text:
It was part of Margaret Thatcher's revolution in the 1980s, along with privatisation and getting on your bike, and has been gathering pace ever since. Outsourcing – employing private sector providers to deliver public services – is now so firmly entrenched that today the UK public sector makes greater use of outsourcing than the commercial world.
'It shouldn't matter if providers are from the state, private or voluntary sector – as long as they offer a great service,' David Cameron proclaimed in 2011, launching his government's Open public services white paper. 'The old narrow, closed state monopoly is dead.'
The white paper, published in July 2011, redoubled the pledge to open up delivery of public services. And in the two years to July 2014, advisory firm Information Services Group says the total contract value of public sector outsourcing agreements was £51bn compared with £30bn for the private sector over the same period.
However, the past 30 years of increased outsourcing has by no means been an easy ride, and the outsourcing landscape is littered with casualties.
Among the starkest examples is the electronic tagging of offenders, contracted out by the Ministry of Justice to G4S and Serco, which an audit in 2013 discovered had led to overcharging that ran into millions of pounds. Another watershed was the abrupt exit earlier this year of Circle Holdings from the running of Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Cambridgeshire, after a damning Care Quality Commission report. For detractors of public sector outsourcing, the catalogue of cost-overruns, delays and mismanagement seems long.
On the other hand, the impetus driving new outsourcing deals remains strong. As austerity prompts further belt-tightening, the lure of short-term cost savings encourages toe-dipping across both central and local government, as Cameron's 'better services for less money' mantra strikes a chord.
A greater reliance on hard evidence both for and against outsourcing would help, argues Quentin Maxwell-Jackson, an independent consultant and former KPMG partner who has advised on numerous outsourcing projects in the UK. He is the author of a report by the independent, liberal think-tank CentreForum, which set out to unearth the common factors shaping success and failure of both outsourced and in-house service delivery.
'Too often in the past the decision to outsource or retain services in-house was taken for ideological reasons – on the basis of "public bad; private good" or vice versa,' Maxwell-Jackson says. 'That kind of prejudice has led to numerous bad decisions which have cost the taxpayer billions.'
He believes a disproportionate focus on failure glosses over many examples of public sector provision trumping the private sector, such as Directly Operated Railways, which until recently ran the East Coast Mainline after National Express gave up the franchise in 2009. Or, on a smaller scale, street cleaning in the London Borough of Southwark, which improved after the council brought the service back into public ownership.
However, both proponents and opponents of public sector outsourcing agree that comprehensive, evidence-based analysis of the success or otherwise of projects is lacking.
'There needs to be a much better understanding of what is actually going to deliver the best service, case by case. But unfortunately our research shows that in public services the same mistakes get made over and over again,' Maxwell-Jackson warns.
In particular, he criticises inadequate metrics on performance, frequently compounded by the absence of a clear output-based specification. 'Often projects are not adequately defined and it isn't clear what success means. It's about having good information and knowing how to measure and manage it,' Maxwell-Jackson says.
A dearth of procurement skills across the public sector, combined with poor risk assessment, are at the root of many problems, other examples show. Transport for London's 30-year PPP contract for infrastructure modernisation with Metronet is a case in point.
Metronet began work in 2003. By 2007 the company had entered administration, resulting in a loss to the taxpayer of somewhere between £170m and £410m, according to a National Audit Office report. In addition the Department for Transport had to make a grant payment of £1.7bn to help purchase Metronet's debt.
Kerry Hallard, chief executive of the National Outsourcing Association, which represents both buyers and suppliers of outsourcing services, notes that appropriate procurement skills are also a big factor. 'We have been lobbying government to break down deals into smaller chunks. However, it's disappointing that we're still not seeing the right skills development on the part of local and central government that the industry needs,' she says. 'There aren't enough skills in the public sector to manage single supplier contracts, let alone multi-source arrangements. A lot of failures are due to clients not being able to manage the contract and governance not being good enough.'
The establishment of the Crown Commercial Service in 2014 was an attempt to address many procurement shortcomings. But even today, sharing of best practice is far from widespread and a lack of visibility surrounding contracts makes it impossible to work out how well providers are performing or call government to account for the way services are delivered, warns Tom Gash, director of research at independent think tank the Institute for Government (IfG).
A report on contract management by the Public Accounts Committee published in December 2014 in the wake of the tagging debacle called for open-book accounting and published contracts to become the norm. In an earlier report, the PAC noted that only one third of public contracts are currently agreed on an open-book basis and that even where increased transparency has been agreed, the facility is rarely exploited due to a lack of capability within the responsible departments.
In March, Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude committed to trialling a new transparency clause in contracts with private and voluntary sector suppliers, drawing on recommendations made by the IfG. They include publishing fees paid to government suppliers, details of main subcontracting arrangements and all-important performance data.
In the same month, CIPFA published proposals for implementing improved open-book contract management. In a briefing paper the organisation argued that the commissioning body and contractor should agree to share a proportion of both profits and losses, helping to mitigate the impact of unforeseen risks and costs. This arrangement would bring greater focus on value for money rather than lowest-cost bidding.
It is a model that has already been successfully pioneered within the UK construction industry, where a two-stage process has been adopted. In the first stage, a client invites outline bids with cost estimates. The client then works with shortlisted bidders to build full proposals, before finally awarding the contract at the end of the second stage.
CIPFA chief executive Rob Whiteman argues that open-book provisions should mitigate risk, while also improving efficiency and delivery. 'This is far too important an area for government to just let slide, and it needs leadership and direction from those who decide where public resources are spent,' he argues.
One of CIPFA's concrete suggestions is that bids for major contracts should be independently audited. This measure would help to ensure that proposals are properly costed, helping to avoid the strain that results when a contractor bids low to secure work and then claws its way into profit afterwards.
The NOA's Hallard says the open-book approach is not without issues. 'There are a lot of very innovative pricing models emerging and for suppliers, that is part of your intellectual property,' she argues. 'If you publish how contracts are priced, you're taking that competitive advantage away. The largest outsourcing providers aren't in favour of open-book contracting but those wanting a bigger share of the public sector pie generally are.'
The aims of open-book contracting are laudable, says Nick Jones, UK director of cost & project management at construction services firm AECOM. But the approach has to be practical too, he warns. Without pragmatism, the quest for transparency can easily add cost and erode value.
'It is essential that public sector senior management understands and buys into this, and has the governance and control to ensure it cascades down to procurement officers and is implemented in practice across the entire project cycle,' he says. 'This demands cultural change that many programmes can't afford, either in time or in objective setting.'
Other objections are more philosophical. Campaign group We Own It describes the current outsourcing process as 'old fashioned and undemocratic' as public services are handed over to private providers under a veil of commercial confidentiality. 'We don't believe that private organisations are the best to run services because there's a conflict of interest between profit makers and the need for a public services ethos,' says We Own It's founder and director, Cat Hobbs.
We Own It is calling for new laws on transparency and accountability in public service contracts – in particular a Public Service Users Bill that would give the public access to contracts and performance and financial data, and would put the public interest ahead of corporate interests by forcing the in-house option to be considered.
Before rising for the general election campaign, House of Commons Early Day Motion 438, in support of a Public Service Users Bill, had cross-party support and was signed by nearly 100 MPs. A poll conducted in February suggests there is public momentum behind the campaign; just over two-thirds of the 1,046 respondents believe the public should have a legal right to be consulted and given access to information on the outsourcing of public services.
While moves to increase transparency of contracts would make it easier for both providers and commissioners of services to be held to account, there is a certain convenience to the public sector being able to pass the buck to outsourcers for some of the less palatable or politically-sensitive decisions that are made on their behalf. 'There is a degree of complicity,' Gash says.
A focus on price has created a race to the bottom on wages, fuelling low pay and inequalities, say critics. Staff of privatised services are more likely to earn less, have insecure or temporary contracts and work longer hours than public service employees, according to research by the New Economics Foundation for the Trades Union Congress. And with Oxford Economics analysis suggesting that the public services industry employs 1.2 million people (indirectly it supports more than 2.3 million jobs) the wider social impact of low pay across the sector is not to be ignored.
'Low pay has a huge social impact, necessitating in-work benefits which taxpayers must fund, and making it impossible for large sections of the workforce to prepare financially for their old-age and retirement. This also means we are storing up further costs for future taxpayers,' says Peter Holbrook, chief executive of Social Enterprise UK, the national body for not-for-profit businesses.
Given that 80% of the cost of a contract is people, low staff morale and poor working conditions inevitably have an impact on service quality. The New Economics Foundation report for the TUC found evidence of a higher incidence of hospital infections after contracting-out of cleaning services to private companies, while private prisons have held a higher percentage of their prisoners in overcrowded accommodation than public sector prisons every year for the past 15 years.
Meanwhile, a trend towards complex and very large -scale contracts has reduced the competitive market to a handful of providers capable of bidding for such deals. Even at a local level, years of purchasing services from the lowest bidder on price has left authorities with little real choice over who they can buy services from. The IfG and CentreForum both say breaking down large, complex services into smaller, more manageable packages of work would help to reduce the risk of failure.
There is some evidence that the trend towards outsourcing may be, if not reversing, then at least slowing. 'With the traditional model of outsourcing, there was an assumption you could improve quality and reduce costs. But the public sector is far more efficient than it used to be so the scope to reduce costs isn't there in the way it was,' says John Tizard, an independent strategic advisor and commentator on public policy and public services.
Tizard also believes spending cuts are forcing local authority leaders to question whether they can justify the time needed to run a procurement process properly. 'There's also a bit of a backlash from high-profile cases that make it a bit more challenging politically,' he adds.
While experts say it's essential to see the bigger picture, balancing the long-term needs of an outsourcing contract with a short-term political vision, often spanning only as far as the next election, is a hard nut to crack, exacerbated by cuts to a limited pool of specialists with the commercial capacity, procurement expertise and specialist skills to manage outsourced contracts.
'You have to allow the outsourcer to invest and re-engineer the provision of longer term projects where cost savings come over the long term through new ways of working and economies of scale,' Tizard says. 'We need to look at new models that provide a more realistic transfer of risk.'
Matt Dykes, senior policy officer for public services at the TUC, agrees that each individual case for outsourcing should be made not just on the business case but also a public interest case based on consultation with relevant stakeholders, underpinned by transparency 'from the way we're commissioning it and award criteria to details about the company that has won including its tax status'.
The Public Services (Social Value) Act, which came into force in January 2013, gives councils and central government scope to take into account a broader range of factors than cost and quality, including the social and economic value in the delivery of contracts. But Holbrook says the bigger picture is still lacking in many cases.
