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A Retraction
So … about the Castle Face Records record book I wrote about a couple of weeks ago. It turns out I'm more of an idiot then I thought, and that those guys are, somehow, though it baffles my mind as to how its possible (maybe because I'm an idiot), even bigger geniuses then I had originally given them credit for. The Group Flex record book IS indeed functional, highly functional in fact, Rain Man at a blackjack table functional. It is designed to be turned to a single flexi disc, which is possible as it is spiral bound, and put, as a whole, on the turntable and played WITHOUT TAKING IT APART AND/OR DESTROYING IT! What the fuck just happened?!?! Oh, I know … my mind was just COMPLETELY BLOWN. Again. Round 2. I might feel worse about my mind-numbing stupidity if I wasn't experiencing such an overwhelming hushed awe of amazement. How often do you get a second jolt of joy from something that equals or surpasses the first one? This is a rare occasion and a reason for celebration, and I think I'll do so by putting Group Flex on the platter and giving it a spin. Thanks to Matt from Pirates Press, the guys who put this masterpiece together, for enlightening me, and my apologies to you, the reader, for the misinformation.
Observer theme by Zack Sultan


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As the men's basketball Dogs prepare for their final regular-season game at the Steg tonight against high-flying Kentucky (8 p.m. on Peachtree TV), I think it's safe to say most of the fans who felt let down by Damon Evans' announcement of the relatively unknown Mark Fox as head coach last spring are now feeling pretty good about the hire.
The Dogs might not have a winning record (yet), but what Fox has accomplished in his first season in Athens is pretty amazing. True, the cupboard wasn't entirely bare when Dennis Felton departed UGA — Trey Thompkins had future star written all over him and Travis Leslie had shown flashes of potential, though he had to sit out the last five games of the 2009 season to concentrate on classwork.
But if not at an all-time low, the program was pretty near it a year ago. The fans had lost interest and, more importantly, the players looked poorly coached, unmotivated and
Continue reading Fox has Dogs fans and players believing again »

subset: commoncrawl


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March 11, 2013
Mark Watson
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NEW YORK — Derek Jeter will be sidelined until after the All-Star break because of a new fracture in his broken left ankle — a blow to a New York Yankees team already reeling from injuries and one that raises long-term questions about the 38-year-old shortstop's future.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Jeter should be able to resume his rehabilitation when the new crack heals, in about 4-8 weeks. Cashman has repeatedly maintained the 13-time All-Star should be able to return at his previous level of play.


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Guest Post: Filling the park in Kansas CityPosted on August 23rd, 2009 – 12:25 PM
By Howard
(Note from Howard: When frequent commenter Jason Iacovino he told me that he was going to Kansas City for the weekend, I figured he'd be a perfect candidate to file on behalf of the Twins fans who made the Twins. Jason is an attorney and a play-by-play announcer for KRFO Radio in Owatonna, MN. He's a 2001 graduate of the University of Minnesota, with a bachelor of arts in journalism and mass communication and a 2006 graduate of the University of St. Thomas School of Law.)
You think our season is over? Take a peek at where Kansas City ranks in the standings. All props go to the 33,000+ that showed up for what was a meaningless game for a team that is 18.0 GB in the AL Central on Saturday night. Of course there were plenty of Twins fans like us, but I handicapped the crowd at 62:38, Royals fans. That's called understanding how good you have it. I haven't been to Fenway, Wrigley, or New York, but I sincerely believe Kauffman Stadium is the best baseball experience in America.
Basically, you have the field and the fans, both intimately connected, and that's about it (except for a monster HD screen). No tacky in-your-face advertising, no annoying pre- or post-game gimmicks…just baseball, up close and personal.
Saturday it was a battle of which bullpen wanted to lose it more. As it turned out, Kansas City won that contest. So thanks to an Oakland win, we're still hanging on that limb. Brian Duensing impressed, but Gardy apparently wanted to make it interesting by bringing in Bobby Keppel with a 6-2 lead in the sixth after Duensing threw just 80 pitches. Who knows, he may have been on a pitch count, but that move spelled disaster from the word "Go." Then Crain came in to put more gas on the fire, but it wasn't enough for a hometown comeback win on a night when they packed Kauffman.
It was another adventure in right field that made the difference. The boys and I watched the replay from our hotel no less than seven times and debated if Josh Anderson screwed up the Cuddyer double in the ninth. I'm convinced he did. He pulled up lame on a ball that could've easily been caught. That move made Cuddy, aka 'Not My Fault,' a hero in an ugly battle of bullpen ineptitude. And if KC is looking for a villain, you could arguably pin both losses on Anderson. But who cares, I'll take the win. Way to go, Cuddy! Way to go Twins!
Thirty-three thousand came to see a game that had no meaning. Not bad, KC. We had a blast…friendly locals, great views, and Josh Anderson absolutely could hear what we threw his way after Cuddy's sand wedge fell in for the game winner. If you haven't been to Kauffman, it's a must-see. We'll have it good next year, but we won't have the pregame atmosphere these guys do.
Hey, our patchwork lineup and pitching staff snuck us another W, so I'll cheer hard for some "My Local Hardware Store" brooms to be in play by the end of Sunday's game.
Don't give up, Section 220…and don't pass up the chance to experience Kauffman–tailgating to the final out–it's unbelievable.


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Categories > Cartoons > Gargoyles
The Tempest0 Reviews
William Shakespeare's "The Tempest" retold with the cast of Gargoyles.
By Phoebe "DragonWolf" Roberts
Based on the play by William Shakespeare
All about them, the storm raged.
They observed from the shelter of the cave's mouth, Goliath and his daughter Angela, as the gale rose like a demon and the peaceful Avalon shores withstood its fury. The heavens were rent with lightning like knives, icy rain falling in a torrent on soft white sands. Chilling wind whipped through the branches of trees and cut ripples in the waters. Great waves leaped up to wreck against the shore in eruptions of foam. The rumbling crash of thunder shook the island to its stones. It was as the storm was the violence of the sea and sky at war.
Goliath stood strong and tall, his mighty form unbowed by fury of the tempest. His dark eyes peered through the downpour to a solitary ship, tossed by the rolling waves. Her sails were down in tatters, all spars but the mainmast cracked through. She, at the mercy of the gale, was all but swallowed. Angela too watched the falling of the helpless vessel, her face illuminated by the strikes of lightning and her hair swept back by the wind.
Ah, his dearest Angela. The pride of his heart and the joy of his life. She was as good and sweet and beautiful as the angels she had been named for, her heart so gentle, loving, and kind. Dismayed sadness filled her at the thought of the unfortunate souls the vessel carried, feeling the hurts of those others as if they were her own. The tears she shed were heartfelt.
"I would have sunk the sea within the earth or ere it should the good ship so have swallowed and the fraughting souls within her," sighed she.
Goliath could not bear to see her so distressed. "Be collected; no more amazement," he said gently, stroking her hair. "Tell your piteous heart there's no harm done."
He drew her from the storm and back into the cave. He assured her on his honor that no living creature of the ship would come to harm, and that she was now sit and attend, for there was more for her to know. Telling her to dry her eyes, he began.
He told her of their life before Avalon, a time of which she was too young to remember, when they had lived among other gargoyles in a clan of which he had been leader. There had been other warriors, their friends.
He told her of their coming to be on this Avalon; how the ambitious David Xanatos had banished them from Wyvern, the great gray castle that had been their ancestral home. Through trickery and deceit Xanatos had driven them to sea in a skiff, the avaricious lord claiming the castle as his own.
He told her of the noble Elisa Maza, a brave and loyal lady, who had enabled them to escape the death Xanatos plotted for them. She had supplied their skiff with necessities, and, knowing of his love for books, even provided him with written volumes he above all else prized. Without her aid they would not have survived to land on Avalon.
And upon that ship so tossed by the tempest, he knew Xanatos to be, and Elisa, and the members of their clan. If fortune was with him, he would have them restored to their ancestral and rightful home. And so, he promised her, he would allow no harm to come to them.
Spirits greatly lifted by her father's words, Angela slipped back out to watch the storming again. Soon she had disappeared into the rain.
"Come away, servant; come," the gargoyle said to the air. "I am ready now. Approach, my Puck. Come."
A bright wink of light cut through the darkness of the cave in response to the words, and there appeared a fairy, white-haired and pointed-eared, mischievous and, in all respects, certainly puckish.
The sprite fairly danced his way through the air.
"All hail, great master!" said the Puck. "Grave sir, hail! I come to answer thy best pleasure; be it to fly, to swim, to dive into the fire, to ride on the curled clouds; to thy strong bidding task, Puck and all his quality." He bowed with a flourish in the air.
Goliath inclined his head. "Hast thou, spirit, performed to the point the tempest that I bade thee?"
"To every article." The fairy zipped this way and that through the sky as he spoke. "I boarded the king's ship; now on the beak, now in the waist, the deck, in every cabin, I flamed amazement. The warrior Broadway was the first that leapt; cried 'Hell is empty, and all the devils are here.'"
The gargoyle's mouth turned up at one corner. "My brave spirit," he chuckled. "But was not this nigh shore?"
"Close by, my master."
"But are they, Puck, safe?"
The sprite laughed triumphantly. "Not a hair perished; 'bout the isle I have dispersed them..."
It was not long before the sky and sea ended their fierce strife, and the tempest finally died down. The lightning ceased flashing, the thunder silenced, the downpour stopped, and the night eventually calmed. Soon the rain-washed beaches were all that remained of the tempest.
It was over such a beach that the airy Puck now flew, watching with interest the lone gargoyle warrior beneath him, weeping for his lost clan. It was one Goliath called Broadway, one of the fine young warriors of their clan. He was a gentle, idealistic, poetic soul. Much, thought Puck, like Angela.
