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U.S. penny bought for $1M
Rare coin struck in bronze instead of zinc-coated steel
Coin collecting may be a hobby that doesn't get much fanfare in everyday life, but when a U.S. penny sells for $1 million, some may think the pastime may make "cents'" after all.
Professional Coin Grading Service announced that well-known collector Bob R. Simpson, co-chairman of the Texas Rangers baseball club, has paid $1 million for the finest known 1943-S bronze cent.
PCGS said the seller was an anonymous long-time collector represented by an East Coast dealer.
The coin is one of only about a half dozen San Francisco Mint 1943 cents struck in bronze instead of zinc-coated steel, the agency said.
"By error, some bronze planchets made it into the hoppers at all three Mints, were struck and released into circulation. These have become the most famous and valuable of all off-metal errors," according to PCGS CoinFacts.
Simpson's rare coin collection now contains the finest known bronze cent from each mint, including the unique 1943-D.
According to reports, Simpson's efforts to acquire the rare coins came as he reminisced about a 1943 "copper" Lincoln cent he found in some change when he was a youngster. However, he said that penny turned out to be a fake.
Distributed by LAKANA. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Sweeping Wave Hipster Swim Bottom
Style: 570067165
Out of Stock
Berry pink brightens our mod scarf print on a bottom with cross-laced grommets at the sides. Wear with the Sweeping Wave Tankini or Bandeau. 84% Nylon, 16% Spandex. Hand wash, cold; line dry. Imported.
- Lined.
- Goldtone hardware.
*Top and bottom sold separately.
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subset: commoncrawl


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It's been a month abuzz with George Clooney. You know who he is the I'm-not-a doctor-but-I-used-to-play-one-on-TV guy. He was pre-McDreamy handsome as Dr. Doug Ross on ER. Then he went on to become a big film star, director and producer. Still handsome.
He's such a public figure, and we (a lot of us) have followed his career as he's ticked off one film success after another. Perhaps that's why some members of the staff at Palisades Medical Center might have felt it was OK to check on George's medical record. What could it hurt?
Clooney was treated at the New Jersey hospital after a minor motorcycle accident. Twenty-seven staff members have been accused of taking a peek at his records an unauthorized peek.
The hospital's union chief did not defend the action, but she said the hospital acted too quickly when it suspended the 27 staff members for one month without pay. Some of the people suspended may have been authorized, she said.
Well, OK. The hospital needs to sort that out. We expect it's on the case right now checking authorizations, procedures and technology.
One reason the Clooney incident has garnered so much attention here at Healthcare IT News and around the country is that it has put the spotlight on privacy concerns.
Healthcare IT News received more letters on this issue in the past month than we have in the past year.
Some who wrote letters said the penalty was not severe enough. They would have fired the rule breakers.
Others took the opportunity to point to how vulnerable our privacy has become. If it happened to Clooney, it could happen to any one of us. Perhaps dozens of people would not be interested in our condition. But a friend, neighbor or family member might be and perhaps could rationalize taking a quick look at a record that is supposed to be accessible to the patient and those who need it to provide the patient's care.
"The combination of technology and the right value system can't single-handedly solve everything, but it does put a hospital on solid footing," Robert Seliger, co-founder and CEO of Sentillion, an access management vendor, told Healthcare IT News Managing Editor Eric Wicklund. "It is very difficult to practice respectful privacy and deliver healthcare these days while using IT to do both," he added.
Seliger is right. There are many people today working on this very issue.
Among them are Deborah Peel, MD, a psychiatrist and privacy rights activist, and the group of people who make up the Healthcare Information Technology Standards Panel (part of the American Health Information Community). The panel just released a set of standards aimed at keeping medical information secure in an electronic environment. If you think it's simple, take a look at the so-called "constructs."
Peel and the bi-partisan Coalition for Patient Privacy are urging Congress to build ironclad privacy protections into electronic health systems up front.
All of this work and advocacy is laudable, and it must continue. But, as we are often reminded by CIOs and IT directors across the country, technology can't fix bad processes.
Both the processes and the technology have to be right, in sync and informed by a healthy dose of ethics, common sense and respect for the spirit as well as the letter of the law. Then George Clooney and the rest of us will have a better shot at privacy.


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State Rep. Jack Franks issued the following news release:
SPRINGFIELD – The head of the powerful House State Government Administration Committee this week filed legislation aimed at overhauling the controversial Economic Development for a Growing Economy (EDGE) Tax Credit Program. State Rep. Jack Franks (D-Marengo), partnering with the Small Business Advocacy Council (SBAC), introduced a comprehensive plan to address inadequacies in the program, while vastly increasing oversight andtransparency.
"We must no longer capitulate to the demands of corporations threatening to leave Illinois without a payout, nor should we allow our state government to further mortgage our future fortemporary political gains," said Franks. "Each incentive package, which allow companies to keep percentages of their employees' withholdings, must be thoroughly evaluated and be a worthwhile investment for Illinois taxpayers."
Franks' legislation empowers and reorganizes the Illinois Economic Development Board to act as an oversight authority for the EDGE incentives offered through the Department of Commerceand Economic Opportunity (DCEO). Comprised of nine members with financial backgrounds, each board member must be appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state Senate. The board will have the power to approve or reject applications for credits and be required to evaluate whether incentive packages meet publicpolicy objectives.
"Small business is the backbone of the Illinois economy," said Elliot Richardson, President of the Small Business Advocacy Council, a non-partisan organization representing more than 600 businesses in the Chicago area. "While we understand that EDGE credits maybe necessary to keep businesses in Illinois, small companies must have a fairopportunity to access them."
HB 1336 not only addresses the manner in which tax credits are awarded, but also sets monetary limits on total cost. In Fiscal Year 2014 and beyond, the proposal provides that no more than $100 million in credits may be awarded by the state,and a maximum $10,000 per employee. Additionally, unlike previous EDGE incentive agreements, companies will no longer be able to decrease their workforce while receiving incentives – referred to as 'normal attrition.'
"As our economy fights to recover and neighboring states aggressively court our companies, we must strive to improve Illinois' overall business environment, not just give breaks to one business ove ranother," continued Franks. "Instead of selectively providing special deals to Illinois largest conglomerates, we need to focus on supporting all our struggling business by lessening the regulatoryand tax burden across the board."
Franks previously penned an op-ed in the Chicago Tribune calling attention to Illinois' selective business incentive packages, criticizing our state's high corporate tax rates and special incentives offered to a chosen few corporations. The Wall Street Journal called handing out favors one business at a time "politically corrupting and an ineffective economic development strategy." Last year, Franks passed legislation lifting the veil of these secretive EDGE incentives, requiring DCEO to begin posting agreements online.
Under the auspices of promised job creation and retention, more than $500 million in taxpayer-backed incentives have been given to at least 80 large private corporations in the last two years. For example, Motorola Mobility managed to qualify for more than $110 million in financial incentives for keeping employees in Illinois, but permitted the company to dramatically reduce its workforce, which was later purchased by Google for $12 billion.
"This bill will not only allow small businesses the opportunity to compete for these credits, it will also ensure the EDGE tax program is operated in an accountable and effective manner," added Richardson.
For more information, please contact Rep. Franks' at (815)334-0063 or email firstname.lastname@example.com.