For Guy Clifton, head of the local government advisory team at Grant Thornton, a culture that embraces entrepreneurial skills, good leadership, an appetite for risk and a desire to collaborate with suppliers is critical to outsourcing success. 'Culture and behavioural change is more than a nice to have, it's critical. But too many people are fighting fire to think about it, especially at a time of austerity.'


text:
The Complete Sherlock Holmes CollectionHoused in one superb volume, The Complete Sherlock Holmes Collection includes every Sherlock Holmes tale penned by the great Arthur Conan Doyle. With a linked table of contents, you can click on each and every chapter, making for easy navigation through this mammoth omnibus. Included are: A Study in Scarlet The Sign of Four The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes The
Sherlock Holmes: ILLUSTRATED Collection Mobi ClassicsTABLE OF CONTENTS:A Study in Scarlet The Sign of Four The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes The Hound of the Baskervilles The Return of Sherlock Holmes The Valley of Fear His Last BowAppendix: INDEX with stories Arthur Conan Doyle Biography List of Illustrations
Works of Arthur Conan Doyle: (200+ Works) Sherlock Holmes, The Professor Challenger Works, The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard and more Mobi Collected WorksTable of ContentsSherlock Holmes INDEX with storiesA Study in Scarlet The Sign of Four The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes The Hound of the Baskervilles The Return of Sherlock Holmes The Valley of Fear His Last Bow The Napoleonic TalesThe Great Shadow and The Crime of The Brigadier The "Slapping Sal" The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard Uncle Bernac<...
$0.99The Lost World MEGAPACK™ explores strange lands and peoples lost from the rest of civilization -- strange continents, hidden valleys, microscopic worlds, and underground kingdoms are just the tip of the iceberg! With classic stories from well-known authors like Jules Verne, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and Arthur Conan Doyle to more recent works by Lin Carter, Don Wilcox, Eando Binder, and many others,
The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes"Crime is common. Logic is rare. Therefore it is upon the logic rather than upon the crime that you should dwell." Sherlock Holmes is a master at deciphering every chance detail to determine its purpose as a clue linking the entire chain of events together in finding a resolution to the crime. Logic is the manner he adopts in the almost imperceptible movements he makes to flush out the hows, whys
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: IllustratedIn these twelve thrilling stories, the famous London-based detective uses his astute logical reasoning to solve the most complex mysteries brought to mind. A master of disguise, Holmes occasionally takes on varied personas in order to delve deeper into difficult cases, and his love of forensics science is readily on display here. Ever at his side, the loyal Dr. Watson lends a hand, offering up
$11.99This omnibus faithfully chronicles all the sixty cases of Sherlock Holmes by his creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The famous Baker Street detective has captured the hearts and imagination of both the young and old, generation after generation. Now, by popular demand, this precious, complete collection of Sherlock Holmes cases is available to his fans in ebook format! The individual titles in
$2.99"The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes." In this case, the hound is the obvious thing. But it is not supernatural nor devilish nor vengeful. Instead of indicating a connection with the family curse supposedly set in motion by the original founder of the estate in the middle ages, Sir Hugo Baskerville, the attachment is directly established through servants
The Adventures of Sherlock HolmesTo Sherlock Holmes she is always THE woman. I have seldom heard him mention her under any other name. In his eyes she eclipses and predominates the whole of her sex. It was not that he felt any emotion akin to love for Irene Adler. All emotions, and that one particularly, were abhorrent to his cold, precise but admirably balanced mind. He was, I take it, the most perfect reasoning and observing
$2.95Book 1 of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries. This is Dr. Watson's first encounter and adventure with Sherlock Holmes, the world's most famous detective in literature. When Dr. Watson finds himself sharing an apartment with Sherlock Holmes, he tries to get to know his flat-mate better. In the process of doing so, he becomes involved with Holmes in a murder case that took place in a deserted house.
$2.95Book 7 of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries. Sherlock Holmes receives a cipher message from his agent named Porlock predicting the murder of a rich country gentleman. Minutes after he deciphers the message, Scotland Yard informs him that the murder has already taken place, under mysterious circumstances. Sherlock Holmes, together with his friend Dr. Watson, travels to Birlstone Manor to unravel the

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Hanwag Rotpunkt Lady
Where to Buy
sponsored links
Retailers' Descriptions
Here's what other sites are saying:
Free Shipping. Hanwag Women's Rotpunkt Lady Shoe FEATURES of the Hanwag Women's Rotpunkt Lady Shoe Ultra-flexible lightweight outsole Full-length shock absorber Rubber toe cap Available with a Gore-Tex or leather lining EVA wedge sole Dual-rubber compound: Durable outside / cushioning inside Multifunctional tread pattern
- Moosejaw
You can rely on the Hanwag Women's Rotpunkt Approach Shoe when miles of loose choss, steep gullies, and riverbeds stand between you and your climb. Gore-Tex gives this shoe guaranteed waterproof protection that's still breathable for your comfort. Cordura and suede make sure the upper remains durable for many approaches, and the leather lining enhances your comfort with its superior moisture management. Hanwag added a dual-rubber compound midsole for cushioned durability, and the EVA wedge ensures a lot of support for the long hauls. The Vibram crack sole handles steep trails, broken rock, and slippery stones with ease.
- Backcountry.com
Similar Products
Scarpa Crux
$94 - $119
Five Ten Camp Four
Arc'teryx Acrux FL
$146 - $200
The North Face Base Camp Approach
Adidas Terrex Scope GTX Shoe
$96 - $159
AKU Rock Lite II GTX Approach
Asolo Distance
Garmont Dragontail LT
$125 - $169
Hanwag Rotpunkt Lady
currently retails for:


text:
Archive for the 'Baseball' Category
Warning track
Between the poles
Each line represents the area between foul poles at all 30 MLB ballparks (in alphabetically order: Arizona at the top, Washington at the bottom).
Prints available: https://society6.com/product/between-the-poles_print
Beer and a dog
If you're interested, you can get a print of this (and some of my other drawings) here:
Ebony and ivory
Felix + Clayton
Metres, y'all, metres
Flip Flop Fly Ball hiatus
Self-sabotage is something I'm fairly used to. My brain sees things and goes, "Nope, I'm gonna fuck this up on purpose." There was a point where I stopped blogging. Actually, that happened twice. Both time I stopped, slowly got back into it and found that each time, the audience has gotten noticeably smaller. Entirely own fault. I stopped using Facebook last year, and deleted the Flip Flop Flyin' page from there, too. I'd half expected the people who followed my work there to shift, but as far as I can tell, that's not happened. My own fault, and in hindsight, totally understandable. In the electronic age, me saying "follow me on my blog, not on Facebook anymore" is pretty much like releasing a movie on Betamax.
I think that something that ended up being self-sabotage was entirely unexpected: getting into baseball. This happened over ten years ago. Because of that ten year anniversary last summer (Twins vs. Yankees, Yankee Stadium, New York, 27 July 2005) I've thought a lot about the ten years that baseball has existed for me. It took about four years for it to really take over, though. When I split off the sport-y stuff from Flip Flop Flyin' into its own site, Flip Flop Fly Ball, it was purely to allow the FFF followers to look at my drawings without having to wade through baseball-related stuff. But, there was an unexpectedly large amount of interest in FFFB, and pretty soon I found myself with a contract to do a book about baseball.
And that was it for a few years. Looking at the archive on Flip Flop Flyin', I still did non-baseball stuff, but I did a lot more baseball-related stuff on Flip Flop Fly Ball. That began to swing back last year. I kinda felt that I had less and less to say about baseball. I still enjoyed it, still went to Diablos Rojos games, but on the whole, I was enjoying just enjoying it; it not being part of my "career." And personally, that has been a rewarding change. I've enjoyed doing and concentrating more on art than baseball. Baseball is a hobby. And I very much like having that as a hobby. So much of the Flip Flop Fly Ball stuff was about learning and trying to understand a sport and culture that were alien to me. By the time the book came out I began to feel like I was a part of the baseball world; certainly the baseball corner of the Internet. I had carved out the niche-y-est of niches on Baseball Internet: The English Guy Who Watches Mexican Baseball.
Something else that probably can't be ignored is the timing of things. At a point when my personal life was an absolute shambles, I had baseball and I had infographics to distract me. It was very very helpful to think about statistics and facts, organising information into neat infographics at a time when my mental state was the exact opposite: unorganised and emotional. If I read a book about the 1970s Cincinnati Reds then I don't have to think about my failing personal life. If I investigate the history of early 20th century players, I can distract myself from the fact that I am miserable every day.
But, there's only so long you can fool yourself. Several cities and loads of apartments later and I'm still not mentally splendid, but it's time to stop distracting myself. Which is one of the reasons why I'm not gonna be doing much baseball stuff on Flip Flop Fly Ball for the foreseeable future. I'm not killing it off, as much as that is tempting, but I am also not gonna feel guilty anymore about not updating it more regularly. If I want to do something, I will, and if I don't I won't. That may mean there's nothing for a few months or for a year. It's also possible that this simple act of writing about it might free up my mind enough to not feel any pressure to keep going with the site, and stuff might come flooding out. I don't know. But right now, Flip Flop Fly Ball is on an indefinite hiatus.
My Wurld Serees logo
Messing around with baseball stuff
Evan Gattis's head on Tom Jones' body:
Cal Ripken's eyes:
José Bautista's beard-o-clava:
My tribute to the 2015 MLB Division Series
Chicago Cubes (or Rubik's Cubs)
I love seeing dudes go to a game straight from work, wearing a cap with their office clothes.
Game seven
So, there was a game seven. Diablos lost.
At the end of game six, the stadium announcer told us that tickets for the seventh and deciding game in the series would go on sale at 11am the following day (Wednesday). One of the benefits of being freelance is being able to massage your work day a little and nip out to buy tickets for baseball games. I arrived at the stadium at 9.30am. There was already well over 200 people in the queue. I was very thankful I had a backlog of Radiolabs and This American Lifes on my iPod.
It was a boring time. Achey feet. Four-and-a-half hours in line in total. People would have a wander around and come back with different reports of what was going on. That they'd sold out of all the seats in the infield. Or that they only had solo seats left (ie people not being able to sit together). And once I got to the ticket window, at just gone 2pm, there weren't many seats left, but still enough to have families of four sitting together.
Back home, I looked in the mirror and saw I had a bit of sunburn on my left arm and neck. It was weirdly exhausting standing in a line for a long time. I took my shoes off, got into bed and relaxed for a couple of hours. At that point, I was very comfortable with the idea of the Diablos losing the game. The thought of any more games, any more queuing for tickets, had drained a lot of the joy of baseball from me.
