text:
Genotypic characterization of Clostridium difficile strains isolated from patients with C.difficile infection in a tertiary hospital in Spain
Abstract number: P1718
Marin M., Martin A., Alcala L., Insa R., Cercenado E., Sanchez-Somolinos M., Bouza E.
Objectives:Clostridium difficile (CD) is the main aetiological agent of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea and a common nosocomial pathogen. In recent years, epidemic strains belonging to the 027 and 078 ribotypes have emerged (both binary toxin+). Genotypic characterization of isolates is essential for recognition of these strains and complements epidemiological investigations. Data on the genotypic characteristics of CD strains circulating in Spain are scarce. We genotyped CD strains circulating in our hospital and isolated from patients with CD infection (CDI) during the year 2007.
Methods: Only strains from patients with a new episode of CDI at least 60 days after a previous episode were considered for study. Strains were cultured and identified by conventional microbiological methods. DNA was obtained from pure cultures using Chelex resin (Instagene matrix, BioRad). The tcdA gene (toxin A), tcdB gene (toxin B), and binary-toxin genes cdtA and cdtB were detected by multiplex PCR (Persson, 2008). Isolates were characterized by PCR-ribotyping (Stubbs, 1999). Phylogenetic analysis of ribotyping profiles was conducted using Bionumerics software 5.0. tcdC gene PCR and sequencing were performed only for clustered strains as previously described (Rupnik, 1998 and Spigaglia, 2002).
Results: Seven hundred and fifty-six CD strains were isolated during 2007. Non-toxigenic CD isolates (96 strains) and those belonging to the same episode (212 strains) were excluded from the study. Overall, 448 CD strains from 435 patients with CD-associated diarrhoea were studied. Two toxigenic profiles were detected: tox A+B+bin- (386 isolates, 86.2%, 45 ribotypes) and tox A+B+bin+ (62 strains, 13.8%; 7 ribotypes). CD strains were clustered in 22 different ribotypes (418 strains, 93.3%) and 30 ribotypes were non-shared. The most frequent ribotypes were 001 (222 strains, 49.5%) and 014 (75 strains, 16.7%). Ribotype 078 was the third most frequent (48 strains, 10.7%). Only 6 isolates (2 patients) belonged to ribotype 027. Analysis of the tcdC gene revealed deletions of 18 bp to 54 bp in 62 strains. All but 2 strains were tox A+B+bin+.
Conclusions: Most of our toxigenic CD isolates were distributed in two ribotypes. Ribotype 078, which is a frequent cause of diarrhoea in our patients, accounted for 10% of toxigenic CD isolated at our institution during 2007. Epidemic strains of ribotype 027 were detected in only 2 patients. All the bin+ CD isolates had deletions in the tcdC gene.
Session Details
|Session name:
|Abstracts 20th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
|Vienna, Austria, 10 - 13 April 2010
|Presentation type:
|Back to top


text:
Cheats and Walkthroughs
Lionhead Studios and Microsoft have just announced Fable: Heroes, a downloadable hack-and-slash game set in the Fable universe. Fable: Heroes includes regions, enemies and characters that fans of the "Fable" franchise will recognize, but with a unique art style that offers a fresh take on the world of Albion.
It's a co-op game in which up to five players work together to defeat enemies, compete to pick up coins and otherwise mix it up. The coins are more than markers of your awesomeness, though -- they also allow you to level up your character, unlocking new finishing moves, flourishes and power-ups. You can even used gold coins to unlock items in Fable: The Journey, the full-sized, Kinect-only, Fable RPG that's launching this fall.
As you progress through Fable: Heroes, you will unlock increasingly difficult levels and minigames that will challenge you to gain new powers, beat your previous score and climb the leaderboards.
G4's Jake "The Gasser" Gaskill has played the game and says, "Fable: Heroes brings the world of Albion to life in a somehow even quirkier and colorful way than its source material. I mean, you play as puppets for Molyneux's sake!" Check out his full Fable: Heroes hands-on preview for more details.
Fable: Heroes will be out in advance of Fable: The Journey. It's an XBLA exclusive.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The 2012 Flag Day official committee has appointed Pala'ita Tusi Suiaunoa as the new chairman of the fautasi committee. He replaces Senator Pagofie from Pava'ia'i who held the post for over three years.
Samoa News Sports is pleased to feature local teams that have been invited to play in the TMO Marist Pago International Seven A Side tournament scheduled for April 13-14. This coverage is made possible through the sponsorship of TMO and host club, Marist Pago.
"We accept the challenge of playing against top teams from overseas as far as our strength and ability will take us, but it will be an uphill battle not only for Avele but other local clubs as well," Avele coach, Tommy Elisara says.
"This is our team motto," declares Jerry Chang, head coach of the Marist Pago squad. "Keep the score at 99 points. Never let them reach 100 points against us."
(BASED ON A PRESS RELEASE)--For years people with disabilities have not only been discriminated against, but also bullied. Name calling is a significant sign of bullying, and a tool which is used to demean others. With hurtful names such as "Retard" or "Retarded" some of the most vulnerable members of our community are marginalized, and made to feel less than significant.
The 44-year-old man who is accused of killing a 3-year-old Makaha boy and injuring other members of his family last week made his first court appearance this morning.
Potasi Uta is charged with first-degree negligent homicide, causing accidental death or injury and driving under the influence of alcohol.
Police said speeding may also be a factor in the crash following Wednesday night's accident, in which a car allegedly driven by Uta crashed into a bus shelter fronting Makaha Beach.
Approximately 500 National Emergency Grant participants attended the first job/ career fair in the territory by the Native Hawaiian Holding Company (NHHC), at the Gov. H. Lee Auditorium over the weekend.
NHHC local Projects Manager Paula Stevenson-McDonald and her husband Michael McDonald said the turnout was great and they are looking forward to the second career fair that will be held next month.
The Procurement Office approved last month the sole sourcing of a $4.7 million contract to the NHHC.
Eliota Siaumau Sr. was fined and placed on probation for two years for driving under the influence and attempting to elude police following an incident which occurred last year during the holidays.
Siaumau Sr. was initially charged with resisting arrest — a felony — and driving under the influence, which is a misdemeanor.
However in a plea deal with the government earlier last month, the defendant pled guilty to a DUI and attempting to elude police, which was amended from the resisting arrest charge.
Sherri Brokopp Binder, a graduate student from University of Hawaii has worked with aid groups following natural disasters around the world. She was in New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina, in Mozambique and Guatemala following serious flooding in those countries, but according to the quiet and serious student of psychology, she has never seen anything like the aftermath of the Pacific tsunami of 2009, and the examples set by the people of American Samoa following that cataclysmic event.
Tafuna High School campus took on a gala, festive atmosphere on Friday as the school hosted the Annual Secondary Speech Festival for the second year in a row. Taking top honors this year and for the third time since 2006, gaining the most overall "first place" honors, is Kanana Fou High School.
The governor of the Northern Marianas, Benigno Fitial, wants a renegotiation of the United States military's 100-year lease on two-thirds of the land on Tinian.
He says none of the promised development on the island has materialised in the past 35 years.
In a letter to the U.S. Defense Secretary, Leon Panetta, Mr Fitial says not a single element of the Department's plan was ever implemented on the island.
Mr Fitial told Mr Panetta that as a consequence all the land the U.S. military is leasing on Tinian has sat idle and has caused direct and significant harm to the community.
A 22-year-old woman has been charged with attempted robbery after she...
Local Department of Education Director Vaitinasa Dr. Salu Hunkin-Finau...
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewNow) - A state sheriffs deputy stationed at the...
A Chinese aircraft gifted to Tonga, which triggered the New Zealand...


text:
Rixton's debut album keeps getting interesting and interesting. There are many sides to the UK pop/rock group. If their first single "Make Out" sounded goofy, and possibly too-bubblegum for many tastes, (and let's just skip its side-eye worthy music video), Rixton's second single "Me and My Broken Heart" is the complete opposite. True it's still pop/rock, but a more intelligent kind of pop/rock. It's radio-friendly, it's well-produced (Benny Blanco again?), the melody in the chorus is really pleasant (it sounds familiar, though) and overall the construction of "Me and My Broken Heart" feels right. It is a bit "dated" sounding? Perhaps, but I don't think it's something radios will refuse to play.
Rixton's new single was world premiered last night (Feb. 19) on Los Angeles' KIISS FM on JoJo's Top 9@9 show. Scooter Braun is really trying to make the UK's foursome happen. Good. "Make Out" was totally overseen by US radio (there was no real "major" promo though), so let's see if "Me and My Broken Heart" can have a better run.
Rating: 3.5/5


text:
Highlighting the Dangers of Methadone
... the dangers of methadone Experts say methadone is used as a pain reliever, but more commonly it's used to reduce withdrawal symptoms in people addicted to heroin or other drugs. "With methadone, you can keep an addict out of withdrawal because it's occupying that receptor sight … methadone detox… Continue reading
Classics Get a Cheesy Twist at Fall River Spot
... Get a Cheesy Twist at Fall River Spot Graham's is also is a top purveyor of the hot dog known as a Coney Island (or, over in Rhode Island, a "New York System"). This is a pork and beef …. An acyclic analog of morphine called methadone can prevent… Continue reading
What Is the Appeal of HEROIN?
... and Tylox are trade names, not unlike Demerol. According to a recent study, there are approximately 1.9 million habitual users of analgesics. In the same study, about 2.5 million Americans have used Heroin at some point. As a direct result of the respiration being repressed, an overdose is an… Continue reading
I NEED Methadone Withdrawal & Detox Help!! Do Detox Products Actually Work?
... It was really, really hard to cut back, it took me 2 months. I would absolutely love to stop taking it. I tried yesterday and ended up vomiting all day, so obviously cold turkey is out of the question. I found http://www-detoxproducts.com , Strip 7 Day Permanent Total Body… Continue reading
Drug Rehab Facilities Taking Notice of Teen Heroin Use
... Rehab Facilities Taking Notice of Teen Heroin Use Those addicted to heroin usually experience withdrawal symptoms within 12 hours of their last use, according to a study published by the National Institute of Health. As mentioned, teenagers are often led to heroin after using or abusing prescription … Read… Continue reading
Suboxone: A Double-Edged Sword – the Epoch Times
... – The Epoch Times Suboxone: A Double-Edged SwordThe Epoch TimesShe knew she was in over her head but terrified at the thought of losing her job if she sought help at a detox center. Then Gemma came across Suboxone while trolling the Internet for a way out. She dialed… Continue reading


text:
The City Producers Are Supposedly 'Desperate' for New Story Lines for Olivia Palermo
Like, something involving her love life.
Heat magazine reports that producers want her boyfriend to be part of the show so we don't have to watch her fail at work in the same tiresome ways week after week. Heat writes: "Show insiders are desperate for Johannes to appear on screen as they are running out of storylines of Olivia. Now she's worried she'll be dropped from the series unless Johannes features, but he has refused, making her choose between fame or love." Go for the fame, girlfriend. While you're young. [Racked]


