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The objective of this study is as follows:
- Perform genetic analysis to define the prevalence of each of the known gene mutations in an unselected cohort of patients with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS)
- Perform a comprehensive assessment of cardiovascular status to determine the incidence of any cardiac abnormalities in patients with FSGS
- Determine if patients with mutations in specific proteins are more likely to have cardiovascular abnormalities
- Initiate long-term follow up in all patients to determine whether cardiac prognosis is related to any specific genetic abnormality
Nephrotic Syndrome is a frequent cause of chronic kidney disease in children. Patients who are unresponsive to treatment with corticosteroids are further categorized as having steroid resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS). Renal biopsy in SRNS patients often reveal the histological lesion of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS).
Genetic research has identified mutations in specific podocyte proteins, which may lead to the development of steroid resistant nephrotic syndrome. In addition to being expressed in the fetal adult kidney, human podocin mRNA is also expressed in the fetal heart tissue. Multiple case reports have described an association between cardiac abnormalities and familial FSGS. These findings suggest that this gene may be involved in the pathogenesis of cardiac abnormalities seen in this population.
The objectives of this study is to:
- Perform genetic analysis to define the prevalence of each of the known podocyte gene mutations in an unselected cohort of patients with FSGS
- Perform a comprehensive assessment of cardiovascular status to determine the incidence of any cardiac abnormalities in patients with FSGS
- Determine if patients with mutations in specific podocyte proteins are more likely to have cardiovascular abnormalities
- Initiate long-term follow up in all patients to determine whether cardiac prognosis is related to any specific genetic abnormality
Observational Model: Cohort, Time Perspective: Prospective
Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis
Cardiovascular Assessment, Renal Assessment, Genetic Evaluation
Schneider Children's Hospital
New Hyde Park
New York
United States
Enrolling by invitation
North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System
Published on BioPortfolio: 2014-08-27T03:22:51-0400
Stem Cell Therapy for Patients With Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis
The purpose of this study is to analyze the safety, renal function, metabolic disorders and quality of life data in patients with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis treated with endovascul...
Randomized, Double-Blind, Safety and Efficacy Study of RE-021 (Sparsentan) in Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis
This study will investigate whether RE-021 (Sparsentan), a selective dual-acting receptor antagonist with affinity for endothelin (A type) and angiotensin II receptors (Type 1), is safe an...
Safety and Pharmacokinetics of FG-3019 in Adolescents and Adults With Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS)
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and tolerability of FG-3019 administered over 8 weeks to adolescent and adult subjects with steroid-resistant focal segmental glomerulos...
Total Lymphoid Irradiation (TLI) to Prevent Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS)Recurrence in the Renal Graft
The purpose was study the immunosuppression using total lymphoid irradiation plus Csa, MMF and prednisone pretransplant to prevent focal segmental glomerulosclerosis recurrence in the ren...
Safety Study of GC1008 in Patients With Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) of Single Doses of GC1008 in Patients With Treatment Resistant Idiopathic FSGS
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Faculty Resources - Annual Report 2002-2003
Prepared for the Strategic Learning Initiative Leadership Team
By Maurice Hamington
June 10, 2003
This was a pivotal year in the overall development of Learning Communities at Lane.For the first time a department (Science) made a learning community a gateway educational experience.This raises new prospects and challenges for delivering quality educational opportunities.In the summer, leadership team members attended a National Learning Communities Project and in April there was a follow-up visit.We helped initiate a new campus-wide learning community in the Reading Together Project.Overall, it was a year where learning communities grew in visibility and activity on campus.
Summary of Activities
Student Participation
- 1611 students took part in Learning Community Courses during the 2002-2003 school year (up from 1311 last year and 785 students the prior year).See enrollment report attached.Student participation was up despite the loss of some key learning communities that we hope will return in the near future (Go For Baroque! And Petal, Pen, Peck and Paw).
- 494 students participated in the Fall, 458 students in the Winter, and 659 students in the Spring.
- Dozens of students participated in feedback sessions on their learning communitiesí experience as part of the National Learning Communities Project Site Visit (see attached report).
Faculty/Staff /Discipline Participation
- 17 disciplines participated in Learning Communities during 2002-2003 including: Anthropology, Art, Biology, Career Development, Culinary Arts, Economics, English, Ethnic Studies, Film Studies, History, Human Development, Math, Psychology, Sociology, Study Skills, Theatre Arts, Womenís Studies, and Writing.New learning communities planned for 2003-2004 will expand participating disciplines to Spanish, English Language Learners, and Skill Development.
- 67 faculty participated in offering 30 Learning Communities during 2002-2003 (not including Women in Transition).
- The Learning Community Leadership Team met twice monthly.This advocacy and coordinating body consists of faculty and staff from across campus including Gail Baker (Science), Margaret Bayless (EFLS), Jill Bradley (Womenís Center), Ellen Cantor (EFLS), Karen Dickey (Enrollment), Katie Morrison-Graham (Science), Maurice Hamington (Social Science), Deb Hupcey (Counseling), Garry Oldham (Social Science), Susan Swan (EFLS), Jennifer von Ammon (EFLS/Service Learning).The group approved and advised prospective learning community applicants, helped plan the Spring Conference and Site Visit, worked through Banner implementation issues, coordinated communication efforts, and helped launch the Reading Together Project among its many activities.
Learning Community Development
- Four new learning communities were offered in 2002-2003: Through the Female Lens (Spring), which combined a womenís studies/sociology course with a film arts course; Ecotrails: Stewardship and the Sacred Landscape (Fall) which combined a global ecology course with a writing course; Show Me the Money! (Winter) which linked a writing course with a scholarship research course in two sections-one for TRIO students and one for non-TRIO students; and, Guided Studies (Fall, Winter, Spring) that linked a study skills and a career development course.
- 1 new learning community was proposed and approved by the Learning Communities Project Team during the year (for 2003-2004):Puentes al futuro is perhaps the most ambitious learning community ever attempted at Lane.It links seven courses over the course of a year for an intended population of Spanish-speaking students in an effort to transition them into English speaking courses and hopefully further educational opportunities at Lane and elsewhere.
- Beyond the one new learning community approved for next year, the Learning Communities Leadership team approved a major expansion of AfroBlue to make it a yearlong endeavor.In addition, the Leadership Team has been in consultation with faculty from Business Technologies, Religion, and Counseling about potential learning communities.
Internal Marketing
- The Learning Communities Coordinator made presentations promoting Learning Communities at various faculty meetings and to advisors/counselors.
- Learning Communities sponsored workshops during the fall in-service days where ideas for new learning communities were developed.
- Learning Communities was very visible at the Spring Conference where the three guest speakers had ties to learning communities and made reference to them often.
- Promotional flyers developed for the entire year as well as for each term.
Marketing to Students
- With the assistance of Roka Walsh, the Learning Communities Website (http://teach.lanecc.edu/lc/ was overhauled at the beginning of the year to include more features.Beginning Summer 2003, Banner registration will link directly to the learning communities website.
- In September, during student orientation and registration, Learning Communities faculty volunteered to run an information booth over a five-day period of time and presentations were made at EOAR sessions as well.
- Learning Communities faculty continued their tradition of producing attractive flyers for their courses.
Special Events
- Voices and Visions sponsored two speakers during Winter term: The first one was a Chumush woman and her drumming group from Brownsville.They told stories, played, and sang.the other one was Esther Stutzman a kalapooya storyteller.
- In Margaret Baylessí section of Fat Cats and Underdogs, Bill Woolum came into my Fat Cats Course and read his Needing Richard Hugo essay.It had a profound effect on the students, their journals and what they chose to do for final projects.
- Margaret also had David Leung talk about Chinese language and culture in relation to the novel China Men and two speakers from the Farm worker Justice Coalition in relation to the film Justice on the Table and literature by Mexican immigrants.
Program Coordination
On July 12, 2002, the Learning Community Project Team met for its annual daylong retreat where issues for the upcoming year were mapped out.The team will meet again on June 27, 2003 to discuss the program in advance of the 2003-2004 school year.
Lane Community College entered a national competition and was selected as one of 20 institutions to participate in the Second Annual Summer Institute on Learning Communities sponsored by the Washington Center at Evergreen State College June 25 to 30, 2002.This was an excellent opportunity to learn not only from the experienced staff at the Washington Center but also from the various institutions with learning community programs across the country.Cheryl Roberts, Jennifer vonAmmon, Ellen Cantor, Deb Hupcey, Jill Bradley, and Maurice Hamington participated.As follow-up to the institute Jean MacGregor and Rita Smilkstein visited Lane April 24 and 25.They produced a detailed report on our program that we plan to review at our Summer Retreat.
Goals for 2002-2003
- Motivate existing Learning Communities to maintain the level of enthusiasm and energy evident in the early years of their creation.
- Mainstream Learning Communities as a significant program with widespread benefits to the college.
- Promote Learning Communities across the college and throughout the community.
- Expand the number of Learning Communities offered on campus.
Measures of Success
- Implementation of a reward system for Learning Communities faculty who create community through participating in one anotherís classes.This is important to maintain energy in long-time learning communities.
- Obtain office space and support for Learning Communities.
- Utilize multiple forms of promotion.Complete Learning Community Video.
- Increased offerings
- Because of budgetary insecurities stipend program was not begun in 2002-2003.
- Meetings were held throughout the year to explore the possibility of space and support in 2003-2004.
- Internal effort to create learning community video hit a dead end for a variety of reasons.However, the Learning Communities website expanded and improved.
- Four new learning communities were added during the year bringing the total to 30 up from 21 last year (some learning communities expanded their sections which accounts for odd arithmetic here).
Goals for 2003-2004
- Motivate existing Learning Communities to maintain the level of enthusiasm and energy evident in the early years of their creation.
- Mainstream Learning Communities as a significant program with widespread benefits to the college.
- Promote Learning Communities across the college and throughout the community.
- Expand the number of Learning Communities offered on campus.
- Support the Reading Together Project.
- Develop Training Materials for LC faculty
Measures of Success
- Implementation of a reward system for Learning Communities faculty who create community through participating in one anotherís classes.This is important to maintain energy in long-time learning communities.
- Obtain office space and support for Learning Communities.
- Utilize multiple forms of promotion.
- Increased offerings.
- Successful rollout of Reading Together.
- Training materials and a training program