And when I did get back to the ballpark, an hour before the start of the game, it was pretty subdued. It stayed that way for two or three innings. The crowd, it seemed, all felt the same as me. Then, after taking a 2-1 lead in the first inning, the Toros de Tijuana got five more runs in the top of the third. Diablos 7-1 down. When the first batter came out for the bottom of the third, the atmosphere perked up. It was like we all individually and simultaneously realised: we have to get into this now!
A run in the bottom of the third. 7-2.
A run in the bottom of the fifth. 7-3.
Two runs in the bottom of the sixth. 7-5.
A run in the bottom of the eighth. 7-6.
Close, but not enough.
I'm not a good loser. I hate seeing the other team celebrate. When the last ball flew into the glove of the Tijuana centre fielder, I turned my head and looked away and then at the floor.
The season was over. It began with Tijuana beating the Diablos on opening day. It ended with Tijuana beating the Diablos in game seven of the quarter-finals. In between those two games, the Diablos were by far the best team in the league. That's what I want to remember from this season.
Diablos Rojos del México, Best Team in the Mexican League, 2015.
From a purely rooting point of view, I want the Diablos Rojos to win tonight. It's game six in the first round of the playoffs (that is to say, the quarter-finals). The Diablos won the first two games at home last Tuesday and Wednesday, and the Toros de Tijuana won their three home games over the weekend. It's a best-of-seven series. The Diablos absolutely need to win tonight. And if they do that, game seven will be tomorrow night.
This season, the Diablos' stadium is a lot smaller (less than 5,000 capacity), and getting tickets is a pain in the arse. They have an online ticket sales but my non-Mexican credit card doesn't work on their site, so when I want tickets for playoff games, I have to go to queue up when the tickets go on sale. For the first two games of the playoffs, my pal Samuel and I arrived 75 minutes before the advertised start time for ticket sales, and we were about 130th in the line.
Once the Toros won game four and assured us of a game six, they announced the sale of tickets on the next day. I was there about an hour and a half early, and the line was a whole lot shorter, but crucially, when I was choosing which section and row to sit in, I could see on the screen that way more people had used the online booking. Not so many tickets still available in my preferred section.
Which brings us to tonight's game. There's a part of me that kinda wouldn't mind if the Diablos lost. When I am there in a couple of hours, I will of course want them to win, but right now, the thought of the Diablos winning, and not knowing what kind of time suck and ballache will occur tomorrow when I want to get a ticket for game seven… well, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if they lost. The thought of getting tickets for game seven, and if they win that, the next two home games in the semi-finals, stresses me out, too much. (I've typed about ticket stress before here.) Plus, it's my girlfriend's birthday on the same day as a possible game one of the semi-finals, and her birthday party on Saturday, the same day as game two. And if the Diablos were to get to the Serie del Rey (that is, the final) then, gosh knows how tough it's gonna be to get non-online tickets from the ticket booth.
All of this comes down to my semi-ambivalence to the idea of playoffs. The Diablos were by far the best team in the Mexican League. So there we go. End of story. Diablos were the best team. But no, we have to endure the idiocy of playoffs where an eighth best team in the league could still conceivable be "champions." In my head, I know that my team were the best team this year, yet we still have to go through this charade. Last season, the Diablos were the best team in the regular season, and won the championship in the playoffs, too. My joy – and it was proper joy – was partly because the coin toss-iness of the playoffs had not got in the way of proving what I already knew. And it'll be the same tonight. I just want them to win so that what I already know will be confirmed by the record books. And if they don't, well, the record books in my head will keep a note, and I won't have to stress about tickets anymore.
¡Vamos Diablos!
Update, 26 August: Diablos won 14-1. There will be a seventh game tonight. Tickets go on sale at 11am. I will, of course, traipse over to the stadium to buy a ticket, return home, then go back to the stadium for the game. I'm not gonna say it's a hard life, just, y'know, it's essentially 2-3 hours wasted in the middle of the day.
Estadio Fray Nano
Something interesting happened last night: I picked a seat in a different section at the baseball park. A bit of background: last season was the, err, last season that the Diablos Rojos were playing in Foro Sol. It is a 26,000 capacity concert venue that just happened to be big enough to fit a baseball field, so when the Diablos' old park got sold in 2000 (I think), they ended up at Foro Sol. Foro Sol was one of those sports venues that objectively is awful but you are fond of it because it's where your team plays and you have a ton of memories based there. Indeed, apart from apartments I've lived in, I have spent more time at Foro Sol than anywhere else in Mexico City. And I've deffo spent more time at Foro Sol than any other sports venue in the whole wide world.
Anyway, Formula One motor racing is back in Mexico City this season. Foro Sol is inside the racing track. And with the renovations that will be taking place, they're putting a corner through the outfield of the baseball field. Thus, the Diablos moved. They will get a brand new city-funded ballpark in 2017, but until then, the team is playing at a local municipal park that they renovated over the winter. It's called Estadio Fray Nano, and it's bloody lovely. Dead small, like 4,000 capacity, which makes the somewhat underwhelming crowds seem a lot better. A crowd of 1,800 looks okay in a 4,000 seater stadium, whereas at Foro Sol, it was a bit rubbish.
The biggest difference between the parks, aside from the size and the understandable price increase (tickets in the section I usually sit in used to be 70 pesos, and are now 100 pesos), is that it's no longer general admission. Your ticket has a seat number now. At Foro Sol I pretty much always sat in the exact same seat. I would rock up half an hour before the game and plonk myself down, six or seven rows above the walkway, just to the right (that is, first base side) of home plate. Now when I buy a ticket, I have to explain kinda where I wanna sit every time. (This also makes the queues at the ticket booths a lot lot slower than before.) At Estadio Fray Nano, I have taken to asking for a ticket in the last row in the middle right above home plate. Last row cos it's still closer than where I used to sit at Foro Sol, and because it's nice not having people behind you, and above that last row is the team owner's box and he has a TV in there so I can peak up and watch replays.
The view from where I used to sit at Foro Sol
The view from where I normally sit at Fray Nano
Last night, though, there were no tickets available in the last row above home plate. This happens at Friday, Saturday, and Sunday games, I've noticed. More people means the good seats tend to get snapped up at the online ticket store. I can't be arsed with buying tickets online. I like a ticket ticket, not an A4 printout. Anyhow, no massive deal, I'll get tickets for me and three pals in the section to the right, back row, next to the steps. My pals would all be arriving a bit later than me, so I went up to my seat, sat down, ordered a Corona, and watched the players warming up.
Something felt different. Something felt right. It was the feeling that I was sat back where I should be sat, just to the right (that is, first base side) of home plate. They are probably "better" seats where I have been sitting, dead centre, but just to the right (that is, first base side) of home plate is where I belong.
The view from where I sat last night
My mate Samuel arrived, we had a chat, watched the planes flying into Benito Juárez International Airport, watched the visiting Acereros de Monclova get a runner to third with no outs and the Diablos go in without conceding a run. Gabriel and Jorge arrived a bit later. It was Gabriel's first Mexican baseball game (he'd seen the White Sox before on holiday in Chicago) and Jorge's first ever baseball game. The sky turned an orange-y pink, the game was 0-0 in the fifth inning, a pretty rare thing in Mexico City.
It was tight, the park was pretty full, the atmosphere was really good, it was a fun night. I was happy. It's good to have the newcomers with you experiencing a good game. Japhet Amador homered off the first pitch in the bottom of the sixth, and by the end of that half-inning, it was 4-0. Monclova got a couple back in the next inning, and that's how it ended. A fun game with baseball virgins. A nice swift sub-three-hour game on a nice not-too-hot-or-nippy evening. You know why, right? I was back home. New home, but back home. Section B2, row M, around seat 140-ish. Just to the right (that is, first base side) of home plate.
Derek Jeter
This is one of eleven infographics I did last September for Sports Illustrated about Derek Jeter's career. You can see the others here: http://flipflopflyin.com/flipflopflyball/info-derekjeter.html
Ten years ago
27 July 2005, ten years ago today, I went to a baseball game for the first time.
Here's the (slightly-embarrassing) blog post I wrote afterwards:
Billy Beane's Oakland Athletics
Here's a chart I did back in March for the Bay Area News Group regarding the Oakland Athletics's general manager Billy Beane.


text:
About Us
Nita Johnson is the president and founder of the World For Jesus Ministries, Inc., a ministry established to reach the world with the love of Jesus. The Ministry's outreach includes:
International evangelistic conferences
Supporting the work of orphanages in third world countries
Africa outreach
We are currently working towards:
-Developing a Christian radio station for Africa
National Outreach for the Healing of America: Gathering of the Eagles
We are in the process of spearheading a movement to bring ministers and intercessors together in a collective interdenominational body in order to spend time seeking the face of the Lord. The purpose is to bring America into national repentance and promote unity within the body of Christ in preparation to receive the coming glory as a national church. Further, we are hoping to see city fathers, state fathers, and national fathers rise up for the care of the church locally as well as nationally. These fathers will have the heart of Paul to shepherd as the Chief Shepherd would.
Nita (LaFond) Johnson
We Believe:
The Bible is the inspired, infallible and authoritative Word of God. We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. We believe in the Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, and in His miracles. We believe n His vicarious and atoning death, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father and His future return to this earth in power and glory to rule over the nations. We believe that the only means of being cleansed from sin is through repentance and faith in the precious blood of Christ. We believe that regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential for personal salvation. We believe that the redemptive work of Christ on the cross provides healing of the human body in answer to believing prayer. We believe in the Spirit-filled life that gives the Christian the power to live a victorious and effective life. We believe in the resurrection of both the saved, and the lost, the one to everlasting life and the other to everlasting damnation.
World for Jesus Ministries, Inc.
English | Chinese (Simplified) | Chinese (Traditional) | Italian


text:
Freedesiblog.com Web Analysis
Our web analysis service harvested the source of this domain . Web server is found to be in United States. Its isp belongs to New York. Latitudes and Longitudes are 40.7391 and -73.9826. This report is generated on 2016-01-26 21:04:09.
|Google Pagerank :
|Alexa Rank :
|1,770,063 Visit Alexa
|Webserver :
|Website title:
Title not found.
|Description not found.
|Keywords not found.
Safety check allows users to check if Freedesiblog.com is safe for children or not? or either this website is fake or a real and legitimate website. This safe browsing check warns users not to visit any website which is marked as red and shows a not safe for child safety check.
|Website Domain
|Bodis, LLC
|New York
|United States(US)
HTTP request is followed by headers sent in a response of http request. These headers were returned when we requested to open the site on our side. These headers are respected by browsers and behaviour changes with specified header information.
