brooke
Her Nude Scene in the Film Is a Shocker but Pretty Baby Star Brooke Shields Remains a Very Normal Little Girl
"Brooke is a gift from God."
—Teri Shields
Midway through her wrenchingly beautiful film, Pretty Baby, Brooke Shields is auctioned off in a New Orleans bordello. She plays a child prostitute with a disconcertingly angelic air: Her Toulouse-Lautrec pout is sensual, ethereal, mesmerizing. Yet her body—later seen naked—is a child's, thin and gawky. "I can feel the steam," she whispers to her successful bidder, mimicking coquettishness, "coming through my dress."
On May 31 Brooke will be 13 years old. Tall for her age at 5'4" (her father is 67"), Brooke is blessed with the most stunning new child's face in movies since Elizabeth Taylor. The skin is flawless; eyes deep blue; lashes black; hair silken. The direct gaze is full of ambivalent sexuality. Now her scandalizing role in the R-rated film has plunged the former child model into an international furor. Pretty Baby has been banned outright in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Saskatchewan. No less a moral arbiter than Rona Barrett solemnly advised her TV audience that the movie is "child pornography." Others have attacked its French director Louis (Lacombe, Lucien) Malle as a combination of Humbert Humbert and Roman Polanski.
He gets off lightly compared to Brooke's divorced manager mother, Teri Shields, 44. "The press has referred to me as a stage mother, a frustrated actress living through Brooke and even a one-woman film-wrecking crew," Teri admits. On the set Brooke is sweet; Teri is salty but clearly a favorite with the crew. She can also be meddlesome and was briefly banned from the set of Pretty Baby. "They can say what they want about me," Teri explains. "But Brooke can't fight back. That's why I'm here. I'm not a stage mother. I'm Brooke's mother. The most important thing is that I love Brooke, and it's fun to make her happy."
Brooke seems to have kept her perspective over the Pretty Baby uproar. "It's only a role," she explains. "I'm not going to grow up and be a prostitute. If I were in a Walt Disney movie people would never ask me if the part would affect my life. That's so dumb." For all their shock value, Brooke's "nude" scenes were shot with her wearing a body stocking, with one exception. When Violet (the role Brooke plays) chastely poses naked for the photographer Bellocq (Keith Carradine), Malle closed the set to everyone but himself and cinematographer Sven Nykvist. "I knew it would be tasteful," says Teri. "Anybody who calls it child pornography has not seen the damn thing. Rona Barrett is a fool. I don't mind Brooke being called a sex symbol. But nymphet and Lolita rub me the wrong way." Malle, who picked her over 300 auditioners, admiringly calls Brooke "a natural. She carried the entire picture on her shoulders."
Unlike the precocious likes of Tatum O'Neal, Brooke has remained surprisingly unaffected. "Somebody with her background should be a monster, a little robot," says Malle. "But Brooke has managed to stay very natural, very close to her childhood." She is a movie star who thinks being a script girl would be "sooo neat" and who admits she is an only recently reformed thumbsucker. Brooke still has an imaginary friend ("I talk to her about my problems"). She plays football in Central Park, watches TV ("even though I know Charlie's Angels is corny") and collects wooden dolls and glass knickknacks. Brooke loves movies, though Mom recently indexed Coma. As for Pretty Baby, "I wouldn't go see it alone," Brooke exclaims. "Gross!"
Still really a child ("I don't even have my period yet"), Brooke attends Mass every week with her mother. Boys? "Sometimes they're really stupid, but other times they're okay." Until recently, Teri would allow Brooke only to double-date, though she can now go out alone. "But I don't want to go steady. My mom doesn't like it. I'm just not ready yet." Brooke shrugs off sex—"I knew all about that when I was 2. Mom told me." When Playboy asked her what "good in bed" meant to her, Brooke nonchalantly replied, "When I'm sick and I stay home from school propped up with lots of pillows watching TV and my mom brings me soup—that's good in bed."
The most intense relationship in Brooke's life is with her protective mother. They secretively exchange notes as well as hugs and kisses. When Teri goes out with her companion of 10 years, Bob Karsian, a New Jersey oil man, Brooke admits, "I get jealous." "She hasn't had to deal with my having a lot of boyfriends," says Teri. "Recently Brooke's been more possessive because she's going through puberty, and it's worse than menopause. She's becoming interested in boys and she feels maybe I'm going to feel the same way too. She asked, 'Promise me you won't get married.' I said, 'That's a tough promise. How about if I don't get married until after you do?' She liked that."
Occasionally the intimacy between mother and daughter turns into anger. "Oh, Mommy, you're so dumb!" Brooke complains. Teri, offended, snaps back, "I don't have to take that crap!" and storms out of the room. "That's my worst habit," Brooke admits. "I talk back to my mom. But it's not like we start punching each other." Teri, who likes to take her vodka with a beer chaser, adds, "If the press is really concerned about my drinking and fighting with Brooke, they should hang around for a couple of months and tune in." Susan Sarandon, Brooke's prostitute mother in Pretty Baby, says, "I don't think Teri is exploiting Brooke. Both wanted this stardom. There's a lot of love and a lot of hate, as in any close, complicated relationship."
It began when Teri, a cosmetics saleswoman, met Frank Shields, handsome son of Francis X. Shields, a top-rated U.S. tennis player in the 1930s. Brooke was conceived five months before her parents married—and quickly split. "He was very young," says Teri, then 30 to Frank's 23, "and he wanted to be adventuresome. I didn't mind." The marriage certificate arrived in the mail the day they were divorced.
"When she was born Brooke looked like a beautiful doll," Teri recalls. "I couldn't believe she was mine." At 11 months Brooke was paid $25 to pose for an Ivory Soap ad—and her professional career was launched. She has worked for such prestige clients as Breck, Band-Aids and Colgate.
Today Brooke has a pink-and-white bedroom and her own bath in her mother's four-and-a-half-room Manhattan apartment. She tries to spend one weekend a month with her father, a vice-president with Helena Rubinstein, and his second family on Long Island. Shields does not approve of his daughter's career—but does nothing to stop it. "By the fact that I'm divorced," he says, "I'm an absentee ballot." He sent flowers opening night but has not brought himself to see Pretty Baby, explaining, "I'll wait until it comes to the local theater." Although obviously much closer to her mother, Brooke says of Shields, "I like him because he's a real man. He's always got a nice suit on and he smells good." Then she adds, "But he doesn't spend much time with his kids."
Pretty Baby is pushing Brookie (as her friends call her) into dizzying financial brackets. She got $27,500 for three months' work in Pretty Baby before Teri hiked her contract to $62,500 for 12 days in the forthcoming King of the Gypsies. That rose to $150,000 for this summer's Wanda Nevada with Peter Fonda. Teri recently turned down a $300,000 bid from Warner Brothers. "We weigh each offer," she says, "to see if it's beneficial to Brooke." The money, handled for the Brooke Shields Co., Inc., is being held until she's of age. Her only fee that hasn't inflated is for babysitting—still $6 an evening.
Teri fends off the more lurid offers (a Swedish lesbian movie, for example) though she did approve a quickie paperback—a collection of pictures, poems and old schoolwork—that Brooke thinks is "stupid." A seventh-grader at a private school in Manhattan, Brooke is tutored three hours a day on the set. Teri insists that she be permitted to bring along a friend when she is working.
This fall Brooke comes out in her first top-billed role, a G-rated pinball saga called Tilt. The thought of going to next year's Academy Awards—not to mention being a contender—already has her ecstatic: "Oh, boy, how will I have time to get every star's autograph?" If a palm reader on the set of Gypsies is right, there is little Brooke will not get in time. "You will have many romances before you marry, then you will have three children," the gypsy told her. "You are one of the people that was born to be."
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September 24, 2016
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The most buzzed about stars this minute!


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Former 76ers superstar Julius Erving is resigning from the Fairmount Park
Commission after a three-year tenure marked by frequent absences from the board's monthly meetings.
Although no official announcement has been made, the Board of Judges of Common Pleas Court has been asked to activate its nominating committee to find a replacement.
Common Pleas Judge Bernard J. Goodheart, who chairs the nominating panel, said he would call a meeting after Labor Day. "We'll do our best to replace him," he said.