subset: commoncrawl


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July 13, 2011 | Volume 6 Issue 7
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September 2011
Who wants to sit in the Luxury Suite?
So I got an email from the Pittsburgh Pirates today. Every homestand, the team publishes a free program that fans receive upon entering the gates. The program is called The First Pitch.
Each week the magazine has a contest where you have the chance to win a prize. Regardless of whether or not you won, you had a chance to win the grand prize, which was you and 14 guests spending a game in the 2012 season in a Luxury Suite. I am unsure as to who I will take, so at this point I am gathering names to see who is interested. I have no idea how many slots will be available but I do know that to receive consideration I am highly considering that you make a donation to my Ballhawking 2011: Proudly Supporting The Children's Institute Initiative. This is a win-win. If you win, then the ticket is free and you are helping some Amazing Kids. Even if you would not get a suite ticket, then you would still win as you would be helping out kids and who doesn't like helping out.
If you are interested shoot me an email at email@example.com or tweet me @wewill1992. I hope that you are interested and I will see you at the ballpark!
Before I go, here is the information on the luxury suites straight from the Pittsburgh Pirates official website:
"Luxury Suite Package offers you and 14 guests an exclusive first-class experience in a Luxury Suite for a Pirates baseball game.
Your ticket gives you a seat in one of PNC Park's Luxury Suites along with:
•Four (4) VIP parking passes
•Option to purchase four (4) additional suite tickets at $35 per ticket
•Catering by Levy Restaurants (food and beverage are additional)
•Pittsburgh Baseball Club Access
•Complimentary game programs, starting lineups and scorecards
•Outdoor and indoor seating
•Private restroom
Luxury Suite Package
Premium Dates* – $3,000
Thank you list 2011
Here is the list of people I have to thank for the 2011 baseball season:
1. My parents- You topped my list last year, and top it again this year. Every game now, you guys have called me to see how many baseballs I have caught. Now that they finally understand the concept of ballhawking, they always are excited to see how I did and even how I got them.
2. Colston- What is there to say? You have been with me through thick and thin and I congratulate you. Your pictures and videos makes the whole experience even funner and when I have to face this long off-season, I will watch a video or look at a picture and put a smile on my face. I am so glad that we are friends, and you have always been dependable.
3. Jaclyn Mereyl- It has been two years and there has not been a restraining order yet! In all seriousness, being my season ticket holder representative is a lot of work, and Jaclyn is a true professional at her job. She has always been very nice to me and has answered almost every question, ticket request and phone call I put out there. You cannot ask for more than that.
4. Anyone who donated to Ballhawking 2011: Proudly Supporting The Children's Institute: This year was more of a beta test to see how this would do. If all goes according to plan, then this will be back bigger and better next season. I was touched by those who donated, and I will not name names, but some of you really stepped up to help these kids and I could not be more grateful.
5. Erik Jabs- I still remember that first day at BP when I ran into you. I hope that the league will have more of a prescence next season as it seemed to unofficially stop for whatever reason. The advice and encouragement you always give me helped, and it was great throwing batting practice to you.
6. Nick Pelescak- It was a rainy BP when the Reds were in town in April of 2010 when we first met, and I really appreciate you being there for me. Maybe I will do those trips to Baltimore, Washington and Cleveland next year now that I am on the healthier side of things. As it stands, that rain costs us both great seasons and I know you will eclipse that 400 ball mark next season.
7. Ian Weir- It is ashame that for whatever reason you had an off year. I really enjoyed and thrived off of your competition last year. Hopefully you are back next season more often. I always enjoy criticizing PNC Park's music with you and also watching you lose my baseballs each time I play catch with you. Oh well.
8. Jim Saylor, Baseball Joe and Harold- The older generation represented again this year! Jim, you really need to stop joking around with me. Your advice though it great. Joe, your energy is endless and throwing with you outside of the ballpark is a real treat each time. Harold, there's a reason why I am not in right field too much🙂
9. Randy "Big Yellow" Page- I really treasure the friendship that we have. You have done a lot for me, and I hope that you feel that I have returned the favor to you. You really make the PNC Park experience a lot funner than I ever thought it would be. Keep in touch!
10. Frank Coonelly- I called you once and emailed you on a couple of occasions about articles I was doing for the Point Park Newspaper and he helped without complaint. His information was very valuable and I am forever grateful.
11. Joe Klimchak- We still always go on a first name basis with each other. We really have great talks, and we always have fun and keep each other company at the ballpark when we can. I have heard rumors that they are scaling back the in-game entertainment next season. That would be a huge mistake as Joe has bundles full of energy, and that energy goes right back into the fan base.
12. Walt "Camera Guy" Srocki- It was great interacting with you this season. Let me know about that shirt, congrats again on your recent marriage and don't be a stranger.
13. Zean Chen- It was great going to the games with you. Sure we went at different times, but it was great getting to sit and enjoy games. I do not do that often. Also, you still need to work on your singing.
14. Herbie Andrade- I always enjoy saying hello to you and conversate whether it is in English or Spanish. Have a great off-season!
15. Euclides Rojas- I really appreciate your story and how you overcame so much. I wish you nothing but the best, and I hope to see you in April.
16. PNC Security- You guys always made the effort in talking to me and getting to know me. Patrick's smile everytime he saw me was infectious. Kate, the convos we had were always some of my favorite combinations. Travis, it really was cool getting to know you and talk to you. Calvin, oh boy I don't even know what to say, just be cool and take it easy this off-season. To all in general, I hope to see you next season and I don't want to see any nonsense.
17. Fred "Derf" Davis- I tried to come up and see you as much as I could, and I really enjoyed talking with you. Remember, "Have a great night with a Miller Lite". Have a happy New Year and I will see you in shul soon.
18. All of the blog readers- Your support means a lot, and it lets me know that at least I am doing something right. I hope to continue to maintain this blog regardless of whether or not I work for the Pirates or become a season ticket holder. I will keep up to date in the off-season and I will let you know what happens from there. Thanks to all of you, you are what makes me keep writing this blog!
Pirates vs Cincinnati Reds 9/25 PNC Park
It has been fun watching the Pirates compete this season, and I found it very tough to say goodbye to them. It always is a tough process, and each time I feel like I am going to cry. At times it seems as if they are my entire life, but fortunately (or unfortunately you be the judge), I am in only my second year of college, so I still have some elements of life.
I woke up later than I wanted to, and then had bussing troubles, as the place where I normally catch my bus was closed due to The Great Race, which stunk. I had to hightail it up to a different street where it was a 45 minute wait for a bus. That is the longest ever in Pittsburgh that I have waited for a bus and approached New York territory in terms of the time. On the bright side, the bus took a much faster route, passing colleges and universities that normally draw lots of people and stops.
Surprisingly, I was still second in line. I really thought that being the last home game of the season, that it would be a big turn out, but everyone to the east of the area (also known as before the bridges) were all having trouble in getting to the ballpark.
I was glad when I went in, but even then I was confined as per typical Sunday procedure to the Riverwalk. I patiently waited by the gate and tried to plan my run so I could be the first into the third base side to get a baseball.
The jumbotron was showing winners of player jerseys, but I didn't win. What hurt was that I was one seat away fron winning a Ronny Cedeno jersey. That would have been cool.
Alas at 11:30, the gate opened and the race was on. I of course was in my element, and blew everyone out of the water. In fact apparently while I was running, there was an overthrow so when I was running down the third base side steps, Daniel McCutchen the Pirates reliever was running up for the baseball. He probably thought that I was trying to take it, so I slowed to a stop and let him take it. He must have appreciated that I did that, because when I stopped and he went over the barracade and on to the field, he looked at me and threw the baseball for ball number one. I thought that was pretty cool.
I watched the Pirates throw afterwards, and ended up having a brief conversation with Chris Leroux.
After that the race was on to the Reds side of the field, where I got into my Reds gear and got ready.
Sure enough, my guy from yesterday Matt Maloney who gave me my 200th career baseball was one of the first out, and he had a baseball.
I held up my glove, and he said to me, "I threw you one yesterday."
"I know," I replied. "I just wanted to play catch with you."
That actually was the truth, as I never have had the opportunity to play catch with a Major Leaguer. All of a sudden, he opted to throw me the baseball. So we threw back and forth for a good two minutes. It was awesome, and even better, was the fact that Colston who was with me, used his instincts and took a very short video of the event.
It was tough to throw hard, because Carlos Fisher was running, and another Red was right next to him, so I did not throw my hardest by any means as I did not want to injure any of their players. Looking at the video, I wish that I had come through more with the shoulder, but I was just thrilled to be catching with a Major Leaguer.
I counted that as ball number two and watched the team throw before it was 12:10. Randomly, an usher and I were making small talk during which he asked how we had so much opposing team gear. I replied and discussed my charity. To my surprise as I watched the Reds throw, he stuck ball number three into my glove. He said it was left over from yesterday and he didn't have a kid to give it to. Since the usher was a PNC Park employee, I counted and accepted the baseball. I was quite pleased at that point.
I knew I had to change back into my Pirate gear as soon as I could as at 12:00 they had started at the gates taking pictures and thanking fans.
Colston and I darted through the area and first ran into Manager Clint Hurdle. I have impersonated Hurdle on numerous occasions, keying on the words "all-in", and Colston was on the verge of laughter when we saw him. We knew we had to go in there. He shook my hand, and then posed. As I left, I told Clint, "Thanks for going all-in this season".
Clint replied, saying, "You're welcome, it has been fun going all-in and I am glad you noticed the efforts we made to going all-in again next year. We hope to see you next season".
I was on the verge of tears, I wanted to laugh so hard. In all seriousness though, Clint Hurdle was the right man for the Manager's job and the team improved by 15 wins over last season, so he clearly did something right.
I then ran into Leroux, who was with Jeff Locke and Charlie Morton. He remembered me right away, and he shook my hand and we all posed. Remember though, I was the first one who told Charlie Morton about "Electric Stuff", and he really got a kick out of it. I did not remind him about that though.