Content-Type: text/html
Last-Modified: Tue, 05 Jan 2016 20:41:10 GMT
Accept-Ranges: bytes
ETag: "077bb68f947d11:0"
Server: Microsoft-IIS/7.5
X-Powered-By: ASP.NET
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 2016 02:04:09 GMT
Connection: close
Content-Length: 1323
Whois provider display everyone's info publicly if not hidden by owner. So ownership details including phone num, name, home and business address, etc. All information and contact details exists in whois record.
|Domain Name: FREE***BLOG.COM
Registry Domain ID: 1626050461_DOMAIN_COM-VRSN
Registrar WHOIS Server: whois.publicdomainregistry.com
Registrar URL: www.publicdomainregistry.com
Updated Date: 2015-12-28T03:45:47Z
Creation Date: 2010-11-18T03:49:25Z
Registrar Regist***on Expi***on Date: 2016-11-18T03:49:25Z
Registrar: PDR Ltd. d/b/a PublicDomainRegistry.com
Registrar IANA ID: 303
Domain Status: OK https://icann.org/epp#OK
Registry Registrant ID:
Registrant Name: li hongbo
Registrant Organization: N/A
Registrant Street: shangdi 10th street,haidian dinstinct,
Registrant City: beijing
Registrant State/Province: beijing
Registrant Postal Code: 100090
Registrant Country: CN
Registrant Phone: +86.13699150795
Registrant Phone Ext:
Registrant Fax:
Registrant Fax Ext:
Registrant Email: [email protected]
Registry Admin ID:
Admin Name: li hongbo
Admin Organization: N/A
Admin Street: shangdi 10th street,haidian dinstinct,
Admin City: beijing
Admin State/Province: beijing
Admin Postal Code: 100090
Admin Country: CN
Admin Phone: +86.13699150795
Admin Phone Ext:
Admin Fax:
Admin Fax Ext:
Admin Email: [email protected]
Registry Tech ID:
Tech Name: li hongbo
Tech Organization: N/A
Tech Street: shangdi 10th street,haidian dinstinct,
Tech City: beijing
Tech State/Province: beijing
Tech Postal Code: 100090
Tech Country: CN
Tech Phone: +86.13699150795
Tech Phone Ext:
Tech Fax:
Tech Fax Ext:
Tech Email: [email protected]
Name Server: ns1.***is.com
Name Server: ns2.***is.com
Registrar *** Contact Email: [email protected]
Registrar *** Contact Phone: +1-2013775952
URL of the ICANN WHOIS Data Problem Reporting System: http://wdprs.internic.net/
>>>Last update of WHOIS database: 2016-01-27T02:04:09+0000Z<<<
For more information on Whois status codes, please visit https://icann.org/epp
Regist***on Service Provided By: BIGROCK.COM
The data in this whois database is provided to you for information purposes
only, that is, to ***ist you in obtaining information about or related to a
domain name regist***on record. We make this information available \"as is\",
and do not guarantee its accuracy. By submitting a whois query, you agree
that you will use this data only for lawful purposes and that, under no
cir***stances will you use this data to:
(1) enable high volume, automated, electronic processes that stress or load
this whois database system providing you this information; or
(2) allow, enable, or otherwise support the ***mission of m*** unsolicited,
commercial advertising or solicitations via direct mail, electronic mail, or
by telephone.
The compilation, repackaging, dissemination or other use of this data is
expressly prohibited without prior written consent from us. The Registrar of
record is PDR Ltd. d/b/a PublicDomainRegistry.com.
We reserve the right to modify these terms at any time.
By submitting this query, you agree to abide by these terms.
Indexed Pages Charts Shows You Overall Progress Of Your Site's Indexed Page.
Backlinks Charts Shows You Overall Progress Of Your Site's Backlinks.
Load Time Charts Shows you Overall Progress Of your Site's Load Time.
Freedesiblog.com's Current Load Time is : 0.478 (Sec)
Graphs are best way to analyse data in a second. That's why we showed you this format of data. These pictures shows plotted lines showing ups and downs in traffic. Have a look please.
|Alexa Reach Rank
|Alexa Traffic Rank
|Compete Rank
|Quantcast Rank


text:
Showing 289-319 of 319 items
- Sort by:
4204 Main Street Brewing Company - Alton
This restaurant is known for the many varieties of beers that complement the food. Brews include Blonde Ale, Chocolate Stout, Saison ( a farmhouse ale brewed in the Belgian style), several different IPA's. Hefeweizen and more. Menu includes certified angus beef steaks, pastas, seafood, burgers and sandwiches.
Piasa Winery and Pub is open all year long. With live music every weekend May throughout October. 16 craft beers on tap and select fine wine.
Features new and repurposed home furnishings, antiques, candles, soaps and gifts. Hours of operation are Saturday 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. and Sunday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Miles Davis was born on in Alton, IL on May 26, 1926 and is noted as one of the most influential jazz muscians of the 20th century. Over his lifetime, Davis won nine Grammy awards and recorded more than 100 albums. In 2006 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Created by sculptor Preston Jackson, the bronze statue stands in the middle of the Miles Davis Memorial Plaza.
Settled among orchards and sprawling farmland, the 11,000-square-foot Grafton Winery, aptly named "The Vineyards," has ample space for a new wine production facility, comfortable seating, a bar and a fireplace. A 5,000-square-foot pavilion with a view of the new vines offers space for outdoor seating, wedding receptions, corporate events, team building, family reunions, and class reunions.
Wild Hare Emporium offers a wide variety of unique items perfect for gifts. They also offer antique furniture, home decor and collectibles. This is one store you don't want to miss. Open Wednesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Scenic views are the centerpiece of this 7,000 yard, 18-hole Arnold Palmer designed golf course. The deceptively open design places a premium on accurate iron play in order to get close to the pin. This course is challenging enough for the skilled player but enjoyable for the recreational golfer as well.
Offers furniture that has been artistically redesigned and repurposed as well as creating custom pieces to fit customer needs. Open Thursday 12 p.m. - 8 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., and Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Bluff City Grill Restaurant and Bar
Bluff City Grill, located on the edge of Historic Downtown Alton, offers a classic dining experience and a relaxing lounge bar. The menu is exciting and diverse and features daily lunch, dinner and drink specials.
TreeHouse Wildlife Center is a non-profit wildlife rehabilitation center dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and release of native injured and orphaned wildlife. Located on approximately eight serene and beautiful acres, it's the ideal environment for injured or orphaned animals who need time to recuperate. Visitors are welcome to come out for a self guided tour of the outdoor cages at our Dow facility. Guided tours also available. We are open from 10am - 3pm everday.
Home decor in a variety of themed styles. Clocks, mirrors, lamps, and furniture at warehouse prices. Open Thursday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Chubby's Warehouse Bar & Grill
Taking a cruise on the motorcycle today? Come to Alton and stop at Chubby's Warehouse Bar and Grill. Chubby's offers good food at a great price and ice cold beer. Spacious indoor and outdoor seating available. Must be 21 to enter. Open Tuesday - Thursday 11 a.m. - 1 a.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. - 3 a.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. - 1 a.m.
Aunt Sha's Cottage Furniture carries used and refurbished furniture at affordable prices. If you are looking for something for your first apartment or a piece to add to your cottage style, Aunt Sha's is the place for you. Open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Duke Bakery is a full line retail bakery specializing in wedding cakes, specialty cakes, donuts, pastries, pies, breads, buns, and cookies since 1951.
The McCully Heritage Project is a natural area made up of 940 acres of hills and hollows in Calhoun County, Illinois. The project offers 15 miles of hiking and horse back riding trails, two ponds for fishing and turtle watching, a wetland with a boardwalk, a hill prairie plot and more. Hiking is pleasant even in the summer as the wooded trails provide plenty of shade. Facilities are available for group activities, large and small. The focus of the McCully Heritage Project is upon cultural and environmental enjoyment, education, and preservation. The general public is welcome to hike, picnic, bird watch, and enjoy the natural beauty of the site. The McCully Heritage Project is located about 1 mile south of Kampsville, Illinois, off of Illinois Route 100. Take Crawford Creek Road west about 1/2 mile to MHP.
Wolves Crossing was built in 1993 and features open, rolling landscapes with manageable length and plenty of open space. Located just 15 minutes north of Alton, Wolves Crossing is an excellent choice for golf outings, tournaments, company outings and fund raisers.
Offers local and imported beers, Irish whiskeys and a food menu featuring an Irish wrap, cottage pie, and corned beef brisket served in this Irish themed pub.
JMC Design offers a distinctive selection of local artisans works, fair trade merchandise and essential oils. Some of the items offered are pottery, wall art, jewelry, bird houses and so much more. Unique gifts for all ages. Hours of operation are Wednesday - Saturday 12 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Over Night Stays in an Historical House located on Main St. in the heart of the rivertown of Grafton. Within walking distance of riverfront, marina, specialty and antique shops, restaurants, wineries and bars. Sleeps up to 10. Short drive to nearby waterpark and hiking, biking trails.
The Woodlands Golf Club & Banquet Facility
Designed around a winding creek and elevation changes, The Woodlands is known as a "shot-makers" paradise. Enjoy breathtaking views from the clubhouse which overlooks the 18th green. The banquet facility can seat 250 and is an ideal location for receptions, parties and more. The Red Barn, also on the golf course property, is available to rent for outdoor weddings.
Stone Bridge Valley Art Center
The Stone Bridge Valley Art Studio is a place to explore the various media available and enjoy the company of others. It's a place to display or sell art and now includes a Gallery Boutique, classes and a working studio.
The Night Market will provide artists, growers and artisan food producers who work 9-5 jobs with an opportunity to sell their wares at a mid-week Market. There are many on-site amenities that will be enjoyed by vendors and shoppers alike, including live bands from 6:00- 9:00 p.m., great food and drinks, restrooms, and electricity for vendor booths. The Night Market place every Wednesday night in the warehouse behind Elijah P's Burgers and Brews.
For over 30 years, Rolling Hills has been providing an enjoyable golf experience and exceptional value for thousands of golfers. Family owned and operated, this 164 acre course facility offers an 18-hole Par 72 course and a 9-hole par 29 Executive course. Rolling Hills offers complete golf, food and beverage services throughout the day. Carts, clubs and practice balls are available for rent. Open daily 7 a.m. to dusk.
The newly renovated Laux Brickhouse Grille is the place to be. Offering great local favorites, daily food specials, and icy cold drinks. Perfect for a casual dinner with the family or a date night. Laux Brickhouse will have your mouth watering the second you walk in the door. Open Monday - Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Thursday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
High Flyers is a neighborhood bar and grill serving a full menu of appetizers, salads, soups, pastas, burgers, and steaks (including our famous Pepperloin kabab with garlic butter) and chicken.
