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America's Mirror (My Research Paper)
All of you guys have been so helpful in me shaping my research paper. I really appreciate all of the "free thought" that you guys were doing, it really helped me out. I took into consideration what all of you said– everything, and so yesterday, I went to my APUSH teacher and showed him the outline. I asked him if I could go into the 20th century a little so I could expand on how baseball mirrors the economy, and he said it was fine. I think all of your questions will be answered in the paper. It ended up being long– 5,000 words (which is longer than the 2,000-3,000 words that were suggested). I won't be offended if you don't read it all. The topic sentences pretty much sum up what each paragraph is about so if you want to just choose one paragraph and read it, even that would be great. The greatest weakness right now (I think) is that the paragraphs are way too long, I'm working on that. But if you guys are interested in the whole paper, feel free to read the whole thing! Once again, constructive criticism welcomed.
During America's Gilded Age, many new institutions emerged
that provided new spaces and liberties for the workers, immigrants, and the
middle class citizens who inhabited the crowded cities. However, very few institutions
have had the extraordinary longevity that what many consider to be, the
national pastime has had. Town ball, cricket, and base were three of many forms
of nascent baseball, but it wasn't until the New York Knickerbockers crossed
the Hudson River to get to Elysian Fields on the Jersey shore, that baseball
was born. The Civil War halted baseball's rapid evolution, and while the North
and South were fighting over slavery, states rights, and the government's
rights, the one thing that they had in common was baseball. Its popularity was
revived during the Gilded Age and many of the events in baseball mirrored the
events that were going on in America. Although baseball provided many new
spaces and liberties to the players and spectators, it also reflected the age-old
tensions and traditions such as racism, the conflict between workers and
owners, the struggle between the individual and the collective group, and the
consequences of scandal and reform.
In 1607, a group of diverse
colonists crossed the Atlantic ocean to seek land, new opportunities, and
establish a nation, and in 1845, a group of eclectic men who called themselves
the New York Knickerbockers crossed the Hudson River seeking Elysian Fields, a
place to play their game of baseball, which not only created new opportunities,
but established what would become the national pastime as well. Before the
Civil War, there were many different variations of baseball, America was not
yet unified under one distinct national pastime. Similarly, America was nowhere
near unified as the North and South were nearing the Civil War. Despite this,
the New York Mercury called baseball "the national pastime" in 1856. It did
make some progress to becoming an American game before the Civil War. Melvin
Adelman argues that: "the wish to create a national game stemmed from a desire
upon the part of Americans to emancipate their games from foreign patterns". The Spirit, one of the first newspapers
devoted to sporting events, called for a game "peculiar to the citizens of the
United States, one distinctive of the games of the British like cricket." An article in The New York Times called 'National Sport and their Uses' stated,
"To reproduce the tastes and habits of English sporting life in this country is
neither possible nor desirable". Americans were able to separate themselves
from the British influences on their national pastime just like they were able
to separate themselves from British influences on their country in 1776. This
evolution of baseball started around 1856, when Henry Chadwick created box
scores and columns for the newspapers. Baseball became a common language for
Americans as Alexander Jay Cartwright spread the game westward. This evolution
was briefly halted during the Civil War, but as the North and South fought over
slavery, and states rights, baseball was the one unifier.
It was during America's Gilded
Age that baseball flourished. 1869 was the first full year of professional
baseball, and the Cincinnati Red Stockings were the first professional team,
although baseball already was an American passion. In 1871, the New York
Knickerbockers formed the first professional league, the National Association
of Baseball Players. It attempted to retain the innocence of baseball by
stating that baseball was strictly an amateur game, and that no one would ever
be paid, "Rule V: No players who play base-ball for money shall take part in
any match game; and any club giving any compensation to a player, or having, to
their knowledge, a player in their nine playing in a match for compensation,
shall be debarred from membership in the National Association." However, as America's innocence slowly
began to dwindle away, baseball's innocence did the same. In fact, Harry
Wright's Red Stockings were the proof that baseball had become a new way for
men to earn a livelihood. Albert Goodwill Spalding did not mind the paying of
ball players:
The determination of the founders of Base Ball to
maintain it as an amateur pastime had been only partially successful from the
start. The perfectly natural desire of every club to strengthen its playing
corps found its earliest expression in the drafting, by senior clubs, from the
ranks of local junior teams the best players among them. This absolutely
legitimate practice was soon followed by that of inducing the best players in
clubs of small cities and villages to join those of larger cities, the
ostensible advantage being set forth as the increased opportunities of getting
on in life. It was, of course, but a very short step from this custom to that of
offering to understanding that salaries would be forthcoming… … It will readily
be seen that such a state of things could not long continue. The public lost
confidence in a game the results of whose contests depended upon the interests
of the gambling fraternity, or the presence of veiled professional players.
Having lost faith in their fellows, they began to lose hope in the future of
the pastime itself, and, one by one, conscientious players were dropping out".
