The Raps are celebrating 15 years of existence by bringing in guys like Charles Oakley for autograph signings, so I figure I’ll pay tribute in my own fashion by posting random moments from the team’s history at random times throughout the season. Here’s the first installment, featuring the pickup of the 1998 off-season, Kevin Willis. Check out those Raptors on The New VR while you’re at it!

My exposure to sports has been rather limited.  I used to watch hockey with my dad, cheering whenever the Montreal Canadiens got a goal… and then I learned to get out of my infant seat and I didn’t have to watch anymore.  My best friend and her son are into sports, so I’ll sometimes bring my knitting and sit on the sidelines to watch my pseudo-nephew run up and down a soccer field like a crazed bug; I like to make mental images of my friend clinging to the edge of her seat and muttering scatological obscenities when a bunch of pre-adolescent boys miss a chance at a goal, and then I describe the images to her later over a large glass of wine.  Other than that, I try to avoid sports.  They smell bad.

If I must do sports, I’ve found a way to enjoy them.  Montreal Mystique has this great little page called “Musings“.  Read at first out of obligation but now voluntarily, the sports parts are okay (really like the one-liners) but I live for the “intermissions”.   Being a good mother, I once took my kids to a baseball game at the Skydome (yes, it was still “the Skydome”) and we all agreed that intermission was the most entertaining part.   If Homme de Sept-Iles would just write about intermission all the time, I could honestly say “I like sports”.

I haven’t been to a baseball game since I was 10 years old, so I was filled with childhood nostalgia when I went to see the Toronto Blue Jays pulverize the New York Yankees on Sunday. The score was 14-8 for the Jays and I’d like to put myself in the win column too for properly managing my food expectations. Word-of-mouth and interweb research all indicated that the concession stands at the Rogers Centre (formerly the Skydome) are dismal. The classic hot dog (shown above) is only slightly better than the 50-cent Ikea dog, but this one clocks in at the jacked-up price of $5.

One delicious discovery was the BBQ Chicken Nachos ($7.75) featuring tri-colour nachos loaded with cheese sauce, smoked BBQ chicken, jalapenos, onions, salsa and sour cream. The sweet chicken is an odd mix with the other flavours, but it’s a leisurely treat and the crunch from the nachos blends well with the sound of heckling fans.

Occupying seats in the 500 level has its benefits ($12 price point, lots of room to stretch out since there’s few people around you), but the food up there should be avoided. A quick scan of the upper stalls, and it’s obvious this is peasant food.

The secret is to always head down to the 100 level for your grub. Check out the new Muddy York Market in Section 109. There’s Mediterranean and American fare such as a Pasta Box ($10.25), Traditional Caesar Salad ($7.50), Gyro ($8.25), Souvlaki on a Pita ($9.25) and a Pork Sandwich ($9.75) that’s smoked on-site and accompanied by potato salad and sweet-and-sour ’slaw (shown below, left). Nearby is an Asian Bowl station where $11 will get you sauteed vegetables with Miso Sweet Chili sauce with noodles or rice and a beef, chicken or shrimp skewer on the side.

If this sounds way too shmancy for a ball game, the Hogtown Grill stands have more traditional sports snacks. Three mini Prime Rib Sliders are topped with sauteed peppers and onions, and come with Miss Vickies Chips ($13) or there’s the Foot-Long Hot Dog for $7.75.

While the quality and innovation do not match those of BMO Field and Toronto FC eats, I have to hand it to the Rogers Centre for having a whole lot of variety. The 100 level has an overwhelming selection of meats, treats and sweets. I also commend the venue for allowing you to bring in your own snacks and water/juice (in a plastic bottle less than 600 ml). But if you are planning to eat at the game, just remember to manage your expectations. Brace yourself for $7 beers ($9.50 for a tall boy), don’t expect fine dining, but be sure to enjoy the many options beyond peanuts and Cracker Jack.

Location:
234 Wellington Street West, Toronto

Cost: $8-15

www.quesada.ca

My friend who’d just moved to Toronto from Calgary treated me for lunch at this place; I’d heard many good things about the food, so I was excited to try it out.

Let me first say though, that I have yet to find a really tasty burrito. Burrito Boyz failed to impress. After three tries and various combinations, it still hasn’t wowed. I’m still wondering what the fuss is about. But I digress.

Back to Quesadas…

A narrow space on the corner of  Wellington and John which outlines their ordering procedure on the far end of the wall prior to the assembly of burritos.

I ordered a small spicy chipotle chicken (hot) ($5.35) which claimed to be “tender chicken marinated in our own spicy chipotle heat”.  I must confide…there was no heat in this whatsoever.

The hot sauce helped some…but  I still wanted the flavour to come from within the burrito.  Is that too much to ask?  Thank goodness for sauces!

My friend ordred the Chile-lime shrimp, “burrito in the buff” which is the burrito minus the tortilla.  AKA, a salad.

And a Tango Mango Odwalla drink:

Fully packed during lunch, the burritos must be impressing some people.  My quest for a tasty burrito however, continues…

Here is an interesting question:  What is more important, marketing the show or marketing the venue?  Of course you are answering: the show.

If you are a venue marketing person, then the answer is both.  Yes, the shows are your clients.  They bring in the revenue.  If you have no events, then your venue sits empty.  As a venue you need to market all the shows and events coming to your building. As a venue marketer it is also important to market the venue brand.

Some may say that venues are only as good as the events inside them.  This may be true but good events and shows like to play good venues.  I am always reminding you that we are in the discretionary dollar business.  We need to win our customers money over other discretionary spending.  How you brand the venue can help you sell tickets for the events. 

When we market a venue, we seem to spend money to those in the business.  Look through any venue or live event trade publication.  They are filled with ads for venues.  How about running a venue marketing campaign to the public? Create excitement for the venue no matter what event is playing in it.  Market the venue like a tourist attraction. Your venue is a destination. I remember when SkyDome in Toronto first opened.  It was a tourist attraction.  They gave tours every day showing off the bells and whistles.  They tried to create excitement for the venue 7 days a week. 