CITY:East Alton
Alton's 100th Halloween Parade
Ghost and goblins beware, the "Most Haunted Small Town in America" will be out in full force at the annual Halloween Parade. See Alton's scariest costumes and comical characters with over 80 participants including floats, bands and parade flair. For more information, call (618) 462-7527. The parade will begin at the corner of Washington Avenue and Broadway and continue on Broadway to Piasa Street. The parade will then turn right onto Piasa to 9th Street.
October Sunday Brunch at Pere Marquette Lodge
Bring the family for a beautiful day at the Lodge and enjoy the stunning fall scenery of the River Bend. Enjoy live music in the Great Room and then join us for our traditional everything you could possibly want to eat super buffet. We accept reservations for parties of six or more. Children 0-3: Free Children 4-11: $9.95 Adults 12 & Up: $19.95 For more information, call (618) 786-2331 ext. 502.
Explore our menu at the Great Rivers Tap & Grill. Special menu items are hand crafted and made from scratch by our own Chef Kenny and his trained culinary staff. Food is served daily 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Join us for Karaoke every Friday and Saturday hosted by Partytime DJ starting at 10:00 p.m. Open Friday & Saturday as late as 3:00 a.m. serving beverages. Grab a refreshing cocktail or sip one of our 16 carefully selected local, craft and domestic beers on tap.
The Woodlands Golf Club & Banquet Facility
If you want to play golf at a course that gives you impeccable value and leaves you with a golf story your buddies will drool over, look no further ... From hills 'n' hollers, to 80 foot bluffs, and a winding creek intertwined throughout the course, The Woodlands is known for it's incredible layout and smooth-rolling greens.
Come golf with a little bit of history at the oldest family owned golf course in the area. Cloverleaf has been a family owned and operated golf course since 1931. Cloverleaf provides the perfect golf getaway for all golfers. The course provides a sufficient challenge for seasoned golfers to have a good time, but also makes a great course for new golfers to learn the game.
Belk Park at 234-acres is the largest park in Wood River.Located on Rock Hill Road at the eastern edge of the city. In addition to the 18-Hole Championship Golf Course, the present facilities include a lake with fishing, picnic areas, a ball field, children's playground equipment, shelters (which can be rented by visiting City Hall), woodland and open space. Belk Park has a clubhouse for rent with a nice-sized multipurpose room and seating for 168.
CITY:Wood River


text: July is a great time to live and work in Webster City! It's even busier than June was and we had a great time at Summer Nights in June. New members in the last couple of weeks are Prime Life LLC, 15 Below Photo and Phusion. That makes 31 new members this year! We're happy to be supporting small business in Webster City and it's a real pleasure to work with new and old members.


text:
History Of Europe Colonial Expansion
A selection of articles related to history of europe colonial expansion.
Original articles from our library related to the History Of Europe Colonial Expansion. See Table of Contents for further available material (downloadable resources) on History Of Europe Colonial Expansion.
- Celtic Gods and Heros: Celtic Gods of Mainland Europe
- Speakers of Celtic languages once dominated a swath of Europe stretching from Spain to areas of modern-day Turkey. At various times in their heyday from 500 to 100 B.C., these Celtic peoples controlled what is now France, southern Germany, northern Italy,...
Deities & Heros >> Celtic, Welsh, Irish & Brittish
- The Horned God in India and Europe
- Of all of the Gods that we honor in Paganism today probably the most revered is the Horned God, in the shape and form of Cernunnos. Pick up some modern Pagan literature and chances are he is in there, listen to conversation at a Moot and you will hear him...
Deities & Heros >> Celtic, Welsh, Irish & Brittish
- Story of the Celts: The Ancient Celts
- The Ancient Celts [ 8 ] What is surprising to most modern readers is just how widespread across Europe the Celts once were. The Celts have been called the "Fathers of Europe," that is north of the Greco-Roman Mediterranean. Long before the Germanic...
History & Anthropology >> Celtic & Irish
- Indian History Rewritten
- The Indian civilisation, considered to be the product of clash and subsequent inter mixture of the white-skinned civilised invaders and the dark savages native to India, has been rightly questioned in recent years, and the mischievously fabricated history of...
History & Anthropology >> Indic / Vedic
- Manifesting World Enlightenment: Part 2
- When thoughts are replaced by silence in the mind, perception arises. It is a part of the modern condition wherein the mind of humanity is constantly overwhelmed, by a million considerations and thoughts. In acquiring silence, the mind is enabled to get out...
Mind >> World Mind
- Origins of the Celts
- Two new groups of people emerge in Central Europe during the late Neolithic (New Stone Age) period, one certainly immigrant. Each group may be distinguished archaeologically by characteristic artifacts found in their respective burial sites. One was a Bell...
History & Anthropology >> Celtic & Irish
History Of Europe Colonial Expansion is described in multiple online sources, as addition to our editors' articles, see section below for printable documents, History Of Europe Colonial Expansion books and related discussion.
Suggested News Resources
- Rise of the Gulf airlines
- The route map on her personal video screen is a starburst of exotic places that she knows many airlines skip, from colonial Entebbe on the shores of Lake Victoria in Uganda to ancient Najaf with tiered buildings in Iraq. ...
- Writers in Residence
- Metacomet, who had initially befriended the colonists and who liked to purchase his clothing in Boston, later led Native American forces in an effort to stop colonial expansion and encroachment.
- Building a Ghanaian national identity - Lessons from the ancient Asante kingdom
- Those familiar with the history of the founding of Asante can already see the parallels. There was Kwaman, Dwaben, Mampong, Bekwai, Nsuta, Kokofu, Kumawu, et cetera, before there was an Asante identity. These micro-states were related to one another by ...
- Eastern US Forest Ecology Changes for Worse Over Time
- The scientist claims that the change to eastern forests can be traced to major changes in land-use history and disturbance regimes. Combined with a ...
Great care has been taken to prepare the information on this page. Elements of the content come from factual and lexical knowledge databases, realmagick.com library and third-party sources. We appreciate your suggestions and comments on further improvements of the site.
History Of Europe Colonial Expansion Topics
Related searchesunified consciousness
dream dictionary playground
sydenham poyntz
home box office history
alton towers facts and figures
baath party structure
radionic treatment
Related books
© 2000 - 2016 Realmagick.com, All Rights Reserved.


text:
Buy Discount Noxide Online
Buy discount oral health dogs buy discount oral health dogs shortness of breath muscle spasms find maxalt online discount prednisolone find 5-htp online.
Buy discount noxide online order sarafem online buy penis extender deluxe girth no rx required triaderm order discount viagra soft + cialis soft.
Order discount penis extender deluxe find carboxactin, find beconase aq online, equinorm.
Testosterone booster patch overnight delivery soma in us order no rx earwash dogs find cheap motilium online, cheap breast enlargement patch online waran deluxe handheld plasma whitening tool free sample.
Free cocaine (crack) strip test discount plendil online mupirocin, bactrim ds.
Find no rx calming formula cats order exelon.
No rx trileptal tonsillitis, thyrox discount advair diskus online buy discount nymphomax buy cheap alesse online ceglution 300, no rx sustiva order viagra super active online order proscar online buy insect repellant patch cod, camcolit, order carisoprodol cod find discount purim, discount clomicalm online.
Zofran in canada find diamox order oxytrol online, oraxim order lukol online, buy procardia online, find metformin online buy discount noxide online.
Buy discount buspar my-e discount zyloprim online verapamil buy 5 panel drug test (thc/coc/amp/opi/pcp), optic neuritis.
Styplon overnight delivery, order cheap valtrex online buy cheap midamor online terbisil cardura online review, find gyne-lotrimin order discount fatblast extreme online buy discount imdur online no rx 5-htp order cheap rogaine 2%.
Claforan buy discount combivent find lh ovulation midstream test online, discount herbolax online find paxil no rx required, himplasia in us order diamox panadol extra.
Buy pyridium in canada, lipitor overnight delivery.
Cree-1200 free sample buy cheap alco screen alcohol test online discount himcolin online, buy discount noxide online buy l-tryptophan in us proscar free sample.
Buy daily best puppies cod maxman, find earwash dogs abana overnight delivery find cafergot online, buy erexin-v no rx required.
Muscle relaxant, buy singulair cod, find discount breast sculptor online buy discount herbal testosterone buy cheap vasotec discount parlodel meloxicam celexa in us, buy discount strontium bone maker online levitra super active nitrofurantoin buy no rx reglan vega h cream dumirox.
Mellaril, find nimotop no rx required find mestinon cod, order l-taurine no rx required buy cheap cystone online order discount medithin find levitra professional buy discount altace online, find hip & joint chews small dogs no rx required buy antiox dogs cod, find discount azulfidine find no rx metabo extreme buy keftab in us order discount cialis super active online, carboxactin free delivery find discount revia online.
Male pattern baldness discount calming formula dogs buy cheap echinacea online, lopid free delivery, rimifon find hoodia gordonii hg p57 online find cheap herbal testosterone buy cheap penisole buy cheap tetracycline online.
Order glucosamine sulfate online.
Find zyban online order discount differin online.
Find insect repellant patch cod find cheap l-arginine patch online super avana (generic stendra & priligy combination), motrin overnight delivery.
Order discount albendazole online, free carboxactin osteoporosis order no rx florinef.
No rx evecare, order furosemide cod, inderal online review, provera buy baclofen online buy hytrin no rx required find cheap zyloprim relafen overnight delivery, buy earwash dogs cod.
Keppra (levetiracetam) find herbolax no rx required uroxatral in us find sustiva cod, alphamox buy cheap 5-htp online novolog buy ismo no rx required discount aceon online, find lexapro zoton discount reglan


text:
Trent Brooks
Art-i is an interactive installation exhibited at the 2012 Vivid Festival in Sydney, Australia. Art-i explores subliminal imagery through colour, form, & texture. The public were invited to explore these themes by painting digital canvas's using body & hand movements.
During the 18 day festival, 94 hours and 46 minutes of interaction led to 2843 artworks being created.
When a new user (or users) begins painting a digital canvas, the settings randomise for the brushes, shapes, textures, etc, and a frame from an old Disney movie/cartoon is selected as the source material. Over the next 2 minutes, every colour is carefully (or randomly) interpreted into the abstract forms and textures generated by the user/s.
Upon completion, the finished digital painting is emailed to the user and uploaded to Facebook and the the Art-i website. Along with the artwork, an accompanying message describes which Disney movie or cartoon their artwork was interpreted from.
"Subliminal stimuli are any sensory stimuli below an individual's threshold for conscious perception. Studies shows that subliminal stimuli activate specific regions of the brain despite participants being unaware".