The fairy, flitting invisible and dancing through the air as gracefully as a snowflake, played lightheartedly on his wooden flute and sang;
"Come unto these yellow sands,
And then take hands;
Curtsied when you have and kissed,
The wild waves whist,
Foot it featly here and there,
And, sweet sprites, the burden bear!"
Broadway looked up and listened in wonder to the song that came seemingly from nowhere, stopping for a moment his tears. "Where should this music be? In the air or the earth?" He paused a moment at the silence. "It sounds no more. The music crept by me upon the waters, allaying both their fury and my passion with its sweet air. But 'tis gone. No, it begins again."
And indeed, Puck sang again:
"Full fathoms five thy clan lies;
Of their bones are coral made;
Those are pearls that were their eyes;
Nothing of them that doth fade
But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange.
Sea-nymphs hourly ring their knell..."
Here Puck clapped together his hands, and a sound like the toll of a great brass church bell resonated through the meadow.
"Hark!" laughed the airy sprite. "Now I hear them- ding-dong bell!"
"The ditty does remember my drowned clan," Broadway whispered miserably. "This is no mortal business, nor no sound that the earth owes. I hear it now above me."
With effort he shook himself from his weeping and continued along the soft white sand. The island, he realized now, was lovely, the most beautiful landscape ever he'd seen. The colors were like the tones of jewels, all the trees and flowers in vibrant health, the moon in the sky casting over everything a bright sheen of silver. It was perfect, magical. Paradisiacal.
Suddenly there was a rustling of tree branches and a flap of leathery wings, and in a moment a sleek lavender-skinned form glided swiftly through the night. She landed in an easy crouch before him, balancing herself with one graceful claw, then rose lithely to look him in the eye. The sudden appearance sent him back a step, and to his surprise there stood before him a young maiden gargoyle.
Deep brown eyes peered inquisitively from a fair, open face. Dark hair, long and the color of sable, was gathered in a thick plait that fell to past her hips. She was beautiful, amazingly so, with a pure, simple sweetness that seemed to glow from her. Most striking of all was that sweetness, an air of gentleness, innocence, her expression one of joyous, bright-eyed wonder.
At last he remembered his manners and bowed to her. He spoke in near whispers, marveling. "Vouchsafe my prayer may know if you remain upon this island; and that you will some good instruction give how I may bear me here. My prime request, which I do last pronounce, is, O you wonder! If you be maid or no?"
Her laugh was like the chiming of silver bells. "No wonder, but certainly a maid." And in a moment, he was laughing too.
Goliath, hidden in the trees and Angela had been, smiled paternally to himself; Broadway was one of the fine young warriors of the clan, and a fitting match for Angela. "At first sight they have changed eyes. They are both in either's powers."
Those less pleased than Goliath with their situation stood on the sands of another shore of Avalon, angry, grieving, and in very poor spirits.
On the beach then stood Xanatos and Elisa, as well as Hudson, Demona, and Brooklyn, sore, storm-tossed, and tired. They knew not where their rookery brother Broadway was, though they had sent Lexington to search by air for him. Hudson, leader of the clan since Goliath's disappearance, was inconsolable.
Elisa shook the dampness from her raven-black hair and tried to rally their spirits. "Beseech you, sir, be merry; you have cause, so have we all, of joy; for our escape is much beyond our loss. Wisely, good sir, weigh our sorrow with our comfort."
But Hudson would have no comfort. "Prithee, peace," he pleaded of the detective, his features bleak and stricken.
Demona scorned Elisa's efforts to cheer him. "He receives comfort like cold porridge."
Brooklyn leaped to stand atop the cluster of sea-washed boulders. Balancing himself with one claw to the rock, he looked about them, intently considering their surroundings. "Though this island seem to be desert," he commented thoughtfully. "Uninhabitable and almost inaccessible, it must needs be of subtle, tender, and delicate temperance."
Elisa nodded her agreement, noting the uncommon beauty of the isle. "Here is everything advantageous to life."
"Save means to live," Xanatos answered, speaking finally. He listened instead, thinking, and noticed with relief that he had not lost his saber in the storm.
Demona was sharp, angry, and bitter. "Of that there's little, or none."
But Elisa and Brooklyn were sure such a lush island could sustain a survivor of shipwreck. Hudson, lost in grief, could not be convinced. "You cram these words into mine ears against the stomach of my sense." He stared across the vastness of the ocean, watching the gray-blue waves crash in foamy laps against the shoreline. "What strange fish, Broadway, hath made his meal on thee?"
A breeze swept back their hair as a flash of olive glided swiftly past them. Lexington, his lean, web-winged form so fast and graceful in flight, was returning from his reconnaissance of the island. He soared in a low arc to touch down lightly on the boulders beside Brooklyn.
No sooner than he landed than did Hudson entreat him for his findings. He had not, Lexington regretted to report, found Broadway or knew him to be living or dead, but agreed with Brooklyn's opinion of the isle's hospitality, and was sure that their rookery brother could have survived the storm.
"Sir, Broadway may live," he told him. "I saw him beat the surges under him, and ride upon their backs, to the shore, that o'er his wave-worn basis bowed, as stooping to relieve him." His gaze met Hudson's squarely. "I not doubt that he came alive to land."
But the old warrior covered his eyes. "Prithee, peace."
Demona, at her patience's end, reeled on him, admonishing his decision to take to sea at all. "We have lost our warrior, I fear, forever. The fault's your own!"
"Demona, the truth you speak doth lack some gentleness!" Elisa cried. "And time to speak it in; you rub the sore, when you should bring the plaster."
The gargoyle only glared, sneering, "Very well."
It was Lexington that noticed the rosy beginnings of dawn creeping above the horizon. He and Brooklyn turned to face the sunrise, striking their customary fierce poses. Hudson sighed brokenly and drew his sword to join them. In a moment, they were no more flesh but gray stone. Elisa stretched out on the soft white sands and was asleep nearly as soon as the gargoyles were.
Demona moaned and sunk her talons into her fiery hair, bending double with the agony of transformation. "I find not myself disposed to sleep!"
Xanatos, still pondering, looked on with sadistic amusement. "Nor I; my spirits are nimble." He gestured lightly in the direction of the sleepers. "They dropped, as by a thunder-stroke. What might, worthy Demona?" he drawled, smirking slightly. Blue skin grew porcelain-pale as wings and tail receded. "O, what might! No more!"
She raised her head, the transformation complete.
Still smiling slyly, Xanatos continued. "And yet methinks I see it in thy face, what thou shouldst be; the occasion speaks thee; and my strong imagination sees a leadership dropping upon thy shoulders."
Dominique met his gaze with suspicion. "What, art thou waking?"
"Noble Demona, thou let'st thy fortune sleep- die, rather; wink'st whiles thou art waking."
She said nothing, but nodded curtly for him to continue.
"Know you, Demona, Goliath is gone? 'Tis impossible that he'd undrowned as he that sleeps here swims."
She glowered at the name. "I have no hope that he's undrowned."
"O, out of that 'no hope' what great hope have you!" chuckled Xanatos. "Hudson leads where Goliath once. There be that can lead the clan as well as he that sleeps; lords that can prate as amply and unnecessarily as this Elisa. What a sleep were this for your advancement!"
"You did supplant Goliath," she mused.
"True," he answered, grinning smugly. "And look how well my castle sits upon me."
Her glare grew slowly into a sly, calculating smile. "Thy case shall be my precedent; as thou got Wyvern, I'll come by the clan. Draw thy sword. One stroke, and I the leader shall love thee."
Xanatos grasped basket hilt of his saber. "Draw together; and when I rear my hand, do you the like, to fall it on Elisa."
Dominique drew her own saber, glaring hatefully at the sleeping woman. "Oh," she breathed, more growl than speech, "But one word." And the two advanced, weapons at the ready.
But a third pair of ears had heard what had transpired, for by his magic unseen and unheard, Puck perched lightly on Hudson's broad stone back. Ahead of the other two, the fairy floated swiftly to hover over Elisa.
"My master foresees the danger that you, his friend, are in," the Puck murmured to the sleeping woman. "And sends me forth- for else his project dies -to keep you living."
To Dominique and Xanatos he swiftly glided, hovering about their heads, and as the traitors neared, he murmured his spell in a sing-song whisper.
"Then let us both be sudden," Xanatos hissed- but then as abruptly as the lightning, they were asleep.
"Goliath my lord shall know what I have done." He tapped two fingers to his brow in salute to the sleeping gargoyles. "So, clan, go safely on to seek thy son."
And in a glittering wink of light, the fairy was gone, leaving the clan to wake them wake later on.
Angela! No name, Broadway thought, more fitting. He marveled again at the sweet, loving, lovely maid before him. "Admired Angela, worth what's dearest to the world! You, so perfect and so peerless, are created of every creature's best!"
She blushed a dusky shade of red, but smiled. She was silent for a moment, then:
"Do you love me?"
He clasped her claws in his own, heart leaping at the words. "O heaven, O earth, bear witness to this sound if I speak true! I, beyond all limit of what else in the world, do love, prize and honor you."
Shining drops welled in her deep eyes, and if her smile before had been sweet and lovely, now it was truly angelic. "I am a fool, to weep of what I am glad of!"
Goliath, still observing hidden, shook his head in wonder. "Fair encounter of two most rare affections! Heavens rain grace on that which breeds between them!"
Broadway swept her up in his arms and held her close. "My mistress, dearest; and I thus humble ever."
She wrapped her arms around him, unable to believe. "My mate, then?"
"Aye, with a heart as willing as bondage ever of freedom. Here's my hand," he said, running his talons through her hair.
"And mine," she sighed. "With my heart in it."
A deep laugh of pure pleasure rang out from the trees, and soon after on broad wings soared Goliath down to meet the lovers.