text:
Fiordland Penguin
The Fiordland Crested Penguin (Eudyptes pachyrhynchus), also known as Tawaki (Maori), is a species of crested penguin from New Zealand. It breeds along the Fiordland coast and its outlying islands as well as on Stewart Island/Rakiura.
Taxonomy [edit]
Also known as the Fiordland Crested Penguin, the Fiordland Penguin was described in 1845 by English zoologist George Robert Gray, its specific epithet derived from the Ancient Greek pachy-/παχυ- 'thick' and rhynchos/ρυνχος 'beak'.[2] It is one of six species in the genus Eudyptes, the generic name derived from the Ancient Greek eu/ευ 'good' and dyptes/δυπτης 'diver'.[2]
Description [edit]
They are medium-sized, yellow-crested, black-and-white penguins, growing to approximately 60 cm (24 in) long and weighing on average 3.7 kg (8.2 lbs), with a weight range of 2 to 5.95 kg (4.4 to 13.1 lb).[3] It has dark, bluish-grey upperparts with a darker head, and white underparts. It has a broad, yellow eyebrow-stripe which extends over the eye and drops down the neck. Most birds have 3-6 whitish stripes on the face.
Distribution and habitat [edit]
This penguin nests in colonies in dense temperate forest. It breeds along the Fiordland coast and its outlying islands as well as on Stewart Island/Rakiura.
Diet [edit]
The main prey species reported for Fiordland penguins are cephalopods (85%, mainly Arrow squid, Nototodarus sloanii), followed by crustaceans (13%, primarily Krill, Nyctiphanes australis) and fish (2%, mainly Red Cod and Hoki). However, the importance of cephalopods might be exaggerated.[4]
Conservation [edit]
The current status of this penguin is threatened due to its small population. Current population estimates range between 2,500-3,000 pairs and is thought to have declined since the late 1980s by around 33%. It is under threat from introduced predators including dogs, cats, stoats and rats.
References [edit]
- ^ BirdLife International (2012). "Eudyptes pachyrhynchus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.1. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
- ^ a b Liddell, Henry George and Robert Scott (1980). A Greek-English Lexicon (Abridged Edition). United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-910207-4.
- ^ CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses by John B. Dunning Jr. (Editor). CRC Press (1992), ISBN 978-0-8493-4258-5.
- ^ van Heezik, Y: Diet of the Fiordland Crested penguin during the post-guard phase of chick growth, Notornis 36: 151-156 (1989)


text:
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the Humane Society of the United States confronted Bob Evans Farms executives at the restaurant company's annual meeting on its practice of purchasing chickens and turkeys killed by electrical stunning. Representatives of the animal rights groups also questioned Bob Evans Farms officials about when they would phase in the purchase of poultry slaughtered through controlled-atmosphere killing, or CAK. PETA and HSUS, which are both minor ...
Register to view this article
It's free but we need to know a little about you to continually improve our content.
Why Register?
Registering allows you to unlock a portion of our premium online content. You can access more in-depth stories and analysis, as well as news not found on any other website or any other media outlet. You also get free eNewsletters, blogs, real-time polls, archives and more.
Attention Print Subscribers: While you have already been granted free access to NRN we ask that you register now.We promise it will only take a few minutes!
Questions about your account or how to access content?
Contact:Desiree email@example.com


text:
Some restaurant chains are honing their marketing efforts to target a different type of customer: potential franchisees.Dunkin' Brands Inc. and Maui Wowi Hawaiian both have hired agencies to help drive franchisee recruitment, and the small Bar-BCutie barbecue chain, whose loftily stated plan calls for it to grow to 250 units in five years, is using the MySpace and YouTube web-sites to lure potential franchisees. Last year, CiCi's Pizza launched its first national media ...
Register to view this article
It's free but we need to know a little about you to continually improve our content.
Why Register?
Registering allows you to unlock a portion of our premium online content. You can access more in-depth stories and analysis, as well as news not found on any other website or any other media outlet. You also get free eNewsletters, blogs, real-time polls, archives and more.
Attention Print Subscribers: While you have already been granted free access to NRN we ask that you register now. We promise it will only take a few minutes!
Questions about your account or how to access content?
Contact: Desiree Torres firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
Ice Sphere Tech ® Authentic Consumer Reviews Are A Story Of A 'Caring' Business Owner That 'Cares'
Customer reviews are hard to get unless the people love the product or the business owner. Ice Sphere Tech ® is getting top reviews from real customers with the exception of 1 bogus review.
(EMAILWIRE.COM, July 09, 2014 ) Uxbridge, MA -- U.S. private company, Ice Sphere Tech ®, is kitchen space doodad company with a duty embedded in creating advanced devices with an elite mindset. Their gadgets are for either the gourmet chef and beginner cook.
Toss out your old outdated ice cube trays for a new wave ice tray.
Toss out your old outdated ice cube trays for a new wave ice tray.
While the company's headquarters is based out of Boston, Massachusetts, at this time Ice Sphere Tech ® sells exclusively on Amazon.com. By teaming up with Amazon.com, they have made it helpful and safe for online buying. Shipping turn-around is quick, which means purchases get to the customer's door usually in just a few days.
Thanks to the level of customer care, Ice Sphere Tech ® has been receiving high marks from buyer reviews. Here are a few comments from their users:.
"The seller followed up the purchase with a lovely email with great ideas for beautiful and interesting ice balls, including an attachment of a full-color book of beverage recipes! WOW! Love the product AND the Seller !!!".
B. Matzinger, June 15, 2014.
"We love our ice spheres! Guests are fascinated by them, too. Wish we hadn't waited so long to make the purchase. The ice ball melts so much more slowly than regular cubes. We contacted the seller to request the free flask funnel and it arrived in a flash. Excellent quality. Great product!".
M.A. McQuade, May 19, 2014.
"This seller is Great! He personally contacts every customer to make sure they are satisfied with their order.".
Dan K., February 8, 2014.
"Seller Response: I contact everyone to make sure they are happy plus I love to talk to my customers to see what ideas they have. Date: February 8, 2014".
Ice Sphere Tech ® primary product is the old fashioned type triple 2 1/2 inch ice sphere rack. The pack of silicone ice sphere molds click together and are then filled with water and placed it in the freezer. After they get some time to freeze, the ice balls are ready to use. Creating a number of ice balls at one time can be done by using the set of 3, storing the ice rounds, and then refilling the cavities.
Mixed drinks on the rocks have been certainly well-liked for many years. Nonetheless, regular ice melts fast at room temperature, and will definitely thin down a drink quickly. Ice Sphere Tech ® helps to resolve this issue with the ice sphere silicone mold. A sphere has a smaller surface area compared with conventional ice, thus, it takes more time to disintegrate and cools the liquid without diluting as quickly.
Below are a few words from their users regarding the Ice Ball Maker:.
"What could be better than big ice balls - 2 1/2 inches in diameter, which is only a bit smaller than tennis balls. With the Ice Ball Tray, you can make three ice balls at a time, then store them in your freezer until you need them. I filled the molds with water and put them in the freezer. After a few hours, they were frozen solid. The ice balls had a few fracture lines showing, but they were intact when they came out of the mold and into some drinks. Later, I used the molds to make some Crystal Light lemonade balls to drop into glasses that were then filled with lemonade. It was great to have really cold lemonade without melting ice cubes watering it down. I've also used ice balls made from Kool-Aid, and they make a great cold drink.
I've used other ice ball molds, but three things about this mold stand out:.".
"I found these ice molds easy to use. They are supplied with a funnel that makes filling a snap. They freeze quickly and with just a twist come out of the molds. We now keep a bag of spheres ready for our drinks. Great product!".
About Ice Sphere Tech
Ice Sphere Tech ® is a small company that manufactures Ice ball molds. Ice Sphere Tech ® has a 5 star customer support and product rating on Amazon.
Contact Information:
Ice Sphere Tech
Russell Card
Tel: 1-774-481-1165
Email us
This is a press release. Press release distribution and press release services by EmailWire.Com: http://www.emailwire.com/us-press-release-distribution.php.
Ice Sphere Tech
Russell Card
Tel: 1-774-481-1165
Email us
This is a press release. Press release distribution and press release services by EmailWire.Com: http://www.emailwire.com/us-press-release-distribution.php.


text:
Bayshore Cabins Northport
Location & Contact:
Visit our website
The cabins are secluded and quiet, and the property is wooded. It is located on Northport Bay on Lake Michigan and a beach. Nearby recreation includes swimming, golf, hiking, and bicycling. Lake Michigan state parks are within 10 miles, and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park is 25 miles away.
The Bay is approximately 12 by 30 miles in size, with a maximum water depth of 600 feet. Fish include trout, whitefish, coho, and bass; charters and guide service is available nearby. Bayshore Cabins is within the village limits. It's only a quiet 1-mile walk to restaurants, shops, grocery, pharmacy, and library. In the Village of Northport there is a fitness center, an indoor pool, a walk-in medical clinic as well as various shops and restaurants. Bayshore Cabins has 6 cabins, accommodating from 4 to 6 people per unit. The cabins have kitchens with pots and pans, and dishes. Guests provide their own towels and linens. Additional fee for request of linens.
Pets and smoking are not permitted. The resort is partially accessible to handicapped persons (not bathrooms).


text:
Many chefs strive to create globally inspired menus. Danny Elmaleh, executive chef at the new Los Angeles restaurant Celadon, strives to live a globally inspired life. Born in Israel to a Moroccan father and a Japanese mother, Elmaleh and his family moved to Japan when he was a child, and they opened a North African restaurant. He came to the United States to attend The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., and graduated in 1995. After that, he ...
Register to view this article
It's free but we need to know a little about you to continually improve our content.
Why Register?
Registering allows you to unlock a portion of our premium online content. You can access more in-depth stories and analysis, as well as news not found on any other website or any other media outlet. You also get free eNewsletters, blogs, real-time polls, archives and more.
Attention Print Subscribers: While you have already been granted free access to NRN we ask that you register now.We promise it will only take a few minutes!
Questions about your account or how to access content?
Contact:Desiree firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
Anita Mills was 382 pounds when a family doctor gave her four simple rules to lose weight:
1. Eat 8 ounces of food every three hours.
2. No sugary drinks.
3. Do not skip meals.
4. Do not tell anyone what you're doing.
Now 242 pounds lighter, Mills credits that last tip for helping her through the most difficult months of her weight-loss journey. Not having someone questioning every bite or trying to persuade her to relax on weekends helped her focus on the goal.