Visual subliminal messages can also be categorised as static or dynamic. Dynamic subliminal messages are usually flashed quickly at regular intervals, whilst static subliminal messages have a persistent appearance but are not consciously paid attention to by the viewer. A common technique of many generative artists is to source the colours from a selected image and update any programmed visuals (shapes, patterns, etc) with the selected colour palette.
Disney has been notorious for using subliminal messages in their films and cartoons. For example. if you have a good look at the cover of The Little Mermaid, you may be suprised to see hidden erotica in the background. For that reason, along with their recognisability, "feel-good" stories, and beautiful colour pallettes, old Disney movies and cartoons were selected as the theme for source material.
Common generative techniques, such as colour sampling, can be forms of static subliminal imagery.
Made with Openframeworks and OpenNI. Source code for this project is quite messy, but I intend on releasing all the code soon. An iPad app installed on site (also built in Openframeworks) was created to capture user details for emailing the creations and informational purposes.
I also created a handy OSC GUI addon ofxTouchGUI- github.com/trentbrooks/ofxTouchGUI, which was great for remote controlling different aspects of the installation on the fly, and creating the iPad app.
Special thanks to my collaborator Grant Whitehouse.


text:
Community Profile
Regardless of input, output the string 'yes'.
Solve this!
4 years ago
Choose your country to get translated content where available and see local events and offers. Based on your location, we recommend that you select: .
You can also select a location from the following list:
See all countries


text:
The R&D group making media and devices accessible to the disabled
We visit the National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) in Boston to discover what the pressing issues in accessibility are.
We visit the National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) in Boston to discover what the pressing issues in accessibility are.
How to showcase your creative process - and get paid for it by clients
Leading designers, illustrators, creative directors and VFX supervisors reflect on the creative legacy of the London 2012 Olympics.
The Theory explain how they created their innovative short film involving cops, cars and pico-projectors.
Death to the Flippers and Framestore reveal how they spooked Neil Bennett at this year's hottest cinema experience
The days of uninspiring typefaces are long gone, with the latest offerings going in bold new directions, says Anna Richardson Taylor
Our getting-started guide tells you everything you need to know to understand CSS.
If you don't know coding or engineering, just pick it up as you go along.
Aardman's The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists proves there is still a place in people's hearts for stop-motion – and not just footage produced with the most elaborate gear.
Colourist Dado Valentic of Mytherapy reveals how to overcome the challenges inherent in grading stereo 3D footage.
There'll seldom be a better time to get involved in sport-led design, says Laura Snoad
Laura Snoad teases out what makes the best film posters shine and how to succeed in a tough field. Don't miss it
Discover how to purchase tech that isn't just cutting-edge, but will stay so with our guide to investing in products with long shelf lives.
Michael Burns suggests how you can push the boundaries of digital design using projection-mapping, Arduino, Microsoft Kinect & more
Flash is a problem for iDevices, which makes mobile access to a website problematic. Here's what smart shops are doing about it.
Laura Snoad asks the world's best graphic and interactive designers, illustrators and animators to set briefs to inspire your next project. Here are their inspired suggestions.
Kodak is thus the first printer manufacturer to offer cloud printing convenience to existing customers.
Live art events are an opportunity for unfettered creativity, a bit of self-promotion, and pure good fun. Lisa Hassell reveals how to make your day (or night) a grand success
How you can break into web & app design by Craig Grannell
Don't work for a pittance – know the hows and whys of earning a fair reward, says Neil Bennett
Nintendo Switch (Nintendo NX) release date, price, specs and preview trailer: Codename NX console...


text:
Results tagged ' Richmond Flying Squirrels '
Regional Cuisine, Sweet and Extreme
Now that the relentless onslaught of season-opening news has finally subsided, I can dedicate a post to the topic most near and dear to the hearts of Minor League fans everywhere.
But instead of leading with yet another heart-stopping meat-strosity, today's post will begin by highlighting a food and beverage innovation that deserves to catch on throughout the land. The Richmond Flying Squirrels are offering a "Tastes of the Eastern League" special this season, in which they offer a concession item inspired by the home city of their opponent.
Here's the list, with my only complaint being the absence of "Spiedies" when the Binghamton Mets are in town:
Akron, Ohio: Galley Boy – Two cheese burgers topped with a slice of onion and BBQ sauce
Altoona, Pennsylvania: The Pittsburgher – Roast beef, slaw, cheese, and fries on a hamburger bun
Binghamton, New York: Meatball sub
Bowie, Maryland: Crab cake Sandwich
Erie, Pennsylvania: Pierogies
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Chicken Cheesesteak Sandwich
New Britain, Connecticut: Funnel Cake with marinara sauce
Manchester, New Hampshire: Fried Fish sandwich
Portland, Maine: Lobster Cake Sandwich
Reading, Pennsylvania: Philly Cheese Steak sub
Trenton, New Jersey: Taylor Pork roll sandwich
Blogger-ly intuition tells me that the Flying Squirrels aren't the only team promoting league-wide culinary adventures. Are you?
Of course, the Flying Squirrels are offering suitably obscene "Extreme" menu items as well. This is Minor League Baseball we're talking about, after all.
From left to right we have the Giant Burger (two 6 oz. Certified Black Angus patties topped with a mound of Squirrelly fries covered in BBQ sauce, drenched in cheese, served on a Crustini bun), Trolley Dog (giant hot dog covered with chili and cheese, nestled on top of two fried pickles), and the Golden Gate Burger (Two 6 oz. Certified Black Angus patties topped with a mound of Squirrelly fries covered in BBQ sauce, drenched in cheese, served on a Crustini bun). Thanks to Richmond director of broadcasting Jon Laaser for the copious food info.
Meanwhile, out west, the Lancaster JetHawks are making waves with their "Sweet Po-Tater Tots" (with a side of syrup). Now this is how teams should photographically depict premier concession items! Take note:
The Sweet Po-Taters recently caught the eye of CNBC sports biz reporter Darren Rovell, who tweeted the above pic to his legions of followers. This, in turn, inspired the JetHawks to put out a press release bragging about said Tweet. If only I were influential enough to inspire photo-shopped images such as this:
Remaining in the California League, you may recall this recent picture of the Lake Elsinore Storm's "Filthy McNasty," a two-pound burger stuffed with two hot dogs, bacon and cheese….smothered in chili and topped with crispy onion straws.
Well, there's more where that came from. In a distressingly (or perhaps mercifully) photo-free press release, the team also relays the following info:
Another attraction is the "Home Wrecker"….three half-pound chili dogs topped with one-and-a- half pounds of French Fries, two pounds of chili and three-quarters-of-a-pound of cheese and diced onions….If one person can finish this monster dog in less than 20 minutes, it's free!
Other new items added to the 2011 Diamond Club menu include: a one-and-a-half pound baked pretzel with dipping sauces named the "Belly Twister", cheeseburger sliders with soft pretzel buns called "Pretzel Sliders", a bleu cheese stuffed cheeseburger aptly named the "Juicy Bleusy", a jalapeno stuffed cheeseburger called the "Cajun Lucy", a burrito filled with shrimp, fries, guacamole, pico de gallo and cheese named "The Pipeline" and a make-your-own burrito called the "Cardiac Roll."
Update! Here are up-close-and-personal pics of the "Homewrecker" and "Pretzel Sliders":
And here's the Filthy McNasty, about to be devoured:
The Toledo Mud Hens aren't lacking for pictures either, as the team recently released a captivating online menu featuring their new concession items.
Highlights include Deep-Fried Pickle Spears as well as the "Texas Twist" a 24-oz soft pretzel, measuring one full square foot! Served with honey dijon, spicy & fancy yellow mustards.
Knot bad!
Sorry, that's going to have to do. Knot bad. They can't all be weiners.
- Posted on April 12, 2011 at 4:48 pm
- Permalink
- 3 Comments
- Filed in: Minor League Baseball, Promotions
- Tags: compelling tweets, concessions, Darren Rovell, Lake Elsinore Storm, Lancaster JetHawks, meat-strosity, Pretzels, Regional Cuisine, Richmond Flying Squirrels, Toledo Mud Hens
New Dimensions, Old Obsessions
See that new profile pic over there to your right? Like with most things in life, there's a story behind it.
Last week the Fort Wayne TinCaps announced that their Opening Day entertainment would include 3D videoboard elements. This was an original idea, so I wrote a story about it. The team, in turn, sent me some TinCaps-branded glasses and 3D photos so that I could experience the phenomenon for myself. And I, in turn, posted a profile picture featuring myself wearing said glasses.
What I'm getting to (outside of another unintentional example of deeply-ingrained sycophancy) is that this has all spurred an idea. If you want your promo to be featured as part of the Ben's Biz profile pic, then simply send along something that represents said promo to my NYC headquarters (address available upon request). If enough teams respond to this idea, then the profile pic can serve as an ever-changing representation of the latest in Minor League ridiculousness. The zeitgeist, if you will.
And the more ridiculous, the better. I'll pose with just about anything.
To return to more typical content, there are two new prominent food items to share with ya'll — dinner and dessert, weighing a combined 10.5 pounds. In the former category is the Tacoma Rainiers "Cheney 2×4 Burger", which could give the legendary Fifth Third a run for its money:
According to the team, the above consists of: Four 1/2 pound patties stacked double high, eight slices of cheese, eight slices of bacon, eight slices of tomato, and a healthy serving of blue cheese coleslaw on top…all served on a one pound ciabatta loaf.
And for dessert? For that, we'll return to the team that makes no concession concessions: the Akron Aeros. Today the team unveiled "The Screamer," which is built on a one-pound chocolate brownie and includes 21 scoops of hand-dipped ice cream, four bananas, and covered with hot fudge sauce, whipped cream, and sprinkles, served in a full-size souvenir Aeros replica batting helmet.
Photographic evidence of this behemoth is currently scant, but here's Aeros food and beverage director Jason Kerton posing with his latest creation. Memories await, indeed!
Those who regularly eat such items will soon find themselves needing a bypass, and fortunately Minor League Baseball offers that as well. Both the Lehigh Valley IronPigs and Richmond Flying Squirrels have recently announced that they will be offering Bypass Lane technology at the ballpark.
Here's how it works, courtesy of the all-knowing entity that is the press release:
Through Bypass, fans are given the opportunity to view full food and drink menus of select concessions stands in the vicinity of their seats and are able to place orders by paying with a credit card using Bypass' secure payment platform. When the order is ready for pickup, a text message is sent to the fan from the nearest Bypass Lane. Fans can then avoid the line by using the exclusive Bypass Lane at the designated pick-up areas located at the concession stands.