Broadway greeted his lost leader joyously, delighted to see him living after so long. They clasped forearms in clan tradition, and Goliath blessed his and Angela's union. He smiled lovingly at his daughter, fondly touching her cheek.
"Do not smile at me that I boast her off, for thou shalt find she will outstrip all praise, and make it halt behind her."
Tenderly, Broadway smiled at her. "I do believe it against an oracle."
Goliath landed gracefully on the sand beside the clan Puck had enspelled to sleep. The fairy hovered in the air at shoulder height.
"Now does my project gather to a head," Goliath said to him, pleased.
"My spirit obeys, and time goes upright with his carriage."
Puck perched lightly on his shoulder. "You said our work soon should cease."
"I did say so, when you first raised the tempest. Say, my spirit, how fares Hudson and the clan?"
"Asleep till I end it," the Puck answered, shaking long hair from his eyes. "But they were brim full of sorrow and dismay for Broadway. If you beheld them then your affections would become tender."
"And mine shall," the gargoyle answered. His eyes roved to Xanatos, but there was no hatred, no resentment. "Though with Xanatos's high wrongs I am struck to the quick, yet with my noble reason against my fury do I take part; the rarer action is in virtue than vengeance." He nodded. "Go release them, Puck."
Statues that should have woken with the dusk exploded to life, as Elisa and Xanatos rose. Demona, having reverted to gargoyle form with the sunset, stood beside him. Eyes wide and mouths gaping, they took in the sight of the clan leader they'd lost so long lost.
Goliath, smiling gently, bowed. "Behold, mentor, the wronged clan leader."
The old warrior rushed to him, disbelieving, hardly daring to hope. "Whether thou be he or no, or some enchanted trifle to abuse me, as late I have been, I know not." He embraced Goliath tightly, even then unsure if he was real. "Thy pulse bets, as of flesh and blood. This must crave- and if this be at all -a most strange story. But how should Goliath be living and be here?"
Elisa threw her arms around his neck, sobbing and laughing. "Whether this be or not, I'll not swear!"
He ran claws affectionately through her raven hair. "You do yet taste some subtleties of the isle, that will not let you believe things certain." He threw open his arms. "Welcome, my friends all!"
There was much hugging and exclaiming and clasping of forearms, a joyous reunion of clan and clan leader. Goliath met them each in turn.
At last, he turned to Xanatos's rueful smirk and Demona's sullen glare.
"But you, my brace of lords, were I so minded, I here could pluck his highness' frown upon you, and justify you traitors." A chuckle rumbled in his chest. "But this time, I will tell no tales."
Xanatos merely smirked. Unrepentant to the last.
Hudson then clapped their leader's shoulder. "I long to hear the story of your life, which must take the ear strangely."
Goliath laughed out loud, a deep, rolling sound. "I shall at least bring forth a wonder to content you, as much as me my clan."
And hand in hand, Angela and Broadway glided down to meet them.
"If this prove a vision of the island, one dear warrior shall we lose twice!"
"A most high miracle," muttered Demona with bitter sarcasm.
Broadway embraced Hudson comfortingly. "Though the seas threaten they are merciful; I have cursed them needlessly."
Angela's dark eyes were wide and wondering at the clan she had never known, yet always been part of. "O, wonder!" cried she. "How many goodly creatures are here!"
She entwined her hand with Broadway's and shyly smiled. "Oh, brave new world, that has such people in it."


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Objectives & Accreditation
Leading scientists will discuss new targets and drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and novel approaches to current therapy.
Objectives and Expected Results
- Evaluate current therapies for AD, their side effects, and their benefits for daily living of the patient.
- Describe new methods of diagnosing AD by using imaging and biomarkers.
- Discuss various pharmacological interventions designed to attenuate disease progression.
- State safety monitoring needed for pharmacological interventions.
- Evaluate failures and errors in the attempts to develop new treatments for AD.
- Discuss latest results of clinical trials of new drugs and treatments.
Oral Communication
An oral communication session will be open to young scientists.
Target Audience
Neurologists, psychiatrists, geriatricians and pharmacologists.
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and Policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education through the joint sponsorship of Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, the University of Geneva and the Geneva University Hospitals. The Southern Illinois University School of Medicine is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
Southern Illinois University School of Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of 20 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Industry-sponsored sessions are not designated for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.


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NHL labor talks stretch into second day
By IRA PODELL, AP Sports Writer
January 20, 2005
AP - Jan 19, 5:54 pm EST
More Photos
A twist in the NHL labor talks seems to have worked -- at least for one day.
With commissioner Gary Bettman and union chief Bob Goodenow out of the picture Wednesday, a group of six men got down to talking. After several hours in a lounge at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, they decided that discussions should continue.
The bid to jump-start NHL labor negotiations has done just that, spawning a second round of talks in an effort to save the hockey season. Union president Trevor Linden and NHL board of directors chairman Harley Hotchkiss spoke Wednesday and the sides agreed to meet again Thursday, this time in Toronto.
``We engaged in good dialogue,'' Linden said.
The session lasted about five hours, including several breaks so each three-man negotiating group could huddle. It was just the third time the league and players' association have had face-to-face talks since the lockout was imposed Sept. 15.
Bettman being out of the picture is probably the best thing that could happen. I love hockey but I have to agree a 30 or so game season and playoffs would be a mockery of a season. Hard decisions have to be made and I still do not think that we are going to see any settlement in the near future without major concessions on both sides.


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airberlin takes You on a flight from Cologne / Bonn to Stockholm-Arlanda
A flight from Cologne / Bonn to Stockholm-Arlanda you will find easily and at a reasonable price with airberlin. At the same speed you takeoff in Allemagne from Cologne / Bonn airport with airberlin, you will pass by the distance of 1 190 km. Aboard our aircrafts, on your way to Stockholm-Arlanda you will be served at best by our competent aircrew.
Flight Cologne / Bonn – Stockholm-Arlanda with airberlin: Flying could not be more comfortable
Upon arrival in Suède you are relaxed and can start off your vacation right away or aim at your next meeting on your business trip. In any case, airberlin is delighted to welcome you aboard again soon, for instance on your return flight to Cologne / Bonn in Allemagne.
Check out the flight schedule for Cologne / Bonn - Stockholm-Arlanda.


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This evergreen native hugs the ground growing 1 to 2 feet high, 4 foot spread, it can be sheared for a more formal look.
Growers of drought-tolerant plants and coastal natives since 1984
We are a small retail nursery located in the northwest corner of Marin County, California, with a wide variety of native and non-native perennials, grasses, shrubs, and trees. Plants are available in small pots and one gallons. A few trees and shrubs are available in larger containers. We grow our own stock, so some plants are in limited supply. This website has what we carry over the course of the year, call for specific availability.
Mostly Natives Nursery
27235 Highway One
PO Box 258
Tomales, California 94971
phone 707.878.2009 / fax 707.878.2079
Sorry, No Mail Order


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I can recognize a face, but not know where I know them from. It's a little embarrassing and I often feel rude.
I can remember names, birthdays and phone numbers extremely easily. I remember them from my childhood of people I have not seen since, but still know their ph numbers and birthdays. They could pass me on the street though.
I'm like this too. I can remember factual stuff, but sometimes I cannot recognise someone I met last week >_< It's embarrassing.
I can relate
My husband has worked at the same company for eons. I see his co workers all the time. Last month I called someone by the wrong name (wrong person entirely) I really should have known. I was mortified.
I asked him to take pictures of all of them so I could photoshop their names onto the pics and study them before work get togethers. He said no, but I was serious.
That's why I usually just call everyone pet names. Sweety, hun, dear, darling. It's a coping mechanism.
Not sure if it's a medical condition in my case (well, not facial blindness, most likely memory issues due to thyroid issues), as I do recognize people as people I know, I just can't place where I know them from or what their names are unless I know them well (or they stand out in some major way).
Not quite the same as your situation, but I can remember and distinguish faces very well, but I couldn't describe a face to a police sketch artist to save my life.
I'm also next to useless when it comes to remembering names and associating them with faces. I've always been that way. Names are so arbitrary, IMO.
Interesting. I didn't know that. My brother has Asperger's, not sure if he has issues with facial recognition or not.
I do some side work running a photobooth for wedding receptions and such. I was at one where a man and his 2 grown sons mooned the camera in the booth and put the photos in the album.
Later in the evening, the mother of the bride was leafing through the album and says "This probably sounds awful, but I recognize that butt. Not the two on the sides, but the one in the middle."
Turns out that he was her brother.
It seems to be a common issue, but I think it may be more common with "classical" Autism than it is with Asperger's.
In any case, a quick Google search for "face blindness asperger's" reveals many references to the issue.
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Arm injuries
The now common MRI. It seems like if a pitcher sneezes nowadays and mentions "elbow discomfort," an MRI is scheduled and if there is a micro tear or strain of any kind, the pitcher is shut down and soon the now-famous Tommy John surgery is next.
I have kidded Tommy, knowing him well enough to do it, that some people think he is a doctor! It's really the Frank Jobe procedure and we shouldn't let Dr. Jobe's name lose its significance now that he has passed on. Now it's James Andrews and David Altchek who do most of these procedures, grafting the ulnar collateral ligament with a tendon from the wrist or hamstring.
I had the privilege of participating in a roundtable discussion on MLB Network recently with both doctors, discussing the alarming number of amateur pitchers who are having the surgery. I deferred to the medical professionals on how best to prevent it. They identified the overuse of Little League pitchers and youngsters trying to throw too hard before their bones and muscles are full developed as the causes.
Fast-forward to the professional level, and I don't think any Major League pitcher who has pitched a significant number of innings would have a perfectly "clean" arm on an MRI of their elbow. My point here is — and again I would respect Drs. Andrews' and Altchek's opinions — can a pitcher pitch with some micro tears and not do more damage if he or she throws with proper technique?
