Last night, I participated in a once in a lifetime event.  It’s not often that these sorts of things come around, I believe that’s why they’re called once in a lifetime.  Anyway, before I tell you what it was, I have to tell you how it came to be.

Every summer, my dad and I make a trip together to a couple of major league ballparks.  You may have read about this before on this blog.  The point of this event is for me to collect a hat from every major league ballpark…the ulterior motive is for my dad and I to spend some quality time together.  Nothing says quality time like a drive through Iowa.  Anyway, for the last few years this has been our tradition and I believe that we have both enjoyed it immensely.  Well, this summer, due to forces beyond our control Aside: Okay, not completely beyond our control.  I mean, I was involved in the baby making, but I’ll spare you the details we were unable to make our usual trip.  Now, my parents are some of the most generous, well-meaning individuals you will ever meet.  Never, and I do mean NEVER, have they let me or my sister down Aside: except that once when I locked myself out of my house and they weren’t home…but I digress and truly we have never wanted for anything in our lives.  That’s not to say we’re spoiled, but we received gifts well beyond their means at times and I hope we never forget that.  All of this brings me to the story of last night.

In lieu of a baseball stadium trip this summer, my parents saw fit to purchase for me a genuine Louisville Slugger, autographed by my favorite player of all time, Henry Aaron.  This was no small deal.  This official bat was one of a very small number created by the Louisville Slugger Factory & Museum and had both of his contract signatures on it, Henry Aaron and Hank Aaron, as well as a personal autograph by the man himself.  Well, surely this was more than enough to please me and I was astounded by the gift, not the least of which because I did not expect it.  However, it doesn’t end there.  Last night, my dad and I went down to the Louisville Slugger Factory & Museum and enjoyed a ceremony in which Mr. Aaron was given the “Living Legend” award.  This award was bestowed on him, not only because of his baseball prowess, but for the manner in which he persevered through intense racism in pursuit of one of baseball’s greatest records, and because of his work with the “Chasing the Dream” Foundation.  To stand in the room with the man as he lauded one of the batmakers, Danny, telling that he had done his job well brought tears to my eyes.  I was truly in awe of the man whom I’ve admired for many years.  But I was even more proud to be there with my father who may never have hit a major league home run, but stands tall in my eyes and heart.

I love you Dad.  And thank you very much to both you and mom for such a wonderful gift.  I truly will cherish it forever.

See you in the funny papers!

Big Joes Homerun Challenge
Big Joes Homerun Challenge

Big Joes Homerun Challenge Game
Big Joes Homerun Challenge Game Description : It’s homerun derby time! Play as Big Joe and try to smash as many baseballs out of the park as you can.
How to Play Big Joes Homerun Challenge Game? Use Mouse to interact.

From the Huffington  Post:

by Leslie Grossman

I’m in ecstasy. My New York Yankees won the World Series. And they clinched it 9 minutes
before my birthday. I got the best birthday gift money can’t buy. My happiness caused me to reflect about why I love the Yankees so much. The answer popped into my head – because of their leadership. Okay, I am a leadership fanatic, maybe not as much as a Yankee fanatic, but, I am obsessed with always looking at why and how people lead. Small businesses and corporations alike might consider looking at the success of the Yankees and ask the same questions.

So here’s my assessment on why I believe the NY Yankee team, management, and yes, even, the ownership, show the following leadership abilities:

1. Passion – The New York Yankees have a passion for the game of baseball and for their own teammates. You can see it on their faces, in their enthusiasm and in the fun they have on the field. Their leader Joe Girardi shared a clear vision by choosing the #27 and wearing it boldly on his back for all to see the clear common goal – win the Yankees’ 27th World Series. And so they achieved the goal set by the manager within 2 years of his taking on the job as manager.

2. Courage – The Yankees never give up. I’m not one for stats, but how many times have we watched the game and they were down. Suddenly they turned the score around in the last few innings, including a record number of walk off runs (9 in 2009).