But that is just one of many innovations on offer. I don't have the time to expand upon them now, but suffice to say I believe that Lehigh Valley is the first team to add whimsical pigtails to their parking spaces:
More like a porking space!
Please get in touch, readers. It's the only thing that saves me from myself.
- Posted on March 30, 2011 at 5:52 pm
- Permalink
- 1 Comment
- Filed in: Minor League Baseball, Promotions
- Tags: 3D, Akron Aeros, Bypass, concessions, Fort Wayne TinCaps, Lehigh Valley IronPigs, Parking, Porking, profile pics, Richmond Flying Squirrels
Better Times Are Coming
Despite the season's increasing imminence, last week was an extremely slow one in the world of Minor League news. But such periods of lethargy are to be expected, and flush times will be here soon enough.
Lately, the greatest boom time harbingers have come courtesy of the Richmond Flying Squirrels. Here, in an image akin to a wolf introducing a lamb, Nutzy the Squirrel helps to unveil new mascot Zinger the Acorn:
Zinger isn't the only new character in the Flying Squirrels pantheon, for the team is also currently staging a "Pig Pickin'" contest:
The team issued the following declaration:
The Flying Squirrels have announced a Pig Pickin' Contest where fans are encouraged to vote for one of four piglets to become the team's new Rally Pig. Voting begins today and will run through Thursday, March 3rd, on the Richmond Times-Dispatch website…The winning piglet will be unveiled at the Flying Squirrels' Fan Fest on Saturday, March 5th.
And as for that FanFest? It's a two-day extravaganza:
The evening includes a "Ballpark Bonfire" complete with live music and subsequent on-field sleepover. The fans who do spend the night will have first crack at buying tickets the next morning, and additional festivities that a.m. include the unveiling of the aforementioned "Rally Pig" as well as an "Extreme Eating Contest" (I greatly hope those two events are not related).
Todd "Parney" Parnell, seen above dressed like a cow (for reasons known only to him), is a veteran of staging such extravaganzas thanks to his time spent as general manager of the Altoona Curve. That organization is humming along nicely in his absence, however, and on Monday they unveiled their 2011 giveaway calendar.
The highlight would have to be the "Rudy Owens Perm Hat", in honor of the wonderfully-coiffed southpaw who suited up for the team last season.
Perhaps even more strangely, the team is staging a series of Tom Cruise-related giveaways as part of their "Summer Cruise Series."
The four giveaway nights will be themed with some of Cruise's most electrifying and Oscar-worthy work as an actor and will begin onThursday, June 16 vs. New Britain with an Aviator Sunglasses Giveaway presented by Bud Light….The three other Cruise nights will be the Thursday, July 7 Tighty Whitey Giveaway…the Thursday, July 21 Shot Glass Giveaway…and a Thursday, August 4 Foam Football Giveaway.
Fans who collect all four giveaway items can bring them to September 4's contest, in order to be entered into a drawing to win a cruise. Curve GM Rob Egan attempts to make sense of it all via the following quote:
We came up with the idea for the Summer Cruise series while pulling tarp last season, about as far away from Hollywood or the Caribbean as you can get," said Egan. "We think it will be a lot of fun for our adult fans to remember some of Mr. Cruise's earlier films with some different giveaways – plus have a chance to win a cruise."
Hey, if that explanation is good enough for you then it's good enough for me. But to return to the extremely important issue of "camping out at the ballpark" — in Inland Empire, even Bernie the mascot isn't guaranteed admittance to 2011's slate of games.
- Posted on February 28, 2011 at 1:36 pm
- Permalink
- No Comments
- Filed in: Dailies
- Tags: Altoona Curve, Brian Owens, Inland Empire 66ers, mascots, Nutzy, perms, Rally Pigs, Richmond Flying Squirrels, Zinger the Acorn
You Can Get With This, Or You Can Get With That
The greatest hit in Black Sheep's catalog has been on my mind lately, because it seems that everywhere I turn a Minor League team is saying "The Choice Is Yours."
Want some examples? I've got three of 'em, allowing me to gratuitously use the word "triumvirate." First up are PA's premier iron-toed ungulates, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.
The team is asking fans to choose 2011's "Pig Out Menu Item." The options are as follows:
- The "Three Little Pigs" Sandwich – Feast on this: Three different types of meat featuring four strips of
mouth-watering bacon, over two inches of thick ham and four ounces of succulent pulled pork. A rich barbeque sauce compliments the meat that is served on a fresh Kaiser bun.
- Diggity Dog – The hot dog has been reinvented with Black Angus beef, two slices of hot-off-the-grill bacon and melted American cheese on a hearty steak roll. Savor the taste with ultimate array of toppings including fried onion straws and barbeque sauce.
- Double Blast Burger – Imagine the double cheese-burger flipped on its head! Two, half-pound beef patties, two slices of American cheese, French fries and coleslaw on a fresh Kaiser bun.
- Loaded Fries – French fries crammed with cheese, pulled pork barbeque, chopped bacon, sour cream, chopped tomato and heart-pounding spicy jalapeno peppers. Don't forget to grab some napkins!
Fans can vote on the team's website, with the winner announced on Valentine's Day. And since I'm on the topic of the IronPigs, I'd like to note that each individual staff profile on the team's website contains a smiling or winking animation of said individual. As an example, here's general manager Kurt Landes:
It's hard to move on from that, but move on we must. For in Richmond, the Flying Squirrels are asking fans to "Name the Nut." The team is adding a "fun-loving" acorn mascot to its roster of ballpark characters, and this festive hard-shelled fruit will go by one of the following five designations:
I highly question the wisdom of pairing a squirrel and acorn mascot together. Isn't that the equivalent of teaming up a wolf with a lamb? A raccoon with a fetid dumpster? A humpback whale with its own fat reserves?
But these are questions for another day. Information of a more pressing nature has just emerged from a team which incorporates a triumvirate of states into its name, as the Delmarva Shorebirds have released their promo schedule into the vastness of the internet:
The first-ever Manny Machado bobblehead will probably get the most attention, but in keeping with my already-established "The Choice Is Yours Theme" I'd like to highlight September 2's "NFL Night" giveaway:
The Shorebirds will let the first 1,000 fans choose between a Shorebirds hat in Redskins, Ravens or Eagles colors. Fans are encouraged to choose the colored hat of their favorite team.
I like the Shorebird's creativity on this one, but perhaps a more relevant NFL-themed promo would simply be to lock the players out of the stadium?
- Posted on February 7, 2011 at 2:37 pm
- Permalink
- No Comments
- Filed in: Minor League Baseball, Promotions
- Tags: Black Sheep, cheap jabs, concessions, Delmarva Shorebirds, Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, living off of fat reserves, NFL Night, Nutzy, promos, Richmond Flying Squirrels, staff profiles
Stone Cold Hot Stove Speculation
We are in the midst of "Hot Stove Dinner" season, that time of year when teams stage gala banquets featuring distinguished celebrity speakers, memorabilia auctions, and awkward jokes from suit-wearing media relations directors pressed into MC duty.
I've already written about these dinners in the past, and an exhaustive rundown of that which has or will take place would exhaust the reader while making me feel run down. But in the interest of stirring up what passes for debate these days, I'd like to remark that the Richmond Flying Squirrels have put together what I believe is this year's best Hot Stove Dinner line-up:
— Darryl Strawberry
— Billy Wagner
— Tommy John
— Javier Lopez (San Francisco Giants reliever)
— Eddie Kasko (Played for the International League's Richmond Virginians, 1954-56)
— The entire Flying Squirrels 2011 field staff
— Pat O'Conner, president of Minor League Baseball
Remarkable, no? Would anyone care to dispute my assertion that this is the year's best Hot Stove line-up? If so, put your disputation into email form and send to firstname.lastname@example.com
But let's face it, Hot Stove Dinners are little more than a way to pass the time during the interminable offseason void. One indication that said void is on its way out is that teams have begun releasing 2011 promotional schedules. Observe:
— Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs (favorite promo: Harry Kalas bobblehead, May 16)
— Lakewood BlueClaws (favorite promo: appearance by tag-team tandem of Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff, June 11 )
— Inland Empire 66ers (favorite promo: Lucha Libre Mask Giveaway, July 22)
Also, in the "weekly promo" category, the Lake Elsinore Storm have announced the alliterative beauty that is "Wacky Weenie Wednesday." All fans receive free hot dogs through the seventh inning.
There will be plenty more where all this came from, but like an opponent of the Iron Sheik or an empty beer keg I'm all tapped out for now. Well, except for this. It's a video featuring Conrad the easily-distracted costumed crustacean:
- Posted on January 24, 2011 at 12:50 pm
- Permalink
- 2 Comments
- Filed in: Dailies
- Tags: 2011, Hot Stove Dinners, Inland Empire 66ers, Lakewood BlueClaws, Lehigh Valley IronPigs, opinions, promos, Richmond Flying Squirrels, the future, various interpretations of tapped out
Taking It To The Next Level
I've been so immersed in the world of logo design these past few weeks that there is a slight possibility I may have neglected other notable Minor League happenings.
Did I just write "slight possibility?" I meant "absolute guarantee."
For instance, did you know that that Fort Wayne' Tincaps will be hosting a four-game Pacific Coast League series? Earlier this week, the Tincaps and parent club the San Diego Padres announced that the Padres' Triple-A Tucson affiliate will play the Las Vegas 51s at Parkview Field from July 14-17.
This rare, if not unprecedented arrangement, came about because the Padres are in the process of buying the Triple-A club (formerly the Portland Beavers). Their long-term intent is to move them to nearby Escondido, CA, but until the specifics of that are straightened out the team will play in Tucson.
Except, of course, when they are playing a four-game series in Fort Wayne. Maybe some press release quotes can help ease the confusion you may now be experiencing:
"Our fans can get a taste of Triple-A baseball right here at Parkview Field," TinCaps President Mike Nutter said. "These players are on the cusp of the Major Leagues and several have already reached that level. The opportunity to bring these games to Fort Wayne is a testament to our great relationship with the Padres and their appreciation for all of the support from the team and fans here. It is also another example of the incredible things we can do at Parkview Field."
And from the Padre perspective:
Regardless of the admittedly confusing circumstances that led to this arrangement, the bottom line is that this is great for the Tincaps. It gives them the opportunity to showcase a higher level of baseball at Parkview Field, featuring players who very well may have previously logged time in Fort Wayne in 2009 and/or '10.
Such an opportunity is worth the logistical hassles, an issue I'll explore at a later date. For now, satiate your desire for more info by clicking THIS LINK.
In other, more rodent-based news, the Richmond Flying Squirrels have announced "two comic-themed images of Nutzy which will be featured across all of the club's marketing and branding for the 2011 season."