I then went to another location which was crowded and I didn't really see anyone there. So I hit another crowded place, and thus ran to the Highmark Legacy Square entrance, where the first person I saw was Evan Meek.
Meek has been my buddy since late last season, and he greeted me with a splow and a man-hug. Meek really loves me and the picture turned out rather funny. He then told me, "have you met Daniel McCutchen?"
Daniel then perks up and said, "hey, I threw you a baseball today."
I then said, "Yes thank you, and I really appreciate it," before I went into my snagging for charity, and why I did what I did. He really seemed to respect what I was doing, and maybe this keeps me in the in crowd.
I then posed with Daniel and Ryan Ludwick before looking at the area.
I then saw Euclides Rojas, and I had to get a picture with him. He waved and was glad to see me, and honestly I was glad to see him. He waved me over for a picture and then I told him, "Euclides it has been a real honor getting to know you this year." I meant what I said, especially with his story of fleeing Cuba and spending time in Guantanamo Bay before making it to the US. He seemed really touched as he shook my hand.
I then talked to and posed with Luis Silverio, speaking entirely in Spanish. He just like the last time really got a kick out of it.
I then got to meet Derrick Lee before the time was up. There were only a couple of minutes left, and I knew that I would not be able to get anymore pictures, so I called it quits.
As I was getting out from the left field area, I saw some Pirates players. I felt like I was going to the bullpen and was high fiving a lot of guys from Garrett Jones and Brad Lincoln to Jason Grilli and Herbie Andrade who gave me the customary "Hola Papi, como estas?"
Both myself and Colston then explored the team store, and then went by the bullpen for the final time.
It was then gametime, and I got to say hello to a lot of the guys and then I went to the outfield seat I had.
The it started to rain for 10 minutes and stop. I decided that was the time for me to move to the baseline seat I had ordered. That was a whole other ordeal on Friday when I actually ran into Andrew McCutchen and wished him luck. I was in a hurry and the rain was not helping anything that day either.
Still, I was able to pace myself and get closer and closer to the dugout with each inning until I was a couple of sections over in the last inning, making for an easy run.
My first job was to try and get an umpire ball. This went a little long as some guy had something that he wanted all four of the day's umpires to sign. Then he got the lineup card. I then asked for a baseball and being that I was the only one who asked, Lance Barrett the home plate ump that game tossed me one before disappearing. I still was able to secure a spot by the dugout, but nothing really was tossed up. It was a disappointment and in years past, players would sign hats and then toss them up.
Still it was a great season, and when I met back up with Colston, we slowly and sadly made our way out of the ballpark.
I then decided to hit the team bus and literally watch them leave. They did not leave until after 6. When they did, the busses beeped.
All in all the homestand went as well as they could have and on Saturday, I got a signature from Joey Votto and Hurdle signed on Sunday.
It was hard to leave the ballpark, especially because of all of the great moments I had while there. It is going to be a long off-season. Perhaps god was trying to tell me to move on, when I ran into Penguins Captain Sidney Crosby right by my bus stop. He was nice as could be, but still, the off-season will be even longer and even more painful than ever before. At least pitchers and catchers report February 18.
Here is what I have planned to have blogged for you by weekend's end:
1. Thank you list
2. My personal season highlights
3. Yearly Awards Ceremony
4. Year end grades for each player
Will be a lot of work, but will be worth it. Until then, Let's Go Bucs!
Pirates vs Cincinnati Reds 9/24 PNC Park
Due to a severe illness, I was forced to miss the entire Cardinals series. The rain during that time period did not help anything either. I had planned on attending all three games, so you know it was a serious illness when I had to miss them all. I also had to skip Friday due to work obligations. This left me with two days and one batting practice to get four baseballs to eclipse my season goal, and seven baseballs to surpass the 200 career baseballs snagged mark.
I arrived at this game early, feeling healthy because of my new gluten free diet and ready to go. I wanted to get that seven at this game and consider everything I snagged Sunday as a strike extra.
I was moving pretty good and my glove work was still fine despite the time off. It was as if I had never left.
When the gates finally opened the PNC Park people were not the swiftest. Only one scanner was ready, and no promotions were out. I actually was intrigued to look at the schedule and perhaps plan out next season.
Regardless, I searched for easter eggs, and came up empty. After a short while in which nothing was being hit out to left field, I made my move and went over to the first base side.
Over there was Jared Hughes and new catcher Matt Pagnozzi. Things were rather slow, and I was surprised to find two ushers over there as well. That set me off a little, as I knew that there would be no easter eggs there either.
I saw a ball that was just out of my reach and I waited for someone to get it, but they did not make much of an effort while over there and I gave up hope in favor of standing closer to my spot.
There two baseballs were hit and I snagged both of them for balls number one and two. I ended up deciding to give both of these to the ushers to give to kids. I did not need those baseballs, and it was those fourth and seventh baseballs that I really wanted.
For my third ball, I just went back down to the wheelchair area and snagged it. It is fuzzy as to who hit it, but I would guess Pedro Ciriaco as he has been the only Pirate willing to hit it there.
As I was snagging my third, a ball landed right by me and I could have snagged it outright, but reliever Jose Veras was coming over, so I did not want him to walk over in vain. Perhaps he sensed the milestone, because with his IPod in his ear, he made a big deal about picking it up. He playfully groaned as he bent over to pick it up and then gave it to me for ball number four and my 128th baseball of the season. I offered him back the third ball and he just told me to keep it.
It was at this point that the Reds came out. I did not want to blow my cover, so I decided to just stay in Pirate gear. I still knew all of the relievers and was on top of my game.
It ended up that I didn't really need it, and balls number five and six ended up in my glove after overthrows and I could have easily had a seventh if I was quick enough.
I did not have to wait that much longer for a seventh baseball, as another overthrow came and lefty Matt Maloney asked for it back. I gave him a nice throw. He ended up giving it back to me and it was the same baseball (I paid attention) and it was my seventh ball and 200th in my career. I was quite pleased when I got this, again considered everything from there a strike extra.
Well I looked for easter eggs in center field around 5:30 and came up empty, a bummer as was trying to get toss ups from players.
Closer to six, I headed towards the first base line. There, Ian Weir showed up on a tip from me. I had asked closer Francisco Cordero for a baseball in Spanish, but he ended up throwing it to Ian which stunk for me.
We both headed to the dugout to try and get a ball from first base coach Billy Hatcher. I ended up getting two and could have gotten three. The first was a runner, and the second was bobbled to me by the dugout and I drew some blood. It was worth it though to get balls number eight and nine on the day and 201 and 202 in the short career.
I went by the Pirates bullpen and got nothing baseball wise. I did get to talk a little to reliever Chris Leroux as well as Evan Meek. Chris Resop joined in asking for football scores from the Miami game and the Clemson game and I supplied those to him. I unfortunately did not get a baseball out of that, and did not ask/demand him for one either.
I left right after that, as I knew that because of The Great Race the next day, it would be an earlier than normal morning and the commute would be death. There also was a Steve Miller Band concert after the game, and I was not going to contend with that. Plus, it was my first game back and I was staying all game Sunday, so I did not want to harm my body.
Still at this game, it was nice to get the monkey back and snag nine baseballs. It was my most productive day from a snagging standpoint and also brought a lot of money to charity.
Stay tuned for my next entry to see how I fared on the final Pirate home game of the season.
Season Ticket Holder Field Days 2011
It is a known fact, that watching the Pittsburgh Pirates can be hard to do, however it is also a fact that when it comes to treating their season ticket holders well, the Pirates succeed with flying colors.
This weekend, the Pirates had their annual field days, where season ticket holders are allowed to go onto the field and hit, play catch and field flyballs/pop ups.
I attended this event Friday from 11 AM until 1 PM. Upon arriving I was split into a group and played catch for 30 minutes, when I was switched over to the station where I fielded pop ups. Last year, I did this and did not fare to well, as I was ill and had a tough time seeing the baseball. I dropped quite a few baseballs and it was a deflating experience. This year, I totally redeemed myself and caught everything I saw. I came, I saw and I conquered. Why I put only one hand on the ball upon catching it, I have no clue, but hey it was working.
Finally, an hour into the session my group got called in to hit. Last year, I looked like a fool as I swung and missed at 19 of the 20 pitches I faced with my only hit being a weak dribbler back to the pitcher's mound. This year I wanted to do a decent job. I was first up and I picked up a bit and took a practice swing. The first pitch came blazing in from the pitching machine at 60 miles per hour, and I took a big swing but came up with nothing but air. The same thing happened on the second swing, as the ball was way too high. At this point, I was worried that I would fare about the same as last season.
The third pitch came and it was coming at about the same speed right down the middle, I took a big hack and the ball landed right in the outfield for a very respectable hit. At that point, I could relax and I started swinging even harder at balls. I kept hitting them up colliding it with the top of the cage that protected the plate. Still, I was hitting a lot of baseballs hard and some into the outfield. I ended my first round with a weak dribbler down the first base line. Because time was short, I ended up with only three more pitches and after hitting the first two into the outfield, I ended with a weak dribbler down the first baseline.
After the time was up, I made my way over to section 101 where I ate lunch with the other season ticket holders who came at the same time.
Overall, the event was fun and allowed me to appreciate what the players go through each day, but I do have one complaint. I really was looking forward to fielding in the infield. When I played Little League, I excelled in the infield and I was wondering how I would do back at my old stomping grounds, but I never got the chance. The grounds crew did not allow for any season ticket holders to use the infield because the Pirates still had three more home games to play. This upset me, as they do not have a home game until Friday and the PNC Park Field Days ran from Friday until Sunday of this past week. This would give the grounds crew more than enough time to fix the infield should something have happened. At Heinz Field, many high school teams play their championship games and then as little as a day later, the Steelers would play a game. I just did not see that big of a deal in us using the infield.
Still, the event was fun, and if I get the opportunity, will look forward to it again next year as well.
Here are a couple of videos for you of me at the event. I still was sick at the time:
Pirates vs Florida Marlins 9/10 PNC Park