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ECS | CeRTS | IWAS | Teachers
| Students | Administrators
| Student Assessment
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| Programs | Forms
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18, 2002
State Board of Education began making policy decisions at
its April meeting to align Illinois' school accountability
measures with the new federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
law signed by President George W. Bush January 8.
Yearly Progress on State Standards-based tests
requires all schools to meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)
targets on state tests or face severe sanctions. A new standard
for AYP was established by NCLB requiring schools, overall
and by eight subgroups of their students, to reach 100 percent
meeting state standards by 2013-14. The previous AYP criteria
required schools to make sufficient annual progress to reach
50% meeting state standards over five years, but the standard
applied only to the composite school score and not to subgroups.
policy makers are required to establish starting points for
determining AYP for schools and for the state as a whole.
Two options are available under NCLB, and states are to establish
the higher of the two. Option one would establish the starting
point for AYP at the percent of students meeting state standards
in the lowest-achieving subgroup. The lowest scoring subgroup
on 2001 tests in Illinois was 16% meeting for mathematics
and 24% for reading.
compliance with NCLB, the State Board established the starting
point as the percent of students meeting state standards for
the school at the top of the lowest-achieving 20% of the state's
students. Using 2001 results, this would establish starting
points of 38% meets for mathematics and 40% for reading. With
those same results in the baseline year of 2002, the state's
schools and subgroups would need to meet those targets plus
5% growth each year to reach 100% meeting standards by 2013-14.
aggregate percentage of students in Illinois meeting state
reading and mathematics standards on the 2001 ISAT was considerably
above the 40%, with 60% meeting state standards, but subgroups
ranged from 16% meeting to 81% meeting. The aggregate percentage
and the percentage meeting for each of the eight subgroups
would have to reach the annual target for schools and for
the state to be making AYP expectations under NCLB.
receiving federal Title 1 funds that do not make AYP for two
consecutive years will be required to offer their students
the opportunity to choose another higher-achieving public
school within the district and pay the cost of transporting
students who choose other schools. The AYP required on the
2002 tests is the current definition of making progress toward
50% in five years.
choice to students will start this fall for schools that do
not make AYP on 2002 ISAT tests if they also have not reached
AYP for the last two years. Sanctions in later years would
require offering choice or supplemental educational services
to students. No schools will have this dual requirement before
the 2003-04 school year, since NCLB provides that schools
remain in the school improvement status they were in when
the bill was signed.
Qualified Teachers
requires all newly hired Title 1 teachers to meet the federal
definition of "highly qualified" in order to teach
in a school that receives Title 1 funding. Paraprofessionals
hired after January 8, 2002, with Title 1 funds to work with
students in an instructional capacity would also have to meet
strict qualifications in the NCLB law. New Title 1-funded
teachers would need to be "highly qualified" this
fall, and all teachers in the state must meet the definition
by the end of the 2005-06 school year. All paraprofessionals
working in Title 1-funded programs must meet qualifications
in the law by January 8, 2006.
Board affirmed the federal definition Thursday for "highly
qualified" teacher and paraprofessional qualifications
that conform to the requirements of NCLB. The definitions
apply to training and teaching assignment. To be considered
highly qualified, a teacher must hold full state certification
and not have any provisions waived on an emergency, temporary
or provisional basis. In addition, teachers must meet the
requirements established by the state for their teaching assignments.
hired after January 8 with Title 1 funding to work in Title
1 programs must have--
members noted two areas of continued analysis regarding provisions
of NCLB that have significant implications for the state:
teachers who are teaching out-of-field and bilingual teachers
with certificates good for 6 - 8 years may not meet the NCLB
definition of highly qualified teacher. Staff continues to
seek clarification of this issue and will present recommendations
addressing these two issues that have significant policy implications
since the state has a shortage of teachers in several specialty
areas, including bilingual.
April 22 -- Education Funding Advisory Board
A Joint meeting of the Education Funding Advisory Board (EFAB)
Property Tax Work Group and Revenue Source Work Group will
be held on Monday, April 22, 2002, from 9:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
at the James R. Thompson Center in the Governor's Large Conference
Room, 16th floor, 100 W. Randolph, Chicago, Illinois.
Illinois State Board of Education
100 North First Street
Springfield, IL 62777


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Freedom Newspapers: Andy DeLisle
Ernie Kos, executive director of the Clovis/Curry County Chamber of Commerce, hangs a patriotic ribbon at the Clovis Civic Center Friday in preparation for today's "Operation Kept Cannon" celebration.
By Tonya Garner: CNJ Staff Writer
The anticipation surrounding today's "Operation Kept Cannon" celebration was too much to bear for Linda Jackson.
On Friday afternoon, Jackson was sitting in her car in the parking lot of the Clovis Civic Center, sunglasses pulled slightly down to afford a better view of the preparations.
"I just couldn't sit home anymore," Jackson said, "I had to come see the progress."
The 40-year-old, who plans to attend the event with her military husband and three children, said she almost feels like a child waiting on Christmas morning.
"I probably won't sleep tonight," Jackson said.
The military wife said the new mission for Cannon means she and her family have a chance to remain in Clovis, a town they've fallen in love with.
"We have been here over five years," Jackson said. "My kids go to school here, we go to church here and we have really grown accustomed to Clovis."
Inside the civic center, 900 red chairs, lined in perfect rows, filled the main ballroom. At the front of the room, several more chairs sat atop a stage bearing the names of the dignitaries who will be seated there awaiting their turn to address the attendees.
Clovis/Curry County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Ernie Kos was busy decorating and directing volunteers.
"Right now it (civic center) looks like a very serious congressional hearing," Kos said, "but we are going to make it look like a party."
The large room was filled with easy chatter and laughter as Kos and several volunteers placed small flags on every chair, hung "Operation Kept Cannon" banners, and placed patriotic ribbons and balloons throughout the room. Beside the flags, volunteers also placed square-shaped "Operation Keep Cannon" pins. Kos said the buttons were used previously when Clovis hosted the June 24, 2005, Base Realignment and Closure Committee hearing.
"Now they're (pins) collectors items," Kos joked. "People can eBay them."
The civic center's courtyard was filled with several Cannon airmen hoisting colorful awnings that will provide shade for volunteers who will distribute hot dogs and sodas. Other volunteers washed windows to a shiny gleam while others hauled in large speakers for the sound system.
Kos said more than 100 volunteers will be on hand to serve as ushers, greeters and food distributors.
Committee of 50 Chairman Terry Moberly said he was not surprised by the number of people who stepped forward to volunteer.
"Everything is going great," Moberly said. "We have more help than we know what to do with."
According to Kos, more than 2,000 residents are expected to attend the festivities that will include three live bands and free refreshments. She said attendees will have the chance to win such raffle prizes as cash, gift certificates and a truck donated by Hamilton Automotive Group.
Kos said she hoped attendees would celebrate the event by donning red, white and blue clothing.
"I want everybody to get patriotic," she said.
"It's all falling into place," Kos said. "The focus is celebration."


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Two Twitter users caused quite a stir in the political blogosphere in May of 2010. Attorney General Tom Corbett subpoenaed Twitter for the identities of users "CasablancaPA" and "BFBarbie." Both users were critical of Corbett and the Bonusgate investigation. The AG's office believed "CasablancaPA" was Brett Cott, a defendant in the Bonusgate case and wanted to prove that he wrote the blog "CasablancaPA" to show he demonstrated no remorse for his actions. The AG's office withdrew the subpoena after Cott was sentenced.
Former State Rep. Jeff Habay
Jeff Habay, a former Republican state representative, was convicted on a charge of conflict of interest for allegedly having his staff do campaign work on state time back in 2005. In a separate case,. he was accused of falsely claiming that he was mailed an envelope containing white powder from a constituent who had sued and asked a judge to audit Habay's political action committee.
State Sen. Jane Orie
State Sen. Jane Orie, a Republican representing the North Hills, was accused of using her staff to make political phone calls for her sister, Joan Orie Melvin, who was running for the State Supreme Court. Paperwork in the investigation revealed that Orie and one of her sisters contacted Carolann Sano, a Philadelphia-based clairaudient, also known as an "Angel Lady" while under grand jury investigation.(Photo Credit: KDKA)
Former State Rep. Ken Ruffing
Former State Rep. Ken Ruffing came under fire by a political opponent back in 2006. The issue - Ruffing said he used part of his controversial legislative pay raise to donate money to an autism charity and refused to name the organization. After facing defeat in the primary, Ruffing later admitted that he didn't donate the money, but used it to send his son, who has autism, to a school for special needs children. He was also accused of hitting a parked car and driving off while under the influence of alcohol in August of that year.
Former State Rep. Mike Veon (Photo Credit: KDKA)
Former City Councilwoman Twanda Carlisle
Former Pittsburgh City Councilwoman Twanda Carlisle made headlines in 2007 for her alleged involvement in a kickback scheme, diverting up to $34,000 of city money to her personal bank account over a three-year period. In an attempt to recoup the money, her assets were frozen and she was ordered to turn over a $4,500 fur coat.
Legislative Pay Raises
In the summer of 2005, state lawmakers gave themselves a pay raise in the middle of the night and the vote caused an uproar among voters across the state. In the following months, the Legislature passed a bill to repeal the pay raises. However, in the May 2006 primary, voters didn't forget and many incumbents lost their bids for re-election. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Getty Images)
Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl
Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl made headlines early in his administration after he met PGA golfer Tiger Woods at Oakmont Country Club back in 2007. The controversy was the notion that he "crashed" a private American Express event. Ravenstahl was reportedly told he was not invited to attend, but showed up at the club anyway. A video produced by Am-Ex confirmed the mayor's presence at the event. The mayor's office said at the time it was a lifelong dream to meet Woods and that the club was not upset by the mayor's conduct. Oakmont Country Club wouldn't comment on the matter.
Categories: Photo Galleries Politics


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Participating in any of the above mentioned activities will help
improve the status of Illinois' wetlands. Undertaking a restoration
project and participating in the regulatory process are two of the
most effective ways to improve the status of these valuable resources.
There are also a number of activities not mentioned here that have
a positive effect on wetlands. Individuals wishing to participate
in or learn more about these or any program discussed in this chapter
should contact the appropriate agency or private conservation group.
[Introduction | Voluntary
Incentive Programs | Advocacy Introduction
|Financial Contributions |Public
Outreach | Stewardship | Public
Policy | Enforcing Compliance | Conclusion
Return to Wetlands Homepage