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On the Road with BBQ Pitmasters: Tips from a Top Grill Master
Think you know a lot about barbecue? Here's your chance to find out. Rand McNally recently interviewed one of America's top grill masters, Melissa Cookston, who—along with Myron Mixon and Tuffy Stone—also happens to be a host/judge on the show, BBQ Pitmasters. Check out Melissa's tips and takes, and then pick up a few more while watching the best in the barbecue business compete for cash prizes on the next episode, filmed at the Bixby BBQ 'N Blues Festival in Bixby, OK, and airing Sunday, July 28 at 9 pm E/P on Destination America.
Rand McNally (RM): What are the key U.S. barbecue "regions," and what makes each of them unique?
Melissa Cookston: In my opinion, the key regions in America are Memphis, Texas, the Carolinas, and Kansas City. Of these, Kansas City is a kissing cousin to the Memphis style, with a little bit of Texas mixed in with it.
Both Memphis and the Carolinas feature pork: pulled from butts or the whole hog in Memphis and from whole shoulders in the Carolinas. Texas is more beef oriented, and Kansas City showcases a mix of pork and beef and is known for "burnt ends"—cubed pieces of beef from the "point" of a brisket. In terms of pork ribs, Memphis is predominately a "baby back," (loin ribs) area, while the others feature "spare ribs" (ribs cut closer to the belly area).
In terms of flavor profile, there's a significant difference to these areas. The Carolinas feature pork with a vinegar "dip" poured onto the meat . . . some areas (especially South Carolina) also use a mustard-based sauce. Their predominate wood is oak or hickory, which gives the meat a neutral smoke flavor.
Memphis sauces are slightly sweeter, with significantly less vinegar than those of the Carolinas. Memphis is also known for "dry" ribs, where the "rub" or seasoning blend is sprinkled onto the meat after cooking instead of using a finishing sauce. Memphis barbecue uses fruit wood, hickory, or pecan, and the smoke flavor is more predominent, as cooking times are longer at lower temperatures.
Texas is known for using very little sauce and smoking over mesquite wood, which gives the meat quite a unique flavor. Kansas City barbecue woods are similar to those used in Memphis, and the sauces are generally thicker and sweeter than other areas.
Just as important as the sauces and woods is the texture of the meat. In the Carolinas, pork is typically finely chopped or sliced, as the meat is generally cooked quickly (e.g., 9 to 12 hours for a pork shoulder) and has the texture of roasted pork. Memphis-style barbecue is cooked more slowly (14 to 16 hours for a pork shoulder), and the meat is typically pulled apart by hand, yielding a leaner, more tender product. Texas barbecue is typically cooked slowly as well but has a different texture given that the main meat is beef. Kansas City barbecue is very close to that of Memphis in terms of finished textures and cooking time.
Side dishes are similar in all areas: cole slaw, baked beans, potato salad, corn, etc. In Memphis and the Carolinas, cole slaw is typically served on the sandwich. However, Memphis usually features mayonnaise-based coleslaw while slaw in the Carolinas is made with a vinegar dressing.
RM: What's the best way to find a great barbecue restaurant when traveling to a new place?
Melissa: . . . First, consult locals, such as hotel clerks or concierges. Friends and family are also great sources, as are online reviews from sites such as Trip Advisor or Urbanspoon.
Although many people romanticize the idea of a "barbecue joint," as being a small, worn spot, generally the opposite is true. Many small restaurants don't have the volume of sales to keep fresh barbecue moving through the restaurant, and they end up occasionally serving less-than-perfect barbecue. Furthermore, if the restaurant looks worn down, the ownership probably isn't putting any more emphasis on the food than they are on their restaurant's appearance. This is definitely a style of restaurant where busier is better.
RM: What are the top grilling mistakes, and how do you avoid them?
Melissa: The most common mistake is too much of a smoke flavor. Many people assume that because they're "smoking" meat, they need to really make sure it tastes like it! Smoke should be looked at just like any other ingredient, such as salt: use it in moderation.
Also, remember that our sense of smell is intricately tied to our sense of taste. When you've been tending a pit for hours, your sense of smell shuts down from the smoke, and you also have a much harder time tasting the smoke flavor. Your guests, however, won't have this problem! To avoid [having too much of a smoke flavor], utilize fruit woods. They impart a lighter flavor than a wood such as hickory, which, when used too long, can turn your product bitter. Wrapping the product in aluminum foil halfway through the cook will also help. Most competition cooks use foil to aid in the final texture of the product as well.
Relative to grilling . . . many people think they have to have an inferno, and end up with barbecue that's charred outside and raw or undercooked inside. Set up hot and cool zones, either by adjusting the gas or by using greater or lesser amounts of charcoal. This lets you have a "searing zone" and a "cooking zone" and yields much better results.
RM: Any tips for pairing beverages with barbecue?
Melissa: . . . There's always one beverage that goes with any barbecue meal: sweet iced tea! I also look for beers that have a caramel tone to them to play off the smokiness of the meats. Depending on the meat, I like to serve a lighter flavored wine, such as a pinot noir. But the most important thing is to drink what you like. As there are so many differences in the flavor of barbecue, there's really no hard-and-fast rule of beer or wine selection.
RM: What's the most challenging thing you've ever grilled? The most unusual thing?
Melissa: The most challenging item to cook is definitely the whole hog (generally, I cook 180- to 230-pound hogs). You have to cook it to get all of the different meats perfect. Shoulders need to cook to a different temperature than the loins, for example. It's a very tough task to get right.
The most unusual thing I've grilled is rattlesnake. Not fun.
Melissa Cookston is the only person to have won the Memphis in May World Championship Whole Hog Category three times in a row (2010 through 2012). She's also won the World Grand Championship two times (2010, 2012) and is the only woman to hold that title. In addition to being featured as a judge on Destination America's hit series, BBQ Pitmasters, she's also the owner of Memphis Barbecue Company in Horn Lake, MS. Since opening in 2011, the restaurant has been selected as one of Relish.com's three "Must Eat BBQ Places in Memphis" and as one of Southern Living's three best places for a barbecue sandwich in the South. Melissa recently opened a second location in Fayetteville, NC, and is selecting sites for more restaurants. She also serves as a contest organizer, teaches competitive cooking classes, consults with several publications, and pretty much preaches the gospel of true Memphis-style barbecue to anyone who will listen.


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Can I Use Polyurethane on a Kitchen Counter?
Can I Use Polyurethane on a Kitchen Counter?. Polyurethane is commonly used to seal a variety of wood surfaces from boat hulls and hardwood floors to ceilings and countertops. Although it should be handled with care while in liquid form, it is safe for use on food preparation surfaces. Familiarize yourself with polyurethane before you use it to seal your kitchen counter.
Safe Handling
Once it's dry, polyurethane is perfectly safe for kitchen counters where you'll be preparing food. In liquid form, however, polyurethane is extremely toxic and contains carcinogens. The fumes may cause irritation of the eyes, nose and throat. Skin contact may also cause irritation. Prolonged exposure may cause long-term respiratory issues. Before you even open the can, make sure you are wearing protective goggles, gloves and face mask. Always work in a well-ventilated area.
As a wood sealer, polyurethane is one of the most durable and impermeable options. It is commonly used in ship building to seal wood and fiberglass, protecting it from harsh weather conditions and constant contact with seawater. This means that sealing your kitchen countertop with polyurethane will help protect it from spills and minor damage caused by dropped utensils and cookware. Polyurethane also stands up to alcohol better than most types of wood sealers, though quick cleaning is still recommended.
Sanding and Staining
Before you apply polyurethane, you must at least sand the wood properly. This is especially important if the countertop has already been stained and sealed with some other wood sealer, such as varnish or lacquer. Staining is optional, but you have to sand to ensure the wood will properly bond with the polyurethane. As with most woodworking projects, start with medium grade sandpaper to strip the surface, and finish with fine grade sandpaper to make the wood smooth.