The key word here is “destination”.  Market your venue as a destination.

So what have me and the others been up to the last couple of days? Well, seeing Toronto by foot – of course. Or at least mostly. Since I’m staying in the (su)burbs I’m taking the subway for about +/- 20 minutes back and forth from downtown, but thats no problem. I think its nice sitting on the train reading the Metro Xpress. Its almost the same as the Metro Xpress we have in Copenhagen.

To sum up from last:

Tuesday: Met up at City Hall at noon, had a quick lunch at the food court in Eaton Centre (man, its big), went to see our school, accidentally bumped in to the international coordinator Dale Carl who showed us around the school that looks awesome and has some very nice facilities which only the MBA students can use (to bad for the other girls thats studying on their bachelor, hehe), went to Neill-wycik where we are moving in on Tuesday, met a guy there who of course remembers David from 2007 when he was there, walked to China Town with Pil and Kirstine, found a really big Chinese supermarket with alive fish, crabs and lots of other weird stuff, walked all the way back downtown, took the subway back to Hans and Clare, had dinner, had wine, caought Holme and talked a good long time on Skype, went to bed.

Wednesday: Met with Lars and Kirstine at 11 at City Hall, supposed to meet Pil at 11.30 at Union Station but couldn’t find her and her cell didn’t work, walked down to the habour front, had lunch in the sunshine, saw CN Tower and SkyDome/Rogers Centre, found a internet cafe and wrote Pil, met with Pil at 6, had dinner, went to the cinema and saw Inglorious Basterds (good one!) and went home.

Me (in the middle), Pil and Lars in front of Royal Ontario Museum on Bloor st

Today: Met up at 12 at Kensington Market, got lunch, walked around in the sun, went to Little Italy, got an ice coffee, walked down a long street called Bloor, saw some very big Korean supermarkets and a very big and cheap Canadian one, walked all the way down Bloor, passed by The Annex/University of Toronto, the Royal Ontario Museum (see photo) and the fancy shops like Gucci and so on, went home with the subway, got a nice long talk with David on skype, had dinner with Hans and Clare and then again wine, talked, checked some e-mails and will soon go to bed.

Tomorrow Lars and I are going to an introduction day at the university. Its going to be fun to see the other MBA students. There’s about 120 of them. There’s also a whole programme for Saturday with a case competition and social activities in the evening. So we got the weekend planned already.

Weathers been good and I like hanging out with the girls and Lars and its also very very nice to live at Hans and Clares and chat with them. So besides from my feet as well as my legs being sore life’s good.

I can’t get my computer connected to Hans and Clare’s internet so pictures will have to wait until I’ve moved in at Neill-wycik probably…

Cheers

The diffuse shader is done on the terrain, and I have a system for the texturing. You can now put patches of grass and asphalt anywhere on the map. The amount of grass or asphalt texture on that point is determined by a texture lookup to a texture map which kinda looks like this:

The green pixel determine where the grass pixel are going to be, and the blue ones where the asphalt is going to be. I also passed the grass and the asphalt textures along with their detail textures to the shader, but after drawing that the framerate fell to about 50. So I removed the grass and asphalt detail textures and made them use the normal ground detail, and the framerate rose to 100 again. The terrain diffuse system looks kinda weird at this point because there’s no shadowing so surfaces get lit irregularly, and the skydome is finished. No that’s not atmospheric scattering on the screenshots, I just have a DayColor and NightColor and lerp between those 2 with the sun y position. This looks almost as good at atmospheric scattering and is like 10 times faster. Enjoy the screenshots!

Touch 'em all, Joe

In what has quickly turned into one of the most frustrating/depressing/mind-numbing seasons I can ever recall, the Jays are giving fans a break this weekend with a reminder of the days when being a fan of the team didn’t include wanting to smash your head through a wall. The ‘92 and ‘93 World Series teams are in town to be honored, beginning prior to tonight’s game with fellow AL East powerhouse Baltimore.

I’m actually getting a bit excited about this. Pretty, pretty, pretty excited. It’s been on the agenda all year, but I didn’t give it much thought until I saw some of the former greats strolling through the Rogers Centre halls Tuesday and Wednesday. Roberto Alomar, Joe Carter, Dave Winfield, Paul Molitor and Johnny O are in town. Even Woody Williams, Danny Cox and Rob Butler. In all, more than 35 players and coaches from the teams are expected. Here’s another thing I saw that has me a bit excited: A bunch of ‘92-’93 throwback jerseys were being transfered in and out of the Jays clubhouse to be crested Wednesday — granted, they may have been for the alumni, but there’s a chance they could be worn by current squad of misfits tonight. Don’t quote me on that though. Let’s see what happens!

The festivities are set to last all weekend, starting with autograph sessions and an on-field ceremony before tonight’s game. There’s a gala dinner that Alex Rios may or may not attend Saturday night, and Sunday is Tom Henke figurine day. By the way, how badass of a nickname is “The Terminator”? Anyway, things get started tonight — should be fun.

the moment my love for a certain Algerian was cemented.

Some old school cats in that game. Had no idea I was seeing THE Barry Bonds, back then. I was in fourth grade and was more interested in this older gal Peggy, than in seeing Craig Biggio, Glenn Davis, and Bill Doran eek out a win.

She was kind of a fan, and her older sister was a big fan and they were both really kind to me, and somehow I became interested in baseball. Thus beginning a 15 year affair.

I started playing that following year and got my hand eye coordination good enough to play in a few all star games as a teenager before the pressures of high school sucked the joy out of playing (and sometimes living).

For a long time I hated my father for putting so much pressure on me to be a good player, and I grew to hate him even more for trashing my collection of baseball cards as a kid.

Recently though I realized he might have done me a favor. I used to view those cards as a gateway to my youth. Seeing the old cards of Cal Ripken Jr. Bob Tewksbury, or Lance Blankenship still bring about memories of riding my bike to the card shop and plopping down some moulah for the chance at a Darryl Strawberry in Dodgers uniform…….

but now…… not quite the same…….

two strike years lost, and a huge steroids scandal has jaded me a bit.