I went to this game, my 42nd of the season by myself again, and got a ticket from Stubhub to attend this game. I arrived a little later than normal on my Saturday routine but somehow I was first in line. I guess others wanted to hit the Pitt football game before they came to PNC.
Instead of stretching, I sat back and enjoyed myself until Erik and Jim showed up. Then I got up, did a brief stretch and then left with Erik to start throwing. For some reason, my arm was still out from yesterday, so I was feeling it when I was throwing. I have no idea why my body felt this way, as even with a ton of throwing, I am always fine, but I felt it when I threw. That did not affect how far I could throw it, but it was not the best feeling in the world. Still, I was able to catch better than I ever had outside of the ballpark and it was fun to do.
I then took my spot of first in line. It rained for a little while, and I thought that BP would be cancelled considering the grounds crew, but BP was still on. With that, I then went into the ballpark looking for easter eggs. I searched the lower level first and had to race against Erik and Nick. I found nothing in the lower level, and then went up to the second deck where I saw two. Nick was closer to the one, and after a quick look he left. I really thought at the end, I saw a ball so I went over and looked, and sure enough the ball was there for ball number one. I was quite surprised the ushers did not tamper with these two.
I stayed in left field for a while longer and when I did, a funny thing happened. A homer was hit into a section, and I had a short run, and hopped the little barrier, as it was intended for people who use a wheelchair. Being left-handed was a disadvantage here and Nick and I arrived at the same time, and being right-handed, he had a better play on it and got it. I tried to hop the same barricade again, but when I did, I knew something didn't go right. I was going to come up a bit short on my landing. My landing was important, because if I failed I could have sidelined myself for the rest of the season. My fall was not graceful as it looked like I flailed on a push up and thus my arms and toes hit first. Before I could check to see if I was ok, I jumped right back up and went for the next ball. I did a quick walking/running test and I was fine, and my big toe ended up hurting for only a few minutes. I could deal with that as it could have been a LOT worse, so I had a laugh at my own expense and moved on.
Speaking of moving, during this time, I decided to go up the escalators to see who would be in right field. No one followed me, and I would be the first one down to the first base side. I was all by my lonesome.
There were no easter eggs over there, but there was Tony Watson, who has thrown me a baseball each time I went over there with the exception being the week where that Texas fan killed himself by trying to go for a baseball.
The moved paid off, as I let the guys do their thing, and a few minutes later Watson was looking at me and tossed me the ball for my second baseball on the day.
I placed it in my pocket, and no more than thirty seconds later, I heard Watson warn me, "look out!" I already knew the ball was coming though, and was going for the catch, but being that I was in the wheelchair section, I ran into a chair, and could not get the glove on it. Still the ball, which was hit by Pedro Ciriaco stayed in the section where I got an easy ball number three.
I had a little time up before Ciriaco came up, and I got ready. He hit another ball to my general territory, but it was a section above and I had no play on it, so I prayed it would not bounce onto the field. I got a break as it hit the steps leading to the section I was in and it rolled down. A good break, as I snagged it for ball number four.
Nothing else was hit my way during Pirates BP, and surprisingly they were hitting some homers, so left field was actually a hot spot today.
As the Pirates were wrapping up BP, the Marlins pitchers and Mike Cameron/Mike Stanton came out. I was still all by my lonesome so, I had no idea what to expect, especially since I left my Pirates gear on.
The following is the conversation that occurred between Marlins relievers Ryan Webb, Burke Badenhop and myself.
Webb: "Hey what's going on man?"
Me: "Not much how are you?"
Webb: "I'm doing well."
Badenhop: "What made you decide to come over here?"
Me: "Well, honestly, I am a season ticket holder and when us season tickets come in, they confine us to left field, so Saturday is my day to explore and I usually come over here because there are fewer people and I can interact with both teams."
Badenhop: "Really? That's cool. What time do the gates open here?"
Me: "Well on weekdays, they open it up at 5, but they make us stay in left field. On Saturdays, they open at 4:30, so when they opened I stayed in left for a few minutes until I snuck up over here."
Badenhop: "Nice. How long have you been a Pirates fan?"
Me: "Well I was born in 1992, and have not been alive for a winning season, need I say more? I have always been loyal to my Pirates."
Badenhop and Webb (laughing): "Wow. Nice. Hey, aren't the Steelers play here at one?"
Me: "Yeah, they play at one, but they are in Baltimore to play the Ravens."
Badenhop: "Oh I see."
Me: "Aren't the Dolphins playing Monday Night Football at home against the Patriots?"
Badenhop (sighs): "Yeah, and then the Raiders and Broncos are playing the second game."
Webb: "Are we going to be able to see either of those games?"
Badenhop: "Probably not. Aren't the Jets playing Sunday night?"
Me: "Yeah, against the Cowboys."
Badenhop (roll of the eyes and exaggerated tone): "Oh great. I am so tired of them."
Me (laughing): "I feel the exact same way."
Badenhop and Webb: "Well, it was great talking to you, we have to go run and warm up."
Me: "Ok. Thanks for taking the time and talking with me."
That was awesome. I never get a chance to talk to players like that, and by being the only one over there, I was able to get into a conversation. It definitely was a highlight to the season.
There were a couple of things that went on during the conversation. When Webb was talking to me, Badenhop was singing a song, and it did not sound that great. Also, a ball was hit as the Marlins pitchers were warming up and I was talking to Badenhop and Webb. "Look out," I screamed to reliever Brian Sanches who looked to the cage and saw the ball in enough time to catch it. He definitely seemed to appreciate it and turned to me and threw me the ball as a thank you. The throw was not the best as it looked as though it was going to hit Badenhop who was not paying attention, so I turned my glove and reached over to protect him and make the catch. Badenhop seemed a little worried but I protected my new buddy and that was that. I was pleased to add ball number five on the day.
I knew that the Marlins were not going to hit any baseballs to right or center from Friday's game, and thus I just stayed put as left was crowded.
My staying there was a great call as soon after, Todd and Tim Cook better known as Cook and Sons, came to the ballpark and we all had a great conversation. They are huge Seattle Mariners fans despite being from Reading, PA. I think it is very cool, and they got Mike Cameron to come over and take a picture and sign their baseball.
I got a picture with Cameron, who I long respected, and before we even posed, Cameron jokingly said, "chesse". It lightened the mood and was quite funny.
The Cooks and I hung out during the rest of BP, where I ended up with zero baseballs. Tim was hilarious with all of the stories he had and seemed to be in a great mood.
I then got to talk to Manny Lopez who is a very important player in the PNC Park puzzle. Manny is in charge of the grounds crew. Us ballhawks have not been happy, as the tarp has gone onto the field a lot more than anyone would like it to, and often times when the tarp goes on, the rain stops and it never goes off until right before the game. This has cost us quite a few baseballs.
I decided to ask Manny about how he makes the decision to put the tarp on pre-game. Manny told me that he looks hard at what radar says and he looks outside to see what the conditions look like. He said though that he hates putting the tarp onto the field and with that little explanation, I thanked him and we parted ways.
After parting ways with the Cooks, who wanted to explore the ballpark, I went to my usual spot the bullpen, to try and see Jeff Locke warm up for his first big league start. I set up shop right behind the fence, just in case PNC Security came early. All of a sudden a Pittsburgh Police Officer told all of us that we had to move and when I nicely asked him why, he said it was so that people with wheelchairs could go through. What??!! That is a bit confusing considering that we left them enough room, and being by the bullpen was never an issue before. It was clear that the officer did not know the rule, but I was not going to argue with him for obvious reasons.
The officer not knowing the rule allowed me to go around the ballpark and do my usual exploring. I ran into a buddy and we caught up, and I made it to my seat in time for the game to begin.
During the game I caught up with Nick, and we chatted for a bit. All of a sudden Derrick Lee belted a foul ball that landed in section 131. I reacted quickest and was ready in case the ball rebounded to my section, as I had it perfectly read, but it never bounced and I ended up getting shutout for the little bit of the game I was there for.
I did not stay long as just moments after the D. Lee foul ball I felt unwell and after taking care of myself for a short while, I left to be on the safe side.
I clearly did not miss anything, as the Pirates lost 3-0 as Marlins pitcher Anibal Sanchez pitched a complete game one-hitter. The Pirates lone hit was a double from Neil Walker who celebrated his 26th birthday that day.
I am feeling fine now, but as a precaution, I will not be going to Monday's Pirates game, meaning Tuesday is my next game. The Cardinals will be back in town and that should be interesting to say the least. I currently have 124 baseballs on the season, putting me only four away from the goal I set for myself at the beginning of the season. I also am seven baseballs away from 200 career, so it would be cool to reach that milestone soon as well.
Also next week is Season Ticket Holder Field Days. This is a way the Pirates thank their season ticket holders, by allowing them to come down to the ballpark and hit and field on the field. My time is 11-1 on Friday and I am very excited. I was sick for last years, so I was pretty much hitting blind, but between the hitting and throwing, I am rather excited. Should be a fun and busy week next week!
Pirates vs Florida Marlins 9/9/11
I went to this game by my lonesome, and was still definitely battling the cough, although I did have the upper hand. I did get this ticket from Point Park, which was cool.
I played catch with Ian Weir prior to going into the ballpark and on just the second throw, he dropped the ball and it went into the stadium. This mistake happened once before with Baseball Joe and Ian, so it was semi-funny to relive it. Of course it took the PNC people a while to get it because they were oblivious, but hey still got it, and just like last time, no it does not count.
As we went in, I noticed one of the ticket takers had a baseball. I respect my elders, and it looked like he has done a lot of service for the Pirates previously, so I approached him with a friendly attitude as my ticket was being scanned and nicely asked if he found that baseball today. It was a loaded question as I knew the answer, which he confirmed by saying yes. I shook my head in approval knowing that was not ok, and he added that it was for a nephew. Hey, that's fine and I am not going to argue with you, but thanks for providing physical proof in my season ticket letter I plan on sending to the Pirates. I was not the only one that was there when this scene occurred, so I do have witnesses to back me up.
This brief conversation meant that there would be no easter eggs, and I was right. I was unable to snag anything during the Pirate portion of BP, which was longer than normal likely because of September call ups.