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A Senate committee held a public hearing on a bill that would change the way food stamp recipients could spend the money.
The Republican-backed Assembly bill (AB 110) passed the Assembly last May.
The bill would require Food Share recipients to spend two-thirds of their benefits on certain items. The goal is to reduce junk-food purchases.
Critics said it would be costly to implement, and that it doesn't solve the obesity issue.
"To focus an obesity prevention strategy on the diet of Food Share participants, stigmatizes and places blame of an American problem on the poor," said Matt Stienstra, with the Hunger Task Force of Milwaukee. "AB 110 will waste the taxpayer's dollars, increase bureaucracy and stigmatize those shopping for groceries with Food Share who will be unable to choose what they purchase and eat."
The bill's author said it's about saving money now and lives later.
"I think it's common sense to make sure that we help those who are truly in need in our communities, while at the same time helping people eat better," Rep. Dean Kauffert, R-Neenah, said. "I don't want to tell people how to spend their own money, but I think it is OK to ask people to spend taxpayer dollars more wisely and prudently."
If it becomes law, the state will need federal approval to make the changes.


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The Eternal Beach-Body Plan
Phase I - Week 2: Workout VI
Exercise VII: Bent-Knee Hip Extension
Sets: 2 Reps: 15 Rest: 45 Seconds
Lie on your left side and bend your hips and knees 90 degrees [1]. Without moving your hips, rotate your right leg toward the ceiling (it should look somewhat like a dog raising his leg at a fire hydrant) [2]. Reverse the motion to return to the starting position. That's one rep. Complete 12 reps, and then switch legs and repeat.


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You're familiar with the concept of a technicality, I'm sure. It's some tiny little legal tripping hazard, a petty justification for throwing out a case, or ignoring justice altogether. They're the kind of things that come up when, after witnessing the murder of your family, your dog, and your dog's family, you have to sit quietly by while some liberal activist judge sets the criminal free for some trivial procedural issue. "Ha ha ha ha ha," the criminal shrieks, before passionately kissing the judge and skipping arm-in-arm to freedom. Let down by everything you used to trust, you're forced to take justice into your own hands.
Hemera Technologies/PhotoObjects.net
"Justice" being the name of the rusty sickle you now carry with you at all times.
But it turns out that there are all sorts of technicalities, some of them so strange, that they don't inspire vigilantism at all.
6British Members of Parliament Can't Resign
Being a sitting member of the British House of Parliament seems like a pretty cushy job. You get to sit in a little wooden indoor stadium all day and yell at people you hate, and you also have your own official sauce.
Christopher Furlong/Getty Images News/Getty Images
Contrast this with the official sauce of the U.S. House of Representatives: Wet Farts.
But being an MP isn't all yelling and brown sauce; sometimes people yell back at you or throw brown sauce in your eyes. And, of course, there's the ever-present threat of that horrible queen coming by and telling you what to do. And even for more mundane issues like illness or a family personal emergency or sexual deviancy, there are other reasons why an MP might want to resign. Except that they're not allowed to.
You see, due to a 300-year-old piece of legislation (because that's just how England works), no sitting MP can resign his or her seat, unless they accept another office of profit under the Crown. Which means that the government, to accommodate the fact that MPs do sometimes need to resign, is forced to give these MPs a new "job," specifically the Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead. This is essentially a completely made-up position that exists solely to satisfy this bizarre technicality, an office with no duties or privileges or even official sauces. That that's the preferred solution instead of changing the law - which is, you know, those MPs actual jobs - should tell you an awful lot about how good they are at those jobs.
5Alford Pleas
An Alford Plea is a not-uncommon plea accepted by some criminal courts. It essentially means "I'm totally innocent, but I get that you've got a ton of evidence against me, which isn't going to look so good if this goes to trial." In practice, it's a guilty plea, it is almost always offered as part of a plea bargain, and the judge will carry out sentencing under that basis (i.e. you're still going to jail).
Thinkstock Images/Comstock/Getty
"Hooray for moral victories."
On its own, this isn't really a technicality - just a slightly odd legal wrinkle that doesn't have much practical effect on anything. But it has led to some pretty strange situations.
The West Memphis Three were three young men who were convicted in 1994 of the murders of three boys and sentenced to death. The three always maintained their innocence, and over the years, new genetic evidence turned up that tended to support their case. As it became clearer and clearer that a new trial would have to be conducted, their defense team began negotiating with the prosecution, which resulted in a very strange outcome. When the new trial was ordered in 2011, all three entered Alford pleas, thereby maintaining their innocence but stating that they believed the prosecution still had enough evidence to convict. The judge then changed their sentences to time served, added on 10-year suspended sentences, and set them free.
So why was this done? Had the case gone to trial again, there was a chance, however slim, a jury could have convicted the men again. The Alford pleas meant that they were guaranteed to go home and, from that aspect, made sense for them to agree to, even if it meant essentially confirming their guilt. But it also meant they were unable to pursue civil action against the state for wrongful imprisonment, which almost certainly was a factor in those negotiations with the prosecutor. It was essentially plea-bargaining in reverse; they agreed to have their sentences reduced to time served, in exchange for not suing the state. For the people involved, this all apparently made sense, but for any outside observers hoping for a definitive resolution (i.e. a straight guilty verdict or the start of a wrongful imprisonment case), the whole case faded away into an odd legal limbo.
Hemera Technologies/PhotoObjects.net
Which just doesn't provoke wide-eyed sickle-violence like technicalities should.


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On Jan. 11, the USDA released a series of reports that provide important fundamental information for the crop markets. The information included the final estimate of the size of the 2012 United States corn and soybean crops, estimates of Dec. 1 crop inventories, a winter wheat seedings estimate and updated U.S. and world supply and consumption forecasts for the current marketing year. University of Illinois agricultural economist Darrel Good offers his analysis of the reports.
"For corn, the 2012 U.S. crop is estimated at 10.78 billion bushels, 55 million larger than the November forecast," Good says. "The estimate of planted acreage of corn for all purposes was increased by 209,000 acres, the estimate of acreage harvested for grain was reduced by 346,000 acres and the yield estimate was increased by 1.1 bu./acre. The production estimate was larger than the pre-report average trade guess of just over 10.6 billion bushels, but the estimate of Dec. 1, 2012, stocks of corn was actually much smaller than the average guess.
"Stocks were estimated at a nine-year low of 8.03 billion bushels, compared to the average guess of about 8.2 billion. The stocks estimate implies that feed and residual use of corn has not slowed as a result of the small crop and high prices that began in June of last year. Because of the harvest of a large quantity of corn before the marketing year began on Sept.1, 2012, feed and residual use should be evaluated over the six-month period from June through November 2012. For that period, feed and residual use of corn totaled about 2.39 billion bushels, about 110 million more than use during the period from June through November 2011. Such an increase is a little surprising but only because feed and residual use of wheat during that period was 125 million bushels larger than use in the previous year. As we have pointed out before, total grain feeding has been supported by only a very modest cut in livestock numbers and a sharp decline in the production of distillers' grain," Good says.
Unlike other years of small production and high corn prices, Good says that feed use of corn has remained large. "Such a high rate of use has been possible because corn used for ethanol production has declined about 10% year over year and because exports have been almost non-existent. Exports during the first quarter of the 2012-2013 marketing year were at a 41-year low of 220 million bushels. For the year, the USDA now projects exports at a 43-year low of 950 million bushels. Year-ending stocks of corn are projected at a 17-year low of 602 million bushels, and the marketing-year average farm price is expected to be record high, in a range of $6.80-8/bu. Based on the average price received to date, it appears that the average for the year will be near the low end of that range," he says.


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The Cardinals completed their 2010 football season with the most wins ever—12—in a single season and their first-ever appearance among the Elite Eight in the NCAA Division III Championship playoffs. The Cards lost their quarterfinal showdown, 20-10, against the defending national champion University of Wisconsin-Whitewater on a snowy, cold Dec. 4. The Warhawks (13-0) never led until the fourth period, when they scored three times. Visit northcentralcardinals.com to read all the details and accomplishments of North Central's stellar football squad. We are NC proud!
Photo: Senior Matt Wenger, linebacker.