Finding out about the ‘roids made me feel like James Spader character in Sex, Lies, and Videotape, when he finds out the girl he had on a pedestal fucked his college buddy behind his back.

Names came up and more names came up and everything jsut kind of made sense. All the talk about juiced balls, and all the on the field, bench clearing brawls were suddenly put into a different context.

But in a way i’m like so what? How many of us are on performance enhancing drugs? I’m sitting here writing this blog (and about to work on a short story) with the help of two gigantic, 16 ounce Red Bulls.

So what if it takes years off my life? I have to get this stuff done. And maybe that was the thinking during the Steroids Era. Getting it done, putting up stats and being as good as possible while you still have the chance, because when your career is over, its over, and no one thinks about you because there will always be another player to eclipse your statistics.

So in a way I get it, but still, it takes a little of the luster off the game I had held in such high esteem.

I guess aging does that to you. You get a different sort of perspective on things, and players become people, fucking up like everyone else but having it appear in headlines everywhere.

Players die, players retire, players go bankrupt and get divorced.

I finally learned to seperate what a player does on the field with the off the field stuff.

True Lenny Dykstra had one of the most phenomenal post season runs I’ve ever seen (and should’ve won the ‘93 MVP in my opinion), but does that make him a decent human being?

Even if there weren’t the scandals and the strike stuff, it seems inevitable that I’d outgrow the sport. The last world series I watched with any interest was the last one with the Yankees, in 2003 when they lost to the Florida Marlins.

Even back then my interest was waning. A friend of mine once remarked that baseball was too slow for him, and boring, and I told him I liked the pace of the game, that I found it relaxing.

But that changed. Maybe my life got more complicated and the pace of basketball and international soccer resonated more with me, or maybe baseball really did become boring.

I just noticed that going to the game and sitting still for three hours became harder and harder. Unless I went with a friend, I found myself falling asleep in my chairs, a bit too relaxed by the near silence of crowds, smell of chalk, grass, and roasted weiners and peanuts.

The days of visiting cities just to watch a game in their ballparks are over. Tickets are too expensive and I don’t know any of the players out there anymore.

New and exciting NBA players have won me over, and the intensity of international soccer draws me away from the stop and start of baseball and football.

Besides I can’t stand all the constant advertisements that bombard you inside and outside the stadium. All the parks are owned by banks, and billboards dominate the venues, it used to be a simple church organ between innings and a generic wall. Now every outfield is sponsored by TBS or Staples, or Taco Bell.

In 2006 I fell in love with a certain soccer player who reminded me of a certain hockey player I had a man crush on.

Zinedine Zidane took the French national team as far as it could go without winning. Displaying the characteristics of something I’d recognized. Armed with deft passing skills, a steely glance, and a champion’s cool, I found myself wrapped up in the ‘06 World Cup, realizing that the intensity of the fan base was a major attraction to the sport.

No matter where I was, no matter the nationality of a person I came across while traveling, I found that soccer was an interesting starting point to engage a complete stranger (often foreign) in conversation.

That combined with countless hours of playing the FIFA video game with my roommates in Austin, got me to start tuning into UEFA Leagues and Champions Leagues and I’m a full fledged fan now, even if Zidane retired.

So it goes. Old relationships die, new ones start up, right?

I went to a Tulsa Drillers game tonight with teh kids and it was fun. I didn’t know a single player’s name, and didn’t care. I was just watching baseball. Didn’t care about stats or anything, just enjoying the fundamentals of executing a bunt, or a double steal, and witnessing the beauty of a 6-4-3 double play.

It was great. Tickets are cheaper at minor leauge games. Less frills between innings, better seats, less lines for cheaper concessions, and real fans.

The kids were ready to leave after six innings and I didn’t blame them, baseball is a slow and often boring game. Kind of like 1,000’s of people sitting down to watch a chess match (although I rather enjoy chess).

Its not for everyone and maybe not for me anymore, but I will always look back in fondness at certain players and moments I was lucky enough to witness.

I got to watch the two greatest World Series of my lifetime in 1991 (Twins-Braves Smoltz and Jack Morris 10 inning duel) and 2001 (Diamondbacks-Yankees 7 games extra inning affair as well).

I witnessed in person a perfect game thrown by Randy Johnson with a high school teammate in Atlanta in 2004.

I got to see Bo Jackson, George Brett, Matt Williams, Andre Dawson, David Cone, Nolan Ryan, Carlton Fisk, Roberto Alomar, Rickey Henderson and Dennis Eckersley play ball at one time or another.

I’ve been to Wrigley Field, Turner Field, Dodgers Stadium, Roylas Stadium, The Sky Dome, the Astrodome, Ballpark in Arlington. I’ve been on the field at Oakland Coliseum. I even took a plane to Pittsburgh to see the Pirates game. I was a huge fan of the sport.

I enjoyed just coming to the game and sitting for hours, watching and thinking, and talking ball.

And as much as I loved watching, I enjoyed playing even more. Just stepping across the chalk lines brought a smile to my face. I miss having teammates and having reasons to high five, and focusing on tendencies and stealing bases.

Had I known how much focus, and preparation went into being a good player, things may have been different for me. I wish I’d have known just how much of playing the game (and even living life) was mental.

I certainly regret not getting the most out of my ability. Its tough knowing that I wasn’t as good of a player as I could’ve been. I’m thirty years old now, and in what should be the peak of a player’s athletic conditioning and career.

I’d like to think I’d join another men’s league and play until I’m seventy like Bill “the Spaceman” Lee. And if not that then at least coach a bit. Who’s to say what will happen.

I can say that the only way you’ll catch me at a major league game is if someone I know is playing on a major league ballclub. Its refreshing to say that I have better things to do than to spend 30 dollars on a seat in a ballpark named after some corporation.

That’s too expensive of a nap. I’d rather just turn on the television and fall asleep on the couch.

[First draft was written in May, when the Jays were in first place! This version was published on July 18, 2009 in the Toronto Star - and the Jays are almost in last.]