I was shutout heading into the 5:30 time slot and I saw balls being taken from right and centerfields, and I even saw a centerfield usher throwing them to others waiting by the fence. I decided then to change my strategy and head down the third base side knowing that there was potential for a couple baseballs to be there.
When 5:30 came I ran up there and Erik Jabs did as well. I was unable to find the baseballs and I was reluctant to retrace my steps in left, so I went to the first baseside, still not finding anything.
Finally a glimmer of hope came when a ball came down the line. I could have easily reached for it, but I could see that Marlins closer Leo Nunez was running for it, so I opted to peel off. This allowed for others in right including a couple of ballhawks to try asking him for a ball. I said my request to him in Spanish and under handed me the ball for ball number one on the day. I thanked him and he responded with a nod. While I have said many perfect requests in Spanish, this was the first time that it worked.
I then retreated to centerfield, where I tried my luck at another snag. I asked Clay Hensley and Burke Badenhop, who both patroled the area for a baseball and it took them a while, until Hensley tossed me up a nice one. I wanted to give it to a kid with a glove, but he said that he already had two. Well now I did too as that was my second ball on the day.
That was it for BP, although I tried for a dugout tossup.
I went by the bullpen and that was unsuccessful as well, although in the second inning, I talked to Evan Meek for a couple of minutes. It's great that he still remembers me, one of his most loyal fans (although Tami Davis is his #1 fan, I may be third or fourth) and he told me he is feeling much better and then talked about life.
I then went to my Point Park section, but didn't really mix it up with anyone besides a professor I had last year that I saw by the bullpen.
Sitting right behind me was a mother and father with a young child. I continued to mull it over and finally turned to them when the father suggested that his child should come in.
I told the child, "Hey if you are going to come in, then you might want to have a glove with you."
The parents both laughed and I had the practice baseball that Ian and I threw with in my glove. I opened up the glove for them all to see and let him take the baseball out of it.
The child admired the baseball, and the parents said to the child, "That's a real baseball." They all then took turns holding it and I stayed a little while longer before I had to leave. I made sure to give the kid a high five before I left.
Knowing I was going to the Saturday game as well, I headed out and the Pirate game, it wasn't even close. 13 runs and 20 hits were already put up by the Marlins before I even left. It was just one of those nights.
It is early Sunday morning as I type this and I will type the blog on last night's game later today. Needless to say though, it was one of my favorite on the season.
Pirates vs Houston Astros 9/6 PNC Park
Rain rain go away come again another day! Yes, I had planned to go to Monday's game, but a combination of terrible weather and an even worse cough sidelined me for the day. At this game, I still had the cough a little bit, but considering I was already down at Point Park, I figured I could go to this game.
Heading into this game, I was putting my streak of 50 straight games with a baseball on the line big time. I have put my streak to the test all kinds of times this season, but on paper me going to this game made no sense. With the rain this week there would be no BP and things looked bleak. In my mind though, I knew that I had snagged 115 baseballs on the season and need to get to 128 in any way possible. This was a possible way, and even better I tend to get the best results of the ballhawks that attend when it rains. Something about the rain always seems to work in my favor.
I had a bigger problem to navigate though. I had a little over an hour to avoid a shutout on a day where a shutout was almost a guarantee. I could get in at five, but I had to leave a few minutes after six to prepare for the first ever volleyball game on Point Park's campus. I am the volleyball beat writer for the school paper, so I knew I needed to attend. This made a seemingly unlikely task turn into a seemingly impossible one.
So after my English 250 class, I put on my Pirates dugout jacket and made the short walk to PNC Park arriving around 4:30 to see Jim Saylor ducked for cover. The tarp was indeed on the field but again I had two free tickets waiting for me at will call, so what did I have to lose? I chatted with Jim and then got my spot as first in line. I did not have to worry about who all was lining up at the gate as I could count on one hand who all was in line (myself, Jim, Harold, Baseball Joe and Big Yellow who joined a few minutes after the gates opened). Big Yellow attended as I gave him my other free ticket.
I searched left field pretty good for easter eggs and did not see anything.
Erik and Nick were not to be found, and you can't blame them. They are both quite frustrated by the grounds crew freaking out over earlier rain and not removing the tarp. We have lost BP way more than we should have this year, and it has made our totals lower than they should be. I likely would have been right at 128 baseballs right now if these BPs didn't get called out.
Ballhawks in cities such as Baltimore have it quite easy compared to us as they have much more room to run and they actually have hitters who consistently hit it over the left field wall. Our best chance (at least from the two minutes we see) Matt Diaz was just sent to the Atlanta Braves, which means not much hope here.
With this rain, the Pirates never even came out. Big Yellow and I spent most of the time talking, and then the rain stopped. The useless (cough cough) I mean grounds crew then came out to remove the tarp to get field ready. The field looked more than ready and I was upset, but at least the Astros pitchers were coming out to stretch.
Still it was 5:25 so I took off my Pirates dugout jacket as the rain stopped in favor of a red Under Armour sweatshirt and then ran over and got the first spot by the stairs leading to the first base area. I knew there would be no easter eggs in the outfield, and I plotted my strategy and chose the stair area that I felt would get me there the fastest.
When 5:30 came, I ran up, and someone (an autograph seeker) tried to cut me off. It was not going to happen, and I kept running and he stumbled (unsure if he fell or not and I really don't care) and I just kept going. Let that be a lesson, when I am in the zone, do not try to race me, you WILL lose everytime.
This got me first into the area and there were no easter eggs there. I immediately scouted the competition I had, and planned a strategy.
One thing I did not count on was Harold coming down, but I knew that he was not a threat by any means. This led to the funniest moment of the day. An Astro had an overthrow, which Harold could not reach before it went to a grounds crew member. Harold had a lot of separation and the grounds crew guy threw it to him, but the throw was a little short and he could not read it well. It rolled right into a kid's glove and the look on Harold's face was priceless. Needless to say, he did not get a baseball before the game.
Meanwhile, I kept switching my position to try and gauge things. While this happened, a couple of funny moments occurred.
The first occurred when Doug Brocail, the Astros Pitching Coach warned an elderly couple right in the front of the wheelchair section that the relievers could not catch, and as if on cue, they nearly got beaned.
The other funny moment was when Brocail crouched in the catcher's stance and caught for David Carpenter. Carpenter soon uncorked a terrible throw, and Brocail looked at me and we both shrugged our shoulders and shook our heads.
The Astros then started to run and because I did not have time to look at my cheat sheet, I missed asking Wesley Wright for a toss up.
Bud Norris nearly left me too. I had asked him for the baseball, and he might not have heard me, so when he started walking towards the dugout, I was starting to run over there as well and for some reason out of the corner of his eye, he must have seen me running, because right before I was going to catapault myself over the wheelchair section he looked at me, I flashed my glove and I had ball number one. Crisis and shutout averted.
Things then got quiet for a couple of minutes as many of the relievers continued running. Joe "Stretch" Suba was pocketing baseballs, and I tried to call to him but he must not have heard me either and he walked away. Just as I started to think I would end up with one, I saw one more baseball inside a glove, Suba had missed one.
At first I thought that it belonged to Aneury Rodriguez, but I ended up having the wrong Rodriguez. It was Fernando Rodriguez and I knew he was from America so I could not ask him in Spanish. I would have one shot at this, and after he signed his third and final autograph, I asked him nicely for the ball, and he said sure and held his glove out. It was a cool experience reaching into his glove for ball number two.
That was all I would get, but considering the circumstances and time, two baseballs was like getting double digits.
I then saw Big Yellow and knowing I had to leave bade him farewell. While the attendance was listed close to 10,000 it looked like a twister had hit the place and maybe 250 people were there, but perhaps I am exaggerating.
Assuming I am feeling well, my next game is Friday against the Florida Marlins. Should be interesting, that's for sure.
My homestand schedule
I sit here at 115 baseballs snagged on the season, and need only 13 more baseballs to pass my goal. It took until the last day of the season to get to 64 total last year, and I do not want it to come to that this season. I definitely want to surpass this goal I have set by as much as possible. With that in mind, here is my schedule for this upcoming homestand.
Games I will attend:
Monday vs Astros- The Astros are not a great BP hitting team, but with it being Labor Day and me being unable to make Thursday's game against the Dodgers due to classes, I feel that I owe it to myself to be at this game. I do not expect to snag many because of the Pirates ending BP as soon as we come in, and with Hunter Pence gone, only Carlos Lee has the BP power we need. Jose Otulve (I think I said that correctly) may have some BP power, but we shall see. The Astros also are not friendly when it comes to toss ups. There very well may not be BP though, as it is a day game and furthermore there is rain all over the forecast, and you know what that means to the sensative PNC Park grounds crew.
Tuesday vs Astros- I will have a ticket for this game, but I will only stay thru BP. I have an event I need to cover at Point Park and I want to get there by 6:30. So I am hoping to tack on a couple more snags on this day just for numbers sake.
Friday vs Marlins- I am skipping Wednesday's game as I have my radio show from 4-6 and then have a class immediately after that. Thursday is an off-day so I will be back for this game on Friday. I definitely am looking forward to it. Mike Stanton can absolutely hit the cover off of the ball, and Hanley Ramirez can take BP off sometimes, but it should be interesting. The team is also historically friendly with tossups, so this could be a good day.
Saturday vs Marlins- See Friday. Could be a very good day, and I tend to do well on Saturdays.
Monday vs Cardinals- Taking off Sunday, and Monday could be a bear of a day. The Cardinals are not friendly with toss ups, but Mondays usually are not crowded, and that means I could perhaps catch a Pujols or Holliday bomb.
Tuesday vs Cardinals- Tuesday could also be interesting, but Jason Motte seems to control toss ups for the Cardinals, and he never tosses it up anymore, so could be another long day.
Wednesday vs Cardinals- There may not even be BP on this day, but it could be my best day of the series. Being that it is an afternoon game, there will be less people than usual, and Cardinals pitchers may be more willing to do toss ups. We shall see.
Overview: Overall, I am planning on attending seven of the nine home games. After this is the final series of the year against the Reds and that is all she wrote for the home schedule. I will have to have a great homestand, and it could be my last call for money going to charity.