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Roads from Honolulu to Wahiawa were closed Wednesday due to down power lines.
Hawaiian Electric Company says work to repair a damaged pole and downed lines in Wahiawa left 50 homes without power. About 800 customers were without power Wednesday morning, but HECO crews were able to restore power to most of those homes by 2 p.m. Repairs were fully completed by 4:30 a.m. Thursday.
Honolulu police say the Old Waialae Road on-ramp to the H-1 Freeway in the westbound direction was closed due to down power lines Wednesday afternoon. About 200 customers in the area were affected by an outage. The outage was reported at around 2:15 p.m. Power was restored by 5 p.m.
The Traffic Management Center also says the Hawaiian Electric Company was working on power lines that came down in the Iwilei area. Power for 200 customers was restored by 4 p.m.
Traffic signals were also out on Farrington Highway in Nanakuli. The Traffic Management Center says about 1,000 customers were without power. By 5 p.m., about 400 customers were without power in Nanakuli. The remaining 600 customers received power shortly before 7 p.m.
Get breaking news alerts through email or through our KITV iPhone, Android and iPad apps.
You can also upload your breaking news photos or videos using our KITV iPhone or Android app.
Click here for more pictures of downed power lines and trees.


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Your satisfaction drives every aspect of our business. We customize cleaning plans to fit each facility and its unique needs.
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With our exclusive EnviroShield® disinfecting system, your facility will be protected from bacteria, flu and other viruses, making it safer and healthier.
Where Cleaning Counts Most
Our Owner-Certified MedMetrix® program for medical facility cleaning meets the strict requirements of AORN, OSHA, CDC and the Joint Commission.
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JAN-PRO is the world's largest commercial cleaning company. We have locations across the United States, Canada, and around the world. From medical offices to warehouses and retail outlets to restaurants, we are the preferred choice for commercial cleaning services, no matter the industry. When you need trusted, reliable and effective commercial cleaning services, you need only call your local JAN-PRO office.
Our Proprietary Commercial Cleaning Systems
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Wow, I keep bringin up Kurt Thomas. I still consider him a better play then Curry and Zach. He recently had an 18 rebound game.
Marbury had no problem gettin his 20 and 8 with that team. If he was still with capable players, I have to believe the result would be the same or close.
Shandon Anderson was not a good scorer but he was an excellent defender, way better then Crawford. Crawford dont even play defense.
Mohammed and Mutombo are still better players then Curry, or at least Mutombo as of last year. I dont know what hes done so far this year, I know hes not gettin that many minutes.
Would the Knicks be better off if Scott Layden was still the gm today? For the first time, I think they would be. I considered that team to be overpaid, overaged, and undersized but at least they played defense and at least they played with heart. I dont know what they wouldve done in the 2004-05 season but I remember Tim Thomas playin well the 2nd half of that season.
Isiah likes players who can score but he doesnt look at the bigger picture: that most of these guys can play defense, they are turnover prone, and they lack the mental toughness to consistenly do the one thing their supposed to be good at and thats score.
At Least some of us fans got to see them and the 90's and some of us saw them years before that, but I feel bad for the young teams to have to watch a team this bad.
Layden got good character players for the most part who were good defenders. He wasnt good with young talent if you look at his choices he made in drafts and he gave players too much money. Overall Isiah and Layden suck as GMS, but whos worse? I cant forget that Layden couldve had Amare, Artest, and I know I'm forgettin some players, I'd have to check the draft history.