Here I would defer to the opinion of former Major League pitcher Tom House, whose ideas were misunderstood and questionable to me for years. I have come to respect his knowledge of the biomechanics of the pitching arm. How the elbow, shoulder and lower body have to work as a team to reduce the chance of injury. I say "chance" because there are no guarantees it won't happen.
I speak out on this subject because of my own experience with the same injury. I recently saw a video on YouTube of a game I pitched in September of 1967. My last start of the year. We win, we go to the World Series. I was having the best month of pitching in my career. (I won't bore you with my stats, but if I won the game it would have been my eighth win that month, and I was averaging nine innings every start.)
Suddenly in the third inning, while throwing a pitch to the pitcher, Jose Santiago, I felt like I bumped my elbow on a hard surface and hit my "crazy bone" as we called it. After throwing several more pitches, I had to come out of the game. The diagnosis was the injury that now seems to require TJ surgery, but that procedure was not available at the time. I never had surgery and let it heal naturally over the winter. I wasn't as effective for a few years, but I was able to do what I enjoyed: pitching.
Looking back on my workload in 1966 and 1967 has given me some insight into the possible cause. I had pitched over 300 innings in 1966 and was in the high 200s in 1967. The smoking gun probably was September of 1967, when I was starting my eighth game that month and into the mid-60s in innings that month. I was — and still am — a big proponent of the four-man rotation with three days' rest between starts. The arm recovers fine, control is more consistent, and delivery probably will be more repeatable because you get to the mound more often.
I write this hoping we can learn a way to use pitchers to their maximum efficiency and value to their team and yet be prudent in not overworking them. A thought I have is the types of pitches and the emphasis on power might be more harmful to pitchers today than in my era. We were basic fastball, curve, change-up pitchers. The slider came along, but it really was what we call a cutter today — not all the action with the elbow, and more emphasis on finger pressure and the wrist. Not as many splitters or hybrid sliders. Today's slider for most big league pitchers is the most hittable pitch around if not thrown with the perfect combination of power and break.
The recent article on the screwball by Bruce Schoenfeld in the New York Times has prompted me to get on my soapbox and say, "Bring back the screwball and the slow curve!" Josh Beckett is making good use of a slower curveball in his recent string of well-pitched games. (Unfortunately a hip injury has sidelined him.) David Wells was a very durable pitcher and most of his career was a fastball/curveball pitcher.
Marv Grissom, my pitching coach in the early 70s, helped me develop a screwball. I abandoned my version of what people today would call a slider — we called it a short curve — and went with fastball, slow curve (12-to-6 or 11-to-5 break) and a screwball in 1972. I got off to the best start of my career and was headed for potentially my best season when a broken wrist on July 1 ended my season. My screwball never was as good after that. Why? It is thrown with more wrist action and less elbow torque.
I really believe if pitchers would begin to practice pitching from 45 to 50 feet and work on spinning the ball with their wrist and pay attention to grip pressure, a relaxed thumb, and stick today's version of the slider where the sun doesn't shine, we might have fewer injuries, more complete games and more durable pitchers. Splitters and sliders might be making hitting more difficult, but there is a price to pay for overusing them.
This article is written because of my disappointment in not seeing Matt Harvey, Masahiro Tanaka and many other injured pitchers be able to enjoy longer careers and allow us the pleasure of seeing them match up against each other and pitch the whole game.
If I could have a conversation with Stephen Strasburg
Video: Reading the letter on MLB Network
Stephen, I've never met you but I've seen you pitch and you are special. I announced your debut on our MLB Network with Bob Costas and John Smoltz. I was very impressed. I imagined being you. I made my debut in 1959 at age 20 and lasted 2 1/3. Never struck out a batter. Took the loss. What you did that night amazed me. I don't know if I could have found the strike zone with all the advance hype and the high expectations heaped on you. It was quite a treat to witness what you did.
Now I get to visit with the managers and sometimes the coaches when I come in to announce a game on MLB, but I seldom get time with the players. Organizations protect their young stars from media and I don't blame them. I have heard comments from people from a lot of different stations in life on what should be done about limiting your innings that you pitch this season. Executives, sportswriters, former players and pitchers, TV analysts from not only baseball but also football and other sports! Even some national news correspondents have weighed in on the subject.
Your manager, Davey Johnson, is a former teammate and friend, a man for whom I have great respect. He's in a tough position. He wants to do the right thing. But Davey, like many of the people who have commented on this, has never pitched.
I can only talk to you as a former pitcher who wanted to be a Major League pitcher since he was 8. My motivation was to pitch in the big leagues, pitch in an All-Star game, pitch in a World Series. You have done two of those three. I can only tell you as one who pitched in two World Series that doing that is the ultimate prize in Major League Baseball. I was fortunate to do it at age 26. Hooked up with the great Sandy Koufax three times in 1965. Had a chance to be a World Series MVP. Sandy denied me that with his great performance. It was 17 years later when I finally got a chance to participate in a World Series again. That's still a record for the most years between World Series appearances. We won that one. The Cardinals beat the Brewers. I had very little to do with it but it remains my top moment in baseball.
The money is nice but the ring is the thing for an athlete. It ranks high above pitching for 25 seasons in the Majors, 283 wins, 16 Gold Gloves, an All-Star Game where I faced Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente and Hank Aaron. Being on a World Series winner is the ultimate prize. We just had our 30-year reunion in St. Louis, celebrating our World Series win in 1982. Those are memories you'll always have no matter how long you pitch.
If you can imagine what it would feel like to ride down Pennsylvania Avenue in a victory parade with your teammates and wave to the White house and hundreds of thousands of Nationals fans and feel that feeling . . . . you would give a lot of thought to whether it was right or wrong not to pitch anymore this season. It's easy for me to say as it was for many pitchers before me who pitched in the Fall Classic. Warren Spahn, Whitey Ford, Bob Gibson, Tom Seaver, Catfish Hunter, Koufax, Jim Palmer, Jack Morris, many more. We gave no thought to what the condition of our arm might be next year. This was the World Series — the ultimate stage. Who knows if we'd ever get back there again?
Give this some thought. It's not Mike Rizzo's career or Scott Boras's or Davey Johnson's or even your that of your parents. It's yours. Do what you want to do, not what others think you should do. Selfishly, I would love to see you pitch in a World Series for the city where I made my debut. The Washington Senators were known for "First in war, first in peace, last in the American League." You have a chance to do what the great Walter Johnson did for Washington. No one since.
Let me ask you this: "Did you have any symptoms before you injured your arm? Anything that led you to believe you were going to injure it on your next pitch?" I didn't. I was having the best month of pitching I ever had in September of 1967 when — "pop" — there went my elbow. We pitchers really don't know when it's going to happen or if it ever will happen, do we? It's a fragile profession. I'm just happy I never had to make the decision you should be able to make. If my GM told me in September of 1965 that he was going to shut me down and not allow me a chance to pitch in the World Series, knowing my stubborn Dutch nature, he would have had quite an argument on his hands. My Dad's biggest thrill was watching me pitch in the World Series. It would have haunted me the rest of my life if I had deprived him of that. Gaylord Perry and Phil Niekro were Hall of Fame pitchers but never got to experience the ultimate prize.
Good luck with your decision, Stephen. But please remember — it's your career, your arm, your decision. Nobody's else's.
Spring Training thoughts
It's been a while since I've blogged and I owe several of you for your kind comments reacting to my posts. It's a fun way to connect with you, and I'm sorry I can't take the time to answer all of your questions.
Spring Training is winding down and the season openers will be here this week. I still think we are losing that special feeling baseball has had over the years of having the first opener in the daytime in Cincinnati and the others a day later. In Japan? And at night? Stop it! Forgive me for being so traditionally minded. I'm all for progress that is in the best interest in the game, but this is not it for me. I know, TV swings the hammer and I have made a nice living from talking baseball on TV but I still think there could be some compromise instead of always deciding in favor of the financial benefits and not common sense. My grandchildren will never know how special Opening Day of baseball season should be because of the current approach. Okay, I'm off my soapbox.
How about the ridiculous injuries suffered by players this spring! I wouldn't even mow my own lawn with a power mower because of the injury former lefty, Curt Simmons, suffered in the 50s. Nipped off some toes mowing his lawn. I remember Bobby Grich, All-Star second baseman, who signed a lucrative contract with the Angels and injured his back carrying an air conditioner up the stairs. Please guys, think about your career and your team and the investment the organization has in you before you do things that could ruin your life and your career — or your career and your life. Either way.
I enjoyed playing a little raquetball and basketball in the offseason, but it was for conditioning and recreation and I felt like I was in pretty good control of my actions.
Too much emphasis on stats, scores, and radar gun readings. Who cares? My point of reference would be the spring of 1975. One of my last spring starts befoe the season started was against the Red Sox in Winter Haven, Florida. Chuck Tanner had to take me out in the 2nd inning. I was hoping to go six or seven. Gave up nine runs, three or four home runs. Deron Johnson hit two, I think maybe Jim Rice and Freddy Lynn had one also. All the infielders played a few steps deeper than normal. Outfielders were out of breath chasing down the extra base hits.We all had a good laugh about it. I was 36 years old.
Today some would be up in arms saying things like "Is his velocity way down?" "Is his career coming to an end?" I started that season 5-0, went to 9-1 and then 13-5 at the All Star break and made the 1975 All star team.Do any of you Cardinal fans remember what David Freese's spring stats were in 2011?
My point is, the wind blows out in a lot of ballparks in Florida in the spring. Fly balls become home runs. Pitchers are just getting their arms conditioned. There is no incentive to win a game. It's just practice, for crying out loud. Don't worry about stats and wins and radar gun readings.
Let's start paying attention when the bell rings, which for me is the first game in Cincinnati, no matter what the schedule says. I'm prepping for my season opener, which will be April 12 on MLB Network with Bob Costas. Marlins at Phillies. Hope it's Halladay vs. Johnson.