When I was a child, a summer day rarely went by without the radio voices of Tom Cheek and Jerry Howarth mingling with the sizzle of a barbecue or a lawn mower’s buzz. The broadcasters delivered news of each pitch as the Blue Jays’ annual six-month fight for the pennant kept me riveted and tense.

From 1985 to ‘93, I attended 10 to 40 games a year, filling out a scorecard, wearing my Dave Stieb-autographed Wilson glove, hopeful of a foul ball, even in the second deck. On Oct. 20, 1992, I stood in line for nine hours to get into the SkyDome’s Hard Rock Cafe (which charged only $15 and a two-drink minimum, perfect for a university student) to see the first World Series game played in Canada.

Blue Jays fever gripped me again this April, after 14 seasons in remission, and has maintained its hold despite the team’s recent woes.

This year, I’ve made the walk to the dome a dozen times, attending more baseball games than I have in the past 10 years combined. I had lost interest when I lived outside Toronto – and the team resided far from a playoff spot. The baseball strike in 1994 cut off my habit and my obsession never fully revived.

From 1996 to 2005, I lived in Long Island, N.Y., and for the first couple of years I would eagerly go to games when the Jays visited the Yankees. Dressing in enemy colours in the Bronx isn’t smart, and it was downright demoralizing to do it during New York’s decade of supremacy.

My attendance at any game soon became predicated on newspaper work or some guest who just had to see Yankee Stadium, an edifice I rank with the Death Star and Towers of Mordor as a bastion of evil. By the end of the Subway Series between the Mets and Yankees in 2000, I despised baseball. The season dragged, the games went on too long, my workload as a sports editor stretched beyond reason because of it, my favourite team was pathetic.

When I left New York for Vancouver, I had little reason to watch baseball at all, and I didn’t. I thought I was done with the sport.

That’s why I’m amazed to find myself caught up in the daily ritual of following the Jays again, less than a year after returning to Toronto. I don’t keep score as I used to. I don’t study the Jays’ minor-league system. I don’t pull on my Jose Cruz Jr. jersey (ever). I do, however, crave to be there, at the dome, in case something special happens for the team. Each time I walk through the turnstiles, I think for sure Roy Halladay will go all the way tonight. Or Scott Rolen will extend another hit streak. Or Adam Lind will knock one into the upper deck Fred McGriff-style.

With their talented young pitchers, these Jays may have started to build something this year and convinced some of us to come watch. For those of us coming back, we do so because we remember what Cito Gaston’s previous teams did for us and this city. Victory seemed inevitable then, youthful revelry everlasting. I root hard for the Jays, hoping to evoke that time when going to the ballpark meant watching champions and feeling like one yourself.

[The Star publishes summer rituals by other writers, too.]

My last three weeks of Toronto are finally here. And while almost everything has been taken care of, there is still an unfinished list of things I want to do before I leave.  Yes, I know I’ll be back often for work and other events. (U2 concert at the Rogers Center/SkyDome in September, for example.) But as I’ve mentioned there are a few things I still like to experience again before the moving truck arrives.

That being said, there are a buttload of things I can’t wait to do once I get to Ottawa.  While the last three weeks here are filled with “Lasts“, the first three months (and onward) in Ottawa will be filled with “Firsts“.

Just a few that come to mind:

• My first ride to work on the TransitWay
• My first Ottawa movie (I already know it will be GI Joe: Rise of Cobra but I’m not sure which cinema I’ll go to.)
• My first Ottawa Senators hockey game
• My first wing night
• My first pizza delivery
• The first restaurant I go out to as an actual resident (that way I can have the pleasure of coming home to my house instead of a hotel room)
• My first pub crawl
• The first meal I cook in my new kitchen in my new house

If you can think of anything else, as a new Ottawan I should experience, then by all means let me know.

If you’re a fan of 80s wrestling, then you definitely want to continue reading.

Lanny Poffo, better known as The Genius or Leaping Lanny Poffo is a Canadian Wrestler that began wrestling in the NWA territories in the 1970s.  You might remember him as the trunk-clad wrestler reading a poem off of a Frisbee in the center of the ring and then flinging it out into the crowd.  Poffo attained superstar status in 1985, when he joined his brother the “Macho Man” Randy Savage and went to work for the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE).

While Lanny never attained the popularity of his brother in the WWE, he still managed to find a niche for himself as a fan favourite.  One of the highlights of Lanny’s career was on the November 25, 1989 edition of WWF Saturday Night’s Main Event, when Lanny (as The Genius) defeated wrestling icon Hulk Hogan by count-out.

Outside of the ring, Poffo has appeared in a few movies and has written a children’s book of

limericks entitled Limericks from the Heart and Lungs!  He is also a certified counselor.  In 2007, Poffo wrote a poem for WWE.com for the “Battle of the Billionaires” at Wrestlemania 23 which consisted of a match between Vince McMahon and Donald Trump.

We sat down with Lanny recently, and he was nice enough to field a few questions for the Manly Men Men blog.   Check it out below!

1.  What was it like working Vince McMahon?

He was in the trenches, not the ivory towers.  He micro AND macro managed.  He demands the best in every detail of his company.  He takes the high road whenever there’s a choice between the two roads.

2. What character did you enjoy playing more – The Genius or leaping Lanny?

If I could have worked with Terry Funk every night, I would have preferred Leaping Lanny.   Since I couldn’t, I preferred The Genius.  As the Genius, I was the master of cheap heat.  That means big response with little or no effort. When Beefcake cut my hair at the Rogers Center (SkyDome) in WrestleMania 6, I bought wigs to wear and I PRETENDED to be humiliated when the wig was pulled off.  That’s cheap heat!  I loved it.  So did the fans.

3. What was your favourite arena to work in?

Madison Square Garden.  I always dreamed of working there.  I made 23 appearances there.  I never got tired of it.

4. What or who inspired you to get into professional wrestling?

My Father.  I would always watch him wrestle and I always thought it was a cool thing to do with your life.