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8/13/08 at PNC Park
My girlfriend Jona attended this game…
…and wandered around the stadium with me before the gates opened.
There was a lot to see. Check out the four-part pic below. Starting on
the top left and going clockwise, you can see 1) the view of PNC Park from the middle of the bridge, 2) the steps leading down to the water, 3) kayaks for rent, and 4) the promenade behind the right field edge of the stadium (where balls hardly ever land):
Jona and I had lots of time to kill (which was the point), so we had to
find various ways to spend it. In the four-part pic below…1) we're posing with the home plate gate in the background, 2) I'm trying to look mean after Jona tied a bandana around my head in the team store, 3) I'm being overwhelmed by gravitational force, and 4) Jona is inspecting the Willie Stargell statue (no disrespect intended):
Speaking of the home plate gate, here's a closer look:
Nothing special, right? Well, here's an even closer look:
I know the Pirates haven't had a winning season since 1992, and I know attendance is sagging to the point that PNC Park resembles a ghost town, but c'mon, this is ridiculous. I've only seen spider webs in one other major league stadium. Anyone want to guess where?
By the time the center field gate opened at 5pm, there were dozens of people waiting on line. I raced inside ahead of all of them and snapped a quick photograph of the bleachers while I still had the place to myself…
…and then handed the camera to Jona. Check out this cool shot she took of me at the start of BP:
I only snagged one ball during the 13 minutes that the Pirates were on the field. It rolled to the wall in straight-away left field, and I got it with the glove trick as Jeff Karstens was walking over to pick it up. He easily could've snatched it, but instead he walked back to his spot in the outfield and watched with several of his teammates. Then, at the last second, as I was lifting my glove with the ball tucked firmly inside, another ball came flying out of nowhere and thumped off the padded wall below. It had missed my glove by inches and made me flinch. I looked up and Karstens was grinning.
"Nice try!" I yelled. I got the sense that he was just being playful–that even if he'd knocked the ball out of my glove he would've given it to me–so I added, "Thanks for letting me get it!"
Karstens responded with a subtle wave, and that was that.
Chris Dickerson (who picked up his first major league hit the night before) was the first player to take the field for the Reds. As he was back-peddling to his spot in left field, a left-handed batter sliced a line drive right at him. Dickerson half-heartedly reached for it and somehow missed it, allowing the ball to tip off the side of his glove and roll all the way to the warning track. I used the glove trick to snag this one as well, and Jona snapped a few quick pics of me in action:
In the pic on the left, I was making sure the rubber band wasn't too tight or too loose. In the middle pic, I had just knocked the ball closer, and in the pic on the right, I had just gotten the ball to stick inside the glove.
I forgot to mention that as soon as the Reds took the field, I'd changed into my Reds outfit. Pretty convincing, eh?
I snagged three more balls during the remaining 45 minutes of BP. The first was thrown (right to me over several rows of Pirates fans) by Jerry Hairston in left-center field. The second was a fungo hit by coach Billy Hatcher, and I made a web-gem-type catch. I immediately judged that the ball was going to sail five to ten feet over my head so I climbed up on a bench, took my eye off the ball briefly as I stepped onto the bench in the next row, then turned back toward the field and spotted the ball flying toward me…and jumped and lunged and made an over-the-shoulder catch high above my head the in the tip of my glove…with the sun in my eyes. It felt great. And as for the last BP ball I snagged…I got it with the glove trick and immediately handed it to the kid on my left.
I made it to the Reds' dugout one minute before BP ended and got my sixth ball of the day tossed by the equipment manager. Then, with nearly an hour to spare before the first pitch, Jona and I headed to the upper deck:
We wandered and I took photos from every possible angle…
…and ended up behind home plate where I took some pics for my traditional/cheap panorama:
As much as I was complaining in my previous entry about PNC Park not being all that exciting, I have to say that it really is a gorgeous stadium. When Jona and I made it back down to the field level, even the concourse behind/below the left field seats caught my eye:
Concourses aren't the most exciting things in the world–I will acknowledge that–but having suffered for the last 20 years inside the cramped and dingy concourses of the New York City stadiums, I had to take a moment to appreciate the spaciousness and cleanliness and architectural design of this one in Pittsburgh.
…and then got Luis Rivas to toss me a ball–my seventh of the day–after he finished playing catch along the right field foul line. When I caught that ball, the entire front row was packed with kids, but none of them had gloves. They were ALL there for autographs, so no one protested when I reached out and made the easy catch.
Six of the seven balls I'd snagged at that point were either marked (with a "C" by Cincinnati) or stamped (with "practice") on the sweet spot. As for the small four-digit numbers that appear on the balls, I wrote them as I snagged each one. They indicate how many balls I have. The ball in the middle of the lower row, for example, was the 3,588th ball of my collection, and if you're wondering why some of the numbers are upside-down…it's not my fault. It's the Reds' and Pirates' fault. I mark every ball in the same spot: to the left of the main portion of the stamp, all the way over near the sweet spot. The Reds and Pirates were obviously not concerned with making each mark or stamp face the same way. As far as I'm concerned, THEY marked and stamped some of the balls upside-down; I merely turned them all so they'd face the same way in this photograph.
We wandered back toward the field and got a good look at the open space behind the bleachers where I'd caught a BP homer the day before (I highly recommend this spot whenever a power-hitting righty comes up):
I was filmed juggling three balls late in the game (sorry for the poor quality but this is a screen shot from a low-quality video)…
…and shown on the Jumbotron for at l
east 20 seconds:
As you can see in the photo above, the Pirates had a 4-1 lead after six innings. Each team added a run after that…and that was it. There were four home runs hit in the game, and I didn't come close to any of them. Paul Maholm worked eight solid innings to earn the win. The game lasted just two hours and 14 minutes. The attendance was a minuscule 15,787. After the final out, I got a ball tossed to me by home plate umpire Kevin Causey as he walked off the field (on the outfield end of the third base dugout) and then got another ball from an unidentifiable Pirate one minute later at the dugout. (It had to be a pitcher because he walked across the field from the bullpen. He was tall and had a beard, and I think he was right-handed. Any ideas who it might've been?) I gave this ball to a girl on my right, collected a few extra ticket stubs, and went out to dinner with Jona.
Goodbye, PNC Park.
? 9 balls at this game
? 317 balls in 44 games this season = 7.2 balls per game.
? 540 consecutive games with at least one ball
? 131 consecutive games outside of New York with at least one ball
? 3,594 total balls
Several other things…
1) I'm five balls away from breaking my single-season record.
2) I've decided to go for 400 balls this season, and since I have about 20 more games planned, I should be able to do it.
3) It looks like I'm going to be in Philadelphia with Clif (aka "goislanders4") on Tuesday.
4) I haven't had ANY time lately to answer emails or comments (I've barely had time to blog and eat and sleep), but I'm hoping to catch up at some point this weekend…
63 Comments
idk what day im goin to philly..tuesday or thursday, not wednesday cause of chase utley figurine night. screw that. though now i may go thursday for less competition, no offense. pitt sounded fun though.
Congrats on the 9, too bad it wasn't double digits. PNC looks like a great park, just wish they had a decent team for the fans to see.
I'm hoping for something tonight and Monday vs. SF. The finale is at 4:30pm Monday, so kids will be at school if they have BP :)
spider webs at county stadium?
wow ive benn wondering to what side of the of the MLB writing you label your ball (i do it on the right) for days, and searching through like 2 years of old entries to try to find a picture that would help, and i finnaly found it this morning, and now you tell us! and didint you just go to a Watch With Zack game w/ clif?
metrodome here i come in 3 days!
Woah, i didn't know you could go on that bridge!! and you are gonna get your season record in just 5 more balls?????? I hope i can be good luck on tuesday.
Nice job on the 9 balls. I liked the spiderweb picture. PNC is one of my favorite ballparks because of how it looks.
PS: Jeremy(the snagger who I met at Fenway Wednesday) if your reading this, could you please give me an e-mail at firstname.lastname@example.com. Thanks. Emma
Definitely go to Philly on Thursday. :-)
Yeah, I know, I'm thinking of all the balls I almost snagged. Double digits would've been great.
Not County Stadium, but that's a good guess. I *did* just have a Watch With Zack game with Clif. Good call. That was the game against the Orioles at Yankee Stadium at which I caught a Kevin Millar home run (during the game) and Clif snagged a commemorative ball (also during the game) behind the dugout. Have fun at The Dome. Let me know how it goes.
Yep, the bridge closes down for traffic before and after (not sure about during) the game so there are a zillion people constantly walking across. Looking forward to Tuesday. Even if it rains and there's no BP, I should be able to get at least five balls…and you should be able to get a bunch as well. But let's think happy weather-related thoughts.
I went to Yankee Stadium today, tried to get a bleacher ticket, and failed. All sold out. Blah. I miss Pittsburgh. Now I'm home, and I'm gonna start answering comments on my previous entry…
yeah i will let you know how it goes. is the stadium a NL or AL team? and do you win anything for getting it right?
guess 2: tiger stadium!?
You don't win anything except bragging rights, which you now own because you have guessed correctly.
Speaking of Tiger Stadium…
it's currently about a third of the way demolished. I was there on Tuesday and I took a bunch of pictures, which I'll share when I finish writing up the report of my Cleveland/Detroit trip in a couple days.
Oh Yeah!
congrats zack.
I just checked the weather in Philly for next tuesday and it looks good. It says sunny with just a couple clouds. no rain, no storms. BUT, tuesday does say isolated storms……..for new york.
The pitcher that tossed you the ball was probably Craig Hansen. He's 6'6", and has a beard.
michael phelps wins his 7th gold by 1 hundreth of a second! wow! not many sports moments are that spectacular and end in a finish like that. it would be a photo finish, but i dont think a photo would allow you to tell who won. and to show how fast a hundreth of a second is, blinking takes 4 tenths of a second.
Have fun in Philly on tuesday, ill be there wednesday through sunday.
Zack you going to shea on thursday? I might be there, if you are there me and my bud will stay out of your way and let you work your magic.
and the cobwebs, Tiger Stadium.
Zach, I do have a shaved noggin so that was probably me at the start of the Yanks game. I got shut out on my second night seeing the Yanks. Marte saw the big glove, smiled, and had a teammate toss him a ball to throw to me. He was obviously throwing the ball to me but he didn't put enough on it and a guy in the row before me snagged it. Oh well. He forgot about me and I got shut out. I have a question for anyone on here that might know. My mighty Twins play the M's today at 2:55. I am guessing that there will be no BP since this is a day game after a night game. However, they play again at 1:10 on Sunday and I am wondering what the odds are that there will be BP at the Sunday day game after the Saturday day/afternnoon game? Keep up the good work Zach, PNC looks like a sweet park.
sorry, meiked is me on my other mlb account that i used for fantasy baseball
and im still logged in wity it……this is goisles
but yeah, the weather is gonna be good in philly for tuesday, and i got my lastings milledge shirt!
Hey Zack, nice work! I have always like PNC, would like to go there evetnually. Well, as I said before, I went to the Rangers/Rays game 8/15. No BP though, they had some old timers game. Cool to see those guys again, but was so looking forward to trying the glove trick. One highlight of the night, Josh Hamilton came out before the game with Clay Counsel, his pitcher from the HR derby! He got 10 swings & knocked 3 into the upper right field seats. Awesome! Good luck in Philly!
spider webs: Shea? Congrats on getting closer to 3600
In Minnesota! going to games on MOn. Tues. and mayb wed.
and i already got the spider webb question right. its the 8th comment, and zack confirmed it when he posted the 9th comment. so stop guessing. but he said i get bragging rights so ha ha i got it!
sorry just had to get that out of my system
give me a break, I cant read all those comments!
Nice, I might go to Pittsburgh next month, hopefully i can catch a game, I just got back from the Hall of fame today and wrote about it
I will be at the Metrodome on Monday and Tuesday as well. I will be the guy with the shaved head and the big glove. Stop by and say hi. I think the dome is a tough place to snag so I will be curious to see what kind of luck you have puckcollector.
Hey Zack, This is my first time commenting. Nice job @ PNC, I hope to go there someday, Good Luck in Philly.
Zach, been a fan since your first book just came out and I was actually at this game and recognized you but didnt realize who you were till after the game. I am actually in the background of one of your pictures. I was also down at the dugout when you had the home plate umpire throw you a ball. And by the way, being a season ticket holder for the Buccos, ( I prefer to call them the Succos) I know all about their rude ushers.