Whoopie! It's that time again
Finally. The Super Bowl is history, golf season is under way and… pitchers and catchers have reported to Spring Training.
Always an exciting time for baseball fans and teams. New faces will appear this spring as hopefuls to turn a franchise into a contender or a contender into a champion. A Bryce Harper, Yu Darvish and Mike Trout — and many we have yet to hear about.
I enjoy reading the various newspapers from big league cities to get the advance reports on what fans can hope to expect. For example, Boston is faced with trying to make the media and their fans forget the somewhat embarrassing collapse and clubhouse behavior of last September. Speaking from personal experience, the behavior issue was way overstated as a reason and the on-field performance was one pitch or one hit from being overlooked. These days that one pitch or hit can lead to a World Series, as it did for the Cardinals.
Detroit's expectations will be to get to the World Series and maybe win it. They will be the choice to win the AL Central handily, but they still have to catch the ball and get the last six outs of the game. Those are two areas we have found out are most important in baseball. For example, the fly ball over Nelson Cruz's head and the failure to put the Cardinals away when they had a chance was responsible for Texas not winning the World Series.
I'm not going to evaluate every team here, but every camp you visit in February and March will be full of optimism. As my former manager, Whitey Herzog, would say, "We're just two players from winning a World Series: Ruth and Koufax." That's true for a lot of teams.
I'm looking forward to going to Spring Training camp in Fort Myers and helping my friend and neighbor Bob McClure. Mac is the new pitching coach for the Red Sox. He's a lefty with 19 years of experience in the majors. We think a lot alike. K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Stupid) and with my 25 years experience will share some ideas that worked or didn't work for us.
I was flattered when I was contacted by Ben Cherington, the new Red Sox GM, to see if I had interest in passing on some of my ideas to their pitchers. I have always been a little puzzled that in over 25 years as an announcer, I had only two pitchers solicit advice from me. Billy Connors, Yankee pitching coach in 1995, had me spend a little time with Andy Pettitte. Not any instruction — just giving him a little preview of what it would be like to pitch in the majors. Roy Smith, a righthander that had a brief stint with the Twins when I was announcing their games in the late 80s always wanted to talk pitching with me.
I remember one of my first pitching coaches, Eddie Lopat, former Yankee lefty, telling me, "Kid, if you don't suffer any serious arm injury, you're going to pitch in the big leagues for a long time." I asked why. He said, "Because you're curious about how to improve."
That is one thing I know helped me so much during my career. I asked Warren Spahn to look at my motion one evening in Minnesota when we were playing the Braves in an exhibition game. I'll never forget his parting words, "Kid, when the game is tied in the 7th inning, the game is just starting for a starting pitcher." My how times have changed!
And I asked Whitey Ford as we both warmed up in the bullpens in Minnesota one night in the early '60s, "Whitey, do you mind showing me how you grip your fastball to get that kind of movement?" He could have told me to not bother him. (We were about to face each other in the game!) He showed me, and I gripped my fastball like that for the rest of my career.
Or the night I was about to face the Milwaukee Brewers in the early '70s, and my former teammate Kenny Sanders was watching me warm up. He laughed and said, "You're not going out there to pitch with that stuff are you ?" I stopped throwing and shouted at him, "Hey Half-Ear" — good old fashioned clubhouse humor: that was Kenny's affectionate nickname because he lost part of his ear lobe in a collision at home plate — "How do you grip your slider?" He had a good one in his day. He showed me how he moved his thumb up along the side of the ball and not underneath like most pitchers did. I tried it. it felt good. I pitched eight effective innings that night using his slider grip and we won. I called him right after the game and thanked him…all part of being in the "Pitchers Union."
They seem to find a way every few years to legislate against us: smaller strike zone, lighter bats to allow more bat speed, smaller parks and the DH. So we have to try to stick together and beat the system. I don't think I have definite answers, nor do I think any coach does, but the object is to present a pitcher with a number of ideas that might help him become a better pitcher.
I enjoyed doing that as Pete Rose's pitching coach in the mid-'80s, passing along things I learned from Johnny Sain and Spahnie and Lopat, hoping they would help pitchers. Tom Browning won 20 games that year as a rookie pitcher, the first pitcher to do it since Bob Grim of the Yankees did it in the mid-'50s. Very satisfying for us retired pitchers to be able to do that.
I look forward to having Mac as my boss and seeing if any of these old school ideas are still relevant in today's game. I think they are, beacuse they're really not old school. They are sound fundamental principles that have existed since Abner Doubleday or whoever you think created the game.
There is nothing so sweet as the smell of a ballpark in the spring and the sound of the ball hitting the bat or the "thwack" of the ball hitting the glove as pitchers begin to play catch and go thru the boring but necessary fielding drills. That is the first rite of spring: pitchers' fielding practice. Can't wait to see it.
Hope your team has an exciting season that holds your interest right through September…
Will we finally get The Real Deal?
Yu Darvish. He appears to be the most successful, celebrated, hyped Asian pitcher to sign with a Major League team since Hideki Irabu.
A couple of short stories about Asian pitchers and Irabu: I was announcing Yankee games in the mid-90s when I said over the air, "I wonder if we'll ever see an Oriental position player in the Major Leagues?" Dion James was playing for the Yankees at the time, and told me about an exciting 19-year old named Ichiro Suzuki who had a chance to be the first. We all know that story. Big fan of Bernie Williams from watching Yankee games in Japan. Wears number 51 because of that.
So, I get a letter about a week later from an Asian baseball fan. Not a malicious letter but scolding me gently for referring to Asian players as "Oriental." He said, "Noodles and rugs are Oriental, not people. We are Asians." Fortunately for me, he put his phone number in the letter, so I called him.
We had a pleasant conversation and I told him I certainly didn't intentionally say "Oriental' as a slur or condescending remark. It was said innocently out of ignorance. He understood. I asked him if he would be watching the next game we televised. He said he would. He was a huge baseball fan and was complimentary of our telecasts on the MSG Network. I asked if he would please watch and listen in the top of the 4th inning. He said he would. I took the opportunity to clear up the Oriental/Asian situation.
So, on to Asian pitchers coming to America with the potential to dominate the Major Leagues. Hideo Nomo, Irabu, Dice-K, Hiroki Kuroda, and Kei Igawa, the biggest disappointment of all for over $40 million. Potentially the best one I saw up close was Chien-Ming Wang from Taiwan. A near Cy Young Award-winner before he injured his foot/ankle running the bases.
Can't Major League teams take a little time to teach pitchers how to slide and make proper turns running the bases? I learned from the great George Case early in my career and was used as a pinch runner often. Even stole a base at age 41, the oldest to do it until Greg Maddux one-upped me by a month or two.
However, my most serious injuries during 25 Major League seasons were from sliding. Slid too hard into second to break up a double play and into third beating a throw from the outfield. Broken wrist on one and cracked kneecap on another. My technique was good. I just slid too hard. I figure it cost me about 25 to 30 wins. If I didn't learn from George as a young player, they probably would never had used me to pinch run. Used to pinch run for my teammates Harmon Killebrew and Greg Luzinski.
Okay, enough about me and my ill-fated slides. Wang had a devastating hard sinker. You could count on him to get at least 75 percent of his outs on infield groundouts. Stress-free motion, no hard breaking ball to put stress on his elbow. I thought he was going to be "The One" until the foot/ankle injury.
This brings me to Irabu and how the hype from Japan can be deceiving. I was preparing to announce a Yankee game in Chicago when Jim Fregosi, former All-Star Shortstop with the Angels and longtime scout and manager in the Majors, began telling me about Irabu. He had been scouting him. The phrase that stood out was when he said, "He's Clemens when Roger was in his prime." That will get your attention. Hideki had a great splitter, but his fastball didn't seem to be as fast as the advanced hype.
Now, here is one thing to look for from Darvish and I hope he can deal with it: The hitters here are bigger, stronger, and more intimidating than the hitters in the Asian leagues. I will never forget the defining moment for me when Hideki Irabu's confidence in his fastball was shattered. He gave up a monstrous home run in Yankee Stadium to Matt Williams when Matt was playing for the Indians. It was off Irabu's fastball. Our crack TV crew had a shot of Irabu from our center field camera as Hideki was facing center field. The expression on his face was priceless. Mouth open, eyes wide open like he had never experienced anything like that. And he probably hadn't.
The challenge for all pitchers — and I experienced it myself when Mantle and Colavito and other power hitters turned my best fastball around — is to have the nerves to keep challenging hitters and throw it for strikes. We have seen time and time again that the pitchers who come over here from Asia don't have the confidence to consistently challenge Major League hitters with their fastball.
All except Wang, and he is on the way back. I hope he makes it. Did you ever watch Dice-K pitch? Painful. He'd rather bite the head off a rattlesnake than throw his fastball for a strike. He was actually a long relief pitcher even when he was winning games, because with today's pitch count limitations he was over his limit in the 5th inning most of the time.
So, I'lll be keeping a close eye on Yu Darvish and see if he is finally the one to be able to challenge and dominate our bigger, more powerful big league hitters. For his and the Rangers' sake, I hope he does. It will be good for the game and the Rangers profit and loss statement!
The Hall, Hanley and Pete, and the Miracle League
Congratulations to Barry Larkin on being voted in to the Hall of Fame. I first saw him as a shortstop for the University of Michigan at the College World Series in Omaha back in the 1980s. Jim Abbott was on that team. Also, a first baseman named Casey Close. Who is Casey Close you say? He has become well known as a player agent for Derek Jeter.
I am very disappointed that Jack Morris did not get enough votes to gain election and I think Larkin getting in should cause voters to look at why they have never given Davey Concepcion more attention. This brings me to ask the question we hear often. Why does it take some players, who eventually gain election, so long to get there? What is the thinking process by the writers eligible to vote? Why are we as fans and former players asked to drink this bitter-tasting Kool-Aid year after year?