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|The Bulletin
of the Center for Children's Books
|Each month we choose a favorite quote--something fun or something to make you think. See the archive for quotes from previous months.
Christmas you know is that one special season,
When people do good things without a good reason.
The grouchiest men will wear musical ties,
And buy Christmas presents for folks they despise.
And people make fruitcakes from concrete and honey.
|--Mike Reiss, How Murray Saved Christmas (Price Stern Sloan, 2000)
This page was last updated on December 1, 2000.


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Physical Development: Developing Physical Skills Through Scarves, Chutes, & Hoops
Exciting yet simple equipment helps children build motor skills and adds a large dose of joy.
- Grades: Early Childhood, Infant, PreK–K, 1–2
Children with physical challenges will enjoy throwing scarves-either loose or tied into "scarf balls"-into hula hoops placed along a curving path or spread out in an array. For example, placing three hoops across the bottom row, two in the next, and one on the top row gives varied targets for throwing the scarves and scoring points. Dividing a parachute into "pie pieces" with marker lines starting at the center and going to the edge allows children of all abilities to play games where they march or roll to the music and stop within a "pie piece." The "pie pieces" can be numbered or tagged with colored dots to practice number and color recognition.
WHETHER YOU HAVE A LITLE ROOM OR A LOT OF ROOM, you can use scarves, parachutes, and hoops to add zest to your physical-development program. And whether your space is indoors or out, these versatile items will be a hit with children.
Peek-a-Boo With Infants
Infants will enjoy scarves used as "peek-a-boo" curtains. Get scarves that are of the "see-through" variety for infants, as they will feel more at ease during the peek-a-boo game. Hide items under the scarves for infants to find and remove. Tie scarves around the hula-hoops and encourage infants to reach and stretch for them as you slowly turn the hoops around. Place the parachute on the floor or out on the grass as a "crawling space"- the silky feel of the 'chute and the varied colors can create a new crawling dynamic.
Scarf Toss for Toddlers
Encourage toddlers to toss scarves up in the air and then run under them and catch them. If they have difficulty getting the scarves to "float and flutter," toss the scarves up for them and let them catch them as they float down. Hoops and scarves can be combined as children dance inside the hoop with it lying on the ground and spin and twirl to lively music. Tie a "scarf ball," leaving some of the scarf ends loose so children can catch the ball by the dangling ends and throw it through a hoop hanging from the ceiling or from a low branch outside.
Hoop Play With Preschoolers
Preschoolers will enjoy the challenge of throwing individual scarves into hoops placed on the floor or ground. Since scarves don't "go straight," children will develop unique ways of getting the scarves to land inside the hoops. Invite three preschoolers to hold onto a single hoop and try to run under and catch a cascade of scarves that you have tossed into the air. Place a hula-- hoop on the floor at one end of a table and ask children to "race" scarves along by blowing them the length of the table into the hoop.
Kindergartners Hit the Bullseye!
Spread out the parachute on the ground and invite kindergartners to turn the hula hoops over their heads like circular jump ropes as they go around the outside edge of the parachute. You might also try dividing the parachute into concentric circles starting from the outside edge and going to the center, where you place a "bull's-eye." Use a marker to draw lines on the parachute. Ask children to stand at the outside edge of the parachute and throw their scarves as far in toward the center of the parachute as possible. Score points for each band (circle), with the outside bands having a lower point value than the inner bands.
- Part of Collection:
- Subjects:Athletic Programs and Coaching, Motor Skills, Special Education, Physical Development, Physical Disabilities, New Teacher Resources, Teacher Tips and Strategies


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Dave Meltzer thinks that these are the two most likely matchups for "The Iceman":
UFC has yet to decide what is next for Liddell, but the two most viable options are a rematch with Keith Jardine, who upset Liddell via split decision Sept. 22, or coming right back with another match with Silva, with the odds stronger in the direction of the latter match.
It's hard to understand why either of these fights would be the most viable options. Keith Jardine elevated himself when he beat Chuck Liddell in September. Why should he have to fight him again so soon?
As for a potential rematch with Wanderlei Silva, why make it so soon? Why not wait to have the fight at a later date when a title shot or a title itself is on the line? Sure, everyone would love to see those two go at it again but let's not milk the money cow dry here. A rematch between Liddell and Silva is a fight that Dana White and company can put in their back pocket for use at a later date in time. Everyone wants to see them go at it again so the fight will sell whether it has title implications or not. And if the fight does end up having title implications then that's even better for the UFC and company.
My personal view is that the UFC has already decided to give Chuck another title shot granted he beats his next opponent. His next opponent won't be someone as tough as Silva or Jardine because the UFC wants their guy to have another chance to wear the gold. They've spent years building Liddell into a star and during mixed martial arts' biggest year ever, Chuck Liddell was on the backburner for much of it following two consecutive losses. That's why they won't have him fight Silva or Jardine. Too much of a risk for their golden boy.
Check out more Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva content on FiveOuncesofPain.com


text: OverviewBack to top Nature's Best - Cocotein Coconut Water Protein RTD Original Flavor - 16 oz. Item# :129052UPC# :089094034757 Brand:Nature's Best Size/Form:16 oz. Ship Weight:1.71 Servings:1 Dosage:1 Bottle(s) Flavor:Original Flavor Nature's Best - Cocotein Coconut Water Protein RTD Original Flavor - 16 oz. (473 mL) Nature's Best Cocotein Coconut Water Protein Drink contains 20 grams of 100% IsoPure Whey Isolate. Take 100% pure whey protein isolate. Add body-boosting protein benefits and tastebud-loving coconut refreshment. All that, with 0% lactose and 0% fat. Now that's one seriously smart formula. 100 Calories 20 grams Protein 5,120 mg of BCAA's 21% Juice Gluten Free Aspartame Free Lactose Free Nature's BestThey are only Nature's Best Great tasteNature's Best hates the word "chalky" and make sure that everything they create tastes great. So, whether you're trying to stay lean, build quality mass, sustain your energy or enhance your performance, at Nature's Best you can always find the best tasting product that best suits your fitness goals. Easy to digestWhether you open a bottle of Isopure smoothie, or mix a cup of Perfect Whey, with Nature's Best's products your stomach is in for a treat. Good for youWith your goals to aspire to, they design powders, beverages and vitamins of the purest form and highest quality. They give you an edge, a nudge to unleash your potential, a fuel to tool and retool, a complete muscular nutrition.