Proper Application
Once the counter is sanded down and stained, if you opted to stain the wood, you're ready to seal the wood. When mixing polyurethane, stir gently -- never shake the can. Mixing too vigorously will cause air bubbles that will get trapped in the finish. To avoid leaving marks from a paintbrush in your finish, use a foam or lamb's wool applicator to spread the polyurethane over the wood. Because kitchen counters typically experience heavy use, apply four or five coats of polyurethane to create a thick seal. For best results, sand the polyurethane between each coat with very fine grade sandpaper.
- Rockler: Refinishing Cabinetry
- Hammer Zone: Finishing A New Hardwood Floor With Oil-Based Urethane
- United States Department of Labor: Occupational Safety and Health Administration: Isocyanates


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It's a cliche, but people often say that if you excel at math, you'll have little talent for language and vice versa. Transplanted Londoner and Parisian resident, Daniel Tammet proves the falsehood of this statement.
In 25 essays that examine life from a mathematical perspective, Tammet enthralls and enlightens the reader on many things especially the beauty of mathematics. Einstein's son Hans Albert said that his father's character was more like an artist than that of a scientist because his highest praise for a theory "was not that it was correct nor that it was exact but that it was beautiful."
Tammet begins this collection with an essay describing his family and numbers theory. In fact, he attributes his first interest in math due to the fact that his neighbors' great interest in his family occurred because there were nine children. And as he explains it, there were 512 possible ways to spot him or his siblings around town in various combinations.


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http://www.rumdiarythemovie.com http://www.facebook.com/rumdiarymovie http://www.twitter.com/filmdistrict ...
http://www.rumdiarythemovie.com http://www.facebook.com/rumdiarymovie http://www.twitter.com/filmdistrict In theaters October 28, 2011! Based on the debut novel by Hunter S. Thompson, "The Rum Diary" tells the increasingly unhinged story of itinerant journalist Paul Kemp (Johnny Depp). Tiring of the noise and madness of New York and the crushing conventions of late Eisenhower-era America, Kemp travels to the pristine island of Puerto Rico to write for a local newspaper, The San Juan Star, run by downtrodden editor Lotterman (Richard Jenkins). Adopting the rum-soaked life of the island, Paul soon becomes obsessed with Chenault (Amber Heard), the wildly attractive Connecticut-born fiancée of Sanderson (Aaron Eckhart). Sanderson, a businessman involved in shady property development deals, is one of a growing number of American entrepreneurs who are determined to convert Puerto Rico into a capitalist paradise in service of the wealthy. When Kemp is recruited by Sanderson to write favorably about his latest unsavory scheme, the journalist is presented with a choice: to use his words for the corrupt businessmen's financial benefit, or use them to take the bastards down.


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Created in this Craftsy class
Jewelry Workshop: Bead, Wrap, Chain & Etch taught by Max Goodman
Build a broad skill base for getting started making beautiful, timeless jewelry. This is the perfect class for beginners to test many different types of techniques, from beading to wire wrapping and beyond.
Other projects made as part of this class:
JewelryPearl Knotting Technique
JewelryChainmaille and Peyote Bracelet
JewelrySunstone Chain Maille Necklace
Offer some kudos...
Join the conversation...
Ask a question...
Add your comment...
|Here are some details about my project:
|Earrings, Accessory
|Casual, Classic, Romantic
This is cute! What are you washing?
02/22/2013 Flag
You must keeop washing the copper with amonia or dish soap and a scrubby .Any fingerprints will become part of the etched datail. All etchant must be removed before adding patina. All patina agent must be removed before sealing the project. Lots of washing.
03/01/2013 Flag


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January 2012
Jim Crane: "We will not change the name Astros."
The idea of changing the Astros name was brought up last week, and that same idea put to rest on Monday.
A name change, owner Jim Crane said in a taped video message to season ticket holders, is not happening.
"You asked for change and we added several fan friendly initiatives last week and we hope you like them," Crane said. "We will continue to listen, and to look for additional ways to improve on and off the field.
"One thing that we are not going to change is the name. We received strong feedback and consensus among season ticket holders and many fans, and we will not change the name Astros. The Houston Astros are here to stay."
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Caravan dates, times and addresses: free autograph signings in every city.
The following is a rundown of all of the caravan appearances that will be free and open to the public:
Wednesday, February 1 – Austin, TX
Jordan Lyles, J.B. Shuck, Kyle Weiland, Doug Brocail, Dave Raymond
Academy Sports + Outdoors
5400 Brodie Ln., Sunset Valley, TX 78745
7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday, February 1 – Brownsville, TX
Jose Altuve, Jimmy Paredes, Fernando Rodriguez, Alex Trevino
Chick-fil-A – Lunch service for fans
4325 N. Expressway #77, Brownsville, TX 78520
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Academy Sports + Outdoors
4305 Old Hwy. 77, Brownsville, TX 78520
7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Thursday, February 2–Harlingen and McAllen, TX
Jose Altuve, Jimmy Paredes, Fernando Rodriguez, Alex Trevino
Academy Sports + Outdoors
3901 Expressway 83, McAllen, TX 78501
5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, February 2 – San Antonio
Jarred Cosart, J.A. Happ, Humberto Quintero, Larry Dierker, Brett Dolan
Academy Sports + Outdoors
7523 N.W. Loop 410, San Antonio, TX 78245
6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Friday, February 3 – Corpus Christi and Victoria, TX
Brian Bogusevic, Chris Johnson, J.B. Shuck, Shane Reynolds, Milo Hamilton, Jim Crane
Academy Sports + Outdoors
8903 N. Navarro, Victoria, TX 77904
5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Monday, February 6 – Oklahoma City, Okla.
Jose Altuve, David Carpenter, J.D. Martinez, Larry Dierker, Milo Hamilton, Jim Crane
Academy Sports + Outdoors
7700 South Walker, Oklahoma City, OK 73139
7:15 p.m. – 8:15 p.m.
Monday, February 6 – Houston
Jason Bourgeois, Bud Norris, Bobby Meacham, Brad Mills, Bob Watson, Jimmy Wynn, Jim Deshaies
Chick-fil-A – Lunch service for fans
2715 Southwest Freeway, Houston, TX 77098
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Academy Sports + Outdoors
2404 Southwest Freeway, Houston, TX 77098
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Tuesday, February 7 – Sugar Land
David Carpenter, Chris Johnson, Bud Norris, Brett Wallace, Doug Brocail, Brett Dolan
Academy Sports + Outdoors
23801 Brazos Town Crossing, Rosenberg, TX 77469
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday, February 8 – Spring
Brian Bogusevic, Jason Bourgeois, J.D. Martinez, Brad Mills, Jose Cruz, Jim Deshaies
Academy Sports + Outdoors
1360 Lake Woodlands Dr., The Woodlands, TX 77380
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Thursday, February 9 – Cypress
Jed Lowrie, J.D. Martinez, Brad Mills, Alex Trevino, Bill Brown, Jeff Luhnow
Academy Sports + Outdoors
19720 N.W. Freeway, Houston, TX 77065
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Friday, February 10 – Katy
Jason Castro, Jed Lowrie, Brett Wallace, Jose Cruz, Bill Brown
Academy Sports + Outdoors
23155 I-10 West, Katy, TX 77449
3:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
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Minute Maid Park in 2012: cheaper tickets, cheaper beer, new outside food and beverage policy.
The day that Jim Crane officially became the owner of the Houston Astros, he hinted that several changes were on the way that would benefit fans in 2012.
This wasn't just window dressing. Asked during the press conference in November if those changes included lowering ticket prices, Crane indicated that was indeed the area that he and President/CEO George Postolos would be focusing their attention on in the immediate future.
Turns out, Crane consulted with the staff on these issues even before he took over as the Astros' owner. And now, less than three months before Opening Day, a comprehensive plan has been put in place.
Ticket prices for more 5,000 seats have been lowered, and more affordable beer prices will be offered throughout the ballpark. And for the first time since Minute Maid Park opened, fans will be permitted to bring in their own food and beverages.
"We feel this is the right thing to do," Crane said. "It is a way for us to let our fans know how vital they are to our success, and to let them know we've been listening to them."
From the get-go, Crane has been open-minded about fan ideas and suggestions. He has attended several meet and greets throughout January with season ticket holders, and many of the decisions made to lower prices and allow outside food and drink were made after hearing the feedback from the fans.