I was at the game last night and literally almost fought an usher behind the Mets dugout. My girlfriend and I walked down to the front row right after the game ended but before I could get by an usher stepped directly in my path and got in my face and said "Cant come down here without a ticket", what makes this story pathetic is the fact that the game was over. I wasnt trying to sit in the front rows, I just wanted to try and get a ball thrown to me. I argued with the usher for almost 5 whole minutes, during which he repeatedly got in my face and threatened to have security come and remove me from the ballpark, even though the game was over. I took down his name and told him I was going to report him to management but he did not seem concerned.
Lastly, I had a question for you. I know you are originally from NYC and I am making plans to come up soon to attend Shea and Yankee Stadiums for the first and last time in search of the commemorative final season ball. I know you have acquired a few and I was wondering if there are any special tricks you know at either stadium that would enable me to hopefully take home one of these balls at each stadium. Do the ball boys throw out game balls during or after the game? Are there any particular sections you like for foul balls during the game? Look forward to hearing back from you…Clint
csparks: i was being sarcastic :)
went to the mall of america today. the place is GINORMOUS! we were there for like 5hrs, and probably only saw a fourth of the mall. also there were like hundreds of people in twins gear, yet they only draw 30,000 for the yankees.
And speaking of the Yankees, Joe Torre got them to the playoffs EVERY year. jst a thought.
also they have home plate from the old metropolitan stadium, and the seat on the wall where harmon killabrew hit like the 2nd farthest homer ever, and i walked the distance, and it was a LONG walk.
and trm: what time do the gates open at the metrodome for weekdays? if you know that would be really helpful cuz the Twins dont have it listed on their website thanks.
They say that the gates open 1 and 1/2 hours prior to start time for games Monday through Thursday and 2 hours before on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday games. However, it has been my experience that the gate generally open at 5:30 for Monday-Thursday tilts. I usually get there at about 5:10 or so and there have been anywhere from a dozen people ahead of me to 250 or so. I think it is a tough place to snag balls. But I wish you the best of luck!
I'd love to see those pics of Tiger Stadium. Hurry.
Cool. Thanks for checking.
Actually, I think it might've been Jason Davis. I saw him on TV two nights ago, pitching against the Mets, and he looked like the guy who'd tossed it to me. Still not sure though.
Phelps is sick. But I'm pretty sure I could out-snag him. :-)
Have fun in Minnesota. Can't wait to hear about it.
Sorry I'm gonna miss you.
I think I might be there. Not sure, but I'm leaning toward going. It'll depend on the weather, of course. I refuse to go if there's no BP.
Aha, so that WAS you. Cool. My guess is that there will be BP on Sunday, although it might be a limited BP…possibly starting late without EVERY player participating. Root for a low-scoring game on Saturday. Then the managers might make all their players hit the next day when you're there.
Thank you. Sorry about the Old Timers day getting in the way of BP. Hamilton is awesome, plain-n-simple.
Thanks. I think I should reach that mini-milestone in Philly next week.
I hope you make it to Pittsburgh and come back with some good stories.
Welcome to the comments section, and thanks for the congrats and good luck wishes.
Aww, man, it would've been nice if you'd come over and said "hey." But thanks for saying "hey" here. I guess that's almost as good. I like the nickname "Succos." Sort of like the Mets being the "Mess" back in the early/mid-90s. That's really lame about the usher at PNC giving you a hard time after the game, but it's the same way at Yankee Stadium. You can't get down to the dugout EVER, even five minutes after the final out…unless you have a ticket for that section, of course. I think you should report the usher to management, but perhaps it would be better to just file a general complaint. After all, it's probably management that instructs the ushers to act strict. As for Shea and Yankee Stadium, I suggest reading all my old blog entries (if you haven't already) to get ideas of where to go, but basically, at Shea, you can get an umpire ball after the game right behind the plate, and you can also get lots of third-out balls at the dugouts, especially the 3rd base dugout. Delgado ALWAYS tosses to them to little kids, so it's better to work the visiting teams, and it's not that hard to get down to those seats. Just don't be dumb and try to walk down right in front of an usher. Wait 'til a fly ball is in mid-air and THEN make your move while everyone is staring at it. Sections 4 and 5 in the Loge are good for foul balls during games. Box 179 Row A is a good spot to get a ball thrown to you during the Mets' portion of BP. As for Yankee Stadium, the umps exit the field on the outfield end of the first base dugout, but it's really tough to get down there. You have to ask people for their ticket stubs on their way out of the game when there's like an inning or two to spare. During BP in the Bronx, you can try to grab the corner spot out past the foul pole in RF, all the way over as close to the bleachers as you can get. It's usually good for a ball or two. Yankee Stadium is really hard. The bleachers are great for BP if you can get in (and the Yankees ARE using the commemorative balls during BP, whereas the Mets aren't exclusively using them). You need a bleacher ticket for that, though, and they're all pretty much selling for $100-plus at this point. Hope that helps.
total ace hardwhare
Hi Zack…
Went to the Padres vs. Phillies tonight. Those crazy softball guys were there and "performed" after BP. I actually caught one down in row 2 where I sit in LF. They were bombing way over my seating area into the upper deck. This one guy GOT UNDER ONE and it went straight up. It amazingly carried right to me and I caught it. Got a real nice ovation from the masses. It was a brand new ball too. So, should I count this ball in my snagging collection? Hmmm. My friend says it's so big it should count for two balls. Ha ha. Going to Anaheim on Aug 28 for Texas vs. Angels. Looking to catch a Josh Hamilton BP homer.
Puck Collector….
I hope you're staying at the Minneapolis Hilton or one of the other Hilton brands!!
hey I'm going to 2 Baltimore vs. yankee games next weeekend and 1 Nationals game as well. anyone got any tips for both stadiums like where to go for BP and for foul balls. Also hows are the ushers at Camden Yards and Nationals Park, like can i get down to the dugouts without a ticket?
the first thing to do at nationals park would be to run to straight away left and look in the flowers. then, run all the way to the foul pole and look in this little gap next to it where the flower bed ends (only do this if you have a cup trick). because every time ive been to nationals park, there is always a ball down there. then, just run back to the concourse and go to the red porch seats and hang there for homeruns and players until 5;40 when the right field section opens. then run behind the red porch and just go there.
as for the dugouts, its the easiest place that ive ever been to to sneak down. just wait and do it between innings or when the guard is somehow distracted.
I don't know why you shouldn't count it. Just list your collection as
X # of baseballs
1 Softball.
ok, im officially going to philly thursday..also, ill be at nationals park the 26th against the dodgers and camden yards the 27th vs the white sox..
ill be at Natonals Park on that tuesday too
I don't think you should count it in your grand total. Maybe make a separate category? I didn't count the cricket ball that I snagged at PETCO two years ago.
My advice to you would be to read all the old blog entries I've written about those ballparks. At Nationals Park, it's easy to get down to the dugouts from the concourses after a couple innings because the ushers stop checking tickets. At Camden, it's always pretty easy, but there's one really strict/rude usher behind the dugout on the 1st base side.
Well then, it's officially ON. I'll be at Camden on the 27th as well. :-)
yeah im getting a season ticket (hopefully, but it looks pretty good) so well be maybe the only ones in left field lol
i must get nationals park dugout access, i dont yet have a commemorative ball. i got 8, 5, and 5 the 3 times i saw them at shea, ill see them in philly this week, and i still dont have one. so many training balllllllllllllllllls. hoping for one thursday, or during bp in dc, so i dont hafta go crazy. though im sure ill see them at shea in september..
Alright, here?s the report about my trip to Cleveland and Detroit.
Last Monday, my dad and I drove 7� hours to Cleveland for the first of four night games at Jacobs Field (which I will refuse to call by its stupid corporate name, Progressive Field) and Comerica Park in Detroit.
Here was the schedule:
Monday (Aug. 11th) in Cleveland vs. Baltimore
Tuesday in Detroit vs. Toronto
Wednesday in Detroit vs. Toronto
Friday in Cleveland vs. Baltimore
We arrived in Cleveland at about 2:30pm, with the right field gate set to open at 4:30pm. I wandered for over an hour, taking pictures and observing the nuances of Jacobs Field. I noticed that the outside of the ballpark looks very similar to that of PETCO Park in San Diego.
Check out some pics I took from outside:
Jacobs Field is one of those ballparks that opens in parts. The right field gate opens to the public at 4:30 (for a 7:05pm), but you?re trapped in the RF seats until 6:00. (Here?s what that part of the ballpark looks like: http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk33/gbarasch/DSC03517.jpg ) Monday just happened to be Jhonny Peralta mini-bobblehead day, so hundreds of people showed up early to claim their trinket, and by 5:00 the seats were packed.
I managed to snag only three balls during all of BP, and none of them were particularly exciting. Ten minutes after the gates opened, Indians reliever Masa Kobayashi (who?s one of the nicest ball-throwers I?ve ever seen) wandered into the right field bullpen. I had noticed a ball tucked under a chair in the front of the ?pen a few minutes earlier, so I pointed it out and he flipped it to me.
A while later, a ball ended up in the back of the center field bullpen, and I knew it would be easy cup trick prey. But a cop and a security supervisor were stationed where I would need to stand to get the ball, so I had to convince them to step aside and allow me to do it. I offered to give it to a kid afterwards, and they were fine with it. I couldn?t believe it. Thirty seconds later, I thanked them before finding a kid two sections over.
Right before 6:00, when the siren sounded to indicate that the rest of the ballpark was open, I sprinted over to the RF foul line, because an Orioles hitter had laced a ball into the corner and the players just left it there. I reeled it up in ten seconds. Then I headed over to the high seats behind left field (see this pic: http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk33/gbarasch/DSC03527.jpg ) and immediately regretted it. The section is a nearly impossible place to snag because not only is it steep, but the front part of the section is extremely segmented. In other words, if you play deep, you have a very limited vertical range, and if you stay in the front row, you have almost no horizontal range. There were several balls hit up there, but I got nothing. To make things worse, the Orioles ended BP at about 6:10. But the day got better.
During the game, my dad and I sat along the staircase one section over from the outfield end of the Orioles (first base) dugout. This was the view: http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk33/gbarasch/DSC03562.jpg . It seemed like a decent foul ball spot, and the best part was that since the Indians suck, the seats were pretty empty. With two outs, I could go through an empty row of seats into a good third-out ball position.
The fourth inning ended with a ground ball to Kevin Millar, who tossed to pitcher Dennis Sarfate covering the first base bag. On his way in, Sarfate tossed the ball generically over the dugout with his head down. The ball was heading to my right, but I knew that if I dove for it, I would land in the first row of people. So instead, I jumped straight up and reached as far as I could with my glove hand to make the catch.
In the eighth inning, I was still sitting in the decent foul ball spot. An Orioles righty sliced a foul ball in my direction. It was going to land on the staircase, but about ten rows back from my ?seat?. I bolted up several stairs, turned my back to the field and hoped for a good bounce. The ball landed and somehow shot straight back at me. I stuck out my glove and made an easy catch (sweet!), then immediately forgot who hit it. I feel so stupid, but whatever.
And that was it for Day 1. Five balls. Not terrible, but definitely not great either.
The next morning, my dad and I made the two-and-a-half hour drive to Detroit and checked out old Tiger Stadium before heading to Comerica. Tiger Stadium is currently being demolished, piece by piece, and is about a third of the way down. I set up a slideshow here:
We drove the one mile distance from Tiger Stadium to Comerica. Here?s some pics of the outside:
Unlike Jacobs Field, Comerica Park?s gates all open at the same time (two hours before first pitch). What?s nice about that is that everybody isn?t trapped in one area during BP, so it?s much easier to move around. Anyway, I started a line at the right field gate at about 4:15pm. When the gates opened at 5:00, I sprinted to straightaway RF and immediately got Bobby Seay (whose last name is pronounced like the letter ?C?) to toss me a (nasty training) ball.
I had heard that Comerica Park security was not fond of ball-retrieving devices, so I wasn?t planning on going for cup trick balls that I knew would take a significant amount of time to get. But ten minutes in, a ball rolled right up against the RF wall. It wasn?t going to take more than fifteen seconds, so I went for it. My dad kept watch and later told me that none of the on-field guards even turned around. That meant I could do it at least one more time and just play the ?Oh, I?m from out of town? card if I got caught. Well, moments later a ball rolled up against the right-center wall. I could see it was a training ball, so I promised a little girl next to me that I?d give it to her. As I was pulling the ball up, an usher type guy who had been standing about ten rows behind me the whole time tapped me on the shoulder and nicely told me to stop. While continuing to pull up the ball, I said I was getting it for the girl and he basically backed off. After I handed it to the girl?s mother, the guy told me to keep the device in my bag for the rest of the day. And I did. But just because he was nice about it, unlike some guards who make vague threats about confiscation or ejection.