text:
Enter your Email address:
Wolters Kluwer Health may email you for journal alerts and information, but is committed
to maintaining your privacy and will not share your personal information without
your express consent. For more information, please refer to our Privacy Policy.
Damiani, Mario Francesco MD*; Carratù, Pierluigi MD, PhD*; Tatò, Ilaria MD†; Vizzino, Heleanna MD*; Florio, Carlo MD‡; Resta, Onofrio MD*
Abstract: We describe the case of a 53-year-old man with recurrent pulmonary embolism due to intra-arterial cysts from Echinococcus. Both the patient's medical history and the computed tomographic (CT) scan abnormalities led to the diagnosis. The CT scan, performed during hospitalization in our ward, showed cystic masses in the left main pulmonary artery and in the descending branch of the right pulmonary artery. Within cystic masses, thin septa were visible, giving a chambered appearance, which was suggestive of a group of daughter cysts. In the past, our patient underwent multiple operations for recurring echinococcal cysts of the liver. After the last intervention, 4 years earlier, his postoperative course was complicated by pulmonary embolism: a CT scan showed a filling defect in the descending branch of the right pulmonary artery, which was caused by the same cystic mass as 4 years later, although smaller. This mass, not properly treated, increased in diameter. Moreover, after 4 years, there has been a new episode of embolism, which involved the left main pulmonary artery. This is the first case in which there are repeated episodes of pulmonary embolism echinococcosis after hepatic surgery for removal of hydatid cysts.
© 2012 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.
Colleague's E-mail is Invalid
Your Name: (optional)
Your Email:
Colleague's Email:
Separate multiple e-mails with a (;).
Thought you might appreciate this item(s) I saw at Journal of Computer Assisted Tomography.
Send a copy to your email
Your message has been successfully sent to your colleague.
Some error has occurred while processing your request. Please try after some time.
An Existing Folder
A New Folder
Folder Name:
The item(s) has been successfully added to "".
Login with your LWW Journals username and password.
Username or Email:
Forgot Password?
Enter and submit the email address you registered with. An email with instructions to reset your password will be sent to that address.
Link to reset your password has been sent to specified email address.
What does "Remember me" mean?
By checking this box, you'll stay logged in until you logout. You'll get easier access to your articles, collections,
media, and all your other content, even if you close your browser or shut down your
To protect your most sensitive data and activities (like changing your password),
we'll ask you to re-enter your password when you access these services.
What if I'm on a computer that I share with others?
If you're using a public computer or you share this computer with others, we recommend
that you uncheck the "Remember me" box.
Save my selection
Article Level Metrics
Echinococcus, pulmonary embolism
Search for Similar Articles
You may search for similar articles that contain these same keywords or you may
modify the keyword list to augment your search.


text:
February 25, 2009
Am I the only one?
I have to disagree with Ace and Allah, a rare happening, I think Bobby Jindal did a great job in his rebuttal. Wooden? Um, our last candidate was John McCain and our last Republican president was George W. Bush. Jindal? I'll take it. The real issue with Jindal is the same issue we had with Palin: they're not ready for the kind of scrutiny they will get on the national stage. Both are great leaders, both are very bright, and both will be eaten alive if they don't take some time to adjust to the spotlight. Can we run in '12? Maybe. I'd rather he wait until '16, personally, and we run a Mark Sanford-type instead. But good job in the response, Bobby. Straightforward, honest, plain-spoken and clear. That's all we really needed right now.
Technorati Tags: Bobby+Jindal
I was listening to a few people at work talk about how Jindal talked as if reading from a script and wasn't specifically addressing Obama's speech.
It's always been like that. I remember listening to Pelosi's rebuttal to one of Bush's speeches and it was the same thing. These rebuttals are written in advance. They focus on Party direction. It's the same story.
I thought he was fine. I actually liked the return to conservatism that his speech suggested.Posted by: Carolynp at February 25, 2009 at 2:29 pm
I liked Jindal. He was the only one saying anything I wanted to hear.Posted by: Lily at February 25, 2009 at 2:33 pm
So Bobby Jindal and Sarah Palin weren't ready for the kind of SCRUTINY that applies to the NATIONAL STAGE?
Why was Pharoah Obama not SCRUTINIZED?
How about his DEAL with REZKO? Has that been Scrutinized yet? How about his stance on INFANTICIDE? CRICKETS CHIRPING IN THE DISTANCE.
Jindal did just fine. I think that people are overly critical. I'm disappointed in Ace and Allah for being so shallow. My guess is they're discrediting him because they have someone else in mind for Prez in 2012. Politics is ugly.Posted by: Ben at February 25, 2009 at 2:48 pm
Hitting the crackpipe again? Or the Kool-Aid? Look, I like Jindal. He's smart and he managed to become governor of my home state, no small achievement for a guy who has brown skin.
But the delivery, like it or not, IS half the message — which should have become obvious during the Obama/McCain/Palin performances last year.
Jindal, for some reason, sounded like Kenneth on Thirty Rock*. Ask Dawn Summers … I was the first person to write that … but the fact that I got texts, emails, tweets and FB statuses saying the exact same thing at the exact same time should tell you something about how the message was perceived. Remember, his job isn't about convincing US, it's about convincing the rest of the population.
*But instead of giving a tour of NBC, he was giving a gee-willickers tour of Bobby's life
Wait, I'm sorry, is that Ken "Condi Rice vs. Rudy Giuliani will be the match-up in '08″ Wheaton accusing me of hitting the crackpipe?
It was gee-willickers but I think it worked. I don't have a dog in this fight yet, I did say I rather Jindal not run till '16, but I think he did fine.
Oh and Gus, yes, it's not exactly a newsflash the media has a liberal bias.
So, yes, Republicans have to work harder. And no the Democratic candidate will never experience their same level of scrutiny. That's life.
"I was listening to a few people at work talk about how Jindal talked as if reading from a script and wasn't specifically addressing Obama's speech."
More seriously, Obama wasn't specifically addressing the nation's problems. So he had people standing and cheering over every word – does that actually make his a good speech?.
I never saw so-called "conservatives" acting so interested in style points when it came to Democrat attacks on Bush. If we are going to spend our energy criticizing the style of our own, we have no chance at all in 12 or 16. It is time to educate the masses that style is not going to get them a job or cut their bills. It is time to bring people out of this Hollywood mentality where looks and style are all that matter.
It was gee-willickers but I think it worked. Worked for who, exactly? The polls across the board disagree, as did pundits all over the news channels, liberal and conservatives alike…Posted by: katie g at February 25, 2009 at 4:52 pm
Personally, I want two things in a Republican candidate in '12: a strong libertarian strain forming the backbone of their conservatism, and a snowball's chance of winning.
Fortunately, I think maybe a snowball could win in '12 if Obama doesn't get a better grip on the job. As he has pointed out, he won; time to show those mad brain skillz and do something (besides talk) that isn't a total cock-up.
The rebuttal is tough and more people strike out with it than hit home runs with it. Sebelius did not do well last year. J.C.Watts seemed to peak when he did it-all downhill from there. The worst ever was 1-23-96 when the first debate of the 1996 campaign took place-Bob Dole gave the Republican response to Clinton and it was such a disaster that it basically killed any momentum that the Bobster had-less than three weeks later, Dole had a less than impressive victory in IA and then went on to lose to Pat Buchanan in NH. While I don't think Jindall got KOed, he did lose on style points and ring generalship to Obama in a unaninmous decision. While I don't think this will do much damage to Jindall over the long haul, in the short term it will. Jindall was one of the few Republicans who had anything close to momentum after the 2008 elections. That momentum has now stalled and I think a lot of people will be singing the same song Karol is-gee Jindall will be great….in 2016.Posted by: Von Bek at February 25, 2009 at 7:13 pm
Mark, haven't you heard him yesterday? He'll cure cancer. He said so – what else do you want? You're so difficult to please.Posted by: Tatyana at February 25, 2009 at 7:21 pm
He does seem to be awfully fond of the "Big Lie" technique of kicking the can down the street. What's perplexing is that a good friend of mine, who is otherwise quite bright and undeniably a finer human than I, "got a deep sense of inner peace from reading Obama's speech." (Quoted from her current Facebook status.)
And apparently she's not alone.
Now that is something so depressing/disturbing that words currently fail me. Fortunately, there's still bourbon.
Mark P, if you are a rep supporter, accusing Obama of doing big lie and not blushing about WMD's you have either very big brass balls or a very damaged brain atop of your brass neck.
btw, I live in a country that bought into/helped with this big lie and have lost friends and family members because of same, so don't try the 'you live abroad, keep your nose out' non-defence.
Talking of lies, it seems Mr. Jindal may have (ahem) misremembered what really happened during Katrina. Oh dear.Posted by: bryan at February 27, 2009 at 7:35 pm
And, bryan, that concerns you …how?Posted by: Tatyana at February 27, 2009 at 10:11 pm
Tatyana, I dislike liars, and people who hypocritically see lies from one guy/party and not another. Especially when people I know have have died.Posted by: bryan at February 28, 2009 at 3:19 am
Bryan, are we talking about Obama or Bush? Because I could have sworn that the person in charge now is Obama, and that we should be talking about how things have changed (or haven't, fwiw.)
Bush is history, and right now, right now, I'm worried about lies being told to me in the present tense.
As to WMD's get a fricking grip; Big Ol' Bill Clinton kept the Iraqi's under the heel of the USAF and subject to the tender mercies of the U.N. Oil-for-Golden-Toilets program based on the WMD threat; forgive me if I find your charge of partisan blinders is laughably ironic.
And you know, you've made some statements here that could benefit from the inclusion of things called hyperlinks.
Sorry you knew people who are now dead. Don't know why it's relevant. Care to share, or was that one of those "absolute moral authority" moments?
Shorter Mark: I can show you all sorts of rep blogs like slate that back up the idea that Obama is worse than W.
I've decided. You have a brass neck. Eff your sympathies.
Ever hear the elementary school kids read the news on Saturday on PBS? It was worse than that. No, seriously, It was painful.Posted by: bour3 at March 1, 2009 at 11:26 pm
republican blogs like slate? Haha.
brass neck? hahahaha.
is that how they espress themselves, in your tiny neck of the woods? how peculiar
where are these blogs that like Obama better than Bush? show us, pls. Using hyperlinks, as you were advised. Or admit that you're lied misled us.
I think you should try that last sentence in english.
Are you saying that Saddam wasn't linked to the WTC attacks? There is proof that he did on Youtube of all places.
Are you also saying that WMD's in Iraq wasn't a lie?
Brass neck, btw, means breathtaking nerve, or cheek. Suggesting that the dems have resorted to using 'big lie' techniques seems brass necked when you support the last guy.
Shorter Bryan: "I can't HEAR you!!!!"
Better a brass neck than glass balls. Your man is backtracking hard on every "humanitarian" complaint he leveled against his predecessor. You pick the reasons that makes most sense to you, but the gamut run of root causes run from "I was a fool" to "I was an unscrupulous opportunist."
Meanwhile, the same man says he's going to cut the deficit in half in his firs two years in office wants to spend more in his first year than Bush did in eight. Gee whilakers, that's either a Big Lie or a Big Stupid. Again, pick your poison.
One way or the other, he's the President now. The bucks that are still moving stop there. But keep on working to impeach Bush, that's what seems to give you that warm-and-fuzzy.
Mark, I'm British. You're foolish.Posted by: bryan at March 5, 2009 at 9:10 pm
Good to see you holding up the Brits' reputation for wit and style, bryan. Enjoy the DVDs.Posted by: Mark Poling at March 5, 2009 at 10:18 pm
They're some pretty good films, but it does strike me as something he had in a drawer shit-I-haven't-got-him-anything type of present, especially the helicopters. Thanks for the laugh!Posted by: bryan at March 6, 2009 at 6:14 am