Here's the skinny:
The Astros reduced the price of seats in the Field and Club levels and the Outfield Deck.
Seats in Field Box II (section 132, rows 11-40 and all of sections 133-134) are now priced at $29, down from $41 in 2011. The new Power Club (sections 233-236) in the Club Level offers tickets for $35 that includes a $15 credit for food, beverage and retail items. Those seats were $46 in 2011 with no food credit.
The Outfield Deck tickets are now $5 for adults and $1 for kids ages 3-14 . In 2011, adult tickets were $7. With this reduction, a family of four can attend a game for $12.
As a special thank you for their loyalty and commitment, the Astros will also issue five percent rebates to full-season and 27-game plan season ticket accounts in 2012 to those who have renewed their tickets by the Jan. 31 deadline. Those rebates will be distributed in the form of a gift card that can be used to purchase food, merchandise or individual game tickets at Minute Maid Park.
The Astros have expanded their $5 beer special to include every permanent concession stand and permanent bar at Minute Maid Park where domestic beer is sold. This beer in a 14-ounce cup will now be available at 35 locations throughout the ballpark.
Outside Food and Beverages:
Fans are now allowed to bring food and water into Minute Maid Park for games. Food must be transported in a small, clear (see-through) plastic bag, and water must be in a sealed, plastic bottle, being one liter or less in size. One bottle of water per person is allowed.
The Astros will also continue to offer several of the popular ticket specials that have been available in recent years:
Price Matters Days presented by H-E-B
This offer, which is available for every Monday through Thursday Astros game, includes one View Deck II ticket, one hot dog, a bag of H-E-B chips and one soda for $10, which represents a savings of over 50 percent. Also, for $10 more, fans can purchase a lower level seat in the Bullpen Boxes.
All You Can Eat
For $30, this deal includes a Mezzanine game ticket and unlimited hot dogs, popcorn, peanuts, nachos, soda and water and is available for every home game. Groups of 20 or more are eligible to purchase this package for $25.
Coca-Cola Value Zone
This offer, which is available for every Friday, Saturday and Sunday game, includes a Mezzanine ticket and Astros cap, as well as a hot dog and Coke product beverage for $20.
POWERADE Double Play Tuesdays
This offer, which is available every Tuesday, features two Outfield Deck tickets for $2. Additionally, fans can now also purchase two Field Box II tickets for $40, which is new in 2012.
9-Inning Lunch Break
This package is offered for weekday, 1:05 p.m. games and includes a Field Box ticket and $20 in Minute Maid Park food and beverage vouchers, which is a $61 value, for $45, a savings of $16 per ticket.
Dynamic Pricing
This offer is available for every Astros home game for select seats. Prices, which fluctuate based on demand, can represent up to 50% in savings per ticket.
Special Fundraising Pricing
Charities and community organizations can earn up to $10 per ticket by selling discounted Astros tickets.
Group Ticket Specials
With the Astros Group Ticket Program, groups of 20 or more can purchase discounted tickets. Group discounts can be as high as 50% per ticket, depending on the size of the group.
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The 1986 Astros reunion: celebrating good times and great baseball memories.
Who doesn't love a good "Where Are They Now" story?
Under normal circumstances, finding out Where They Are Now takes quite a bit of digging. But for a few hours over the weekend, there was no need to search far and wide for such information on the 1986 National League West champion Houston Astros.
Where Are They Now? On Saturday, many of the '86 Astros were all together, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel near the old Astrodome.
The annual TRISTAR Houston Collectors Show brought together 18 members of that '86 team, a group that lives in Houston baseball history as one of the most beloved, ever. The characters of that team are as well-remembered as the heart-stopping moments that defined that season. TRISTAR hosted an '86 Astros reunion as part of their two-day show at Reliant Arena, and also on the agenda was a reception that brought the team back together for a 90-minute question and answer session between paying patrons and the former Astros players.
The lot of 18 included manager Hal Lanier, Jose Cruz, Bill Doran, Jim Pankovits, Billy Hatcher, Nolan Ryan, Dickie Thon, Alan Ashby, Kevin Bass, Phil Garner, Bob Knepper, Glenn Davis, Danny Darwin, Jim Deshaies, Terry Puhl, Mike Scott, Jeff Calhoun and Craig Reynolds.
The group gathered in the lobby of the hotel before the formal program began, and like any class reunion, it was a happy scene. Many of the players from that team are still in baseball, and still more live in Houston. But in terms of getting together and catching up on old times, such occasions rarely, if ever, take place. That makes events like this special, and fun to watch from the sidelines. It also served as a nice precursor for the season-long celebration the Astros are planning to commemorate their 50th anniversary in 2012.
Emceed by SportsRadio 610's Rich Lord, the Q&A session sparked laughter and reflection. Lanier was grilled on why he lifted Knepper from Game 6 of the NLCS, and Ryan, asked what his favorite moment was in his 27-year career, cited the 1969 World Series with the Mets, "Because it was the only time I played for a World Series title."
The Astrodome, unsurprisingly, came up in conversation more than once. "I drove by the Dome today and thought, "Man. I wish there was something we could do to preserve it," Doran said. "It's a special place."
The whereabouts of a few of the '86 Astros are more well-known than others. Following a long run as a radio announcer for the Astros, Ashby moved on to work in the same capacity for the Blue Jays. Garner is mostly retired, but is working on a part-time basis with his original team, the Oakland A's, and will be with them during Spring Training. Cruz is still with the Astros as a special assistant.
Hatcher and Doran are both with the Cincinnati Reds, Hatcher as a coach and Doran as a special assistant. Pankovits managed the Astros' Short Season A TriCity team to a New York-Penn League championship in 2010 and is now a coach in the Mariners' system. Davis is active in the hotel business and children's ministries in Georgia, and Puhl is a local businessman and baseball coach for the University of Houston-Victoria. Bass is also locally based, working in real estate. Thon coaches in Puerto Rico; Lanier does the same in the Independent Leagues. Reynolds is a pastor at Second Baptist Church in Houston.
And Ryan? "I'm just out signing Japanese ballplayers," the Rangers owner said to a chorus of laughs.
Scott? "I travel, golf, and babysit my granddaughter."
Deshaies: "I say clever things like, 'That's right, Brownie,' and dream of being like Mike Scott."
Simply put, this was a great night.
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Astros president Pam Gardner resigns, will become special advisor to Jim Crane.
The Houston Astros and Astros Owner and Chairman Jim Crane announced today that Pam Gardner has voluntarily resigned from her role as President of Business Operations and will become a special advisor to Crane.
"The Astros have been a very important part of my life for more than 23 years," Gardner said. "It truly has been a joyful and rewarding experience. I'm very proud of what we have been able to accomplish as an organization and the important role the Astros play in the life of our city and region.
"With the upcoming 50th anniversary of the club and the 2013 move to the American League, this is an ideal time for a fresh start. The Astros are in very good hands with Jim Crane and his impressive ownership group. The best is yet to come."
"Pam's leadership has been instrumental to the Astros success and reputation for many years," Crane said. "She is an invaluable resource and we look forward to her continued service to the Astros in her new role."
Gardner has been with the Astros for 23 years, served as president for 11 years and held the honor of the longest tenured female executive in Major League Baseball. She has been recognized professionally on several occasions over the years, most recently being named one of 20 women listed as "Game Changers" by Street and Smith's Sports Business Journal in 2011. She received the prestigious Marguerite Ross Barnett leadership award from the Houston Area Urban League in 2008 and was also named one of the "Women on the Move" by Texas Executive Women and the Houston Chronicle.
In November of 2006, Gardner became the first female executive inducted into the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame. In April of 2005, Gardner was recognized by the Sports Business Journal as one of the 20 Most Influential Women in Sports. She was also included in a special exhibit at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, saluting women in baseball.
Under Gardner's leadership, Comcast Sports Net Houston was formed in the fall of 2010 and will televise Astros and Rockets games beginning in 2012-13, as well as ancillary team programming. She also played a major role in the building of Minute Maid Park (formerly Enron Field), and oversaw the completion of the Urban Youth Academy in northwest Houston. In 2011, she helped plan and implement two new HD video scoreboards at Minute Maid Park and the private Insperity Club behind the home plate area. During her tenure, she led the Astros business group in hosting playoff events at Minute Maid Park including the 2004 All-Star Game and the first World Series game played in the state of Texas in 2005.