Here are the images, which show that Nutzy's powers (and pectorals) continue to grow.
That is a seriously determined squirrel, one clearly able to overcome enemies such as greased bird feeders and bb gun-toting teens.
And as for myself, I'm about to overcome the enemy known as "the five-day work week." Have a great Thanksgiving, and please know that I am truly grateful for everyone who reads this blog.
- Posted on November 24, 2010 at 10:42 am
- Permalink
- No Comments
- Filed in: Dailies
- Tags: Fort Wayne TinCaps, Logistical Hassles, Nutzy, Richmond Flying Squirrels, San Diego Padres, Tucson Padres
Updates Schmupdates
And by "updating" I mostly mean "deleting", since many of the blogs listed had unceremoniously fallen by the wayside like so much virtual detritus. Therefore, I am in search of new additions — if there are any Minor League or sports biz blogs you'd like to see listed, then by all means get in touch.
And speaking of "offseason" tasks, Friday's MiLB.com story on offseason work in Minor League Baseball has gotten a robust response thus far. I appreciate this. Along those lines, the Delmarva Shorebirds are currently running a weekly staff profile series that provides insight into the specific tasks associated with various Minor League jobs. Check it out HERE.
And the Lexington Legends made it known that they are currently producing a bi-weekly video series entitled "What the 'L' We Do in the Offseason". I'll go ahead and post episode one here, a decision that may or may not have been influenced by the Legends' prominent use of the Benny Hill theme song.
To move on to a bit of breaking news — it appears that the trio of Connecticut Tigers scarecrows that went missing last week (detailed in Friday's post) have been returned. The team issued a press release today that reads, in part:
The mystery of the stolen scarecrows taken from the Leffingwell House Museum display last Thursday has been solved; partially. The three missing uniforms numbered 57, 58, and 59 have been returned along with two out of the three pairs of uniform pants. The uniforms were found in a pile outside the Dodd Stadium gates during clean-up of the 1st Annual Connecticut Tigers Octoberfest.
And what of the scarecrows themselves? Are they now naked? Clearly, this incident is far from over.
Much closer to "over" are the fundraising attempts of Richmond Flying Squirrels mascot Nutzy. As you may recall, the fearless rodent is hoping to rappel down the side of a building on behalf of the Special Olympics. But he needs help — with less than a week to go, he is still over $500 short of his $1000 goal. Click HERE to donate.
Hope you're having a "rappel" of a time this offseason, doing whatever it is you've been doing.
- Posted on October 18, 2010 at 3:54 pm
- Permalink
- No Comments
- Filed in: Dailies
- Tags: Charitable Endeavors, Connecticut Tigers, Delmarva Shorebirds, Lexington Legends, mascots, Nilsson references, Nutzy, Richmond Flying Squirrels, stolen scarecrows, updates, Who out thre is a Nilsson fan?, you should listen to Nilsson
Almonds Play In the Cantina While Ex-Presidents Inflate and Rodents Rappel
As part of my increasingly desperate attempts to provide content from when Minor League Baseball was still being played on a daily basis across the country, please enjoy this triumvirate of pictures from the Modesto Nuts' "Star Wars Night".
And I'll be honest here: the last time I featured a "Star Wars Night" on this blog I ended up with about 4.2 billion hits. Plenty of people were kind enough to link to it, often with remarks like "check out these hilarious pictures!"
That's something I've learned over the years — pictures are key. Writing, not so much. That's why I would never waste upwards of one hour each day agonizing over pun construction. Of course not. That would be stupid.
But what certainly isn't stupid is a giant inflatable mascot created in honor of a former team president. Behold inflatable Chuck Domino, unveiled during the Reading Phillies' Hall of Fame Night on August 31:
But the Reading Phillies, like almost everyone else, have moved on to offseason concerns. The team is currently providing a series of video progress reports as FirstEnergy Stadium undergoes a $10 million renovation project. Here's Chapter 1:
Domino, meanwhile, is now Chief Executive Manager of the Richmond Flying Squirrels. Today, the Squirrels announced that Nutzy the mascot plans to rappel down a 25-story building next month.
For charity, of course. Sez Nutzy:
Help send me Over the Edge and for Special Olympics Virginia. That's right…I'm hoping to rappel off a 25-story building in downtown Richmond this October! In order to take on this challenge and join other fearless Special Olympics fans on the roof, I must first reach my fundraising goal. With your help I'll be dangling from 400 feet up in no time!
The thought occurs to me that Nutzy should be kept far away from Modesto, as he would probably attempt to store that team's pair of anthropomorphic Nut mascots within the confines of his cheeks.
But such abstract concerns can wait — the playoffs are still going on! Get pumped, Northwest Arkansas fans. Get pumped.
No matter how where you are in your particular baseball journey — postseason, offseason, or otherwise — I thank you for your continued patronage of this blog. You keep looking at the pictures, and I'll keep writing. It's a nice little symbiotic relationship we have going here.
- Posted on September 15, 2010 at 4:19 pm
- Permalink
- No Comments
- Filed in: Dailies
- Tags: Chuck Domino, Modesto Nuts, Northwest Arkansas Naturals, Nutzy, Reading Phillies, Richmond Flying Squirrels, Star Wars Night
A Day In the Life
Tomorrow, as it's been said, is only a day away. And tomorrow's tomorrow, when it becomes the present, presents a bountiful array of enticing presents to fans gracing Minor League ballparks with their presence.
Wishing to continue my reign as a preeminent prescient promotional prognosticator, I now present this truncated list of just what, exactly, is taking place tomorrow. Taken in toto, it serves to illuminate the the voluminous vitality of the Minor League landscape.
I know many of you would like to punch me in the face after reading the above two paragraphs, but you can't. I'm light years away, and ensconced in bubble wrap.
To the list!
Hank Conger Bobblehead Giveaway (Arkansas Travelers) — In honor of the switch-hitting backstop who suited up for the team in '08 and '09.
William Seward Bobblehead Giveaway (Auburn Doubledays) — In honor of New Yorkstate's 12tgh governor, who suited up for the commonwealth from 1839-1842. He later served as Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln. Now he's a bobblehead.
Three World Record Attempts (Bowie Baysox) — As detailed in this week's "Promotion Preview" column, the Baysox are attempting to reach new heights in the categories of "Most People Sitting on a Whoopee Cushion", "Most People Doing 'The Twist'", and "Most People Engaged in Simultaneous Air Guitar."
Farmer Axle Bobblehead (Bowling Green Hot Rods) — It's "Agriculture Night" in Bowling Green, hence a giveaway featuring a tractor-driving mascot.
Lumberstock (Clinton LumberKings) — An all-day festival featuring live music, cornhole tournaments, and plenty of food and drink. "Wood"n't you like to go?
Retro Jersey Giveaway (Corpus Christi Hooks) — An inimitable item mimicking the '80s incarnation of parent club the Houston Astros.
Ryan Dempster Theme Jersey Auction (Daytona Cubs) — Proceeds benefit the Ryan and Jenny Dempster Family Foundation.
Buster Posey Bobblehead (Fresno Grizzlies) — If you want one of these then you better Buster move to Chukchansi Park.
Jimmy Hart Appearance (Lexington Legends) — The "Mouth of the South" attempts to devour Applebee's Park.
Ladies Night w/ Rafe Hernandez (Mahoning Valley Scrappers) — The "Days of Our Lives" star visits Eastman Field, delighting fans with hourglass figures.
Jacoby Ellsbury Bobblehead (Pawtucket Red Sox) — Free to the first 4000 fans age 14 and under. Or at least those, like Ellsbury, who can pass for 14.
Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Jerry Lawler Appearance (Richmond Flying Squirrels) — Because two legendary grapplers are always better than one, unless they gang up on you.
A few odds and ends before closing up shop:
— A new "Farm's Almanac" feature is up now, about the Frederick Keys' "Volt Night" and executive chefs in Minor League Baseball. "Volt Night", in which Top Chef's Bryan Voltaggio manned a concession stand, was a huge hit in Frederick (attracting a near-sellout crowd on a Tuesday night). The Baltimore Sun ran an excellent recap and photo gallery of the event.
— For sheer wordplay lunacy, it will be hard to top the Huntsville Stars' September 6 promotion. The game will be preceded by the "Okra Win-Free Labor Day Marathon". 103 people will split the duties of running the race (no one will "win", see?) and okra will be a side dish in the steak dinner following the race. Plus, an invitation has been extended to Oprah Winfrey, who once ran a marathon. The entire event should be soundtracked by THIS.
— Finally, from the "Why Didn't I Think of That" department, the Lancaster JetHawks have passed along word that they're planning a "90210 Night" promotion for September 2. Get it? 9/02/10. It's been right there in front of us, all along.
- Posted on July 30, 2010 at 12:16 pm
- Permalink
- No Comments
- Filed in: Dailies
- Tags: Arkansas Travelers, Bowie Baysox, Bowling Green Hot Rods, Corpus Christi Hooks, Daytona Cubs, Frederick Keys, Fresno Grizzlies, Huntsville Stars, Lancaster JetHawks, Lexington Legends, Mahoning Valley Scrappers, Pawtucket Red Sox, Richmond Flying Squirrels, tomorrow, you can't get me
Come for the Candy Precipitation, Stay For the Anthropomorphic Legumes
Yesterday's Craig Sager post was linked widely across the internet, once again making me thankful that so many people were forced to gloss over my writing en route to viewing entertaining pictures.
Clearly, it's a formula that works. So now that this unnecessary prelude is out of the way, let me entertain you all with some beautiful still visuals from last weekend's Helicopter Candy Drop in Visalia. No doubt inspired by a similar stunt in Quad Cities, the Rawhide had a helicopter coat the field with confections and then allowed the assembled youth to collect as much as they could:
(Photo Credits: Chris Henstra)
We're entering Norman Rockwell territory with these next two:
Here, P.Nutty does his thing while Nutzy lurks jealously in the background:
P.Nutty and Mr. Nutty participating in the peanut ring toss:
And, of course, Peanuts:
So, to review: The evening featured Nutzy, P.Nutty, Mr. Nutty, and Peanuts. I've got nuttin but love for such a commitment to the theme.
Finally, I leave you with two pictures from Hickory, home of the Crawdads. I recently wrote up the team's "Fan vs. Food" and "Date an Intern" promotions. I'll leave you to determine which is which:
The answer may surprise you!
- Posted on May 21, 2010 at 3:54 pm
- Permalink
- 2 Comments
- Filed in: Dailies
- Tags: Candy, Hickory Crawdads, manifestations of the subconscious mind, mascots, petty introductory comments, Richmond Flying Squirrels, Visalia Rawhide