Spalding went on to form the National League of Professional
Ball Clubs in 1876 with his Chicago White Stockings. This was a giant step
towards establishing team owners' authority over the game and players, which
were bound to cause conflicts. A president and other officials were hired to
establish some degree of uniformity throughout the League, and organized
baseball began to assume a structure, which continues to influence the game
today. In 1881, the American Association, otherwise known as the Beer and
Whiskey League was formed; it allowed Sunday games and the sale of alcoholic
beverages in the park. Although the National League and the American
Association sign a peace agreement in 1883, it succumbs in 1891 and Spalding's
National League retains its monopoly. In 1901, Ban Johnson wanted to compete
against Spalding's monopoly so he renamed his minor Western league, the
American League. His league was actually sustainable due to the scandals of
rowdyism and syndicate ownership that plagued the National League. Another
alliance was signed in 1903 between the two leagues, which declared that each
league would abide by each other's contracts and rights to players–they were
separate but equal leagues. These two leagues have shaped baseball into what it
is today.
Baseball inspired city pride,
promoted new industry, expanded west, and was not only played in stadiums, it
was also played in prison yards, parks, playgrounds, and farmer fields as well.
The first baseball stadium was called Forbes Field, and it was not erected
until 1909 in Pittsburgh. However, the game was played elsewhere before hand,
yet still attracted many fans. The Polo Grounds was actually used for polo
initially. It was converted to a baseball stadium in 1880 for the New York
Giants, and was expanded, duplicated for other baseball teams, reconstructed,
and was the site for many historic events, including Babe Ruth's first home run
as a Yankee on May 1, 1920. In 1903, Spalding's American League and Johnson's
National League played the first World Series at Boston's Huntington Avenue Grounds.
Even though it was not truly a stadium yet, it still attracted 16,452 fans,
including McGreevy's Royal Rooters, who claimed to be Boston's most loyal fans.
Jim Thorne said, "The idea of going to the ballpark, say in 1900 was that the
urban masses would get a taste of country pastoral air. That their lungs would
expand by cheering nonsense like this. Baseball grew in the cities. It is as
wild as the wild west". Billy Crystal said, "There's a very peaceful thing, it
was created and played in pastures and meadows. There's grass, there's
outdoors, there's everything that people though was American and feel about
America. You get in a ballpark and it's the wonder of holding you dad's hand,
walking through that dark tunnel and seeing a huge open space where men play
the little boy's game". Between 1900-1910, country boys, immigrant sons, and
factory workers played on thousands of teams in hundreds of leagues; baseball
wasn't just confined to professional teams. The spread of the railroad and
telegraph facilitated the spread of ideas and activities throughout the
country, and baseball was included in this. Baseball became democratic when it
became portable. Sam Crawford said, "Every little town out there on the prairie
had its own ball team and ball grounds and we challenged them all". Many new
industries stemmed from baseball, and facilitated employment; brand names soon
appeared such as the Louisville Slugger. Albert Goodwill Spalding opened a
sporting goods business in which he was manufacturing all the baseballs used in
the National League, as well as bats and uniforms. By 1878, eight million bats
had been sold in the United States. Spalding even had a catalogue, which
devoted a lot of space to Eastern, Western, and International Leagues, and thus
helped to unify the baseball world. This not only provided new jobs, but it
established a monopoly that would soon threaten both the integrity and the
longevity of baseball. There became a growing demand for baseball reports from
both participants and non-participants led to expanded newspaper coverage, and Beadle's Dime Baseball Player was the
first baseball book for fans. Both the National League and the American League
set up teams in growing crowded urban areas. Baseball evoked a sense of pride
in ones team, and therefore one's city. Fans began to live and die with their
team. In Harold Ellard's Baseball in
Cincinnati, recalls a victory against the Mutuals of New York and calls it
"the best played game of ball on record". He describes the passion of the fans
when he says, "When news of the victory reached Cincinnati the excitement was
beyond description. Salutes were fired, red lights burned and cheers were
deafening. Everybody felt in the finest spirits and many were willing to lend
their friends, even their enemies, any sum without questions". Baseball was
seen as having the immense potential for a successful business ever since Harry
Wright established the first professional ball club. Overpriced bad food has
been sold at ballparks across the nation since 1850, but it wasn't until Henry
M. Stevens turned concessions into an empire that it truly became part of the
game. He introduced baseball's trademark food of hotdogs when ice cream sales
slowed on a cold day at New York's polo grounds. Baseball continued to offer
new opportunities for success and enjoyment to virtually everyone, but baseball
was not immune to America's segregation policies.
Baseball provided liberties and
opportunities for white players and fans regardless of their socioeconomic
classes, but restricted those liberties and opportunities from African
Americans just as they were restricted from opportunities in society.