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Darrell McLain and his sons, Greg and Phil, worked at mushroom farms in other areas of the country before moving to Texas to build a farm of their own in 1988. They knew they could use their knowledge of mushroom farming along with their passion for the business and also take advantage of technology not available to earlier farms.
Growing white button, crimini, portabella, oyster and shiitake mushrooms, the McLains harvest in excess of 225,000 pounds of mushrooms every week. Along with putting sustainable farming methods into practice, Kitchen Pride employs extensive water conservation and recycling programs. After each crop, the compost used to grow mushrooms is sold to be used again on farmers' fields and in local gardens and landscaping.
Kitchen Pride employees have embraced the McLain's attitude of personal care and attention to consistently produce high quality mushrooms year round. We are fortunate to have customers in the food service industry and retail customers alike that appreciate fresh locally-grown quality and truly take it to market. Our Central Texas location and modern growing methods have allowed us to provide our customers with the freshest and highest quality mushrooms available.


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The Duke of Westminster wooed Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel in style. The British aristocrat and the French fashion designer began an affair after meeting in 1923. Five years later he gifted his lover a parcel of land on the French Riviera and Chanel commissioned the architect Robert Streitz to build a beautiful villa, La Pausa.
Chanel worked closely with Streitz on the design of the villa, which captures the opulent spirit of the Roaring Twenties, channelled by Baz Luhrmann in his latest film, The Great Gatsby.
"Elements everywhere harken to Chanel," says Edward de Mallet Morgan of Knight Frank agency, which


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The Penguins posted a 5 to 3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning Sunday .Sidney Crosby scored a pair of goals and added added an assist in the win . Beau Bennett scored his first NHL goal and it turned out to be the game winner. The Pens begin a three-game road trip Tuesday in Florida.
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Will shoppers addicted to coupons and slashed prices eventually adapt to JCPenney's "Fair and Square" pricing and promotional model?
Just a few months into the department-store chain's total overhaul, it could be too early to tell. But the company recently announced an adjusted net loss of $55 million, or 25 cents per share, for the fiscal quarter that ended April 28.
Those numbers exclude markdowns taken as a result of continued efforts to shrink inventory to match the new strategy. Retail watchers also are aware that J. C. Penney Co. Inc., has been in extreme management revamp mode, too.
"Sales and profitability have been tougher than anticipated during the first 13 weeks, but the transformation is ahead of schedule," CEO Ron Johnson said with the release of the financial stats. "Customers love the new jcp they discover in our stores. ... While we have work to do to educate the customer on our pricing strategy and to drive more traffic to our stores, we are confident in our vision to become America's favorite store."
Now, the company has added some "Best Price Fridays" into its promo calendar in coming months, prompting a RetailWire experts online discussion about whether JCPenney is retreating from its bold strategy.
"People want to feel like they are getting a deal. JCP and other discount retailers have trained the shopper to expect it," RetailWire panelist Raymond D. Jones wrote. "The question is whether the new strategy needs time to work or whether it is fundamentally flawed.
"And how long are they willing to wait? It looks like they may have already blinked."
How do you like JCP's new approach? Would you rather keep it, or once again have the deals and coupons?


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Party: Democratic
Target: Gov. Jan Brewer
"A Message for Governor Brewer as She Heads to Canada," Oct. 1, Arizona Democratic Party news release.
Public records from the Governor's Office, released Sept. 17 to The Arizona Republic.
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Wings embarrass Senators in critical gameIn the big picture, it was a loss that may eventually be looked at as the one that ended the Ottawa Senators' playoff hopes.
Sens blast Caps in WashingtonThe Lucky 7's were everywhere Tuesday for the Ottawa Senators, while the Washington Capitals' long losing slide continued without their Great 8.
Good effort, bad result for SenatorsIn a game that featured huge shifts of momentum, the Montreal Canadiens, who squandered a 3-0 first-period lead, escaped Ottawa with a 5-4 win over the Senators when P.K. Subban ...
Senators end road trip on winning noteAfter a first period flurry, a fortunate broken stick and a few timely saves, the Ottawa Senators could fly home full of positive feelings Tuesday night.
Rocky finish for Senators in ColoradoThe Ottawa Senators can certainly take something out of Wednesday's game, picking up a point after an awful start.
Vermette stuns Senators as Coyotes rally for winOn an afternoon when Marc Methot appeared poised to play the hometown hero, it was a former Ottawa Senator who stole the show.
Blunder road: Sens lose big in New JerseyIt's the same old story, the same old broken record.
Anderson saves SenatorsAfter giving up what has been his Achilles' heel this season - a wraparound goal - Craig Anderson settled down and led the Ottawa Senators to a 2-1 victory over ...
Senators rally before falling to Leafs in shootoutWith 40 minutes of their Saturday night game at Canadian Tire Centre against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the books, the Ottawa Senators appeared mortally wounded.
Bishop stands tall against SenatorsIt was about the Old Man with the C and the Tall Man in the Crease Thursday as the Ottawa Senators failed to complete a much needed sweep of Florida.


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Archive for Open Thread
Friday Open TheadPosted by: | Comments
Hope it's a Good Friday for you. Floor's open.
Harry Reid will not run for re-election. What else happened this week?
Just introduced an amendment with Senators Manchin, Murray, Brown & Schatz to strengthen & expand Social Security. pic.twitter.com/cwRUT6TjP6
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) March 27, 2015
The green is coming.
Have a hostile foreign government you would like to write to this week? How lucky you are! You have frenemies in the U.S. Senate.
The Bloody Sunday march was 50 years ago tomorrow. Anything memorable happen this week?
Keystone pipeline vetoed.
Municipal broadband limits overruled.
Net neutrality secured (for now).
What else rocked your world this week?
Who else wasn't brought up the way you were brought up, and I was brought up? "America's Mayor" thinks it's fine to cast aspersions. Fire away.
So what else happened this week that made world news?
Please wash hands before posting.
Guess where the Pope (no, not Francis, Art) wants to keep all Hooligans? Far away from ideas that challenge "thousands of years of Western thought" and ' traditional values of "liberty" and "free-market economics."'
Just as Paul says in 1 Economicus.
What say you?


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CEO Live
Guest blog: Shopping small is big in Columbus
(Editor's Note: This is the first in a series of blogs from Andrea Archibald, owner of Simply Vague, on the local movement and small independent retailers in the area. Archibald will profile a new startup or small business in each of her guest blogs.)
by Andrea Archibald
2013 was a big year for shopping small in the capital city. With the addition of several new "local" stores, like Glean in the Short North, Mary B.'s in German Village and Pure Roots in Westerville, and the introduction of new pop-up shops and street markets like the Moonlight Market, even smaller businesses have more opportunities than ever before to get their Ohio-made products into retail locations and in front of the masses.
Helping to create jobs in the community and stimulating the local economy are two of the many benefits associated with shopping from small independent retailers, but the uniqueness and quality of their products are what's causing such a demand for "local" stores in the marketplace. The demand for local is so great that all three of the major malls (Polaris Fashion Place, Easton Town Center and The Mall at Tuttle Crossing) each have their own all Ohio-made store. Together the three of them give over 400 Ohio small businesses the opportunity to sell their products, whether they be artisan foods, craft beer, wine or handcrafted items, alongside retail giants like Macy's, Sears, and Abercrombie.
In September, Columbus City Council and its partners presented KickStart Columbus, a business plan contest for entrepreneurs looking to grow their business, where two winners received free rent for retail spaces in addition to other tools to help them with the launch of their brand new storefronts. Team Chipmunk, a children's clothing store, and Sweet Simpliciteas, which offers gourmet dessert teas, were the winners — each receiving retail space on 3rd street in Downtown Columbus.
With so many new outlets for artists, inventors, crafters and farmers, 2013 saw a wide range of new startups. No less than five new brewing companies came onto the scene in 2013, and even more are scheduled to open in 2014. The Boutique Truck, a new startup that offers affordable fashion in the form of a mobile pop-up shop, is just one of the many clever new concepts that Columbus has welcomed with open arms.
As a small business owner and local enthusiast myself, I am passionate about small businesses. I talked to several small business owners to find out how their companies have been affected by the local movement for this blog series. Local brewing companies, farm-to-table restaurants and local musicians are all positively impacted by the local movement. Even local charity organizations have experienced an increase in local love. Those benefiting from the movement are optimistic about Columbus' love of local reaching new heights in 2014 and beyond. In the meantime, consumers are enjoying a wide range of stores and restaurants that are embracing community and serving up the best of Columbus.
Andrea Archibald is the owner of Simply Vague, a pair of locally focused stores at Polaris Fashion Place and The Mall at Tuttle Crossing. You can reach her at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Karl Lagerfeld Expresses Emotion
Big day, big day.
At the end of this clip promoting the second coming of Karl by Karl Lagerfeld on Net-a-Porter, the designer plants a wet one on Choupette's cheek, complete with exaggerated smooching sound. Also worth noting: The "famous beauty" finally speaks. She says "meow," and purrs a bunch. Cats! CATS!