I read Richard Justice's column on MLB.com over the weekend explaining and rationalizing why writers need time to gather more data and change their minds over a period of five to 10 — to sometimes 15 — years. Now I know writers, fans and former players like myself see things differently. As Roy (played by Robert Redford) said to Max (played by Robert Duvall) in The Natural, "Writers write, Roy, and players play."
I respect what the print media does and how they have helped publicize the game of baseball. I enjoy blogging on occasion, and don't have the writing skills they possess. I was a player and I understand who was good, great, overrated and underappreciated. Writers can only go by numbers, but players know far beyond the numbers who is deserving to be callled a Hall of Famer. If you ask Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, Tony Perez (all in the Hall) and Pete Rose (who had a Fall of Fame career) about Concepcion's value to the Reds, I think they would say he is as much a Hall of Fame shortstop as Larkin.
This is not meant to diminish Barry's credentials , it's meant to accentuate and raise awareness to Davey's. Food for thought to you who are voters. Why do names like Vinny Castilla and Brad Radke and some others get votes? To give them a chance to tell their grandkids that they once received votes for election into the Hall of Fame? If that is true, then the writers that do that are devaluing the importance of gaining entrance to Cooperstown.
Do they really do enough research and homework? Couldn't they find comparable Hall of Famers and have my friends at the Elias Sports Bureau compare some numbers and get good idea if a player was Hall-worthy and if so elect him on the first ballot? Enough already with jamming this "first-ballot guy" or "may get in some day" down our throats. If one does the proper homework, research and talking to the player's contemporaries, you shouldn't have to wait 10 to 15 years to decide.
My friend and teammate Bert Blyleven gets 13 percent of the vote his first year of eligibility, and then 79 percent 14 years later? I can't make sense of it. I know, it's the writers' Hall of Fame and writers write and players play, and we have different opinions.
But let's discuss Morris and compare him to Jim Bunning. Both former Tigers. Jim is in the Hall. Frank Dolson, a longtime writer covering the Phillies when I played there in the 1970s, campaigned intensely for Bunning. Frank would say " He won over 100 games in each league". He threw a perfect game in the NL and a no-hitter in the AL. He won 224 games in his career over 17 seasons.
Morris won 254 and helped three different teams win World Series titles. His 1-0 complete game extra-inning performance in the 1991 Series was more impressive to me than Don Larsen's perfect game in 1956. With due respect to the Senator from Kentucky — the pitcher we affectionately called "The Lizard" because of his slinky frame and motion — Morris is more worthy of induction than Jim, and Jim obviously is worthy or he wouldn't be there. It took the veterans committee to finally get him in.
I just read where seven teams did not have a starter who pitched 200 innings this year. Morris did that 11 times, several times going over 250 innings and once exceeding 300. Forget his high ERA. He didn't care if he won 6-5 or 6-0. He just wanted to finish the game and win. And he had 173 complete games in his career. Bunning had 151.
Still, I'm open to your opinions if I'm wrong on my thinking on this issue.
On to Hanley Ramirez and Rose. So it's a big deal to be asked to play third base instead of shortstop. For 10 or 15 or however many millions they pay Hanley, I would be honored to play right field, second base, third base, left field or first base if it helped my team win a championship. That's what Pete did. Only player to play at least 500 games at five different positions. Never complained about it. Sparky Anderson asked him to do it and he did it. Ah, the days of no entitlement.
Lastly , to put baseball and life in perspective. I recently played in a charity golf event to benefit the Miracle League. It was hosted by Angel Hernandez, a Major League umpire. Several former and current umpires and players participated. The Miracle League's motto is: "Every child deserves a chance to play baseball."
Harmon Killebrew was passionate about it. Johnny Bench hosted an event to help raise money for it. It takes a special rubberized field. Kids play in wheelchairs and they have all kinds of afflictions. They all congratulate the player who does something special like hitting a home run, regardless of what team they are on. The game has the happiness and innocence it had when I was a kid. I love it. Check it out sometime.
Only a month away from… "Pitchers and Catchers report tomorrow!"
First, thank you to those of you who read my blog and to the nice comments I have received. It's fulfilling for me to be a part of MLB Network both on television and on the internet. Keeps me in touch with the game and those of you who love it like I do.
Some former players can walk away from it and not miss it. Some leave it and later wish they could get back in in some capacity. I have been fortunate to stay involved in some form as a player, coach, TV analyst and blogger, as well as making appearances for establishments like the Bob Feller Museum and other firms that ask me to appear at baseball functions for the past 55 years.
I am looking forward to my fourth season — hard to believe it's MLB Network's fourth year already — working with my partner and friend, Bob Costas, on several games, as well as appearing in the studio from time to time.
2011 was an exciting year for baseball, climaxed by that memorable final day of the season and then the surprises and drama of Postseason heroics by the Cardinals and David Freese.
It was interesting to anticipate and guess who some of the award winners would be. All very deserving and not totally unexpected. I wish with all my heart that Ryan Braun will be cleared of any wrongdoing. He is some player and had been a model of good behavior. I wish Prince Fielder could stay in Milwaukee. Those fans deserve another shot at having a championship team. Probably fantasy on my part.
The season, as all seasons do, had its sad moments. My friend and former teammate , Harmon Killebrew, passed away in May. It was an honor to speak at his memorial service in Minneapolis. Harm is probably the most admired and respected athlete in Midwest sports history, and the comments I got from friends and colleagues about him being the most humble and polite Hall of Famer are true. A gentle giant as a slugger, yet relatively small in physical stature. Just 5'10", but powerful. Thanks to MLB.com for remembering all of those in the baseball family who passed away in 2011.
I wish all of you a safe New Year's weekend and a healthy, happy 2012. I hope your team has a good year and keeps and holds your interest right to the end.
With the wild card (and eventually wild cards, plural) it giving more teams hope, my wish is that the decision-makers reward the division winners with home games, more rest for the pitchers, or whatever it takes to give them a decided advantage in Postseason play. It's nice for fans to see what teams like the Cardinals did last year, but the most difficult thing to do in sports is to excel over an entire season. You have to overcome injuries, slumps by hitters and pitchers and grueling travel at times to win when you're not at full strength. A lot of teams could win a World Series these days if they qualified by just having a streak like the Cardinals but you have to perform over six months — not just two weeks — to win a division.
It won't be long until we hear or read those magic words: "Pitchers and catchers report tomorrow!" I hope I can hear it for many more years.
Happy New Year!
About 10 years ago, the Shalin brothers, Mike and Neil, wrote a book about 100 players that just missed getting elected for the Baseball Hall of Fame because their career accomplishments fell just short. Several of those have since been inducted. Gary Carter, Bruce Sutter, Jim Rice, Andre Dawson and now, Ron Santo. Both Mike and Neil are writers. Mike has covered baseball for the Boston Herald and Neil is a freelance writer in Chicago. I am one of those 100 players they list and profile.
If you are a year around baseball fan you probably know that the Veterans Commmittee announced yesterday that Ron Santo has been selected for induction in 2012. I fell 2 votes short. The committee is comprised of 16 guys, former players, executives and writers that were involved in the game during what has been designated 'The Golden Era". Pretty cool to have been part of that era. The committee members were Hank Aaron, Al Kaline, Ralph Kiner, fellow MLBlogger Tommy LaSorda, Juan Marichal, Brooks Robinson, Don Sutton and Billy Williams from the players arena. Paul Beeston, Roland Hemond, Bill DeWitt, Gene Michael and Al Rosen from the executive branch. Dick Kaegel, Jack O'Connell and Dave Van Dyck from the media. You need 75% or 12 votes to earn election. You had to have played at least 10 seasons in Major League Baseball and been retired for at least 21 years.
Enough about specifics. I am honored to have been considered for election several times by the Veterans Committee after falling well short of election by the Baseball Writers Association of America voters during that eligibility period. I was more curious and somewhat optimistic this year than ever before. Why? Because I was being judged by my peers. I got a fair hearing. I fell 2 votes short. I am not disappointed. I would not have celebrated with a 'whoopee' or thrust a fist in the air if I were to have been chosen. Out of respect for so many whose careers are close to HOF caliber but 'Out by a step" I would have felt humbled and grateful. Players like Dick Allen, Tony Oliva, Ken Boyer, Luis Tiant and many more too numerous to mention. It's a very select fraternity to gain admission unlike being elected President of the United States where a little over 50% will be enough.
I am grateful for those 10 who supported me and I have a pretty good idea who they are. Many have told me personally that I belong and that is an honor in itself. When former players like Brooks, Sutton and Marichal tell you to your face that you belong that is very gratifying.
Shed no tears for me or feel no animosity toward the 6 who didn't feel I belonged. When I think of the 460-plus teammates I played alongside of and the thousands of players who made it to the big leagues and thousands more who aspire to get there, missing election to the Hall of Fame by 2 votes doesn't diminish my career or life one iota.
For fun, strictly tongue-in-cheek, I have told some people who ask me why I think I haven't been elected yet that there are 2 possible reasons.
1. I played too long. If my career ended after 1975, my pitching numbers from 1961-1975 were exceeded only by Bob Gibson when you consider wins, era, innings, complete games, etc. My last 8 seasons were a combination of being less effective than the first 15 and I was a lefty relief specialist the last 5.