5. Do you still wrestle today?

Yes.  I’m 54 and I’m training to get back to my fighting weight.  I’m not there yet but I’m motivated to keep on wrestling.  I’m lucky that my web-site, www.leapinglannypoffo.com keeps me in demand.

6. Give me one word to describe the following people:

• Hulk Hogan – GRATITUDE
• Bret Hart -STROKE
• King Kong Bundy – OBESE
• Andre the Giant – GENTLE
• Curt Henning – WASTE
• Kamala – GIMMICK
• Koko B. Ware – FUN
• Vince McMahon – VISIONARY
• Honky Tonk Man – CHARISMA
• Greg the Hammer Valentine – CONVINCING
• Brutus the Barber Beefcake – SCISSORS

Keep an eye out for our next wrestling interview with WWE Legend The Honky Tonk Man!

The ‘89 A’s were the least powerful team of the A’s dynasty, and the injury to Canseco’s wrist that kept him out for the first half of the season was much of the reason why. On March 8, David Bush of the Chronicle described Jim Abbott’s spring debut and the last at-bat Canseco had before the wrist troubles emerged:

“The atmosphere at Phoenix Municipal Stadium yesterday more closely resembled that of a World Series game than the A’s fifth exhibition game of the spring.

The game’s 90-degree weather and the intimacy of the ballpark were springlike enough, but a throng of national media on the field before the California Angels whipped the A’s, 9-4, was worthy of the postseason.

The reason for all the attention was Jim Abbott, the Angels’ remarkable rookie pitcher who was born without a right hand.

Abbott, the Angels’ first-round draft choice last June out of the University of Michigan and a member of the 1988 U.S. Olympic team, came on in the fourth inning and left in the sixth, giving up one run that wasn’t his fault and earning the victory.

Abbott had walked two hitters and had two outs when Canseco came to the plate. On the 1-2 pitch, Abbott dipped an inside slider onto Canseco’s fists and the A.L. MVP waved at it.

“I knew I had a base open but I didn’t want to give into him,” said Abbott. “It was a thrill to face Jose Canseco. That’s what this game is all about. I know it is early in spring training, but for me that was a pressure situation.”

“He’s legit. He’s got a good fastball and above average slider,” said Canseco. “I am just trying to concentrate on the ball. It (Abbott’s handicap) had nothing to do with my at-bat.”

On March 23, Bush reported: “It took two weeks to get Jose Canseco into the lineup and just two swings to remove him.

The A’s right fielder, making his first start since March 7, felt more pain in his tender left wrist and left yesterday’s game against the Giants in the first inning.

San Francisco eventually won the game at Phoenix Municipal Stadium, 6-4, in 11 innings.

Canseco has felt pain in the wrist since the beginning of spring training. After striking out against the Angels’ Jim Abbott on March 7, Canseco’s duty has been limited. The A’s said the idleness was merely a precaution, and once the pain disappeared completely, Canseco would have sufficient time to prepare for the regular season.

With 11 days remaining until the opener, time is running out and Canseco has batted just nine times in spring-training games.

“Even though I haven’t played very much I saw the ball well today,” said Canseco. “But I do need to be in games and face some live pitching to get my timing back.”

Canseco took part in a simulated game on Tuesday, and said afterward that his wrist was a little stiff but that he would be able to play yesterday.

But when fouling off pitcher Dennis Cook’s second pitch on a check-swing, Canseco said he felt sharp pain in his wrist. “It hurt, but I thought I could play through it.”

After taking the next pitch for a ball, Canseco swung and missed at a high fastball. At that point he walked away from the plate and into the clubhouse. “On the second one the pain was even worse, and I told the bench that I should come out,” said Canseco.

His wrist wrapped in ice, Canseco said the pain was worse than it had been all spring. “It doesn’t hurt when I move it up and down, but it does when I move it sideways, which is the motion you use to hit.”

Canseco said he has had no previous problems with his wrist. His twin brother, Ozzie, broke the hamate bone in his left wrist early this spring.

“It’s just coincidence,” said Canseco, who paused, rolled his eyes skyward and said, “but then again, you never know.” Canseco seemed hardly distraught with his ill fortune. “I can’t do anything about it,” he said. “If I get frustrated and angry, that might only make it worse.”

In mid-July, Canseco finally came back, in an 11-7 win over the Blue Jays in SkyDome, in the teams’ first game following the All-Star break. He hit a home run and a single, driving in three runs and stealing a base.

Canseco had missed the A’s first 88 games of the season, and his return overshadow the equally anticipated return of reliever Dennis Eckersley, who pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning in his first appearance since May 27. Canseco’s third RBI of the game, coming on a ninth-inning single, increased the A’s lead to four runs and deprived Eckersley of a chance for a save.

Jose, after the game: “I was a little nervous, and I just tried to keep it simple,” agreed Canseco, whose rehabilitation assignment with Double-A Huntsville (Ala.) produced an undistinguished record of four hits in 23 at-bats. “”I didn’t do that well in the minor leagues, so I just brainwashed myself into thinking I had been hitting. Then it seemed like yesterday that I was hitting line drives.”

Meanwhile, Eckersley said of his return: “I felt all right. I’m glad it wasn’t a one-run game, because you don’t know how you are going to do.

“It is hard to be confident if you haven’t done it in a long time. I thought I was so-so. One pitch would be good, and the next not so good. But as long as it doesn’t hurt, I will be all right.”

Picked a good time to make fun of Sportsnet.  Parts of the country didn’t see the Jays game because of a Sens game.  Who is the guy who scheduled this?  Home opener of the Blue Jays and it’s in a dome so you know it won’t be delayed.  But let’s pick up this Senators game.  Sure they didn’t guess Sens would be out of it by now but this made no sense.

Ottawa Sports Guy has more in a blog post.  And on the drunken fans at Skydome who caused a 10 minute delay in the baseball game.  Nice way to open the season guys.

http://ottawasportsguy.blogspot.com/2009/04/rosin-bag-kids-are-alright.html

And Tyler King who I work with on Offsides, was stuck with the Sens game here in Kingston.  He doesn’t have the other feeds of Sportsnet.  He’s a big Jays fan so you can imagine how happy he was last night.