3. Development of Self and Others – The Yankees are big on self-improvement. Derek Jeter’s ability seemed to be down in 2008, but he worked hard and upped his own performance in 2009. Look at how A-Rod transformed himself from the weakest link psychologically a year ago to the complete player he is today – mind, body and spirit. The Yankees give their young players every opportunity to develop, sending them back to the farm team, working with the coaches and then finally giving them the chance to contribute, i.e. Phil Hughes.

4. Inclusiveness. The Yankee team is as diverse as it gets with players from all over the globe, who like each other and support each other. NY Yankees are from Panama, Venezuela, Japan, Mexico, Puerto Rico and U.S. They are black, white, Asian and in between. They represent all of us and they appear to respect each other. The core four, Jeter, Posada, Rivera and Pettitte are the best of friends and the mutual admiration is evident when you see them together.

5. Communication – They listen to each other, they acknowledge each other for their contributions and they are sensitive to each others needs to be effective in their jobs.
You see it on the field and hear it in the post-game interviews.

I’m proud to be a New Yorker with a team that inspires me and New York’s citizens. We can all learn from them. No wonder 2 million people came out in the cold to NY’s financial district Nov. 6th to celebrate the Yankees winning the 2009 World Series. Hooray for leadership!

Look, I was AIMING for that camera!

The big ecclesiastical news of the past month is that Pope Benedict intends to make it easy for Anglicans to come into full communion with the Church.

Entire Anglican parishes–even dioceses–will be able to unite fully with the Pope while retaining some distinctive Anglican practices.

Which brings us to the Book of Common Prayer, the Anglican liturgical prayerbook.

This book was a companion of mine for years, before my reception into the R.C. Church in 1993.

The Book of Common Prayer book was originally published by the Protestant bishops in England in 1549. It has undergone a number of revisions. Different Anglicans use different editions.

The Preface to the edition published by the Episcopal bishops in the new United States in 1789 concludes with an exhortation about the use of the prayerbook:

It is hoped that [this book] will be received and examined by every true member of our Church, and every sincere Christian, with a meek, candid, and charitable frame of mind; without prejudice or prepossessions; seriously considering what Christianity is, and what the truths of the Gospel are; and earnestly beseeching Almighty God to accompany with his blessing every endeavor for promulgating them to mankind in the clearest, plainest, most affecting and majestic manner, for the sake of Jesus Christ, our blessed Lord and Savior.

Granted, this is a thoroughly edifying sentence. But the book contains errors.

The book features only two of the seven sacraments. The prayers in this book do not honor the Blessed Virgin or any of the saints, and the rules prohibit praying for the souls in Purgatory.

The book does not include prayers for the Pope.

The book systematically refuses to express that the Holy Mass is the sacrifice of Christ and that He is truly present–Body, Blood, soul, and divinity–in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar. The book requires that the chalice be offered to the people.

The Church embraces many styles of ceremony for the celebration of Her faith. But there is only ONE faith, the Catholic faith.

St. Augustine

The Book of Common Prayer was edited for use as a Catholic liturgical prayerbook in 2003. The errors of doctrine were fixed. The revised book is called the “Book of Divine Worship” (this link takes a long time to load).

Apparently, a few Anglican-use Catholic parishes already use this revised prayerbook. Perhaps this version will be the book used in all Anglican-use churches.

…Last Sunday I published a silly little sermon about miracles. I tried explain that the Lord Jesus worked miracles not for the sake of working miracles, but for the sake of communicating the mystery of the Kingdom of God. In other words, His miracles were signs, as St. John called them in his gospel.

Anyway: St. Augustine explains this much better in the first part of his Sermon 98…

Tough loss for the Caps this evening. Bad news: After a fisticuffs, Ovechkin left the ice with an undisclosed “upper body” injury.

Yes, the Phillies won game 1 of the World Series 6-1. However, Chase Utley’s hair was the big talk of the game. Could he have used more gel? I guess you can pull it off when you hit two home runs in the first game of the World Series. Crazy, right? In response to the home runs, Utley said “I was able to get two pitches to hit and I didn’t miss them.” I’m looking forward to game two.

AP Photo/Tom Gannam

AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

Tiny Giant Clothing sponsored another five dollar cover night at The Alley on August 21. Tonight had the largest turnout yet at the venue with performances by Conflagration, Blood Of A Cynic, Enough Said, Homerun (surprise set), Excrecor, and The Brethren.