text:
Enter your Email address:
Wolters Kluwer Health may email you for journal alerts and information, but is committed
to maintaining your privacy and will not share your personal information without
your express consent. For more information, please refer to our Privacy Policy.
Liang, Shanhui PhD; Zhou, Yuqi MD; Chen, Yiran MD; Ke, Guihao MD; Wen, Hao MD; Wu, Xiaohua MD, PhD
Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate whether EIF4A1, EIF4E, and EIF4G1 can serve as prognostic markers for patients with cervical cancer receiving preoperative brachytherapy.
Materials and Methods: Tissue microarrays composed of 35 normal cervix samples, 87 cervical cancers treated without preoperative therapy, and 50 pairs of cervical cancer tissues collected before and after preoperative brachytherapy were constructed and evaluated for the expression of EIF4A1, EIF4E, and EIF4G using immunohistochemistry. Immunohistochemical staining was scored by the staining intensity and the percentages of tumor cells. The χ2 test was used to analyze the association between the immunohistochemistry results and clinicopathologic variables. The Kaplan-Meier method was applied to analyze the disease-specific survival.
Results: Overexpression of EIF4A1, EIF4E, and EIF4G1 were detected in 83.9%, 84.7%, and 80.3% of cervical cancers, respectively, all of which were significantly related to advanced International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage, squamous cell histology, lymph node metastasis, and deep stromal invasion (P < 0.05). The altered expression pattern of EIF4A1 and EIF4E after preoperative brachytherapy was significantly correlated with the cervical cancer response to brachytherapy (P = 0.029 and 0.012, respectively). The decreased expression of EIF4A1 predicted better tumor-specific survival (P = 0.02). The alteration of EIF4A1 was an independent predictor for tumor-specific survival (P = 0.047; hazards ratio, 0.272; 95% confidence interval, 0.076–0.982).
Conclusions: Overexpression of EIF4A1, EIF4E, and EIF4G1 were acquired malignant phenotypic features of cervical cancer. EIF4A1 might function as a novel prognostic indicator and a potential therapeutic target for cervical cancer.
© 2014 by the International Gynecologic Cancer Society and the European Society of Gynaecological Oncology.
Colleague's E-mail is Invalid
Your Name: (optional)
Your Email:
Colleague's Email:
Separate multiple e-mails with a (;).
Thought you might appreciate this item(s) I saw at International Journal of Gynecological Cancer.
Send a copy to your email
Your message has been successfully sent to your colleague.
Some error has occurred while processing your request. Please try after some time.
An Existing Folder
A New Folder
Folder Name:
The item(s) has been successfully added to "".
Login with your LWW Journals username and password.
Username or Email:
Forgot Password?
Enter and submit the email address you registered with. An email with instructions to reset your password will be sent to that address.
Link to reset your password has been sent to specified email address.
What does "Remember me" mean?
By checking this box, you'll stay logged in until you logout. You'll get easier access to your articles, collections,
media, and all your other content, even if you close your browser or shut down your
To protect your most sensitive data and activities (like changing your password),
we'll ask you to re-enter your password when you access these services.
What if I'm on a computer that I share with others?
If you're using a public computer or you share this computer with others, we recommend
that you uncheck the "Remember me" box.
Save my selection
Article Level Metrics
Keyword Highlighting
Highlight selected keywords in the article text.
Search for Similar Articles
You may search for similar articles that contain these same keywords or you may
modify the keyword list to augment your search.
For additional oncology content, visit LWW Oncology Journals on Facebook.


text:
Members of the Boise City Council are (back, L-R) council members TJ Thomson, Ben Quintana, Lauren McLean, Scot Ludwig (front, L-R) Council Pro Tem Elaine Clegg, Mayor David H. Bieter and Council President Maryanne Jordan.
The Mayor works full-time, managing the day-to-day operations of the City and providing leadership and policy direction to the City Council. The Mayor chairs all meetings of the City Council, voting only in the case of a tie. The six members of the City Council work part-time, holding budget and policy-setting authority for the city. The Mayor and City Council members are elected at large by popular vote. City Council members are elected to a specific Council seat, but the seats are not determined geographically. City elections are held in odd number years (e.g. 2007, 2009, 2011).
Phone: (208) 384-4422
Email the Mayor
Email the City Council
150 N Capitol Blvd
Boise, ID 83702
William L. Bones
Chief of Police
Contact: BPD Media Relations Office
Boise, August 18, 2006, 5:00 p.m. - Boise Police arrested a woman in a bank parking lot this afternoon. Officers believe the woman was about to enter the bank and rob it. She's been charged with attempted robbery.
The arrest was the result of a lead developed by officers. That lead led officers to stake out the Wells Fargo Bank at Boise and Apple. About 2:20 p.m., officers saw a suspicious looking woman walk into the parking lot headed toward the bank door.
The woman appeared to be wearing a disguise; a wig, sunglasses, a bandana around her head, a heavy grey hooded sweatshirt and she carried a large blue bag. When officers contacted her, she was also found to be carrying a concealed handgun.
As the woman approached the bank, officers inside protected bank employees and customers.
Arrested: Teresa M. Germain, 40, Boise
Charged: Attempted Robbery
"This is a terrific example of investigative leads being developed, crime analysis, patrol and detectives sharing information that led to preventing what was setting up to be a violent robbery," said Deputy Boise Police Chief Mike Webb.
Update on other two bank robberies in Boise today: A man is currently being questioned in connection with both, the robbery of the Key Bank on Broadway and the 1st Bank at 14th & Idaho. A witness was able to provide police with a description of the suspect's vehicle. A vehicle matching the description was spotted at 10th and Bannock just minutes after the robbery and the man driving the pick up is being questioned.
Further updates will be released as they're available.


text:
|Position ID:
|UO-Department of Psychology-COGNITIVENEUROSCIENCE [#3448, 13454]
|Position Title:
|Cognitive Neuroscience - Psychology
|Position Type:
|Tenured/Tenure-track faculty
|Position Location:
|Eugene, Oregon 97403, United States [map]
|Subject Area:
|Cognitive Neuroscience
|Appl Deadline:
|2013/12/01 finished (posted 2013/10/16, finished 2014/07/15, listed until 2013/12/29)
|Position Description:
|The Department of Psychology at the University of Oregon seeks to fill a tenure-related faculty position in Cognitive Neuroscience in Fall 2014, with an appointment available at the Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor level. The successful candidate (PhD required) will have an outstanding research program that complements existing strengths within the UO Cognitive Neuroscience community and will be an effective teacher at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Researchers with a strong track record of research using neuroimaging techniques are especially encouraged to apply. Interested persons should apply online to http://academicjobsonline.org/ajo. Applicants should submit a cover letter, a curriculum vitae, a statement of research accomplishments and future plans, a description of teaching experience, and three letters of recommendation. Application materials will begin being reviewed on December 1, 2013, but will continue to be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled. The University of Oregon is an EOE/AA/ADA institution committed to cultural diversity and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply. We invite applications from qualified candidates who share our commitment to diversity.


text:
Salon Leasing
There is a salon in town where you can finally focus on your clients and be a true salon owner.
TréusDell Salon & Spa was created with this purpose in mind. All locations offer:
• Options of room size and price
So what are you waiting for?
Instant Gift Certificates
Choose one or more Gift Certificates for your special someone. Each Certificate allows your special someone to choose one of many Pampering Services at any TréusDell Salon & Spa.
Salon & Spa Services
TréusDell Salon & Spa is home to independent salon professionals offering the finest services in San Antonio, TX.
Hair - With each of our hairstylists having a minimum of 5 years professional experience, TréusDell Salon & Spa offers virtually every hair service available in the beauty industry. In addition to the industry's most talented cutters and colorists, we offer hairstylists who set standards with their work.
Hotel Faust
- Hotel Faust – Comfort, Texas Hailed as the "crown jewel" of Comfort by the New York Times, Hotel Faust is the upgraded and updated 130-year-old hotel that anchors High Street.
Sample descriptionSee More


text:
Ms. Manjula Maheshwari Soni and Mr. Charan jeet Singh of DCWA, had their first Ru-Ba-Ru for their website with Mr. Govind Sharma, SHO Defence Colony police station. Click here for read full interview...
Situated in South Delhi, which is an administrative district of the National Capital Territory of Delhi in India, Defence Colony is a centrally located, premium residential area, known for its upscale lifestyle.
Defence Colony is broadly divided in to 5 residential blocks - A, B, C, D, and E, with a total of more than 1,860 houses. Originally established to settle high rank Defence personnel, the colony now has people residing from all walks of life. The colony initially consisted of low single story bungalows with front lawns and tall trees. Today, although some tall trees still remain, but the bungalows are rapidly getting replaced with multi-storied flats.. Read more...
Dear Esteemed Residents
Defence colony has emerged as an excellent place to live in. the colony has established its stature in Delhi. This is to a large extent, due to active participation of its residents through active and vibrant members of resident welfare association. The DCWA has been making news by being selected as one of the best run Welfare Associations and have got several awards.
We have to endeavor to maintain the high standards. Dear Residents, you have an important role to play. Membership of R.W.A. is not like having an instant cup of Coffee . It requires your involvement and participates in Association activities.
Demand your right of service. The President and Committee members are here to serve you. They have taken time to represent you all and render their Tyaga and seva.
They will do their Karma & the fruits will be there to all of us to share.
R Ganesh Aiyar