Gardner originally joined the Astros in 1989 as director of communications, developing advertising and marketing campaigns for the club. In 1994, she was named director of marketing, where her role expanded to include more strategic planning. Gardner became vice president of marketing in 1996, overseeing advertising, marketing and ticket sales for the Astros, with emphasis on growing general revenue areas.
Gardner was named senior vice president of sales and marketing in 1999, and added sponsorship sales and marketing operations to her responsibilities. She spearheaded the advertising and marketing efforts for both the team and the new ballpark in its inaugural season and led the development of the new logo and uniform design that the team currently utilizes. The club also set franchise attendance records in two consecutive seasons (1998-1999) in the Astrodome, in addition to the current franchise standard set in 2004 at Minute Maid Park.
Gardner currently serves on the board of the Astros in Action Foundation, the board and Executive Committee of Central Houston, Inc., which she will chair in 2012 and is a member of Texas Executive Women and the Greater Houston Partnership. She is a member of the Board of Directors of Newfield Exploration Company.
What offseason? Players are working out now, and we have the pictures to prove it.
Remember when ballplayers used to show up to Spring Training fat and out of shape after spending the offseason either working a part-time job or sitting on the couch eating potato chips?
Yea, me either.
That routine died out generations ago. Once players started making enough money to support themselves year-round, they were able to concentrate on staying in shape, and some — maybe even most — actually do just that.
The Astros have always had a large number of players who work out in Houston during offseason, for two reasons: a) the team's strength and conditioning coach, Dr. Gene Coleman, makes himself available throughout the winter to conduct workouts in the home clubhouse, and b) Houston's mild climate in the winter makes the city a destination spot for many players looking to establish year-round roots. With so many players living in Houston or spending a healthy portion of the offseason here, it's easy to utilize the Minute Maid Park facilities to get in the daily workouts.
Some players have been here the entire offseason. Others started coming by after Thanksgiving, and a few began their Minute Maid Park workouts when the calendar flipped to 2012. In total, anywhere from 12-15 players have had a presence here this winter.
MLB.com reporter Brian McTaggart recently dropped by the weight room to check it out for himself and gave a rundown of players, which includes Wandy Rodriguez, Humberto Quintero, Bud Norris, Chris Johnson, Brett Wallace, Brian Bogusevic, Angel Sanchez and Fernando Rodriguez. Jarred Cosart, one of the club's top pitching prospects after arriving in the trade with the Phillies last year, has been working out with Coleman most of the offseason. Catcher Carlos Corporan and catching prospect Chris Wallace have been spotted there as well.
"We had workouts starting the last week in October up until about a week before Christmas," Coleman told McTaggart. "We had nine weeks of workouts there, and we developed a base to start with, and we started developing strength the second time through. And now we're trying to maximize strength and develop some power and get them ready for Spring Training."
Reliever Fernando Rodriguez will appear with Milo Hamilton on Astroline Thursday at 7 CT at Buffalo Wild Wings in Midtown. Astroline can be heard on 740 KTRH and will be streamed live on Astros.com. As always, you can tweet me your questions for Rodriguez and we'll read them on the air.
The schedule for Astroline shows through February is as follows (guests TBD):
Wed. January 25
Thurs. February 2
Wed. February 8
Wed. February 15
Thurs. February 23
Wed. February 29
On April 28, athletes from all over the country will come together at Minute Maid Park to honor Joe Niekro at the 3rd Annual Knuckle Ball…A Pitch for Life.
At the peak of his Major League Baseball pitching career, Niekro was famous for his command of the knuckleball, a baseball pitch with an erratic, unpredictable motion. Like a knuckleball, Niekro's life took an unpredictable path on October 27, 2006, when he died suddenly from a ruptured brain aneurysm. In honor of his memory, his daughter, Natalie Niekro, created The Joe Niekro Foundation, with a mission to raise funds for brain aneurysm research, and treatment, and help bring public awareness to this devastating condition affecting as many as 1 in 15 people.
A number of former players from the Astros, Major League Baseball, NFL and NBA will be on hand at the black-tie gala. The event will feature a reception, formal dinner, silent and live auction. Joe's brother and Hall of Fame pitcher Phil Niekro will serve as the evening's Master of Ceremonies, with a special presentation of The 2012 Joe Niekro Humanitarian Award to Haynes and Boone, LLP Partner and current Chairman of the Board of the Harris County -Houston Sports Authority, J. Kent Friedman.
To kick things off, special performances from country music superstars Chuck Wicks and Trailer Choir will take place at Dan Electro's Guitar Bar on April 27.
Proceeds from the musical concert will also benefit The Joe Niekro Foundation and brain aneurysm awareness. The two hit acts will also make a special appearance at The Knuckle Ball gala.
For tickets and more information on both events and The Joe Niekro Foundation, visit http://www.joeniekrofoundation.org/knuckleball.
The Astros have several part-time positions available, including jobs in Guest Services, Tour Guides and the Box Office.
You can find a complete list of job opportunities available here, or an application can be filled out simply by dropping by Union Station during business hours.
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Astros CAREavan begins Feb. 1. Full schedule posted here.
The Astros CAREavan will begin on Wednesday, Feb. 1 and will cover central and south Texas, Oklahoma City and the Houston area. In addition to a number of private stops, the Astros players and staff will participate in free autograph signings in each city at Academy Sports + Outdoors.
The team will make two-day trips to Austin (Feb. 1-2), Brownsville, Harlingen and McAllen (Feb. 1-2) and San Antonio (Feb. 2-3), travel to Corpus Christi and Victoria (Feb. 3), and head to Oklahoma City (Feb. 6). The team's annual winter trek will also visit five different communities in the Houston area (Feb. 6-10). More than 30 Astros players, alumni, coaches and front office staff will take part in the 2012 CAREavan. A summary of the team's activities and the players participating are listed below and a list of stops open to the public is posted at www.astros.com/careavan. *Players may be added and are subject to change.
The 2012 CAREavan is part of a two-week winter baseball festival that includes the annual Baseball Dinner and the Astros In Action Foundation's FanFest. On Friday, February 10, the Astros In Action Foundation and Minute Maid will host the 27th Annual Baseball Dinner benefiting the Grand Slam For Youth Baseball scholarship program. This year's dinner will highlight 50 years of Houston baseball. Past Astros MVPs will be honored and the evening will feature awards given to current Astros and other area baseball standouts.
FanFest will be Saturday, February 11, from 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. at Minute Maid Park. The one-day fundraising event will feature autograph sessions, a garage sale of Astros merchandise, mystery grab bags and new experiences including the opportunity to run the bases. Fans will be able to meet the new ownership group and hear from Astros General Manager Jeff Luhnow at Talkin' Baseball sessions. Proceeds from FanFest benefit the Astros Urban Youth Academy. Information about CAREavan, the Baseball Dinner and FanFest is available at www.astros.com/community.
The full CAREavan schedule is as follows:
Outer Markets – FEBRUARY 1-3 AND FEBRUARY 6
Wednesday, February 1 – Austin, TX
Jordan Lyles, J.B. Shuck, Kyle Weiland, Doug Brocail, Dave Raymond
Cedar Park Middle School
- 1:15 p.m. – 2:10 p.m.