Conflagration

Blood Of A Cynic

Enough Said

Homerun (surprise set)

Excrecor

The Brethren

Words and photos by Victoria Morse

Click any photo to see all of the full sets from the night.

NOTE: Shows like this are the reason I love music publicity and concert photography so much. Without all the amazing staff who book, set up, tear down equipment, sound check, clean up, and keep everyone safe there would be no Alley. Thanks to all the people who put the work in to make these shows happen every Friday and special thanks to all of the great bands that come out.

For a guy that was never fortunate enough to watch the great ball players like Ruth, Mays, Aaron, and Gehrig, I would have to say that Albert Pujols is the greatest baseball player I’ve ever seen.

Of course I have seen the ol’ timers play on re-runs and classic highlight reels, but to actually sit and watch a live Cardinals’ game with Albert Pujols is awesome. Whether he’s in the field or at the plate, Pujols alone makes me sit down and watch a game.

Last night, in the bottom of the 10th inning, Pujols smacked his FIFTH  Grand Slam of the season. This led me to think that Pujols’ quick-stats need to be posted as some food for thought. I know you can find them quickly at ESPN.com, but perhaps this is for self-ammusment as well. The stats below are based on Pujols’ 8.3 years as a professional.

• Pujols has 355 home runs in his short professional career, hitting at least 32 home runs in every season.
• He has 1,074 RBI’s, including 130 in his ROOKIE season and never hitting anything less than 100 every season.
• He is a lifetime .333 hitter, recording 1,651 hits in 4,952 at-bats.
• Pujols is a .323 hitter in 53 career postseason games, including 13 HR and 35 RBI’s with a SLG% of .593.
• Per 162 games played, you can expect Pujols to jack 43 homers, hit 129 RBI’s, and have a SLG% of .628.
• He is an amazing fielder….I’ve seen it!
• And if you questioned his strikeouts: For every strikeout Pujols records, he gets an average 1.5 base on balls.

Now, I don’t know about sabermetrics and I’m no where close to that Peter Gammons dude. However, I know when a baseball player is entertaining and I know whether or not he’s decent. Phat Albert is one of the greatest players, if not the greatest player, to ever play the game.

Any takers?

Depois de fazer umas compras no Outlet, fui conhecer o estádio dos Pirates. O time de Pittsburgh é fraquinho, segundo quem mora por aqui, mas o estádio deles merece a visita. O time de Washington DC ganhou por 8 a 4, uma visita vitoriosa. Mas quem mais gostou da visita fui eu, que pude ver como é organizado e seguro ir a um estádio nos EUA. Ingresso vendido sem filas, pois tem totens que aceitam cartão de crédito emitindo os bilhetes. Quem quer bater um papo, pode comprar nas diversas bilheterias. Havia um ou outro cambista, mas ficam tão por fora que dá até dó. Só quem quer um lugar muito bom é que precisa comprar com eles.

Washington DC mandou no jogo o tempo todo

É interessante notar como o jogo mexe com eles. Há rituais como bater palmas junto com a música que toca entre um ponto e outro, fazer graça para as cameras te filmarem e você aparecer no super telão para todo mundo te ver, curtir o mascote do time arremessando hot dogs com uma espécie de escopeta gastronômica… Muitas crianças, mulheres e idosos. Um lugar pra família mesmo. Era um barato ver o pai da família todo orgulhoso por ter conseguido pegar a bola do jogo, que foi rebatida pra fora do campo, e dar a bola pro filhinho mais próximo. O problema acontece quando tem mais de um filho, e só tem uma bola…

Legal também foi a corrida de torcedores “disfarçados” de bichinhos. Confira o vídeo. Bizarro. Mas é interessante ver como eles fazem dos momentos de tédio, algo divertido.

Pai orgulhoso, filho contente

Depois fomos ver a vista lá do alto do morro, perto da casa que a Ana morou por 2 meses quando mudou pra Pitt, como chamam a cidade por aqui.