text:
August 2010
Camden Yards: Infield, Outfield & All Around
Since Kellan's birth in mid-July, our family has been crazy busy. Tim and I only went to one game in July. But we had big plans for August.
It all started on August 8, 2010, when Tim and I hopped in our trusty Prius and headed down to Camden Yards to see the Orioles take on the Chicago White Sox.
We had one major goal for the day: get Tim's picture with former Mariners ace Freddy Garcia. I loved Freddy as a Mariner, and I thought it would be great to meet him. And what better place than at Camden Yards? I don't know if there is another stadium where the players are as accessible as they are in Baltimore.
One problem, we didn't have "season tickets" that would allow us to get into the main part of the stadium half an hour early. And our man with the season tickets hook-up, Camden Yards regular Avi Miller, was home ill.
So, we hung out in the shady seats in RCF for the first half hour…
…it really didn't matter too much though. There was no batting practice and almost no one was on the field. One Oriole was running in deep RF, and he gave Tim a wave a said "hi" as he ran by at one point. A little later, a couple White Sox came out to play catch in shallow LF. I used my camera to zoom in on them, and Freddy was not among them.
When the stadium finally opened, we headed over to the 3B line to watch the remaining White Sox play catch. I did not recognize any of them…
…but I noticed that one of them had "68" written on the heal of his spikes.
Eventually, Mr. 68 headed back toward the dugout. He tossed a baseball to a kid in a White Sox shirt and another to a kid in a Mariners hat…
…when we got home, I discovered that Mr. 68 has a name: Erick Threets.
Thanks, Erick!
There was NOTHING happening on the field.
We headed over to LF for no apparent reason. While over there, we ended up getting a special picture — with Babe Ruth — for the MyGameBalls.com photo scavenger hunt. Then we got a picture of the two of us in the cross-aisle…
…Tim looked kind of bored, huh? Yep. So it was time for the play area:
We hung out over there for a while, but then I had an idea. There is something special that the O's do before pretty much every game. The O's Bird heads out to LF and plays a little whiffleball with kids he pulls out of the crowd. He does all sorts of funny stuff, like throwing a base when the kids are running the bases.
Its been my goal all season to get Tim involved, but it hasn't happened. In the car ride on the way down, I asked Tim if he'd like to try to play whiffle ball with the Bird. I had to prep him for the possiblity because he takes his base running seriously. I feared that he would get upset if he didn't understand that the Bird likes to do things such as throw the bases while a kid is running the bases. It was good that I prepped him, because he didn't understand why the Bird would do that. I told him it was just to be funny and play a joke on the kids. Tim liked that and he was excited to try to get in on the whiffleball.
When I remembered it, I asked Tim if he still wanted to try to play whiffleball with the Bird. He did. So I suggested we head back into the stadium. Right when we made it down the LF line, I saw two O's employees walking out with an equipment bag. I flagged them down and asked if Tim could get in on the whiffle ball action. The answer was "YES!" Sweet.
When the Bird arrived, the guy I'd asked came over and pulled Tim out of the stands…
…as they walked toward the home plate along the foul line, the guy told Tim what to expect, and handed him a big orange bat…
…then the Bird unleashed a two handed double pitch. Tim swung hard right between both balls…
…one of which (as you can see) actually went behind his head.
Essentially, each kid just takes one hit and then rounds the bases. Tim was ready for the next pitch…
…he drilled a hard line drive right off of the Bird's leg. And then it was off to the races!
As Tim rounded first, the Bird ran to second base…
…I was hoping the Bird would fling the base far out into the outfield so Tim could run way out there to touch the base wherever it landed…
[TIME OUT: I have to mention that the last picture is one of my favorites. As Tim is rounding first, you can see Juan Pierre and Alex Rios walking in shallow CF, Carlos Quentin is at the far right walking toward the foul line, and a couple Orioles are playing catch in deep CF. How cool is that? The next kid actually hit the ball to "RF" and Alex Rios fielded it and gunned it back to the Bird.]
…Instead, the Bird just stood there as Tim approached to touch second. Then, the Bird grabbed the base and used it like a matador's red cape…
…Tim ran back and forth trying to kick the base out of the air…
…as the Bird did his best "oley! oley!" routine. After a couple passes, Tim actually did kick the base out of the air, which I think surprised the Bird.
Tim immediately bolted for third. He thrives on eluding would-be taggers. The Bird chased behind Tim trying to tag him…
…before Tim scored, the Bird tossed a ball at him, but missed.
Tim scored! And then he kept running straight back to me. He was only out there for a minute or two, but he had a blast and absolutely loved it. He wants to do it again!
After whiffleball, a former Mariners great (but not Freddy Garcia) was signing autographs down the foul line. I had totally forgot that slick fielding former M's short stop Omar Vizquel plays for the White Sox this season. But, guess what? He does.
And here he is signing the baseball that Erick Threets had given to Tim earlier in the day:
Now here is something interesting (at least to me). We're not big autograph guys (we're picture guys). In fact, before reading it on other MLBlogs, I had never even heard the term "the sweet spot." But, over the past two seasons, Tim and I have collected about 10-15 autographs on baseballs that we've caught at games, and Omar is the first and only player to ever sign his name on the sweet spot. Every single other player has signed his name on…whatever they call the non-sweet spot.
As I said, autographs are good, but we're picture guys. So this was the real prize:
For the record, that is Tim and a future Hall of Famer. I know his offensive numbers aren't all that special (actually, his hit total is pretty special), but I would put Omar Vizquel up against any short stop in the history of baseball. The guy is absolutely incredible with the glove. I seriously do not think there has been a better short stop in the game, at least during my life time. And guess what? Omar's offensive numbers are as good or better than Ozzie Smith's numbers. So for my money, the guy is a first ballot Hall of Famer.
Bottom line: when we weren't able to get a picture with Freddy, this picture with Omar more than made up for the disappointment.
A few minutes later, we watched Omar show off some of his fancy glove work…
…along the foul line. Omar can catch a baseball by letting it just tap the heel of his glove to deaden the throw before his bare hand swipes the ball out of the air. Its truly amazing, and incredibly hard to do. I've only been able to do it a couple times in my life. I should have taken a video of it because Little O was doing it here and trying to teach his teammate (not Ramirez, but the guy out in CF) how to do it. If you ever want to learn a thing or two about catching a baseball, you should seriously consider just taking a seat and watching Omar during pre-game warm ups.
By the time the game started, we'd already had a full day's worth of fun.
It seems like we are always on the RF/1B side of the stadium at Camden Yards. I wanted to switch it up. We started off the game in the handicapped accessible seats in the cross-aisle behind section 62. We were standing in the cross-aisle and I asked the usher which way was north so I could figure out which direct the sun would be moving. I told him we wanted to avoid the sun. He suggested we sit in the handicapped accessible seats behind the section he was working, which were shaded at the time.
Here was the view:
Tim pointed out the pitchers mound for me…
…oh, there it is. Thanks, buddy.
Then, Tim took over the controls of the camera. Here are some samples of the shots he took:
The pitching match up was Mark "Send 'em Home Early" Buehrle vs. Jeremy Guthrie.
In the top of the first, Guthrie gave up a single to Alex Rios and a double to Paul Konerko, but escaped without giving up any runs. Buehrle sat the Orioles down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the first.
The first scoring of the day occurred in the bottom of the second inning. O's left fielder Felix Pie drove a solo homerun deep into the flag court yard in RF.
Two batters later, Cesar Izturis…
…collected his 1,000th career hit on a little dunker of a single to CF. After the O's announced the milestone on the scoreboard, Izturis received a nice round of applause from the crowd.
As the all-time greats go, 1,000 hits is nothing. But when you think about it, to be able to collect 1,000 hits in major league baseball is pretty special. So congratulations to Cesar.
In the bottom of the third, I was all set to try to get an action shot of Omar Vizquel adding another hit to his impressive resume (as of today he has 2,778 hits). Unfortunately, I had to settle for this picture…
…of Omar about to hit a foul ball. Omar did actually get a hit in this at bat and I did get a picture of the swing, but Tim walked in front of the camera. It would be the only picture Tim blocked on the day, and it would be Omar's only hit. Oh, well.
A couple innings later, we found ourselves sitting in LF where this was our view:
We had never sat in LF at Camden Yards so it was nice to take in the view from this spot while we ate some nachos:
Unfortuantely, there were no homeruns to LF while we were out there.
However, we did see Omar hit again (in the top of the 5th inning) while we were in LF:
He whiffed on that pitch, but eventually hit into a fielder's choice and then scored the second run of the game on a single by Alex Rios. That knotted the score at 1-1.
The score did not stay tied long. And we didn't stay long in LF. Tim wanted to move back into the shade. So we went and grabbed an Orioles Ice Cream Helmet and relocated to another set of handicapped accessible seats, this time in the cross-aisle behind section 47.
Here was our view:
And here is Mr. Perfecto 2009, Mark Buehrle:
Of course, Tim was enjoying his chocolate ice cream helmet with sprinkles:
As I said, the score did not stay tied 1-1 very long. In the bottom of the sixth, the Orioles took a 3-1 lead on the strength of back-to-back RBI doubles by Nick Markakis and Ty Wigginton.
All of the Birdland faithful were hoping that Adam "Not Pacman" Jones could make it back-to-back-to-back RBI doubles, but, alas, he could not. With this not mighty enough swing…
…the former Mariners top prospect flew out to Carlos Quentin in RF:
By the way, Tim really latched onto Quentin during this game. During pre-game warmups we were discussing the players we were watching and I pointed out Quentin. Tim started talking about "Carlos" like they were old buddies. Each time Quentin came to the plate, Tim would mention, "Hey, its Carlos." And after this catch, we discussed how Tim's good friend "Carlos" caught that high pop fly.
Fan favorite Jeremy Guthrie was still in the game and he was "dealing"…
…he was also putting so much pressure on his front leg that I feared it might snap in half on each pitch.
After Little O bunted this Guthrie offering foul…
…Jeremy got Omar to ground out to 3B to end the 7th inning.
Leading off the bottom of the 7th inning, Cesar Izturis started in on his second thousand hits by driving a 2B to deep LCF for his 1,001st hit. After advancing to 3B on a passed ball, Izturis scored the O's fourth and final run of the day on a single by Brian Roberts.
Guthrie was back on the hill in the 8th inning, and he mowed down the ChiSox 1-2-3, including this harmless ground out by Paul Konerko…
…for the second out of the inning:
In the top of the ninth inning, Tim and I started the process of relocating behind home plate to make an attempt at getting an umpire ball from Phil Cuzzi…
…(BTW, how do you pronouce his name? Cooou-zee or Kah-zee?)
While scouting out seats from the cross-aisle slightly shaded toward 1B, someone (can't remember who) hit a foul ball DIRECTLY to the handicapped accessible seat that I had been sitting in for the last several innings. All I would have had to do was stand up and make the uncontested catch. Bummer.
Anyway, this was our view for the bottom of the ninth inning:
Guthrie was out and O's closer Alfredo Simon was in. After retiring the first batter of the inning, Simon gave up a single to Alexei Ramirez…
…and then a homerun to Ramon Castro. That made the score 4-3 Orioles. But that was all she wrote. Simon would get the next two batters (Brad Lillibridge and Juan Pierre) to secure the win for Guthrie and the save for himself.
Something else interesting happened during the ninth inning, the ushers on both sides of the umpire tunnel were actively assisting kids in trying to get an umpire ball. One usher stopped by and told Tim and a girl sitting behind us "The umpire's name is Phil, you should ask him for a baseball when he leaves the field" while another usher on the other side of the tunnel brought three little kids down to the second row and sat them right on the tunnel with instructions to ask Cuzzi for a baseball.
Cuzzi came off the field after the final out and handed one baseball to one of the kids the usher had sat on the 3B side of the umpires tunnel. Then he approached Tim and placed a second baseball in his glove…
…which Tim promptly dropped (his hand isn't big enough to squeeze his glove closed), so Cuzzi fielded the booted ball and replaced it into Tim's glove again:
Thanks, Mr. Cuzzi!
Hey, guess what? It was time for Kids Run the Bases!
The O's held the promotion exclusively for members of the O's Dugout Club. We visited the extremely helpful and nice O's fan assistance office to inquire about how Tim could become a member so he could run the bases. It costs $12 and comes with all sorts of goodies. But the lady in the fan assistance office (probably rightfully thinking we were in from out of town and were not O's fans) suggested that we could probably run without Tim becoming a member of the club. So, we saved our $12 and did not join the club.
I was a little nervous because almost every kid in line was wearing some evidence of being a member of the club, everyone but Tim. But it didn't matter. They made no effort to check to see if people were members of the club.
When we reentered the stadium to run the bases, the usher who is usually out on Eutaw Street spraying fans and giving out baseball cards was spraying people with his water bottle in the concourse. But he wasn't handing out any baseball cards…that is, he wasn't until we arrived.
As Tim approached to get sprayed, I said to him, "You gotta say "'Hit me!'" Immediately upon saying that to Tim, the usher (whose name, I think, is Greg??), proclaimed, "He said the MAGIC WORDS!"…