Day 2 of the Sportsnet pile on, but well deserved after the Jays/Sens debacle.

Touch on a few things today, first the interview with Melanie Samson is this Friday.  You can visit her MySpace page to preview some songs and purchase the CD.

http://www.myspace.com/melaniesamson

And her page on Twitter.

http://twitter.com/melaniesamson

Next up, the CFRC end of the year awards.  Which are held at this time of year because the end of the school year is coming up.  These are voted by the volunteers.  Since the CFRC site is still on the back up one [Wow, those hackers must've done some damage to the AMS servers] I’ll publish them here.

Best Spoken word: Alternative Frequency
Best NEW program: Gender Bender
Best Music and Spoken word Hybrid: [Tie] Aboriginal Voices and Cognitive Dissonance
Best Cultural: Atlantis
Best Beats and Rhythms: Captain Funkbags Funktastic Funksplosian
Best Indie Rock/Pop: [Tie] London Calling and The Exploding Plastic Inevitable
Best Goth/Metal/Ind: Dark Carnival
Best Folk/Bluegrass: Small Towns, Big Dreams
Best Specialty: Artists and Music of the 20th Century

2 ties?  Chance of that must’ve been really small.

I missed the awards night but heard from a fellow host on Facebook that I won an award.  Went to the station yesterday and found out I was awarded the ‘Broadcast Bear’ this year.  Goes to a volunteer for their dedication and hard work for the station.  Cool.

I get my name engraved on a plaque at the station and on a Broadcast Bear metal mug that is at the station.  All the winners since the early 1980’s are on it.  That’s quite a few years.  So my name will be at the station for years and years.  Didn’t think about that till today.

http://neatesager.blogspot.com/2009/03/kinger-now-officially-another-countrys.html

And since I’m on news from the station, last night this went up on Out of Left Field.  Tyler King from the CFRC sports broadasts and Offsides is heading off to Syracuse University.  Took this from Neate’s post.

“Kinger, who’s graduating from Queen’s in a couple months, will be taking his master’s degree in broadcast journalism at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. It’s got a long name, so you know it’s gotta be good.”

Since I help out every week on Offsides I knew a bit about this.  But now it’s official.  Congrats to Tyler. He was also the Sports Co-ordinator at the station the past year.

Away from a school that had that silly attempt at a name change from Golden Gaels to Queen’s Gaels.  Off to a place that changed their team name from the Orangemen to “THE Orange”.  Hmmm, so they sound like similar places.

Picked up my tickets for the Buddy Wasisname show in May at the Grand Theatre.  Place looks great from the inside.  First time I set foot in the place since the renovations.

And thanks to my sister I have a ticket for U2 in Toronto this September at SkyDome.  Going with her and her boyfriend.  Is a bit strange to have a concert plan for a date after the summer.  It’s not even April and here I am with a ticket for a show on a Wednesday night in the fall.

I better wrap it up for today.  Finishing up editing the interview with Melanie.  I’ll play her entire CD on Friday’s show.

Unbelievable game. I have been to A LOT of baseball games at the SkyDome and I have never experienced an atmosphere like the one today. Granted, I never had the opportunity to go to a game during the glory days of the ‘92-’93 playoffs. But this afternoon was great. Every pitch was so intense. Every one of the 42,000 was in the game.

The major thing I loved about the game was that EVERYONE was into the game. There were no suits like they have at World Junior tournaments or Leaf games. Everybody followed every pitch and everyone knew the consequences of losing. Nobody was there just to say they were there. This is partly because baseball is a dying sport in Toronto, but for those who still follow baseball and hte Blue Jays – they are die hard fans.

It was good to finally go to an international sporting event. There were lots of American fans, and surprisingly, it was a peaceful crowd. You can’t even find one of those at Jays games. It was just a great time. Everyone seemed partly inebriated and just wanted to enjoy a good game. And they got a good game. Five home runs between the two teams, including a rocket from hometown boy, Joey Votto. Matt Stairs got the early standing ovation, but by the end of the game, the entire crowd was chanting “Joey! Joey! Joey!” I think we may have found a new national baseball hero.

The only bad things about the game were that Canada lost and that the staff at the SkyDome were totally unorganized. Virtually every gate was backed up. We had to wait about 15 minutes in line before we entered the SkyDome, mainly because there were only 2-3 people working the gates checking tickets. What SkyDome? You really didn’t expect a full barn for an international sporting event between two rival countries? Really? Regarding the ticket checkers, it was totoally amateur. All they did was either check the ticket stubs, or if you printed your tikets from home, they simply ripped off your barcode. What could have stopped someone from photocopying a ticket and have them rip a dublicated barcode? I’m going to try that on Monday.

Even though I am not expecting the same type of intense crowd, I can’t wait to watch the next Candada game on Monday.

Did the Netherlands really beat DR?

As of this very moment, it appears we’re leaning toward a trip to the great state of Minnesota to see a game at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome before they tear it down and replace it with Target Field.

We wavered back-and-forth between the Homer Dome and the SkyDome, but we figured the SkyDome will be there for a few more years.

Plus, we’ve always wanted to see a baseball game played how it was meant to be played: on fake grass, under a garbage bag, in a climate-controlled setting.

If that’s not baseball, I don’t know what is.

But ever since 1987, when I watched those f****** Twins fans wave those f****** Homer Hankies while they demolished the Tigers in the AL playoffs, I’ve wanted to see a game there. It just seems like a unique place to watch baseball, dontcha think? (I’m totally over the loss in ‘87, btw.)

Anyhoo, the four of us are meeting in the next few weeks to make the final decision, but don’t be surprised to see us in Minneapolis come summer time.

You’ve been warned.

I predict that 2009 will bring about lower production cost events.  Everyone in the industry has no choice.  You will see major produced productions take a year off.  Events, sports, and touring shows will take a second look and decide if they can make it in this current economy. 