Vista do Pittsburgh view

Mas a coisa mais divertida mesmo foi ver o mascote arremessando os hot dogs. Veja o vídeo abaixo e confira como o bichinho faz a proeza.

Hey all! I’m back! Finally a quick reprieve from work and a chance to talk about the Yankees again. I assure you I am not going to go back and talk about all the happenings of the past week, because this post will probably be long enough as is. But let’s get down to business.

The Yankees have been on a role since the All-Star break and have everyone talking and dreaming about what will happen this postseason, with good reason. Since the break the Yankees are 11-3 (including last night’s game) and have won all 4 series, 2 of which were against tough opponents (Tigers, Rays). The AL East leading Yanks (2.5 games up to be exact) are flexing their muscles and have Cashman and the Steinbrenner’s jumping for joy due to the fact that all their off-season purchases are paying big dividends. Their pitching is showing up and their bats are punishing the opposition with an offensive onslaught that everyone loves and expects from the Bronx Bombers. Their are playing their best ball right now and are taking advantage of a faltering Red Sox team, who can’t seem to get things right and now are in the midst of a PR scandal that has ruined Big Papi’s (David Ortiz) reputation. When controversy strikes it shouldn’t effect a team, but Ortiz is to Boston what Derek Jeter is to New York. He is larger than life and you can hear the collective wind getting knocked out of the Red Sox Nation. The biggest question is how will they respond? But that’s for them to worry about.

Let’s get back on track.

Last night’s game was a very interesting one that ended in an anti-climatic way for all Yankee fans. Who is DeWayne Wise anyway?! This kid has to be the talk of the town in Chicago and a soon to be fan favorite, he did save Mark Buehrle’s perfect game with an incredible catch in the bottom of the 9th that kept a ball from reaching the seats, and won the game with a walk off hit last night off Phil Coke.

Phil Hughes Watch: All good things have to come to an end and Hughes’ run streak came to a halt at 22.2 innings of scoreless ball. After putting two men on in the bottom of the 9th, Hughes was relieved b Phil Coke who got his first batter out then gave up the walk off hit one batter after. That run was charged to Hughes and so was the loss, but how can you complain he has been great out of the pen and it’s his only blemish since June 10th against the Red Sox.

It was a well faught game last night that had a ton of up and down moments, but it was still a great game none-the-less. A costly error by Robinson Canoin the 7th gave the ChiSox a one run lead going into the top of the 9th, after 2 quick outs Nick Swisher put a charge into one and flew the ball over the left field wall to tie the game. Unfortunately the Yanks couldn’t bring the game to extra innings (as noted before) and therefore lost a hard faught game, but you can’t really be down on it, the Yanks are playing great ball and there were some bright spots.

I have made it pretty clear throughout the year that Andy Pettittehas scared me when he takes he mound. You don’t really know what you are going to get, he can be just as dominate as last night or can have a horrific game where he gives up 5 or 6 runs in 4 innings. Pettitte can also trick you into thinking that he is pitching well, then the next thing you know he has given up 4 runs and is in line for the loss. Pettittelooked great last night and hopefully he can build off this performance, he will have a heavy workload down the stretch and might have to be the stop gap if the Yankees go on a skid. The Yankees cannot afford an on again off again pitcher, especially with Joba Chamberlainmost likely heading to the bullpen in the near future. Pettitte will be a huge factor in the playoff race and he needs to pitch well enough to keep the Yankees in the game every time he takes the mound, if he can’t provide that, the Yankees need to get someone by the deadline today.

Tonight’s Game: Sergio Mitre (1-0, 5.91 ERA) vs. Clayton Richard (4-3, 4.65 ERA)

I have to say all signs point to a high scoring game, but we know how the Yankees react to pitcher in peril. I can’t say that I am confident with Mitre on the mound but if he can hold the White Sox offense to 3 or 4 runs in 5 innings I think the Yankees will have a good shot at winning this game. Clayton Richard is one of those no success against anyone but the Yankees type of pitchers. He has good stuff but definitely has the ability to get knocked around. The Yankee bats fell silent last night, so I would expect them to be in full swing tonight. Like I said if Mitre can hold the ChiSox to 3 or 4 runs the Yankees have a great shot at winning tonight, if he gets knocked around early? I think it will be a long night for the Bronx Bombers…LET’S GO YANKEES!