…and he handed Tim a Ramon Martinez baseball card from his baseball card pouch. Tim was quite happy to receive the card. Little things can really make a kid's day.
It was time to run some bases. As Tim waited in the line at first base (the O's were making the effort to space out the runners, which we always appreciate), I got a shot of the visitors dugout:
Then I focused all of my picture taking efforts on Tim. I always feel that Kids Run The Bases is one of the hardest times to get good pictures. But it worked out well at this game.
I got this shot of Tim stomping on second base:
Third base also cooperated with my camera:
And after almost completely missing the shot, home plate was friendly to my camera too:
Before heading up into the stands, we posed for a few pictures on the field, including this one…
…with the baseball from Phil Cuzzi.
To recap:
- Whiffle ball in the outfield with The Bird;
- An autograph from and picture with former Mariner and future Hall of Famer Omar Vizquel;
- Kids Run The Bases; and
- Father-Son fun.
Wow – It was an excellent day! Not only that, it was a truly excellent weekend of baseball fun (this was the Sunday immediately following our campout in the Reading Phillies' outfield).
Fun, fun, fun.
Thank you, Baseball. We missed you!
2010 Fan Stats:
19 Games
17 Teams (Mariners, Orioles, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Angels, Twins, Athletics and White Sox; Phillies, Dodgers, Pirates, Braves, Mets, Brewers, Padres, Giants, and Nationals)
16 Ice Cream Helmets (Orioles (3), Phillies (2), Padres (2), Pirates (2), Mets, Dodgers, Athletics & Nationals)
40 Baseballs (6 Mariners, 2 Angels, 3 Athletics, 3 Brewers, 3 Nationals, 2 Blue Jays, 7 Umpires, 2 Phillies, 1 Mets, 4 Braves, 1 Orioles, 1 Dodgers, 1 Padres, 1 Giants, 2 Twins, 1 White Sox)
10 Stadiums (Camden Yards, Citizens Bank Park, Nationals Park, Citi Field, PNC Park, Oakland-Alameda County Stadium, Dodgers Stadium, PETCO Park, Angel Stadium of Anaheim, AT&T Park)
13 Player Photos (Jamie Moyer, Ryan Rowland-Smith (2), Omar Vizquel, Chad Cordero, Mike Cameron, Joel Piniero, Frank Catalanotto, Billy Wagner, Jeff Suppan, Tommy Hanson, Jered Weaver and Scott Olsen)
2 Retired Player Photos (Jim Palmer, Bert Blyleven)
1 Umpire Photo ("Cowboy" Joe West)
9 Autographs (Ryan Rowland-Smith (2), Omar Vizquel, Chad Cordero, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Joel Piniero, Frank Catalanotto (2), Billy Wagner (2), Jeff Suppan, Tommy Hanson, Jeff Weaver and Scott Olsen)
6 Kids Run The Bases (Citizens Bank Park, Nationals Park, Citi Field, PNC Park, PETCO Park, Camden Yards)
All-Star Ice Cream Helmet
If you've been here before, you might know that Tim and I like to enjoy an ice cream helmet while at the ballpark.
You might also know that we were disappointed during our recent Cook Grandfather-Father-Son Baseball Roadtrip to discover that our division rivals, the California Angels of 2000 Gene Autry Way, Anaheim, Orange County, California 92806, had decided to scrap ice cream helmets from their menu at Angel Stadium.
Well, I wasn't the only person who thought it was wrong that we came away from Angel Stadium ice cream helmetless. Check out what just arrived in the mail for me and Tim:
Thank you, Matt "BloggingBoutBaseball" Jackson!
And, guess what?
The Angels were on TV to help me enjoy our new All-Star helmet:
Excellent! Even better than a normal Angels helmet.
Thanks again, Matt!
And to mark the occasion, the Angels decided to win their first game of the season against the Red Sox.
By the way, I have been crazy busy lately with work, family, life, etc. We've been to three games in August so far with two more this weekend. Hopefully I'll finish our first August game entry this weekend.
Go Mariners!
The Ultimate MiLB Ballpark Experience (8/6/10)
Coming into the first week of August, we still hadn't hit our first Reading Phillies game of the season. But early in the week, my wife sent me an email at work about a promotion scheduled for Friday, August 6th. We couldn't pass it up.
The Promotion: R-Phils Kids Club Night at the Ballpark.
Translation — camping in the outfield! We have "camped" in KOA camping cabins, but Tim had never camped in an actual tent.
Sign us up!
We figured it would a late night, so we showed up a little late for the game. As we entered the ballpark, Tim asked me to take some pictures of these "trophies" and other artifacts from R-Phils of the past:
I had some comp'd tickets from a rain out at the end of the 2009 season. Our seats were in row 20 of red section 7. Here was our view:
Shortly after we arrived, we were happy to see Hillbilly Hoff making a blue light special announcement from the top of the dugout:
Tim spent some time taking pictures. His camera skills have improved a lot since last season:
I asked Tim where he wanted to camp. He zoomed in on the Erie Seawolves' centerfielder…
…"Right where that 'baser' is standing." (BTW, Tim likes to call fielders "basers.")
I was quite interested to see that former New York Mets outfielder, Timo Perez…
…was playing for the R-Phils. He ended up going 0-3 with three fly outs…on each of those three swings shown above.
The nights Roast Beef RBI guy was DH Tagg Bozied…
…he failed to collect any RBIs and, therefore, we failed to win any roast beef.
Tim enjoyed his first MiLB ice cream helmet of the season:
Later in the game, we relocated to the homerun trough in LF…
…where Tim spinted the length of the trough over and over and over and over and over. And then a couple more times.
In the 8th and 9th innings, we found ourselves back in the infield. Here was our quite excellent view…
…as the Seawolves beat the R-Phils.
After the game, they had a tennis ball throwing contest for charity…
…people bought the balls (which had numbers written on them) and then tried to throw their balls into various hoops and a basket in the back of a moving truck.
Next, it was time for some fireworks…
After the fireworks, it was time to get ready for some camping! We grabbed our tent and sleeping bags from our car and reported back to the main entrance. Tim was psyched!
We brought our gloves and we were ready to go crazy playing around in the outfield. Camping, free reign in the outfield of a professional baseball stadium…what more could you ask for!?
Tim didn't want to risk missing out on our spot in CF, so we sprinted out to the OF…
…we made it! Sweet. We were in the outfield…the beautiful, beautiful outfield.
And check this out, we literally put our tent up on top of the centerfielder's spike marks:
…and it was "game on!"
Here was the veiw from the warning track in straight away CF…
…with our tent right in the middle.
On the big screen behind Tim…
…they showed a double feature. First, it was the short movie "The Phanatic Goes to Hollywood." I don't think anyone watched it because we were all busy playing catch and running around in the OF grass. It was quite sight, fathers and son (and a few daughters) were spread out all over the place having a great time playing catch.
It was such an odd experience being out there in the OF with all of these other fathers and sons playing catch with tents all around us. It was almost surreal…almost like we were in a movie or something. In short, it was awesome.
You had to buy tickets to attend the sleep over. They were $10/each, but kids 4 and under were free (they are free for R-Phils games as well). So it was $10 total for me and Tim and our tickets came with a midnight meal.
We headed past the infield…
…and into the grandstand concourse to pick up our "dinner"…
…ah, yeah, nothing beats some hot dogs and lemonade while laying on your sleeping bag in CF:
After eating, it was right back to playing catch and running around…
…it was pretty funny playing with Tim. It was almost midnight and he was a combination of ecstatic and exhausted. But there was no slowing down in sight.
Play, play, play…
Check out how Tim was stumbling around with tiredness as he just kept playing…
By the way, my voice sounds weird in that clip because I was eating sunflower seeds while we were playing catch. Tim just kept playing and fake falling and rolling for ballls…
The entire OF was open for tents, but everyone (but us) was set up in LF or right behind 2B. We were the lone strays out in CF, and RF was completely tent free. Just wide open play space for all of the kids and adult-kids.
We headed over to RF and Tim practiced his accuracy by throwing balls off of the "25" and "53" in the lottery billboards…
Here was the view from the RF foul line…
…I think the sprinklers really added to the surreal feel of the whole night.
Around midnight, people started settling in around their tents for the feature presentation. I realized I hadn't taken a picture of the two of us on the field, so I gave it my best shot…
…Tim was so tired that this was the best smile he could manage in our three picture attempts.
From our tent, we could see the Reading Pagoda lit up off in the distance:
And then it was time for the feature presentation — "Rookie of the Year":
Pretty much everyone set up on their sleeping bags outside of their tents…
…although he looks like he is sleeping, Tim is actually watching the movie in that shot. One really cool thing about the night (among the many cool things about the night) was that, as we laid next to each other watching the beginning of "Rookie of the Year," Tim told me that he wished Kellan could have come with us. I told him Kellan is too young to camp, but we can bring him next year.
After slowing down from all of the action, Tim was a goner. He only made it about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes into the movie before he fell sleep.
I transferred him into our tent and then took a picture of the scene, now quieted down considerably for the movie:
The little guy was fast sleep…
….as I finished watching the movie.
Our little A-frame style tent felt so small. Usually, you pull a little rope from each side and stake them in the ground to spread the tent out a bit. But there were no stakes allowed in the OF!
I noticed that most people had much newer and cooler looking tents than my probably 15-20 year old tent…
…I guess we'll have to upgrade.
After the movie, people went to bed. They turned off all of the stadium lights, but left the big screen lit up like a big night light.
I figured this was as unique of a ballpark experience as I was ever going to experience so I best make the most of it. After all of the lights were out but our night light, and no one else was stirring, I took a final walk around the OF.
I think this is probably the most unique ballpark picture I'll ever take:
The infield and grandstand were peacefully resting up for another big day of baseball on Saturday…
…here is essentially a reverse angle of the last picture that shows our night light…
From a deep sleep, we were awoken at 7 a.m. the next morning to the sound of the stadium PA annoucer thanking us for attending the night in the ball park.
Tim was still really tired and it took him a few minutes to finally make it out of the tent…
…by then, most of the other campers were already gone! I think they must have woken up early. That or they are speed packers who didn't want to maximize there experience.
Not us, we're ballpark lingerers and experience-soaker-uppers. So, it was time for a morning picture…
By the time we were all packed up…
…there were only two other tents left. And, I recognized all of the remaining adults as employees in the R-Phils front office (I know them from playing softball against them).
So, we were the last remaining members of the "public."
Oh, well. So be it.
It was time for some more catch…
…I mean, when were we going to have another opportunity to wake up in CF and play catch? Not any time soon! So we had to play some catch. And we did.
Finally, we decided we better head out. We stopped for another picture by the infield on our way to the gate behind 3B that leads to the concourse:
After walking through the grandstand concourse, we decided we should poke our heads out one last time…
…and wave a proper good-bye to our campsite.
This was one of the coolest nights. Thank, R-Phils. Sign us up for next year.
Thanks, Ma! Thanks, Grandma! (7/22/10)
Our new son Kellan's due date was July 18th. The closest major league ball park to our home is about 70 miles away. Obviously, I didn't want to miss Kellan's birth. Therefore, we scheduled zero MLB games for July 2010.
But you know what? My mom ended up coming on July 2nd to help us and to be with Tim when Kellan was born. My dad joined us the day after Kellan was born and was also great to have around. But my mom ended up spending the entire month of July with us and she was amazing.
Although it was impossible to thank her enough, we figured we needed to try. And, like us, she's a big baseball fan. We decided we should take her to Camden Yards for her first time.
We arrived early and hung out with the Camden Yards regulars outside the CF gate…
We're usually cheap seats guys at Camden Yards. But my mom deserved the best. Our new friend, Avi Miller…
…used his season ticket holder status to secure us some amazing seats.
With the tickets in hand and time to spare before the gates opened, we decided to walk around the stadium so my mom could check the place out.
My mom liked the party area in CF…
…and we all liked that we could see BP going on inside.
Outside the 3B side of the stadium, we stopped on a patch of grass so Tim and I could play a little catch:
He's getting better and better at catching the ball. He's finally using two hands.
We got a few pictures of my mom and Tim in Schaefer Circle. Here are the best parts of those pictures combined together:
Next, we headed out to the far end of the warehoue (RF side) to get a picture with another Camden Yards sign:
For the first time this season, we entered the stadium through the RF gate:
The Warehouse ends right at the CF gate. But on the RF side, the warehouse runs another 100-200 feet passed the RF gate. So fans don't have to walk all the way around the warehouse to get to the RF gate, there is a passage…
The tickets Avi helped us buy included the magic phrase — "Season Ticket Plan" — that allowed us to get into the main stadium right when the gates opened. Without those words on our tickets, we'd have to stay out in RF for the first half hour of BP.
The early access paid off quick. As we approached home plate, we saw probable 2011 Hall of Fame inductee Bert Blyleven signing an autograph. We ran over and chatted him up and then got this picture:
Thanks, Bert! You've been circled!
Bert was pretty cool. He asked Tim if he was a Mariners fan. I noticed Bert's BEAUTIFUL Twins world series ring. I complimented him on it. He held it up for Tim, "do you think you'll get one of these some day?" I mentioned that if he does, hopefully it will say "Mariners" on it. Bert held it up for Tim again, "This is a Mariners ring, it has a big 'M' on it!"
Hopefully some day I will get to see an actual Mariners world series ring.
After Bert took off, we turned around and watched the field.
Despite what it looks like in the following picture, the O's were still hitting and this was our view:
Next to the two guys in the Morneau jerseys, Hall of Famer Jim Palmer was chatting with another O's TV guy. When there was a break in their conversation, I asked Jim for a picture. He gladly obliged:
After we left Jim, a bunch of autograph guys pounced on him. He signed for none of them. He was there just for our picture.
Thanks, Jim!
Speaking of Jims, we also got a big "hello" and wave from slugger Jim Thome who was waiting to get into the batting cage.
As the Twins prepared to start hitting, we headed down the LF line. We had plans, we were hoping to quickly get our hands on a nice Target Field commemorative baseball and then head to the Camden Club for a nice dinner.
We weren't the only people in the northeastern portion of the United States hoping to snag a Target Field baseball. Our Citi Field friends, Joe Faraguna and Alex K, were in the house, as well as some other guys from MyGameBalls.com (including new 1000 baseball man, Greg Barasch — congrats, Greg, it was nice meeting you).
My mom snapped this picture of me and Alex…
…because Alex joined an exclusive club — he joined Nick "The Happy Youngster" Yohonek as the second member of MLBlogs/MyGameBalls.com whom Tim and I have run into at three different stadiums in three different states. By the way, we first met Alex at U.S. Cellular Field and we have run into each other twice at Citi Field.
After this big Twins reliever…
…Jose Mijares finished playing catch, he pointed at us (Tim was on my shoulders) from about 150 feet out in LCF. I pointed at myself, "Us?", I still couldn't tell if he really meant us. He then threw the ball directly to the guy next to us. I could have easily caught it, but it would have looked like I was totally reaching in front of and robbing the guy (an adult without a kid). So I let it go.
But Mijares was having none of it. He pointed a big forceful finger at the guy — POINT, POINT! — and then he pointed his big finger up at Tim — POINT, POINT!
The meaning was clear: "that ball is for that little kid, dude, give it to him now!!!"
The guy couldn't disobey Mijares' finger:
It was a beautiful commemorative baseball.
Thanks, Jose!
After I visited LF to grab a look at Alex's roster (confirming the ball giver was Mijares) and watching some out of control guy absolutely mug Joe on a BP homer (LF is definitely no place for Tim quite yet), we headed toward the Camden Club.
As we passed by first base, I saw Orlando Hudson taking grounders at 2B:
I absolutely love watching Harold Reynolds interview Hudson. He's got a great personality. I shouted out a big, "Yo, O-Dogg!" And Hudson turned around and gave us a big shout and a full armed wave.
Unless you are a "member," you cannot make reservations at the Camden Club. You can still eat there, you just can't reserve a spot. Nevertheless, I was happy that we were able to grab what appeared to be the last table with a window:
Tim enjoyed blowing bubbles in his ice water. And we all enjoyed out food, a lot:
Top Left – Tim had chicken tenders and fries (in the bottom right he is lining up some french fries for an unprecedented simultaneous honey mustard and ketchup double dip)
Top Right – my mom had the "Bases Loaded," which includes crab soup, a mini-Boog's BBQ sandwich, a mini-crab cake, and a slider. I talked her into it because Maryland is famous for its crabs and she likes the little suckers. She loved the meal.
Bottom Left – I had a tasty bison burger with fries.
By the time we finished eating, Denard Span had led off the game for the Twins:
We reported to our ridiculously awesome seats in section 36, row 20, seats 8-10 (10 being the aisle seat). This was our view:
The match-up was Carl Pavano vs. Kevin Millwood.
After Joe Mauer doubled and Jason Kubel and Michael Cuddyer walked, the Twins won the game in the top of the first inning on a 3-run double by Delmon Young.
Pavano would shut the O's down in the first. And, for the rest of the game too for that matter. He was just as impressive as he was on Phathers' Day in Philadelphia.
The Twins featured some unimpressive play as well. Specifically Nick Punto's base running blunder in the top of the second inning. After singling to start the inning, Punto was still on first with one out when Denard Span flew out routinely to centerfielder (and former Mariner) Adam Jones.
The usual rule is to go half way on such a fly out. But, perhaps, Punto was feeling unusual. He decided to go all the way to 2B and then wait on the bag for Jones to catch the ball. It was almost as if he was tagging up to run back to first. It did not work out so well.
He was doubled off with massive ease. Here is Nick with egg on his face after his huge blunder:
I suspect that first base coach, Jerry White, was thinking "are you kidding me, Nick" in that picture.
In the third, I tried to get a picture of Orlando Hudson connecting for a base hit…
…instead he grounded out to 2B.
In the middle of the third, Tim wanted to go to the kids play area, which had been revamped since our last game in Baltmore.
This batting tee cage was new:
The old and trusty bouncy house, however, was still there and going strong:
On our way back to the seats, Tim and I grabbed some ice cream helmets (for him and my mom) and a funnel cake (for me). I prefer ice cream.
Carl Pavano was still dealing…
…here to Nick Markakis in the bottom of the sixth.
Despite a tray full of sweets in his lap, Tim was tuned into the game:
Between the bottom of the sixth and top of the seventh, I took Tim to the restroom. While we were in there, we could hear the stadium erupt. Something big was going on, but we weren't sure what.
When we headed back to our seats, we tracked down the Bird so Tim could give him five:
When we got back to our seats, my mom explained that J.J. Hardy had led off the seventh with a single and then should have been thrown out going back to first base. The replays quite clearly showed that Hardy was out going back to first, but that wasn't how first base umpire Gary Darling saw it.
The eruption we'd heard from the restroom was Ty Wigginton and the crowd going crazy when Hardy was called safe. Wigginton was tossed from the game.
After Hardy scored the 5th Twins run of the night on a single by Drew Butera, the crowd went crazy. As the teams changed sides, someone was jawing in the O's dugout Home plate umpire Bill Hohn was having none of it. He yelled at the folks in the dugout.
O's manager Juan Samuel then stormed out of the dugout…
…and was booted from the game after throwing a nasty tantrum, capped off by a toss of his cap into the infield.
Jason Kubel couldn't help the Twins tack on any more runs…
It was time for the seventh inning stretch. We all stood to sing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame." I looked up at the big screen, and Tim and I were front and center on the screen. I took this shot…
It must have been in the 8th inning when this 15-seconds-of-fame seeking fan ran onto the field and spent a while there…
…he ran back-and-forth and back-and-forth. He jumped into the crowd and then came back. It was the longest fan on the field run I have ever witnessed. Eventually he stopped running after the still incredibly angry home plate umpire Bill Hohn came out to yell at the kid. The kid was eventually apprehended.
It kept getting hotter and hotter throughout the game.
Tim had to relax on Grandma's lap:
Tim and his grandma found some papers and fanned each other to beat the heat:
In the ninth inning, Tim and I relocated to the third row behind home plate to go for an umpire ball after the game. I took a shot of the Twins dugout…
…featuring A.L. MVP Joe Mauer in the foreground.
We had an unbeatable view of the ninth inning match-up beteen Pavano and Miguel Tejada…
…Pavano won the battle on a ground out to 3B.
Several batters later, Jake Fox grounded out to 3B for the final out of the inning.
Tim hopped up and hung his open-gloved arm over the wall into the umpire tunnel. We were hoping that Bill Hohn would find the bottom of Tim's glove. But it was a crazy and tense scene behind home plate.
First, the grounds crew couldn't get the gate opened up to the umpires' tunnel. So all four umps had to stand there waiting. A couple fans had some choice words for Mr. Hohn. He was not a happy camper and had some choice words of his own for the unruly fans.
A couple seconds later, Hohn became the angriest person to ever give Tim a baseball at a MLB game…
Before heading toward the car, we got a picture of the three of us behind home plate:
On the way to the car, we stopped in Eutaw Street…
…to check out a few of the homerun markers, including the Griffey markers.
It was a great night at the ballpark and a fun way to say "thanks" to my mom and Tim's grandma for helping out so much as we prepared for Kellan's birth and then as we started adjusting to being a family of four.
Thanks, Ma! Thanks, Grandma!
2010 Fan Stats:
18 Games
16 Teams (Mariners, Orioles, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Angels, Twins, and Athletics; Phillies, Dodgers, Pirates, Braves, Mets, Brewers, Padres, Giants, and Nationals)
15 Ice Cream Helmets (Orioles (3), Phillies (2), Padres (2), Pirates (2), Mets, Dodgers, Athletics & Nationals)
38 Baseballs (6 Mariners, 2 Angels, 3 Athletics, 3 Brewers, 3 Nationals, 2 Blue Jays, 6 Umpires, 2 Phillies, 1 Mets, 4 Braves, 1 Orioles, 1 Dodgers, 1 Padres, 1 Giants, 2 Twins)
10 Stadiums (Camden Yards, Citizens Bank Park, Nationals Park, Citi Field, PNC Park, Oakland-Alameda County Stadium, Dodgers Stadium, PETCO Park, Angel Stadium of Anaheim, AT&T Park)
12 Player Photos (Jamie Moyer, Ryan Rowland-Smith (2), Chad Cordero, Mike Cameron, Joel Piniero, Frank Catalanotto, Billy Wagner, Jeff Suppan, Tommy Hanson, Jered Weaver and Scott Olsen)
2 Retired Player Photos (Jim Palmer, Bert Blyleven)
1 Umpire Photo ("Cowboy" Joe West)
8 Autographs (Ryan Rowland-Smith (2), Chad Cordero, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Joel Piniero, Frank Catalanotto (2), Billy Wagner (2), Jeff Suppan, Tommy Hanson, Jeff Weaver and Scott Olsen)
5 Kids Run The Bases (Citizens Bank Park, Nationals Park, Citi Field, PNC Park, PETCO Park)
Kellan, Family & Baseball
With Kellan's due date falling in Mid-July, we did not plan to go to any baseball games in July. We actually did end up going to one game (for which an entry is still forthcoming). But for the most part, July was all about spending time at home with our new boy and lots of visiting family members.
But that didn't mean there wasn't a lot of baseball for us in July. Indeed, there was. Lots.
My mom came out to stay with us starting on July 2nd, so she would be here to take care of Tim while Colleen and I were at the hospital for Kellan's birth. It ended up that she was with us almost all month (and was joined by my Dad the day after Kellan was born). My mom had never been to one of my softball games. However, being here for a month she was able to attend four of my games…
…and we won them all, which was good enough to finish the regular season with a 8-4 record and qualify us for the playoffs.
Finally, on July 16th, Kellan was born. By strategically wearing a spring training t-shirt to the hospital, I made sure that Kellan was introduced to the Seattle Mariners in (literally) the first minute of his life…
…the main picture there is the first picture of me holding Kellan, just shortly after his birth. The inset picture shows that I, indeed, am sporting a Mariners shirt. It was actually Colleen's idea for me to wear this specific shirt for Kellan's birth. Good call!
July 18th was a big day for baseball. Kellan and I posed for a special picture…
…that I had also done with Tim when he was a couple days old.
Next, my Dad and Tim hung out in the shop with me while I made Kellan's first baseball bat:
Later in the day, Kellan got in on his first little game of family catch in the back yard…
…using some of Tim's practice whiffle balls.
Finally, with a lot of attention going to the new guy in town, Grandpa gave Tim a special big brother gift…
…a new Ichiro helmet, which Tim loves.
The next day, July 19th, I gave Kellan his finished 20-inch bat..
…which I made to match Tim's first bat:
Now, one sad thing about July 2010 is the play of the Seattle Mariners. In fact, for Kellan's first month of life, the Mariners tied the worst month in their history with 22 losses. Even though Felix Hernandez pitched the day Kellan was born, the Mariners could not earn Kellan the first-day-of-life victory that I wanted for my boy.
My mom and I watched pretty much every game this month. She got a taste of how difficult it is when your team's games start at 10:05 p.m. almost every day.
On July 21st, I snapped this picture showing Kellan going crazy in the post-game celebration following the second Mariners win of his life:
Finally, during the weekend of July 24th-25th, the boys' cousins, Gill and Kate, came to visit (along with Aunt Kimberly and Colleen's cousin, Geralyn). I decided that I needed to do something big to ensure the kids would have a fun weekend.
I decided to bring back Mariners Park at Cook Yards:
Tim and I pretty much always have a home plate and bases set up in the back yards. But what sets Mariners Park at Cook Yards apart from the usual is the:
- "Chalked" 25-foot baselines (actually spray paint);
- "Chalked" batters' box;
- Homerun distance markers on the outfield walls (dimensions: LF – 41′, LF gap – 45′, LCF – 50′, Deep CF – 63′, RF gap – 51′, and RF – 40′);
- "Chalked" coaches boxes in 1B and 3B foul territory;
- "Chalked" on deck circle (Featuring C&S logo); and
- Two tiered outfield fan seating (on field and BBQ deck seating).
Here were the main participants…
…that's Kate, Gill and Tim. Also playing the field and taking hacks were: Todd, Grandpa, Aunt Kimberly and our neighbor, Sarah.
The first batter in each round was Tim's oldest cousin, Gill…
…who is a fan of the run-with-the-bat technique. Historically, Gill hasn't been a baseball guy. But the last two visits to our house, he's had a lot of fun playing ball with Tim. He was a big fan of hitting, running the bases, and scoring runs. Hey, why not? They're all good stuff.
Gill is six years old and almost exactly two years older than Tim. His younger sister, Kate, is 3 and about 9 months younger than Tim. Kate isn't quite ready to hit live pitching, but she can rip some liners off of the batting tee…
…here, Kate is using the tee that I made Tim when he was one (right about the time he learned to stand). However, she really prefers a "human tee," which I provided for her:
Of course, Tim got his hacks in too…
…and there was a lot of baserunning:
If any universal truths can be derived from watching a sample of only three children playing baseball, I think it would be this:
All kids love running the bases and being chased by a fielder (or chasing base runners with the ball), but no kids enjoy actually being tagged out:
Once the kids had hit enough, they even let the adults take some hacks:
Ah, good times in the back yard. Long live Mariners Park at Cook Yards!
So, it was a different month for us with only one MLB game, but it was a excellent month filled with great family time and lots of fun, and baseball.