The first arena victim was announced today.  The 22 year old Arena Football League has cancelled its 2009 season.  The reason is the economy.  Here is a league that has done some amazing things in the past few years.  They were averaging over 10,000 fans a game, player salaries were in check, and they had a decent TV contract with ESPN. 

So what happened?  I believe a few reasons.  First off they have a big arena production.  It costs a lot to put on an AFL game. Even though they have a good deal with the players, it takes a lot of players and staff to run an AFL team.  The rent at the arena is not cheap either.   The bigger leagues know that you have to own the arena to keep the building costs in line.  The AFL is just a tenet.  They don’t get all the revenue that the arena brings in.  The season ran 17 weeks.  If you average 10,000 (round number) fans per game that’s only 170,000 fans per team per season.  The league promoted family friendly pricing (great for the fan).  While keeping the price of a ticket low (some seats under $10) it does not help the bottom line. All sports leagues live or die with the sponsorship deals.  While I have no first hand information, I am sure that AFL sponsorships took a hit for the upcoming season.

If you run an arena, you may have more open dates then you are used to.  You need to look at what you can do to fill the inventory.  Several years ago I was promoting family shows in Toronto.  I spent a lot of time at SkyDome.  Anyone that has been to the building knows it is huge.  Besides, being a stadium, it has a hotel in the outfield.  The cost to run this place is tremendous.  They knew that keeping the building busy was the way to go.  Besides the sports teams and large concerts that played there, they could turn the stadium into a smaller arena sized venue where the family shows played.  When they could not book all the open dates from the promoters, they created their own events.  For example, they took one week of open dates and created their own indoor carnival.  It had everything that an outdoor carnival would have including a midway, arts & crafts, food, exhibits, etc…  This was their event and they could control all aspects.  They kept the costs low and kept the revenue in house.

I am on the board of a non-profit theatre in my town.  I chair the annual benefit concert.  We had a wrap up meeting last night.  While this year’s event did not lose money, it did not make the budget. We took the recession hit in both sponsorships and ticket sales.  For 2009 we discussed is it possible to raise money with this kind of event while keeping production expenses lower for a better ROI?  This is what all of us in the entertainment industry need to discuss.

Chi usa GNU/Linux sa dell’esistenza di Compiz-Fusion (una volta beryl e compiz), che permette agli utenti di avere un desktop “3D” alla moda. In questo articolo diviso in più parti, cercherò di spiegare come configurare le funzioni più utili ed interessanti. Vi riporto, come al solito, cosa dice la cara e vecchia Wikipedia:

“Compiz è un compositing window manager per X Window System. Si tratta in sostanza di un software che gestisce sia l’estetica e il piazzamento delle finestre delle applicazioni sia una serie di effetti che possono essere applicati a tali finestre (a partire da semplici effetti di ombreggiatura fino ad arrivare a complessi effetti tridimensionali). Compiz è stato il primo software di questo tipo a sfruttare le librerie OpenGL e di conseguenza la potenza delle schede video per gestire tali effetti.“

Compiz non serve a quelli che lavorano con una o due finestre, magari a schermo intero. Serve a coloro che, per qualche ragione, sono abituati a gestire diverse applicazioni contemporaneamente, necessariamente disperse fra più desktop (Linux ha un desktop multiplo).
Per fare un esempio, in questo momento sto creando questa pagina ed ho aperto:

• Emesene
• Picasa
• un terminale
• Firefox
• Gimp, per lavorare sulle immagini
• Deluge
• CompizConfig Setting Manager

Se tutte queste applicazioni fossero sullo stesso desktop, un po’ di confusione ci sarebbe. Fortunatamente in Linux disponiamo di vari desktop (io ne uso 8), per cui in ogni schermata ho al massimo un paio di applicazioni. Anche così, però, il desktop switcher mostra i suoi limiti e anch’io a volte non ricordo immediatamente in quale schermata si trova una applicazione.
Con Compiz, posso passare facilmente da un desktop all’altro vedendo le applicazioni contenute, ma anche da una applicazione all’altra indipendentemente dal desktop in cui si trova. Inoltre esiste un utile sistema per riorganizzare le varie finestre e ridistribuirle fra i desktop, così come una modalità che definisce dei gruppi di finestre a cui applicare modifiche di massa.

Alcune immagini:

Il logo di Compiz-Fusion

Effetto "expo" di Compiz-Fusion

L'effetto più classico: Il Cubo

Voglio fare questo articolo in quanto, nella grande rete, ho trovato scarico materiale (in italiano almeno) su come configurare a uno a uno i vari effetti che mette a disposizione compiz. Ok, bando alle ciance, iniziamo!

Per prima cosa, ci dobbiamo installare il programma che ci permetterà di configurare Compiz-Fusion, quindi da terminale diamo questo comando:

sudo apt-get install compizconfig-settings-manager

Oppure, andando da Synaptic, cercate compizconfig-settings-manager e lo scaricate (insieme a tutti i altri plugin opzionali)

Ora andiamo in Sistema->Preferenze->Compizconfg Settings Manager, e ci ritroveremo questa schermata:

Il Gestore di Compiz-Fusion

Bene, ora iniziamo a vedere i vari effetti, come attivarli, e personalizzarli.

General

• Opzioni Generali: Questa sezione ci permette di configurare appunto, le opzioni generiche. Le cose che ci potrebbero interessare a noi sono nella scheda “Desktop Size” e qui dovremmo impostare: in “Desktop virtuali orizzontali” mettiamo il valore “4″ (necessario per avere il cubo), e per il resto lasciamo le impostazioni di default. Nella scheda “Display Settings” il campo che ci potrebbe interessare è “Filtro texture” che, a seconda della potenza del vostro pc, potete impostare su “Veloce”, “Buono”, “Ottimo”.