- Fielder's Choice assembly
- Open to all media
RBI Austin Baseball and Softball Clinic
- 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- Open only to pre-registered youth players and all media
Ronald McDonald House
- 5:15 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
- Open to all media
Academy Sports + Outdoors
- 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
- Open to fans and all media
Wednesday, February 1 – Brownsville, TX
Jose Altuve, Jimmy Paredes, Fernando Rodriguez, Alex Trevino
- 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
- Lunch service for fans
- Open to fans and all media
Lucio Middle School
- 1:30 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
- Fielder's Choice assembly
- Open to all media
Welcome to Brownsville Reception
- 2:45 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
- Open to all media
CAREavan Baseball and Softball Clinic
- 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
- Open only to pre-registered youth players and all media
Academy Sports + Outdoors
- 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
- Open to fans and all media
Thursday, February 2 – Austin, TX
Jordan Lyles, J.B. Shuck, Kyle Weiland, Doug Brocail, Dave Raymond
Dell Diamond Children's Hospital
- 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
- Open to all media
River Oaks Elementary
- 2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
- Fielder's Choice assembly
- Open to all media
Thursday, February 2 – Harlingen, TX and McAllen, TX
Jose Altuve, Jimmy Paredes, Fernando Rodriguez, Alex Trevino
Memorial Middle School
- 1:00 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
- Fielder's Choice assembly
- Open to all media
Welcome to McAllen Reception
- 2:15 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
- Open to all media
CAREavan Baseball and Softball Clinic
- 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- Open only to pre-registered youth players and all media
Academy Sports + Outdoors
- 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
- Open to fans and all media
Thursday, February 2 – San Antonio
Jarred Cosart, J.A. Happ, Humberto Quintero, Angel Sanchez, Larry Dierker, Brett Dolan
RBI San Antonio Baseball and Softball Clinic
- 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- Open only to pre-registered youth players and all media
Academy Sports + Outdoors
- 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
- Open to fans and all media
Friday, February 3 – San Antonio
Jarred Cosart, J.A. Happ, Humberto Quintero, Angel Sanchez, Larry Dierker, Brett Dolan
- 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
- Lunch service for fans
- Open to fans and all media
Adams Elementary School
- 2:00 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
- Fielder's Choice assembly
- Open to all media
RBI San Antonio Baseball and Softball Clinic
- 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- Open only to pre-registered youth players and all media
Friday, February 3 – Corpus Christi, TX and Victoria, TX
Brian Bogusevic, Chris Johnson, J.B. Shuck, Shane Reynolds, Milo Hamilton
Flour Bluff School
- 10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
- Astros story time
- Open to all media
Corpus Christi Hooks Luncheon
- 11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
- Open to luncheon ticket holders and all media
CAREavan Baseball Clinic (Victoria)
- 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- Open only to pre-registered Victoria NW Little League players and all media
Academy Sports + Outdoors (Victoria)
- 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
- Open to fans and all media
Monday, February 6 – Oklahoma City, Okla.
David Carpenter, Milo Hamilton
Oklahoma City RedHawks Luncheon
- 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
- Open to RedHawks guests only and all media
Mercy Health Center
- 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
- Open to all media
Tinker Air Force Base
- 3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.
- Open to all media
Oklahoma City RedHawks Season Ticket Holder Reception
- 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
- Open to RedHawks season ticket holders and all media
Academy Sports + Outdoors
- 7:15 p.m. – 8:15 p.m.
- Open to fans and all media
Monday, February 6 – Houston
Jason Bourgeois, Bud Norris, Bobby Meacham, Brad Mills, Bob Watson, Jimmy Wynn, Jim Deshaies
- 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
- Lunch service for fans
- Open to fans and all media
Clemente Martinez Elementary School
- 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
- Real Men Read MENtoring event
- Open to all media
Carver High School/Astros Urban Youth Academy
- 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
- Careers in Baseball panel discussion
- Open to pre-registered Urban Youth Academy members and all media
Academy Sports + Outdoors
- 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
- Open to fans and all media
Tuesday, February 7 – Sugar Land
Chris Johnson, Bud Norris, Brett Wallace, Doug Brocail, Brett Dolan
Colony Meadows Elementary School
- 1:45 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
- Fielder's Choice assembly
- Open to all media
Methodist Sugar Land Hospital
- 2:45 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
- Open to all media
Ft. Bend Family YMCA
- 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- Open to all media
Academy Sports + Outdoors
- 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
- Open to all fans and media
Wednesday, February 8 – Spring
Brian Bogusevic, Jason Bourgeois, J.D. Martinez, Brad Mills, Jose Cruz, Jim Deshaies
AVANCE Houston/Southwest School
- 2:00 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
- Fielder's Choice assembly
- Open to all media
CAREavan Baseball and Softball Clinic at The Edge
- 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- Open to pre-registered members of Orwall and South Montgomery youth leagues and all media
Academy Sports + Outdoors
- 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
- Open to all fans and media
Thursday, February 9 – Cypress
Jed Lowrie, J.D. Martinez, Brad Mills, Alex Trevino, Jeff Luhnow, Bill Brown
CyFair College Branch Library
- 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
- Bilingual Astros story time
Spillane Middle School
- 2:30 p.m. – 3:10 p.m.
- Fielder's Choice assembly
- Open to all media
CAREavan Baseball Clinic
- 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- Open to pre-registered members of the CyFair Sports Association and all media
Academy Sports + Outdoors
- 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
- Open to all fans and media
Friday, February 10 – Katy
Jason Castro, Jed Lowrie, Brett Wallace, Bill Brown
Brookwood Community
- 11:00 a.m. – 1:15 p.m.
- Astros attend Brookwood Pep Rally, tour the residential community for adults with functional disabilities
- Open to all media
Methodist Hospital West
- 1:45 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
- Open to all media
Academy Sports + Outdoors (Katy)
- 3:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
- Open to fans and all media
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Dennis Liborio: loyal employee, clubhouse staple, one of a kind.
In the spring of 1988, a cocky, sunburnt kid from New York sauntered into the Astros' clubhouse at their Spring Training facility and said to the man standing at the door, "I'm looking for Yogi Berra."
"And who the heck are you?" the man snapped.
"I'm Craig Biggio," the kid snapped back. "Where's Yogi?"
"Oh boy," the man said to himself. "This guy's going to be a beauty."
And from there, a friendship was born. Biggio, fried to a crisp after driving from New York to Florida with the top down on his convertible, and Dennis Liborio, a rough-around-the-edges but soft-hearted Bostonian, eventually became friends, and the two evolved into family over the next 20-plus years.
Liborio is retiring after 32 seasons as the Astros' clubhouse manager due to health issues. While he's not a household name to Astros fans, his departure comes as a sad blow to generations of players and staff who grew close to Liborio during their time in Houston.
You may recall reading about Dennis in this blog. Two years ago, we ran a semi-regular feature called "Who's in Dennis' chair?" Dennis' office in the Astros' clubhouse often doubled as a who's-who of baseball notoriety, for one simple reason: everyone loves Dennis, and everyone loves to visit Dennis. As a result, the big, comfy black chair in his office was rarely vacant.
Larry Andersen. Phil Garner. Luis Gonzalez. Biggio. Jeff Bagwell. Past players from every decade. Former Astros who were now opponents. Everyone managed to stop by Dennis's office, because, simply, Dennis' office was the place to be.
It wasn't just players who liked to visit. In 2000, the year the Astros' new ballpark opened, George W. Bush, who at that time was preparing for his presidential campaign, walked into the clubhouse, threw his arm around Dennis' shoulder, and proclaimed, "This is my running mate!" within earshot of the large contingent of reporters.
Right on cue, Dennis responded, "We'll show them how to get this country straightened out." One particular reporter who apparently lacked a sense of humor rushed up to the pair and said, "I just want you to know you can't have two people on the ticket from the same state." Without hesitation, Liborio chortled, "That's all right. I'm from Massachusetts!"
Clubhouse and equipment managers are more than just support staff workers. They're the eyes and ears of the inner-workings of the team. Everyone and everything that enters and leaves the clubhouse goes through the clubhouse managers, and discretion is one of the biggest components of their game. A ballplayer relies heavily on his equipment/clubhouse manager, which is why the ties that bind them together during a player's career usually carry on for decades, long after the uniform comes off for good.
Take Dennis and Nolan Ryan, for instance. For decades, they traveled together to Las Vegas every offseason for the rodeo. The first night of their very first trip, Dennis walked into the lobby of the hotel wearing a 10-gallon hat, cowboy boots and a pair of jeans with a huge western belt buckle. "Here comes the Boston Cowboy," Nolan said in his thick southern drawl. "Nolan, I've heard of the Boston Strangler," Dennis responded, "But never the Boston Cowboy."
It was during one of those Vegas trips many years later when Dennis' longtime sweetie, Geraldine, blurted out, "Darn it, Dennis, when are you ever going to marry me?" In typical "Diamond Denny" fashion, he answered, "How about now?" And the two went through a drive-thru and tied the knot, Vegas-style.