The next fifteen minutes were dead in RF, but when the Blue Jays pitchers came out to throw at about 5:30, I noticed a ball was sitting up against the outside of the tarp along the RF line. I calmly ran over, lunged on to the tarp to peer over, and reached down to pick it up. (All four balls I got during Tigers BP were training, and I gave away all of them except the first.)
The Blue Jays were stingy to almost everybody, and I got nothing during their portion of BP. But right before the game, outfielder Adam Lind came out to throw in shallow right and after finishing, tossed me the ball from about 80 feet away.
I stupidly played the dugouts for the entire first game there (I?ll explain why it was a stupid decision later), and I got nothing there, but after the game, home plate ump Gary Cederstrom tossed me my sixth and final ball of the night.
The second game at Comerica was much more exciting. I spent the entire early afternoon worrying about the rain in the forecast. It was overcast all day. It had rained at the hotel shortly after noon. The skies were threatening. But at about 4:30, I checked out the field from the sidewalk behind right-center field outside the ballpark (where you can see the infield if you climb up the fence a little: http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk33/gbarasch/DSC03708.jpg ), and the Tigers were hitting! The tarp was nowhere in sight.
As I sprinted into the right field seats when the gates opened, a BP home run landed in the seats one section over. I went over and picked it up, then got Bobby Seay to throw me another ball several minutes later. The Tigers hit until 4:45, then the grounds crew started taking down the BP nets and the cage. The pitchers in the outfield ran off the field. It wasn?t raining. Five minutes later, the tarp was placed on the field. It still wasn?t raining. The Blue Jays came out to throw in right field. I got three balls tossed to me in a five minute span: one from a short guy with a catcher?s mitt who none of the actual Blue Jays fans could identify, another from Joe Inglett, and the last from a lefty position player (possibly Adam Lind again).
The tarp was left on the field until 6:15pm. (It never rained a drop. Stupid grounds crew.) So I wandered the ballpark and took a bunch of pics:
Right before the game, David Eckstein tossed me his warm-up ball after throwing in shallow RF.
Anyway, remember how I mentioned it was stupid that I played the dugouts the night before. Well, this is why: http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk33/gbarasch/DSC03945.jpg . It?s a glorious aisle that runs through the seats, about 35 rows back from the field. The best part about it is that it is officially a standing room section, so the ushers don?t bother you for standing there.
During this second game at Comerica, there were at least a dozen foul balls that landed within two rows of the aisle, and I caught one of them. Top of the fourth. Two outs. Marco Scutaro vs. Kenny Rogers. 1-0 count. Lazy liner straight back. I ranged one section over in the aisle as the ball hit the base of the press box behind me and shot back toward the field. I was all over it. My second foul ball in two nights. Yay. (I quickly jotted down the details so I wouldn?t forget again.)
So it was back to Cleveland on Thursday. Luckily, there was no stupid promotion to draw fans to the game early. And it showed. BP was so much emptier than on Monday.
The RF gate opened five minutes early(!!) at 4:25, and I quickly got Indians outfielder Shin-Soo Choo to throw me a ball he caught off the bat of an Indians hitter. A while later, a ball rolled to the wall and Fausto Carmona retrieved it, then underhanded it to me.
The Orioles came out at 5:30 or so, and Dennis Sarfate tossed me a ball that rolled to the track near the RF corner. Later in Orioles BP, a home run landed in the RF bullpen, and rolled all the way to the back. It took about five minutes to knock the ball closer with my cup trick, but I eventually got it.
The rest of the ballpark opened at about 5:45, and I foolishly tried LF again. For most of the next twenty minutes, I stayed deep. Several times, I would run towards a ball hit near me, not get it, and then see a ball land right where I was standing ten seconds earlier. This happened so many times that I wanted to jump off the high wall. At one point, I was in the front row behind a group of people when Melvin Mora hit a homer that I judged perfectly, got right behind, reached out as far as I could to make the catch ? and then got robbed by some guy in front of me, standing up against the wall. Then the Orioles ended BP early at about 6:05 and I only had four balls. It was SO frustrating.
I couldn?t get anything during pre-game throwing. During the game, I stood in the main aisle behind home plate and played foul balls for the first two outs of every half inning, then went to the dugout for the third out. I did this for the first four innings and got nothing. I was getting more and more frustrated, so I wandered. Jacobs Field has a monument park-type exhibit in center field called ?Heritage Park?. Here?s what the entrance looks like: http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk33/gbarasch/DSC03460.jpg . It?s accessible to the fans at all times, so I decided to check it out. It turns out that it has two levels: the top level is shown in the above photo, and the lower level is tucked right behind the line of skinny trees in this picture: http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk33/gbarasch/DSC03571.jpg . The bottom level is separated from those trees only by a thin metal fence, but the fence doesn?t go all the way down to the ground, so it?s possible to touch the soil/mulch in which those trees are buried. Long story short, there was a ball under the trees, presumably from BP. I figured there might be some balls in there after BP, but I?d forgotten to check it out. The only reason I saw it is because I was looking for balls there; you couldn?t see it accidentally, and that?s probably why it was still there. It was tucked up against the cement half-wall that holds up the metal fence. I know this is probably not making sense, but I don?t know how else to describe it. If anybody goes to Jacobs Field, check it out. Go to center field, walk into Heritage Park, take the staircase down to the lower level and go as close to the field as you can, then look into the trees. You?ll see what I mean.
I got nothing for the rest of the game, but after it ended, I got home plate ump Marvin Hudson to hand me my sixth and final ball of the day.
By the way, my dad set a personal record by snagging six balls himself at this game, so that?s pretty cool. (He caught seven balls total over the four games.)
Overall, it was a fun trip even though my numbers were pretty average. I like both ballparks a lot, and of the two, I?d say Comerica is better for snagging but Jacobs is nicer for watching baseball. Comerica easily has one of the nicest exteriors in baseball, and I?d recommend checking it out sometime.
Here?s some stats:
– 24 balls in 4 games on this trip
– 13 balls at Comerica
– 11 balls at Jacobs
– 2 foul balls
– 248 balls in 37 games this season
– 527 lifetime balls
– 102 consecutive games with at least one ball
And finally, here?s a pic of the 20 balls I kept:
Does anybody want to do a word count on this comment?
In the stats thing, I meant "2 foul balls on this trip".
Leigh: i didnt count the softballin my collection. was it a distance ball made by Miken?
and no we are not staying at a hilton.
Greg, i would do a word count but the hotel co mputer doesnt have word. also i think the guy w/ the catchers mitt was Alex Androupolis (sp) he tossed zack a ball earlier in the year. you can find the entry.
also on the 1st foul ball, look through the game archives on MLB.com you can fast forward to the 4th and watch the inning.
if you watched the video when i was on TV, just follow the same steps just w/ a different game.
congrats greg, on the trip and for having the longest comment yet. zack – can't wait till next monday, probably my last game, to finally cross paths.
Greg, I know what you are talking about. I will check it out at heritage park. And where do the umpires exit? I always forget to look! Thanks
that pic that you took from the last row of the upper deck from comerica was pretty much the exact view i had for the 2005 homerun derby. it was cool seeing that and also, the eight picture down in the list of comerica pics was the section that i sat in for the 2005 all star game. it brings back memories………..kinda.
Hey Zacker…
Pat Burrell hit a homer tonight at PETCO that went right over my head. It was just too deep to make a play on. The lineup was PERFECT, but it was too high. I was hoping for the rebound, but no can do. Wish I was taller. Looking forward to your next post.
Oh yeah, here's my take on the night. Kevin Kouzmanoff BP homer and a thrown ball from Padres reliever Mike Adams. Greg, that was a great post. Sounded like a great trip.
Great post, Greg. 2,573 is the word count from Microsoft Word lol. Did you happen to visit Hockeytown Cafe? We ate there before a Thrashers/Red Wings game in January. Lots of cool Detroit sports memorabilia.
Interesting how Progressive Field and PETCO Park were designed with 2 different themes, yet they look similar.
you like doo wop, eh?
i happened to be in nyc recently, and i noticed that there's a group that performs out in front of the metropolitan museum of art. i saw them there yesterday (sunday), and they were quite good. i dont know what their playing schedule is or anything, but knowing that you like doo wop and live in new york, i just thought i'd bring that to your attention.
Padreleigh is that bag strap choking you in the pic?i think i saw you on ESPN sun nite game,you were eating nachos.take it easy kookoo.you see vasgersian on the usa network in china? When is baseball on olympics on tv?I m goin to a double header thursday.Col at La dodger1210 start then 5pm Bp at ana vs Minn /45 min drive /
The player who threw you the ball was Tyler Yates. I was right behind you in 24 L at the end of the game. One of the games you and my friend were both trying to catch a HR ball and neither of you caught it. I actually happened across this blog after you were at PNC Park. Since then, I tried the glove trick 3 times, and got three balls, only to have one of the confiscated by a power-hungry supervisor. I even stole your idea of wearing road shirts to get balls. I got a Shea ball today from Guy Conti just for wearing a Mets shirt that I got at Champs for $4. I hope you come back to PNC Park soon. There are about 7 regular ball hawks that come to every game. The all time record between us 7 is 110 balls in one season. The guy who had 110 also had the single game record of 8, which you broke. My all time high was 7 back on June 21st. I currently have 94, and hope to break that record. This is my first full season of ballhawking, and I am hoping some of the tips I've read in your blog can help my game.
Do you have any tips on the Cubs or Brewers? They are coming up next homestand.
Zack, you could've broken your single game record at Turner Field today lol.
I snagged 2 at the Giants/Braves finale. I was concerned there would be no BP for a getaway day, but all the kids were still in school when gates opened at 2pm. I have never seen BP so dead. Homers weren't flying out, but players were generous. Unfortunately, they were generous to everyone else and completely ignored my requests. Eddie Perez started tossing a ball with various fans and I was lucky enough to take part.
The two I got were homers from the Giants, though their BP jerseys are impossible to read. Both were to my right and I had no competition. They landed in similar spots and rolled right down the steps into my glove. Better than a shutout, but I was really disappointed on such a promising day. Paid crowd was 18,113, but no more than 12,000 showed up.
No Nats ball yet for you? Damn. Get on it, Son. You only got six weeks to go.
Amazing. I read every word and looked at every photograph. Thanks for entertaining me for half an hour, and congrats on all the balls.
I'm looking forward, too.
How tall would you have had to be to make the catch on Burrell's blast? Nice pic. Don't listen to T.C.
I like doo-wop, but probably not enough to leave my house just to hear some. But that does sound cool. The Met isn't too far from where I live…
Thanks, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't Yates. I know what he looks like, and I think I saw him walking in from the bullpen a couple minutes after I got that ball at the dugout. Congrats on the glove trick success, but I'm sorry about the run-in with security. I enjoyed hearing about the stats and records of the PNC ballhawks. I'm sorry I didn't know who you guys were when I was there. Tips for the Cubs and Brewers? I really don't have any. I haven't seen either of those teams much at all over the last few years. Sorry. I try to avoid the Cubs because they have such a huge fan base.
Gah! Don't tell me things like that. It just makes me sad to be stuck here in NYC.
puck — I'm pretty sure it wasn't Andreopoulis. I think Andreopoulis has a mustache. Can anybody confirm that? And I tried that video idea to figure out the foul ball thing, but it won't let me view it without a subscription to mlb.tv.
csparks — It's good to hear somebody who understood what I was talking about. And at Jacobs Field, the umpires leave the field directly behind home plate through a little tunnel.
goislanders — Cool. Was that before or after Comerica was reconfigured?
Leigh — Thanks. And I think I saw you on the Burrell homer. It was right to your staircase. Too bad your seat isn't a little bit crappier or that ball would've been all yours.
lsthrasher04 — I saw the Hockeytown Cafe, but didn't go inside. Seemed like a cool place though.
I don't know why my screenname is coming up as gregb123. I'm logged in as firstname.lastname@example.com. Wierd.
yeah the same thing just happened with me. i don't even know where the name came from,
the kids were still in school? in august?
I can give you a list on some of the nice players. If you bring a Cubs hat, these people are the people to ask for balls.
Daryle Ward
Jason Marquis
Mike Fontenot
Sean Marshall
Ryan Theriot
Ryan Dempster
Rich Harden
There's probably more, but that should be a good starter list.
Zack's right, they draw very big crowds, even on the road, so it will be tough no matter what.
Cool that you can juggle. I taught myself how to juggle in like 1st grade.