text:
PUC Marks 2 Million Electric Customers Shopping, Emphasizes More Work Ahead to Ensure Robust Market Continues
PUC Press Release:
HARRISBURG – With 2 million Pennsylvania electric customers using a competitive electric supplier, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) celebrated the milestone while stressing that more work needs to be done to ensure the robust competitive market continues.
"Two million homeowners and employers are saving money – from a few dollars to as much as $30 a month for residential consumers," said PUC Chairman Robert F. Powelson. "While we are celebrating that achievement, we are mindful that work still needs to be done to ensure the healthy market that has allowed us to achieve this success moves forward." A video news release from the event is available on the PUC's website.
Joining the PUC to mark 2 million customers using a competitive supplier for electricity were Wolf Furniture, who hosted the event at their Mechanicsburg, Cumberland County, location, the North Penn School District (Montgomery County), the Retail Energy Suppliers Association, the Pennsylvania Retailers' Association, OnDemand Energy and electric utilities, who support shopping as they cannot make a profit on that portion of a customer's bill.
When the last of the rate caps began to expire in January 2010, about 337,600 electric customers were using a competitive supplier. Through consumer education efforts, including websites such as www.PAPowerSwitch.com, electric customers became increasingly more comfortable with their ability to shop for electricity, saving money and taking advantage of incentives offered by suppliers.
Recognizing that a robust electric retail market requires support, the PUC is in the final stages of an investigation intended to ensure the state's regulatory framework is one that encourages a market where consumers have continued choices for electric supply.
Here's what was being said about achieving the 2-million milestone:
PUC Vice Chairman John F. Coleman: "This celebration of 2 million shopping customers is not the end of our story. The PUC is in the final stages of an investigation intended to ensure the state's regulatory framework is one that encourages a market where consumers have continued choices for electric supply."
PUC Commissioner Wayne E. Gardner: "Businesses are not the only employers who are benefitting from electric shopping. Across Pennsylvania, hundreds of school districts have switched to a competitive supplier for their electric generation, and experienced tremendous savings, which as taxpayers we all know our schools are struggling in these economic times."
PUC Commissioner James H. Cawley: "We would be remiss not to mention that in order to shop for our electric generation supply, we need to have suppliers doing business and making competitive offers to customers here in Pennsylvania. We're happy to report that more than 200 suppliers are now licensed to do business here in our state. In fact, there are 50 suppliers more doing business here than there were just three years ago."
PUC Commissioner Pamela A. Witmer: "Two million Pennsylvania homeowners and employers have realized that beyond savings per kilowatt hour, they have electric suppliers competing through innovative product offerings such as free power days, frequent flier miles and help with energy efficiency improvements that further their reduce costs. Two million sounds like a big number, but there are approximately 12 million Pennsylvanians and I am anxious to work on additional steps that will help more consumers and small business owners realize potential cost savings and more innovative products."
Tom Schneider, Manager of Energy and Operational Efficiencies, North Penn School District, Montgomery County:"Since competitive purchasing of electricity has been available, North Penn School District has yielded an average of 12 percent savings off of the utility benchmark which equates to approximately $150,000 per year. These savings coupled with other energy related efforts have yielded a 2011-12 cost avoidance in excess of $900,000 which have been extremely helpful in preserving instructional programs during the prolonged recession."
Ron Cerniglia, the Retail Energy Supply Association's Pennsylvania Electricity Issues Chairman: "Due to the leadership of Governor Corbett and the General Assembly in support of the PUC's pro-consumer policies, today a record number of suppliers are competing in Pennsylvania to provide energy products and services to more than 2 million residential and business consumers."
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission balances the needs of consumers and utilities to ensure safe and reliable utility service at reasonable rates; protect the public interest; educate consumers to make independent and informed utility choices; further economic development; and foster new technologies and competitive markets in an environmentally sound manner. For recent news releases, video and audio of select Commission proceedings or more information about the PUC, visit our website at www.puc.pa.gov.