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Trent Loos at Alltech's Global Beef 500
Dr. Karl Dawson, Alltech's Director of Worldwide Research, gave the first presentation this morning. He covered some of the exciting innovations that are in the near future for Alltech. Nutrigenomics is at the core of many of these developments.
© 2016 Alltech.
All Rights Reserved.
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'Anchorman' Star David Koechner Wants To Beat You At Fantasy Football (sponsored)
David Koechner made us cry laughing as bullish sportscaster Champ Kind in Anchorman - which makes him the perfect choice to be the spokesperson for the new Bud Light Fantasy Football League.
With the football season having started yesterday, NFL fans can now join the Bud Light League at BudLight.com/FFL, redeeming the codes found on their Budweiser products to draft their team.
They can then pit their roster against other squads nationwide, including one fielded by Koechner, who's determined to lay waste to everyone who opposes him.
While laying out his challenge to football fans around the country, Koechner also shared some scoop regarding the highly anticipated sequel Anchorman: The Legend Continues.
He let us know what we can expect to see plot-wise in the second flick, and talked about what it was like when he and his co-stars realized they'd created a cult hit that launched phrases like "You stay classy, San Diego" into popular culture.
Anchorman: The Legend Continues, with Koechner, Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, Christina Applegate, Fred Willard and Chris Parnell all slated to reprise their roles from the first film, is tentatively scheduled to arrive between Fall and Christmas 2013.
Watch the interview below for more information on the Bud Light League, Anchorman sequel dish, and some good old fashioned fantasy football smack talk.
You can follow David Koechner on Twitter (@DavidKoechner). For more from Brittany Frederick, visit my Starpulse writer page and follow me on Twitter (@tvbrittanyf).
(c)2012 Brittany Frederick/Digital Airwaves. Appears at Starpulse with permission. All rights reserved. No reproduction permitted.


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By Kevin Wilson
Long before Jack Hale played post for the Portales High basketball team, he was a grade-schooler just learning the ropes at the Ram Fundamentals Camp.
Now, he looks at this year's campers and hopes they take a similar path.
"It's weird looking at the little kids in the morning session, remembering we were like that," said Hale, now a 6-foot-2, 185-pound senior-to-be at PHS. "Now we're (camp) coaches at high school, (getting ready) for our last season of basketball."
Approximately 60 participants came Monday for the first of four days of the annual boys basketball camp at PHS. Ram coach Mark Gallegos has done the camps since he has coached at Portales.
"We did a lot of things today," Gallegos said. "We did a lot of fundamental things."
There are two sessions for the camp — a morning session for campers entering grades 4-6 and an afternoon session for those entering grades 7-9.
The camp includes several competition, but Gallegos feels the skills that campers learn will be the best reward if they want to move to the next level of basketball, whether it is with a junior high, junior varsity or varsity squad for Portales.
"It helps a lot," Gallegos said. "It helps to get familiar with the coaching staff (and teammates)," Gallegos said. "You look to build some camraderie and you get excited to someday play for Portales."
That's the situation that Hale is in, along with several of his teammates that act as coaches throughout the camp.
"Everything's going good, I think they're learning a lot," Hale said. "A lot of these kids have been to the camp previously. They know what the program's like a little bit."


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Christmas Carol Riddles
Interested in Christmas song trivia games? The following is a fun exercise to test your Christmas song trivia knowledge. Here is a printable pdf of 25 Christmas song riddles. Each number is a riddle for a classic Christmas carol. See how many of these riddles you can figure out. Print out the sheet and give it to your friends to see how many they can figure out. There is also an answer key to check your answers. Have fun with this Christmas song trivia game and be sure to play Claus Kids this holiday season!
Christmas Song Trivia Games Answers
Test your Christmas song knowledge even further with these Christmas fill-in-the-blank games!


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Machacek will replace Jay Harvey, who did not run for re-election. Carter currently serves as a member of city council and will now relinquish his position.
Challengers Joey Thompson and Cheryl Worley were elected to the two vacant spots on city council. Thompson was the top vote-getter with 230 votes, while Worley received 218.
Incumbent city councilman Alfred Perez received 168 votes and challenger Julia Gracia received 72.
More on this story coming to mySouTex.com.


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Hometown Love (Prod. By K-Beatz) Shawn Harris Feat. Drew Love
HNHH brings you the premiere of "Hometown Love," the latest single from Minneapolis, Minnesota representative Nikko Lafre, featuring his fellow Feed The Fam artist Drew Love on the hook. This is the second reveal from Nikko's upcoming album MPLS, soundtrack


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Dear Members,
Keep in mind that Character Bashing is now prohibited. Making fun of certain characters/character pairings leads to a pointless thread filled with insults and general rule breaking.
Also, remember that Versus threads are allowed only in the Versus section.
Thank you, NarutoBase Staff
So I was bored and I found some random naruto pics hope u like em lol
Lol yeah I was bored , hope u like
That was funny....
Konan-Pein was the best,lol
Nice ones :D
Also it seems the rinnengan is even more powerful than i though! xD
Last edited by illidanson; 06-04-2013 at 09:28 AM.
Awesome lol
Indeed pain, I'm jelly of your eyes Lol
Something Pterodactyl
haha very funny indeed
Originally Posted by End of Days
i laughed so hard
Nice! Really nice
The last one got me laughing
Now That Was Hilarious!!
It Really Made Me Laugh So Hard!!:leaf:
Thanks so much guys, I appreciate it
I wish I could see Konan naked....
Pervy Kakashi:
Shikamaru one was too funny
Originally Posted by Sir Derp Obito
Pervy Kakashi:
Pretty good cosplay though.
Last One was pretty funny
I like the third one
Forum Rules


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Source - BBC
The Self Proclaimed 'Best Rapper Alive'; Jay Z, Has Been Confirmed As The Headlining Act For This Year's Glastonbury Festival, Here In The UK.
The organiser of the event; Michael Eavis told the BBC that he wanted to - "Break With Tradition" & "Put On Something Totally Different". Adding that - "He Will Appeal To The Young People & Under 25s For Sure".
The festival, which is held annually each June, normally attracts more of a 'rock crowd', with acts like U2 or Coldplay usually headlining the main stage. In recent years, Hip-Hop acts at UK festivals have received abuse from rock fans, at the Reading Festival for example, 50 Cent had bottles of urine thrown at him & was forced to leave the stage. lol.
I'm not so sure this will get the Hip-Hop heads going to Glastonbury, the event is synonymous with bad weather & huge lakes of mud. I can't see people replacing their 'Box-Fresh' trainers, with big boots, just to see one act, even if it is the Jigga-Man.
Will You Be Heading To Glasonbury?
Let Me Know...


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The Casio Exilim EX-Z280 is a digital camera offered by Casio that is designed for anyone to use. It combines high performance with an easy to use, slim design making it a fun and functional camera to use. It can take 12.1 megapixel photos and features a 26mm, 4x optical zoom and features a high-speed image processing CPU in addition to an ordinary CPU allowing it to perform complex processing such as combining images directly on the camera or to simply take beautiful, high-quality pictures. The innovative Dynamic Photo function allows you to turn a sequence of photos into an animated sequence, which can be placed into another photo and be resized to fit, and you can use previously installed animations as well. In addition to face recognition, it has the ability to make adjustments to smooth skin and soften facial shadows with 12 levels of "skin beauty" and various strengths of image processing. Other features include a Night Scene function, autofocus, HD movie recording and YouTube video mode. The Casio Exilim EX-Z280 is available in silver and pink.
- 12.1 megapixels
- 26mm lens
- 4x optical zoom
- Dual CPUs
- Dynamic Photo function
- Face recognition
- Smooth skin function
- Night scene
- Autofocus
- HD movie recording
- YouTube movie mode
ResourcesAdd New
Add New Resource


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Home > Methods & Techniques
Methods & Techniques of Underwater Research
Methods & Techniques of Underwater Research
Collecting Fishes by C.C. Baldwin, B.B. Collette, L.R. Parenti, D.G. Smith, and V.G. Springer
- Field Methods for the Behavioral Study of Foraging Ecology and Life History of Herbivorous Coral-Reef Fishes by K.E. Clifton
Results of
the Tektite Program: Ecology of Coral-Reef Fishes by B.B. Collette
- Use of SCUBA in
the Study of Explosive Submarine Volcanism by R.S. Fiske and V.F. Avery
- Blue-Water SCUBA
Collection of Planktonic Foraminifera by B.T. Huber, J. Bijma, and H.J. Spero
- Methods for
quantifying Abundance of Marine Organisms by H.A. Lessios
- Field-Expedient
Ecological Methods: A Comparison Between Limited vs. Optimal Resources
for the Study of a Unique Coral Reef by M.M. Littler, D.S. Littler, B.L. Brooks, and J.F. Koven
- A Diver-Operated
Submersible Drill for Studying the Geological History of Coral
Reefs by I.G. Macintyre
- Sponge Diving
- Professional But Not For Profit by K. Rützler
- Advances in Ultrasonic Biotelemetry for Animal Movement and Behavior: The Blue Crab Case Study by T.G. Wolcott and A.H. Hines