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Hi All
New to this forum so please forgive me for any errors etc!
I am a second time mum to two boys. My newest boy is 3 weeks old and doing really well weight wise and sleeping etc. I BF my first boy til 5months only due to initial (long lasting) latch issues/pain and supply problems (undersupply). He pretty much self weaned. With my second boy it seems to be a bit the opposite - am more or less over the latching issues/pain and seem to have ?oversupply but not yet sure.
My question here is more to do with pumping. I would like to build up a store to have for times when I cannot be there to feed.
When is the best time to start pumping (and also bearing in mind I may have OS at the moment)? I have heard it is best to wait til baby is at least 8 weeks before pumping but have also heard that if you want your LO to be successful at taking a bottle then you need to introduce a bottle of EBM by 4-6 weeks. Feeling a bit confused
Would really appreciate some advice please! Thanks!


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Phuture Frequency is a leading Electronic and Drum & Bass Podcast service. All the shows and mixes on the website are free to download. We are mainly a Drum and Bass, Techno and Dubstep podcast, however we also offer shows from DJs specialising in Soul, Funk, Jazz and other alternative music forms.
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The couple will exchange vows on Saturday, June 29, at the Raisin L Ranch in Raisin, Victoria County.


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Congressional Science Fellowship
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Maria Honeycutt was named the GSAU.S. Geological Survey Congressional Science Fellow for 20072008. With a research background in coastal geologic processes and consulting experience in hazard identification and mitigation, Honeycutt was eager to get to work on policy initiatives for a broad range of earth and ocean science-related issues. It is a tremendous honor to have been selected by GSA and the USGS for the Fellowship, and I feel fortunate to be able to serve during such an interesting and challenging time on Capitol Hill.
Honeycutt earned a B.A. in geology with high honors from Smith College in 1995, and M.S. (1997) and Ph.D. (2003) degrees in oceanography from the University of Delawares College of Marine and Earth Studies. Honeycutt spent 1998 as a Knauss National Sea Grant Marine Policy Fellow embedded in the Mitigation Directorate at Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Headquarters in Washington, D.C. At FEMA, she was involved in diverse projects ranging from post-hurricane building damage assessments to a review of pilot mapping projects completed under FEMAs congressionally mandated Evaluation of Coastal Erosion Hazards Study. Her work on this study shaped many of the goals for her dissertation research, which focused on quantifying the impacts of the antecedent geologic framework and storms on long-term spatial and temporal patterns of shoreline change along the Atlantic coast of Delaware.
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