2. I was blessed with more athletic ability than most pitchers. I was used as a pinch runner on several occasions. In 1972, the last year before the DH, I was having a good season at the plate as well as on the mound. 10-2 nearing the All-Star break. Batting close to .300. Slid into 2nd base and broke my wrist. Cost me a half-season. Another baserunning injury occurred in 1976. I could never defy a manager's authority, especially in the dugout in front of my teammates. But…when Danny Ozark called on me to pinch run for Greg Luzinski in St. Louis one day, I cringed. I was 37 years old. Late in the game, legs not loose or any forewarning that I might be used. Jay Johnstone hit one in the gap and I scampered, as fast as a 37-year-old without warming up can scamper, into third. Slid in hard and cracked my right kneecap. My pitching record at the time was 10-6 and I was on a pretty good roll. I finished the season 12-14 and was never considered a regular starting pitcher after that incident. To this day I wish I had politely said to Danny, "I'm not ready to pinch run."
So,2 injuries that probably prevented me from reaching 300 wins which usually qualifies as automatic election to the Hall were not pitching-related but baserunning issues.
I tell you these stories not with an attitude of 'Woe is me" or 'sour grapes,' just as unusual reasons for being compromised as a pitcher.
I think if Warren Spahn and Robin Roberts were alive and were on the Veterans Committee, I would be going to Cooperstown in July. There have only been a few starting pitchers inducted in the past 20 years — Steve Carlton, Nolan Ryan and my friend and teammate Bert Blyleven.
Life is good, baseball was good to me and for me and I feel relieved that this year's process is over. It is by far the fairest way to decide who belongs and who doesn't. I am happy for Ron Santo's family. I know Billy Williams was pushing hard for Ronnie to be selected and I'm happy for him and Fergie Jenkins and Ernie Banks who, I'm sure, feel great about it as well. I'm also sad that this process wasn't in place years ago so Ron would be alive to enjoy it. I was a teammate of Ronnie's in 1975 when he finished his career with the White Sox. A frustrating time for him being on the South side of Chicago instead of in the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field.
I wish I could personally thank all of those who reached out to me to express their disappointment that I missed earning admission to the Hall of Fame. I have no regrets about being "Out by a step." I enjoyed the game, I played the game and I continue to be involved in the game. I am a blessed man.
All deserving of the awards
Been a while since I've blogged. Not a lot going on yet as the Hot Stove season is still pretty tepid. Guess the next "big story" will be… who is going to manage the Red Sox and restore some stability to that team?
But for right now the stories in the news are the awards. Not any real surprises. All deserving. You can always make a case for your favorite player based on what team you root for and that's a good thing. Some Dodger fans are probably upset that Matt Kemp didn't win the NL MVP. If he had won, some Brewer fans would have been miffed. I think we have to put all this into proper perspective and realize our game and awards that go along with it are not solving any major problems in the world like unemployment, hunger, security, and many more. It's just a game, and anytime you're a candidate to receive an award, it's an honor to just be considered. The buzz phrase these days is "an honor to be in the discussion." That's true.
I'm happy for all the winners and the ones who didn't win should feel good about being in the discussion, because they had to have very good seasons to be in consideration. Justin Verlander winning the AL MVP may have been somewhat of a surprise to some because you have certain voters — and there was at least one again this year — who don't even give a pitcher any consideration for MVP. I understand their thinking, because — and please, this is not to be meant as a condescending comment — they have never played Major League Baseball and don't realize the impact a starting pitcher has on the outcome of a game.
I'll digress from the theme of awards for a moment and give you my opinion on why. Why do you think in a seven-game series you see such a variety of scores and winners and losers? It's mostly determined by who the two starting pitchers are, and who the home plate umpire is that game. The electronic policeman (one of the worst things to have looking over the shoulder of a home plate umpire) has made calling balls and strikes more inconsistent than ever before. Before electronic policemen, you knew before the game started if it would be a "pitcher's zone" today (i.e. the late Ed Runge) or a "hitter's zone" (i.e. the late Ed Hurley). You pitched accordingly. Those three individuals dictated the outcome of the game more often than today.
With pitch counts, innings restrictions, and relief specialists, that has changed. I think that those things I referred to make Justin Verlander a better choice than ever because he did what pitchers did decades ago in an era where it is more unusual. When you saw his name listed as the starting pitcher, you knew the Tigers were going to be difficult to defeat. I'd give plenty of credit to the closers as well, like Valverde… and how many titles would the Yankees have won in the past 15 years without Mariano Rivera?
Okay, I'm a former pitcher so I see things differently than a position player but that's my story and I'm not changing it.
Sooo… Congratulations to all the award winners and congratulations to all who were in the discussion.
Wow! Another 'Oh What a Night"!
A little over a week ago I blogged about a great night I experienced at the MLB Players Alumni Association dinner in New York. Last Friday, courtesy of Rawlings Sporting Goods, I think I had an even better one.
I'll give you the overview first. The theme was Gold Glove Awards. The emcees were Joe Piscopo with help from Dennis Haysbert. If Dennis's name is not familiar to you he is the new "Voice of God" since Bob Sheppard is no longer with us. He was Chico in the movie Major League, and currently does the TV commercials for Allstate. A warm, gentle guy.
Here's something I found out about Dennis while chatting with him at the VIP reception. He was a linebacker in high school. Grew up in Northern California. Intercepted a pass one night thrown by…..Keith Hernandez! Dennis and Keith got a chance to reminisce about their high school football days.
I'll fast-forward to the final events of the program. Jerry Seinfeld performed 30 minutes of the funniest stuff I've ever heard. What a talent. Good, clean, clever humor. And then, to close it out… the original cast from Jersey Boys sang a few songs finishing with… "Oh What a Night"!
We have Mike Thompson, Senior VP of Marketing for Rawlings and Robert Parish, CEO of Rawlings to thank for by far the most enjoyable awards dinner I have ever attended. They had a lot of help from a lot of people too numerous to mention. The Alumni Association helped get us former players involved. This year's awards were presented to the recipients by former Gold Glove winners, including my former teammates Bob Boone, Keith Hernandez, and Ozzie Smith. Ozzie also was inducted into the Rawlings Gold Glove Hall of Fame. He is the fifth inductee. The others: Brooks Robinson, Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente and — here's the shocker — me! I was so humbled to hear my name mentioned with those four Hall of Famers. Very cool — or maybe in today's culture I should say, "Wicked cool!"
I had one other personal best moment. Yogi Berra was presented with the Rawlings Lifetime Achievement Award by my friend and broadcast partner, Bob Costas. When I presented the pitchers awards to Mark Buerhle and Clayton Kershaw, I told the audience how cool it was to tell people I had the privilege of facing Yogi in 1960! He is an American treasure. Tommy Lasorda was awarded the Heart of Gold Award. Here's the full list of this year's winners. The other presenters were Frank White of the Royals, new White Sox mananger Robin Ventura, Dave Winfield, Tony Gwynn, and Andre Dawson.
Here is an example of how baseball has grown in public appeal as far as the number of fans and media exposure: When I was awarded my first gold glove after the 1962 season, I didn't even know they had such an award. I was raised by a dad who was an avid baseball fan. Read The Sporting News cover to cover back when it was "The Baseball Bible." (It never mentioned other sports. When they started covering other sports, he cancelled his subscription.)
So, I'm reading The Sporting News after the 1962 season, and I see my picture along with Al Kaline and Brooks Robinson and others who were voted by the players, coaches, and managers as Gold Glove winners. I called my dad and told him, "I just won an award I never heard of. Something about being a good fielder."
The following season, a Rawlings rep presented it to me before a game. My teammates Earl Battey and Tony Oliva also won those awards during their careers. Now, we have a special night attended by several hundred people with all this top entertainment in a prestigous New York hotel, The Pierre , to honor the winners. The gloves and baseballs on the trophies are laced with 24-karat gold! I was going to ask Rawlings if they could retrofit the 16 I have plus the special Gold Glove Hall of Fame edition with 24-karat gold!
It was truly a night to remember and I hope Rawlings continues to stage it. In the early 90s, Brooks Robinson and I were the first two inductees in the Gold Glove Hall of Fame. We had a dinner event at the World Trade Center to commemorate it. Cal Ripken received one of his Gold Gloves at it. Then… poof! The awards dinner disappeared. Don't know why, but I'm glad they've brought it back.
Last Friday night was another example of how priviliged I feel to continue to be involved in the great game of baseball for over 50 years. And to add to the night, there was a singing of the national anthem with the National Guard Color Guard standing on stage and a salute to veterans and wounded warriors in attendance. Proceeds from the dinner were given to the Wounded Warrior Project.
Rawlings, thank you for a 24-karat gold night of enjoyment!


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Rural Training Track Technical Assistance Program
The Rural Training Track (RTT) Technical Assistance Program is a consortium that taps the expertise of individuals and programs distributed across the nation in an effort to sustain the RTT residency programs as a national strategy in training physicians for rural practice. Learn about RTT residency programs.
Part of the President's Improving Rural Health Care Initiative, the RTT Technical Assistance Program is a demonstration program with the goal of improving fill rates of RTT programs, increasing the sustainability of existing RTT programs, and helping new RTT programs get started. By engaging the expertise of RTT program directors, faculty, and staff around the nation, this program provides an opportunity to share information about the factors that have helped existing RTT programs to thrive, better understand their threats, and provide technical assistance to help support success and expansion of all RTTs.
The Rural Training Track (RTT) Technical Assistance Program will:
This website is designed to provide resources and information for existing RTTs, communities, providers, and educational institutions interested in replicating this model, as well as others interested in rural physician workforce issues.
The Rural Training Track Technical Assistance Program is operated as a partnership of four organizations with a strong commitment to improving access to healthcare in rural communities. The partners work collaboratively to address rural physician workforce shortages by supporting the development and sustainability of RTT programs. Partners include:


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22 biggest painting blunders
Here's how to minimize mistakes and avoid the big errors that can make a painting project a truly miserable experience.
The biggest threat to a good paint job? The clock.
From choosing a great color that somehow turns hideously wrong to completing a paint job that looks gorgeous and then starts peeling, most painting mistakes trace back to a lack of prep work.