A few weeks later, a box weighing no less than 70 pounds arrived to the clubhouse. "What the…?" Dennis said. Inside was a jumbo-sized steel ball and chain, courtesy of Gonzo, with a note that said, "It's about time."
Liborio started his baseball career in Wally Pipp fashion in 1969, when he was 14 years old. He'd hang out near the Red Sox' clubhouse at Fenway for no particular reason, except to watch the players come in and out. He became such a fixture there that finally, the Red Sox clubhouse manager decided to put him to work. One of the clubhouse kids was out sick with mono, and Dennis filled in by taking the uniforms to the dry cleaners. He ended up staying on four years.
In 1977, the manager of the Dodgers' clubhouse called Dennis and asked him to work for him. Dennis was the Dodgers' assistant equipment manager until November of 1979, when the Astros came calling. Traveling secretary Donald Davidson and Assistant GM Gerry Hunsicker called Dennis' boss and said, "We have an opening. Do you know anybody?" And just like that, Dennis was in his way to Houston to run the Astros' clubhouse.
Dennis has been with the Astros for all nine playoff appearances and was with them when they clinched the first, and only, pennant in 2005. He's watched more than 5,000 Astros games. During his tenure, Houston's record was 2,596-2,471.
"Dennis is truly one of my best friends," Biggio said. "Behind every great, successful team, there is a great clubhouse man. That's what Dennis was for us. For me, he's been an awesome human being and did an unbelievable job. He will be missed."
More quotes from notable Astros:
"Dennis is one of a kind. Of the countless people I've met in the game, he is among my favorites. It just won't be the same without him in that clubhouse. As players, he was our team 'Mom' … not afraid to give you grief, but always had your back." — Jim Deshaies, current Astros TV analyst and Astros pitcher from 1985-91
"Dennis Liborio is an Astros institution. His many years of faithful service to the organization are greatly appreciated by the players he has helped during his tenure. Thank you, Dennis, for all you have done for me and so many others. The clubhouse won't be the same without you." — Lance Berkman, Astros 1B-OF from 1999-2010
"I felt like Dennis was one of the top equipment and clubhouse managers that I ever worked with. He always had a real passion for the game and was truly committed to the organization. I hope he enjoys his retirement." — Nolan Ryan, Astros pitcher from 1980-87 and current Texas Rangers president
"Dennis was wonderful to us. There was never a dull moment in that clubhouse, no matter how bad you were going. He was so much fun to be with, but was always so on top of everything. We appreciated him because he honestly cared about us. I miss him more than anyone I was with in Houston." — Bill Doran, Astros infielder from 1982-90
"When I got to Houston in 1990, we had a young team those first few years and Dennis was a father figure to a lot of us. He really took care of us. We had so much fun sitting in his office, listening to him holding court and telling great stories. He was incredible to us. Over the years, our families built a strong bond and even shared season tickets for the Aeros games since Dennis loved hockey so much." — Luis Gonzalez, Astros outfielder from 1990-95
"Dennis will be greatly missed. He brought me to Houston with him and is the reason I am here today. I love the guy and appreciate everything he has done for me and for the Astros." — Barry Waters, Astros longtime Traveling Secretary who also worked with Liborio in the Dodgers clubhouse prior to coming to Houston in November of 1979
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Astros notes: Bud, C.J., Astroline, College Classic and an appearance by the '86 Astros.
We still have a month or so before Spring Training, but that doesn't mean your Astros have gone into hibernation until it's time to head to Florida. In fact, this week will feature two appearances by Astros players, one online and one in person.
Starting pitcher Bud Norris will participate in an online chat with fans on Wednesday, Jan. 11 beginning at 6 p.m. CT. The chat, which will last approximately 30 minutes, can be accessed here. You must be a registered member in order to ask a question.
On Thursday, third baseman Chris Johnson will be Milo Hamilton's guest on Astroline, beginning at 7 p.m. The show airs live on 740 KTRH and Astros.com and will take place at Buffalo Wild Wings on Gray St. in Midtown. C.J. is planning to bring some autographed items to hand out as well to the folks in attendance at the venue.
The Houston College Classic will take place at Minute Maid Park March 2-4. Details and ticket information will be released soon, but in the meantime, here is the schedule and participating colleges:
Friday, March 2, 2012
Noon Texas Tech at Arkansas
3:30 p.m. Tennessee at Houston
7:00 p.m. Texas at Rice
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Noon Arkansas at Houston
3:30 p.m. Texas at Tennessee
7:00 p.m. Texas Tech at Rice
Sunday, March 4, 2012
11:00 a.m. Arkansas at Texas
2:30 p.m. Houston at Texas Tech
6:00 p.m. Rice at Tennessee
Tickets are still available for the 2012 Houston Baseball Dinner Benefiting Grand Slam For Youth Baseball's Scholarship Program, which will include a special celebration of the Astros' 50th Anniversary.
2012 will mark the 27th season of the popular dinner, which will take place on Friday, February 10 at 7 p.m. at the Hilton Americas Hotel in downtown Houston. The event is sponsored by the Astros In Action Foundation and Minute Maid, with proceeds benefiting the Grand Slam For Youth Baseball Scholarship Program.
In addition to honoring the top players from the 2011 ballclub, this year's dinner will include a special 50th Anniversary tribute featuring Astros Hall of Fame broadcaster Milo Hamilton and a long list of former Astros team MVPs, including Bob Watson, J.R. Richard, Jimmy Wynn, Larry Dierker, Jose Cruz, Enos Cabell, Bob Aspromonte and more. Phil Garner, manager of the 2005 NL Champion Astros, will also be in attendance. Members of the 2011 Astros scheduled to attend include J.D. Martinez (Rookie of the Year), Wandy Rodriguez (Pitcher of the Year) and Jason Bourgeois (Darryl Kile Award) and manager Brad Mills. Former Astros Hunter Pence (2011 MVP) and Lance Berkman (Houston Area Player of the Year) will also be recognized at the event, but are unable to attend.
Additionally, longtime Astros television broadcaster Bill Brown will receive the Fred Hartman Award for Long and Meritorious Service to Baseball. 2011 marked Brown's 25th season as the Astros play-by-play TV voice.
As part of the 50th Anniversary celebration, a special VIP reception will be held prior to the dinner, at 6 p.m., and will feature several of the former MVPs and current Astros players. A limited amount of MVP tables for 10 that will include tickets to the dinner and the VIP reception will be available for purchase for $2,500.
Dinner attendees will also have the opportunity to bid on several attractive items at a silent auction, with those proceeds also going to the GSFYB Scholarship Program.
Tickets for the dinner are priced at $100 each or at $1,000 for a table of 10, and can be purchased online at www.astros.com/baseballdinner or by calling Jo Russell at 713-789-0626. General information on the dinner is available at www.gsfyb.org, via email at firstname.lastname@example.com or by calling 713-259-8686.
Speaking of former Astros stars, a large number of members of the 1986 Astros will be appearing at Reliant Arena for the TRISTAR Houston Collector's Show Jan. 20-22.
Among the familiar faces slated to appear: Nolan Ryan, Kevin Bass, Alan Ashby, Phil Garner, Jose Cruz, Danny Darwin, Hal Lanier, Mike Scott, Glenn Davis, Billy Hatcher, Bill Doran, Jim Deshaies, Dickie Thon, Terry Puhl and Bob Knepper.
TRISTAR also offers the opportunity to attend a VIP reception for the '86 Astros reunion.
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Bagwell receives 56 percent of Hall of Fame votes, up significantly, but still not enough
Jeff Bagwell received 41.7 percent of the Hall of Fame votes last year, his first year on the ballot, so a nearly 15 percent increase this year, to 56 percent, is encouraging.
Many of you want Bagwell and Craig Biggio to go into the Hall together next year. I am guessing Biggio goes in on his first try, and if so, that means Bagwell will need to make an even bigger jump in 2013 — by 19 percent — in order to garner 75 percent of the votes needed to garner election to the Hall of Fame.