Accessibility

• Ingrandisci Desktop: Questa opzione ci permetterebbe di zoomare, attraverso una combinazione di tasti, qualunque parte del nostro desktop. Per abilitare questo plugin basta fare click sulla casella “Abilitare <<ingrandisci desktop>>”. Ora, la combinazione dei tasti da premere, per attivare l’effetto sono: Il tasto con il logo di Windows (WIN) + Rotellina del mouse. In pratica, muovendo la rotellina del mouse in avanti, il desktop si ingrandisce nella posizione che indica il mouse, mentre se la muoviamo indietro, il desktop ritorna alla visuale normale. La sezione “Velocità” indica la velocità con cui ingrandire, il “Fattore Ingrandimento” è la misura di quanto si dovrà ingrandire il desktop.
• Mostra il mouse: Questo simpatico plugin ci permette di individuare la posizione del nostro mouse, nel caso in cui non lo trovassimo più. In pratica fa apparire (di default) 3 “fiocchi” ruotanti intorno al mouse, di colore giallo (ma anche blu, rosso, a seconda delle nostre scelte). Dopo averlo abilitato, premiamo WIN + K e apparirà l’effetto… per disabilitarlo, premere di nuovo WIN + K. La sezione “Velocità di rotazione” indica a che velocità dovranno girare i 3 “fiocchi”. “Raggio” indica la misura della circonferenza che avrà il cerchio formato dai 3 fiocchi che girano.”Emettitori” sta a indicare appunto, il numero di fiocchi da far girare intorno al mouse. Nella scheda “Opzioni particella” l’opzione più interessante è “colore particella” dove possiamo impostare il colore degli emettitori.
• Lente di ingrandimento: Quest’altro simpatico plugin fa apparire in un rettangolo di medie dimensioni, intorno al mouse, una zona ingrandita del desktop, a mio parere molto utile per leggere i dettagli. Dopo averlo abilitato, facciamo la combinazione dei seguenti tasti: WIN + M
• Opacizza: Questa funzione fa diventare quasi invisibili le finestre attive, sulle quali non abbiamo momentaneamente il mouse. Non serve nessun tasto da premere, basta abilitarlo. in “Opacità attiva” e “Opacità passiva” possiamo impostare i livello di opacità.

Desktop

• Expo: Questo plugin ci fa vedere i desktop come nell’immagine 2 che ho messo precedentemente. grazie ad esso potremmo con un solo colpo dell’occhio dare un’occhiata a tutti i desktop, trascinare le finestre da un desktop all’altro ecc. Dopo averlo abilitato, premiamo WIN + E per vedere l’effetto in azione. Le opzioni più interessanti sono: “Deformazione” in cui possiamo scegliere tra “Nessuno” “inclina” e “Curva”. “Distanza” indica l’ingrandimento con cui vedere l’effetto. “Forza della curva” indica di quanto sarà stretta la curva dei desktop ( questo solo se avete scelto “Curva” ). In “Reflection” possiamo scegliere se abilitare o meno, il riflesso dei desktop. Nella scheda “Comportamento”: “Tempo dello zoom” indica in quanto tempo far vedere l’effetto (consiglio di lasciarlo come di default). In “Animazione Expo” possiamo scegliere il metodo in cui ci dovranno apparire i nostri desktop… abbiamo 3 opzioni disponibili.
• Desktop Cubico: Questo è uno dei più famosi plugin presenti in Compiz-Fusion, il quale crea appunto il famoso cubo. Dopo averlo abilitato, premiamo CTRL + ALT + FRECCIA IN GIÙ per attivare l’effetto “distendi” (attenzione, quando si abiliterà questo plugin, in automatico vi verrà chiesto di abilitarne un’altro!). “Skydome”, nella scheda “Appearance” ci permette invece di scegliere uno “sfondo” per quando ruoteremo il cubo, di default è blu scuro, sul nero. Nella scheda “Behaviour” troviamo invece: “Dentro al cubo” che ci farà “entrare” nel cubo, non vedendolo più dall’esterno ma dall’interno. Nella scheda “Transparent Cube” potremmo scegliere tra: “Opacità durante la rotazione” e “Opacità quando fermo” di cui non credo ci sia bisogno di spiegazioni.
• Ruota Cubo: Questo è il plugin che Compiz ci chiederà di attivare, appena attivato “desktop cubico”. Per vedere il cubo in azione, dobbiamo premere: CTRL + ALT + TASTO SINISTRO DEL MOUSE, e muovere semplicemente il cubo con il mouse (nel momento in cui abbiamo il cubo, possiamo anche non tenere premuti più i tasti CTRL e ALT, in quanto basta il click sinistro del mouse)vediamone ora le caratteristiche: Nella scheda “Generale”, le impostazioni che meritano la nostra attenzione sono: “Velocita”, in cui possiamo impostare la sensibilità del movimento con il cubo e “Zoom” cioè a che dimensione vedere il cubo (grande, piccolo ecc).
• Dissolvi verso la scrivania: Questo plugin, dopo essere stato attivato, fa quello che dice il nome, cioè, con un’elegante dissolvenza, ci mostra direttamente lo schermo vuoto, senza finestre. tra le opzioni, troviamo “Durata Dissolvenza” che indica quanto tempo deve durare l’effetto di dissolvenza.

Interrompo un attimo l’elencazione dei plugin per farvi notare una cosa:

• Ctrl = tasto Ctrl, di solito sulla riga più bassa della tastiera a sin e des (è lo stesso)
• Alt = tasto Alt, di solito sulla riga più bassa della tastiera a sinistra. Att.ne: quello a destra, Alt Gr non è lo stesso.
• Super o Sup = tasto con la maledetta bandierina di windows, di solito sulla riga più bassa della tastiera a sin e des (è lo stesso, ma attenzione sulla destra a non confonderlo con il tasto del menù)
• Shift = uno dei tasti Shift normalmente utilizzati per le maiuscole
• Tab = il tasto a sinistra della riga che continua con qwerty
• Frecce = le quattro frecce, dettagliate con FrecciaSin, FrecciaDes, FrecciaSu, FrecciaGiù
• Button1 = tasto sin del mouse (destro se mancini: il tasto dell’indice)
• Button2 = tasto des del mouse
• Button3 o ruotina = tasto centrale del mouse
• Drag o dragging = azione di trascinamento del mouse con un tasto premuto

Seconda parte: Configurare Compiz-Fusion: II Parte