If you want to make sure your next paint job looks like something out of a home decorating show, here are the biggest mistakes pros see -- and how you can prevent them:
1. Jumping the gun. Deciding you've got to buy the paint and paint this weekend. "Do not go shopping for paint intending to bring home paint that day," says Christopher Lowell, the Emmy-winning lifestyle expert and author of "Seven Layers of Design." Instead, he says "grab swatches -- as many as you like." Put them in a high-traffic area of your house, and see which ones you gravitate toward, he says.
2. Dreaming up colors. Pulling your color selections out of thin air. "The best way to choose a color for your space is to start with an inspiration that is visual," says Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan, author of "Apartment Therapy" and a frequent makeover expert on HGTV's "Small Space, Big Style." It can be a rug or a photo from a magazine. In either case, you aren't left trying to describe your idea of a color. You can simply point to it. Best of all, since your example has already been created by professionals well-versed in color, it's an almost foolproof way to come up with other complementary colors to use in your room design.
3. Pursuing trends. Never mind what the "hot" colors are this year. You're living with your choices. Choose hues that make you happy. One good clue for you is to consider what solid colors you wear most often -- besides black and white. "If it feels good on you, chances are it will feel good around you in the home," says Lowell.
4. Mistaking swatch for wall. Getting the "right" version of a color can be tricky. Colors will look darker on the wall, but the glossier the paint, the lighter it will look. First, use swatches to narrow your choices. Once you have a handful, get small containers of the paint, and test the finalists on big pieces of poster board, says Sharon Hanby-Robie, designer and author of "Decorating Without Fear." Prop the boards up in the room you'll be painting. Look them over the next few days in all kinds of light conditions, from daylight to nighttime illumination. "That's the fun thing about color -- it changes with the light," she says. Shades can also take on aspects of the other colors near them, like carpet color, which is why you want to test it out in the room before you paint. After a couple of days, you should have a favorite. And if you don't, at least you don't have to live with a bad choice until you repaint.
5. Ignoring warm and cool. Not acknowledging that color can change the perception of a room. Warm colors "are expansive," says Gillingham-Ryan. Use them for social areas, like a great room or dining room. Cool colors are calming. They can be great for a home office or bedroom.
6. Forgetting every wall is different. Want to give a room punch by painting one accent wall? Select an unbroken wall (no doors or windows). Often it's the wall you see first coming into the room, says Gillingham-Ryan.
7. Forgetting the ceiling. "It's the fifth wall," says Hanby-Robie. But even experts disagree on how it should be painted. If you expect to paint your ceiling a color, consider going a few shades lighter because ceilings tend to look darker. Some designers prefer a white ceiling. A decorator's white (not a stark white) will give you a sharp definitive line from painted walls and "highlight whatever architecture you have," says Gillingham-Ryan. Others want the ceiling in the same color family as the walls. "If you paint the walls a rich color and leave the ceiling white, it will do the opposite of what you want" by calling attention to it, says Lowell. Instead, he prefers a variation on the wall color. If your ceilings are above nine feet, go one shade darker than the wall color, he says. That will bring the ceiling "down" and make the room appear cozier. If the ceilings are nine feet or less, use a color a shade or two lighter than the walls.
8. Not using color to connect rooms. Especially those that flow together. One shortcut to getting a pro look: Take a swatch that you like with seven versions of the same color. Eliminate the darkest color (you can use that to accessorize the room later), says Lowell. Now go two shades lighter. "That's a great wall color," he says. Try two shades lighter than that for the ceiling. And use the lightest shade on the card for your trim. Want to coordinate two adjoining rooms? Use the same trim color, but switch the wall and ceiling colors, he says.
9. Not identifying existing paint. Many older homes have oil-based paint on the walls. But homeowners most frequently turn to latex varieties when they want to paint. The problem: You can't put latex over oil unless you've coated it with a special primer first, says Hanby-Robie. Otherwise, your gorgeous new paint job will peel off within the week.
10. Thinking all paint is the same. You have latex and oil. You have a variety of paint finishes from flat to eggshell (matte with just a hint of gloss), to semi-gloss and high-gloss. For a bedroom, you might choose flat or eggshell, while the adjoining bathroom gets the same paint shade in a more water resistant semi- or high-gloss.
While some of today's popular darker shades look too "chalky" in a matte finish, an eggshell has just enough gloss in it to give a professional matte appearance. Flat paint hides imperfections in a wall the best, while glossier versions can highlight them. "Glossy paint in the hands of an amateur is a no-no," says Lowell. His recommendation to do-it-yourselfers for trim: eggshell.
But Gillingham-Ryan believes that homeowners should choose trim finishes based on the style they prefer. Glossy trim will give you a more traditional look, while eggshell trim imparts a more contemporary appearance, he says. If your home is new and the walls are in good shape, a glossy or semi-gloss accent wall can look great.
In addition, there are special easy-to-clean versions that resist stains and scratches and eco-friendly paints low in volatile organic compounds, called low-VOC paints, which emit much less in the way of smells and gases.


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According to the Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), one in 13 children in the United States has a potentially deadly food allergy. That's about two kids in every classroom who can't tolerate a particular food -- usually milk, peanuts, eggs, soy, or wheat -- and reactions can run the spectrum from tummy distress to anaphylactic shock. Lately, parents tasked with raising awareness about their child's health situation are turning to an unconventional solution: temporary tattoos.
Temporary tattoos printed with allergy information are sort of the modern equivalent of a medical bracelet, and brands like SafetyTat are offering stick-on tattoos that can be personalized to indicate a child's food restrictions. It sounds like a great idea ... except for one major downfall.
For birthday parties, field trips, sleepovers, and other social situations, temporary tattoos are being used as a way to communicate information about a child's dietary restrictions. Some of the older options didn't particularly look like something a kid would want on their arm:
(Seriously, that looks like a warning sign at the zoo. He's a kid who can't have peanuts, not a Gremlin.)
SafetyTat has improved the concept with bright colors, illustrations, and a place to write in an emergency phone number or instructions for what should happen should the child come into contact with an allergen. Their Allergy Alert tattoos are water-resistant and are designed to last for three days.
Like I said, it's a great idea. It's just that, well, I've never encountered a temporary tattoo that my kids couldn't turn into an indecipherable smear within a few hours.
Admittedly, I haven't personally tried this brand of tattoo, so it may be hardier than the usual stick-on designs. SafetyTat does recommend that you strategize the placement for longevity:
Also, if you feel your child might pick or rub his or her SafetyTat, consider applying it on a place on the arm that's out of his/her sight, like the outside of the arm below the elbow. "Out of sight, out of mind!"
Assuming the text stays readable and it isn't stuck somewhere an adult wouldn't immediately spot, these tattoos seem as useful as a medical alert bracelet -- and it's possible a kid would tolerate a stick-on design more than a piece of jewelry.
Still, it seems like this should be used only as a backup plan. I don't have an allergic kid, but I imagine that it's mission-critical to actually inform any parents, teachers, or chaperones about food restrictions rather than counting on the fact that they'll see a tattoo.
What do you think about these food allergy tattoos? Do you think it's reasonable to assume an adult will see it and act accordingly?
Image via SafetyTat
There are some great kid friendly medical warning bracelets that would be far more effective than a tattoo. My worry is that while it serves as a great reminder- this should NOT be the only method. Parents need to communicate the need to the other adults in charge to be certain that they are fully aware.
HistoryMama, I agree. There needs to be parent to parent communication if it's just to a friend's house and if the kid is going off to camp the kid's counselor definitely needs to be aware. I would probably still do a bracelet or tat in both cases.
My mom used to have to put a sticker on my brother's shirt reminding his school about his severe gluten allergy. Never mind that she told them every single day that he was allergic, they still gave him cookies and play-doh, and all manner of things they shouldn't have. Just telling people doesn't always work, sometimes you need a million reminders.
My best friend's kid is allergic to peanuts and totally doesn't take it seriously. She will be 6 in September. Having this allergy doesn't stop her from eating whatever, whether its offered to her or not. She won't hesitate to eat a piece of chocolate or a cookie knowing full well what might be in it. It's resulted in several trips to the emerg. and a stern talking to. It's brutal. Damn kid needs a smack.
For the writer of this article: Really? Are you a food allergic mom that knows how life goes for us?
I can tell you that i have used these tattoos. And like the other moms have said in the replies, that would NEVER be my only line of defense. That would be a very minor squirmish in the grand scheme of things. But I woudl use them. Why?
Because my son goes camping, etc. And not EVERY counselor is going to know about his food allergies.....because there are hundreds of them. If you use one of these, it immediately alerts them that he needs to be careful around food! The more they know, the better!
And my son is 5, and I can tell you.....temp tatoos at this age up to like 15 is totally hip. How do I know. Because every kid walking in and out of his school has them all over LOL. They don't care what it is, it a temp tatoo :)
I have actually been to the website for these and they have more then just allergy tats. They have ones that you can either write or get printed with your cell phone number on them in case your child gets lost. I actually bought some for my Daughter and they work really well. They didnt fade and the marker that they give you to use to write on the tats dosent rub off. They are water poof and smudge proof, I know it seem impossible. I Think its a great Idea. My mother used to sick 3 pieces of tape on my bare skin on my back and write my info down them, I think the tattoos are a better alternative.


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nicolas ghesquière for callaghan, 2001. i'm seeing a fringe moment right now, but for the most part things aren't really escaping the vintagey-hippie-biker vibe. this was the sexiest and least granola handling of fringe i've ever seen, and that was in 2001. i was working as a merchandiser at the time, and the shop got in a whole bunch of this stuff (as well as theyskens early collections under his own name). it was soft, thin suede, asymmetrically wrapped and tied, and the fringe was sliced razor skinny, directly into the suede, not added on like most fringe is. i have several things from this collection but i always wish i had one of those suede fringe dresses.
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