Here is the release from the Hall of Fame, including vote percentages for this year's candidates:
(NEW YORK, NY) – Barry Larkin, a 12-time All-Star, nine-time Silver Slugger and three-time Gold Glove winning shortstop, was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers' Association of America in balloting verified by Ernst & Young.
Larkin, 47, will be inducted into the Hall July 22 at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, N.Y., along with the late third baseman Ron Santo, who was elected last month by the Golden Era Committee. Also to be honored over Induction Weekend will be Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun with the J.G. Taylor Spink Award for baseball writing and television analyst Tim McCarver, the former major league catcher, with the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting.
A total of 573 ballots, including nine blanks, were cast by BBWAA members with 10 or more consecutive years' service. Players must be named on 75 percent of ballots submitted to be elected. This year, 430 votes were required.
Larkin, who was in his third year of eligibility, received 495 votes, for an 86.4-percent plurality. His vote total reflected a 24.3-percent gain from the 2011 ballot, the largest jump in one year to gain election since 1948 when pitcher Herb Pennock received 77.7 percent of the vote after having tallied 53.4 percent in 1947. Larkin's jump is the largest for any Hall of Fame election in which at least 400 ballots were cast. The previous highest was the 16.4-percent jump by first baseman Tony Perez from 1999 (60.8) to 2000 (77.2).
Larkin's election brings to 297 the number of elected Hall members. Of that total, 207 are former major-league players, of which 112 have been through the BBWAA ballot. Larkin is the 24th shortstop elected to the Hall and the 11th by the BBWAA. He is also the 48th Hall of Famer who played his entire career with one club and the third to do so for the Cincinnati Reds, joining catcher Johnny Bench and 19th-century second baseman Bid McPhee.
A Cincinnati native, Larkin played 19 seasons for the Reds and batted .295 with 2,340 hits, including 441 doubles, 76 triples and 198 home runs. He drove in 960 runs, scored 1,329, stole 379 bases and had more walks (939) than strikeouts (817). Larkin became the first shortstop to join the 30-30 club when he had 33 home runs and 36 steals in 1996. He was voted the National League Most Valuable Player in 1995 by the BBWAA and hit .353 in the Reds' World Series sweep of the Oakland Athletics in 1990.
The only players other than Larkin to gain more than 50 percent of the vote were pitcher Jack Morris with 382 votes (66.7%), first baseman Jeff Bagwell with 321 (56.0%) and reliever Lee Smith with 290 (50.6%).
Players may remain on the ballot for up to 15 years provided they receive five percent of the vote in any year. There were 13 candidates who failed to make the cut this year (30 votes), including 12 of the 13 players who were on the ballot for the first time. The only first-year candidate who received sufficient support to remain was outfielder Bernie Williams with 55 votes (9.6%). Two-time American League MVP Juan Gonzalez got 23 votes (4.0%) and fell off the ballot in his second year of eligibility.
Other holdovers that will remain on the ballot in addition to Morris, Bagwell, Smith and Williams are first basemen Mark McGwire, Fred McGriff, Don Mattingly and Rafael Palmeiro; outfielders Tim Raines, Dale Murphy and Larry Walker; designated hitter-third baseman Edgar Martinez and shortstop Alan Trammell.
The vote:
Barry Larkin 495 (86.4%), Jack Morris 382 (66.7%), Jeff Bagwell 321 (56.0%), Lee Smith 290 (50.6%), Tim Raines 279 (48.7%), Edgar Martinez 209 (36.5%), Alan Trammell 211 (36.8%), Fred McGriff 137 (23.9%), Larry Walker 131 (22.9%), Mark McGwire 112 (19.5%), Don Mattingly 102 (17.8%), Dale Murphy 83 (14.5%), Rafael Palmeiro 72 (12.6%), Bernie Williams 55 (9.6%), Juan Gonzalez 23 (4.0%), Vinny Castilla 6 (1.0%), Tim Salmon 5 (0.9%), Bill Mueller 4 (0.7%), Brad Radke 2 (0.3%), Javy Lopez 1 (0.2%), Eric Young 1 (0.2%), Jeromy Burnitz 0, Brian Jordan 0, Terry Mulholland 0, Phil Nevin 0, Ruben Sierra 0, Tony Womack 0.
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MGS2: Twin Snakes Review
Though certain new additions sit uneasily against the seven-year-old framework, and the genre may have evolved, at its height, very few titles can match this Metal Gear for sheer style and panache.
To call the game's sound effects and music a success however, really wouldn't be doing it justice. From bullets leaving barrels, casings hitting the ground, punches and kicks connecting with enemy flesh and rockets and grenades exploding, to the revamped Metal Gear theme and beautifully haunting melody accompanying the game's ending - through every scratch, bang and step along the way - Twin Snakes is an aural tour-de-force for the GameCube.
'Twin Snakes is an aural tour-de-force for the GameCube'
The cinematic ambitions of Metal Gear Solid, however, have never been in question, and Twin Snakes merely builds on these for the Matrix generation. Instead, much furore has surrounded the series' interactive elements and the way these mix with the decidedly non-interactive cutscene and codec moments. For Twin Snakes this is no less true; the watch-to-play ratio often being heavily weighted towards the former, yet the cosmetic changes of the game's cinematics are joined here by the gameplay options of MGS2, making the game a hybrid of new direction and elevated control that propels both the out-of-play and in-game experience.
On the surface, the gameplay additions work well. Control is mapped from the PlayStation pad to the GameCube with little fuss; the lack of two extra buttons is cleverly bypassed by pressing Start with either A or B to access the Codec screen and Pause menu respectively. The lack of the lock-on L1 button of PlayStation 2 MGS2, meanwhile, is not an issue, as Snake now locks onto guards automatically, while first person view is assigned (with some awkwardness) to the Z button. The control system does lack the fluidity of more recent titles in the genre (this is no Splinter Cell), and the camera is still stubbornly top-down, but it's all familiarly and unmistakably Metal Gear. MGS2's hiding in lockers, holding up guards and first-person firing only serves to reinforce this fact, as does the use of the latter of these in the game's ever-memorable boss fights. This is an update, not an overhaul.
Sadly, the effects of this ideology are double edged. The new additions are fun to play with, but these new gameplay options sit against the framework of this new old Metal Gear less convincingly than they do against its sequels. Areas originally designed without these new interactions in mind now face a new approach which skews the difficulty curve unfavourably towards the first time player, meaning the lower difficulty settings present less of a challenge than they did previously. Admittedly, increased enemy AI helps correct this somewhat, especially in Hard and Extreme modes, but the further lack of any reason to engage guards directly (Sons of Liberty's precious dog tags are little more than an easter egg here, and offer no hidden extras for they're collection) makes the option to resort to ranged sniping all too tempting. And in areas that were never designed with sniping in mind, with fewer enemies than now needed to make progress a challenge, and (by today's standards) relatively sparse environments, it takes a disciplined gamer or dedicated fan to wield these abilities in the gameworld the way Kojima would hope.
The Twin Snakes is, then, less balanced than both the original Metal Gear Solid and its other subtitled series brethren. Additionally, Bonus Theatre and Boss Survival modes ripped directly from MGS2 are nice enough additions in themselves, but serve also to remind GameCube owners that this is not a sequel, or even a remake of the old original 8bit Metal Gear games that started it all, as many had hoped upon announcement of a GameCube MGS title. As a remake instead of an old game, the question of developer laziness has to be raised, and the notion that Nintendo loyalists have once again been fobbed off in favour of the PlayStation brand is hard to shake.
Yet, looking past game-development politics, what Twin Snakes represents is important. More than just a lazy cash-in, it's a preservation of Hideo Kojima's own special art. It renders the Metal Gear Solid heritage - one of gaming's most important memories - timeless; to be enjoyed by an already adoring public, those that missed it the first time, those too young to play it then, or those not around then to remember. It's retro made modern, with a post-modern plot message that will still be relevant in a decade's time. Overall, Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes is an experience; comfortingly familiar for diehard fans and ready-made for today's more demanding generation. Though certain new additions sit uneasily against the seven year-old framework, and the genre may have evolved past the truncated structure of its original (and still-present) PlayStation base, at its height, very few titles in the genre can match this or any Metal Gear for sheer style and panache.