Other Notes: Trade Deadline

Roy Halladay: There are rumors of the Rangers making a big push for the oft considered best pitcher in the game, but they aren’t expected to land him. They need to put a package together that “WOWS” the Jays and reports are saying that they don’t really have it. My Opinion: 60% chance he stays in Toronto. Expect the big players to come through around 1 pm to talk trade. Best options: Red Sox (only if they don’t land V-Mart) Angels, Rangers, Yankees (only if the Sox make a push) and Phillies (I know they got Cliff Leebut early reports said they are still interested and they didn’t give away the best prospect in Drabek)

Brian Bannister: It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that the Royals are selling and the young righty is having a great season, despite the horrible team he is on. Expect him to get moved. My Opinion: 80% chance he gets traded (Royals have to sell and are probably not asking anything ridiculous for him) Best Options: Yankees and Marlins (according to Buster Olney) Bothteams need an extra push, the Yankees need it more though with Wang officially out and Joba’s innings coming up. Don’t be surprised to see Bannister in a Yankee uniform tomorrow morning.

Victor Martinez: Only one team actively shopping him and that is the Red Sox. Adding a player of this caliber makes this team that much more dangerous and will help them snap their offensive woes. My Opinion: V-Mart becomes a Red Sox by the deadline in a huge deal that send Bucholz to the Indians.

Adrian Gonzalez: The Saux are also looking to acquire Gonzalez, who is probably more excited than Epstein at the chance to play in a hitters ball park for once. My Opinion: If this three way trade goes down that sends Gonzo and Vmart to the Saux it would be a huge surprise. My money is on VMart if they get both they may give the Yanks a run for their money. Epstein is a good GM who has a ton of prospects but they might have to give up Bard, and that is something they really don’t want to do.

A few more minor trades are in talks too…Heath Bell, Orlando Cabrera, Jarrod Washburn…will be a very interesting deadline today…I can’t wait!

When you fall behind, answer back with a homer with 2 men on base. Astros game this past Monday was a good time followed by a first time trip to Anvil bar & lounge. They make cocktails the way they should be done, just like Prohibition.

2009 State Farm HomeRun Derby in St. Louis

Live Reporting, Highlights, & Chat @ Newsday (this was Live event, now closed)

HomeRun Derby Participants with Stats from ending season

American League
Carlos Pena (Rays): 24 home runs
Brandon Inge (Tigers): 21 home runs
Nelson Cruz (Rangers): 22 home runs
Joe Mauer (Twins): 15 home runs

National League
Albert Pujols (Cardinals): 32 home runs – hometown favorite
Ryan Howard (Phillies): 22 home runs
Adrian Gonzalez (Padres): 24 home runs
Prince Fielder (Brewers): 22 home runs

The 2009 Home Run Derby, the 25th installment, will be held at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri on July 13 of that year, while the 2010 event will be in Anaheim, California at Angel Stadium of Anaheim, and the 2011 event will take place at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona.  ~cited from wikipedia.org

FINAL in the 2009 Home Run Derby

Busch Stadium, St. Louis — N.L. 51, A.L. 31
Player	Team	Round 1	Round 2	Subtotal	Finals	Total
Prince Fielder	Milwaukee	11	6	17	6	23
Nelson Cruz	Texas	11	5	16	5	21
Ryan Howard	Philadelphia	7	8	15	–	15
Albert Pujols	St. Louis	5	6	11	–	11
Carlos Peña	Tampa Bay	5	–	5	–	5
Joe Mauer	Minnesota	5	–	5	–	5
Adrian Gonzalez	San Diego	2	–	2	–	2
Brandon Inge	Detroit	0	–	0	–	0

WINNER:  Prince Fielder  (Former Detroit Tiger’s Cecil Fielder’s son)

The Practice Stadium, Practice & Warm-up

Great News Articles, click directly to current story:

• USA Today: click here
• Yahoo Sports: click here
• Fox News Live Report: click here

Check this out, FUNNY! Fan Drops HR ball at the Derby!