Initially, baseball provided Americans with an outlet after work. The great
American transcendentalist Walt Whitman said, "Relieves us from being a
nervous, dyspeptic set… let us leave our close rooms, the game of ball is
glorious". Henry Longfellow said that "Ball playing communicated such an impost
to our limbs and joints that there is nothing now heard of in our leisure hours
but ball, ball, ball". It allowed the players who played unprofessionally to
forget about the woes of their stressful workday and could indulge themselves
in their game. For professionals like Cap Anson, who soon became the symbol for
all that was strong and good in baseball and established the tradition of
Spring Training, said, "I had a distinctive dislike both for study and work and
I shirked them whenever the opportunity offered". Ball players did not have to
be of a prominent socioeconomic background to play either. Cy Young, one of the
greatest pitchers of all time was a farm boy. Honus Wagner considered by many
to be the greatest shortstop of all time was a Pennsylvania miner, John Joseph
McGraw was a self-made man, Ty Cobb, one of the two men to ever attain 4,000
hits in his career grew up on a farm in Georgia. Daniel Okrent said, "The ball
players they were from the fringe of society. These were not educated men… the
kind of game that they played suited the kind of people that they were". For
fans, baseball provided a different kind of opportunity. Baseball Magazine put it beautifully when they said, "Thomas
Jefferson when he wrote the Declaration of Independence made proper provision
for baseball when he declared that all men are and of a right ought to be free
and equal. That's what they are at the ball game– banker and brick layer,
lawyer and common laborer". This isn't to say that baseball players were immune
from the vices that plagued society. Many of them suffered from addictions and
gambling problems as well; but it was Christy Matthewson, also known as the
'Christian Gentlemen' and considered one of the greatest pitchers of all time,
who helped to revive the reputation of a ball player. Baseball went from
uniting a country, to uniting men. In 1868 the Newark Advertiser stated, "People have baseball on the brain to an
extent hitherto unequaled". Carl Sandberg said; "These are times when my head
seemed empty of everything but baseball names and figures. I had my opinions
about who was better than everyone else in the national game". However, this
outlet was not extended to African Americans. Contrary to popular belief,
Jackie Robinson was not the first African American in professional baseball. It
was Moses Fleetwood Walker who played in professional baseball from 1884-1887,
and started out with the short-lived American Associations Toledo Blue
Stockings. The feet first slide that is used so often today was actually first
used during the period in which African Americans were allowed in professional
baseball because of the "deep seeded hatred for African Americans," as Sporting Life puts it. Pitchers would
actually ignore signs from black catchers because they would not take orders
from a black man. A few years later, when Cap Banson declared that we would not
play against a team with a black pitcher, the National League made an
unofficial agreement to not sign any blacks–1887 marked the end of African
Americans in professional baseball until 1947. Sol White's Official Baseball Guide speculates that had Cap Banson
not let his racist views blind him to the wonderful players in the African
American leagues, it would have truly changed the game. Freed blacks did form their own baseball leagues, and a few others
played professionally before the hushed agreement. Some leagues even played
exhibition games against professional players in the offseason as Sol White's Official Guide to Base Ball points
out; "Seabreeze and Ormond are represented by white teams composed of American
and National League players, and the contests between the colored boys of Palm
Beach and the white boys from Ormond and Seabreeze are looked for yearly and
draw immense crowds. Of the four games played between the white and colored
teams last Winter, the white boys failed to win a game". After his expulsion
from baseball, Walker urged African Americans to emigrate back to Africa; "They
could expect nothing but failure and disappintment in America" Walker said. Bud
Foulum put it best when he simply said, "My skin is against me". Newk Hall was
appalled that social barriers were broken on the playing field, yet color
barriers were not when he said, "If anywhere in this world the social barriers
are broken it is on the ball field. There, many men of low birth and poor
breeding are the idols of the rich and cultured. The best man is he who plays
best. In view of these facts the objection to colored men is ridiculous. If
social distinctions are to be made, half the players in the country will be
shut out. Better make character and personal habits the test". Racism was not
the only thing that baseball and America had in common.
The reason that baseball is
America's national pastime is because it perfectly reflects the triumphs and
struggles of American history. The pace, rhythm, atmosphere, and competitive
spirit are quite similar to the pace, rhythm, atmosphere and competitive spirit
of America. Charley McDowell said, "[There are] labor unions and management,
gimmicks and promotion, pride and unity of town and country…" Walt Whitman
said, "It has the slap, go, fling of the American atmosphere. It is America's
game". The reason that the institution of baseball is America's game is because
it precisely mirrors America, as Vogt's American
Baseball points out; "The business structure of team ownership, the problem
of monopoly, player labor unrest, and many other issues that accompanied
professionalization mirrored the new economic order". It evolved the same way
that America evolved. Albert Goodwill Spalding, the founder of the National
League, has been called "the Andrew Carnegie of baseball". Spalding bought and
crushed out his competitors like other captains of industry. A few leagues
tried to challenge this monopoly, but the only successful one was Johnson's
National League. Spalding said of his competitors, "The dog with the bull dog
tendencies will live the longest". Baseball has always promoted capitalistic
competition, whether it is on the playing field, or in business. As Joe McGraw
simply put it, "The main idea is to win". To Ty Cobb, baseball was more than a
struggle for supremacy, "it was something like a war". Spalding, like other
captains of industry, was also unconcerned with the various attempts made at
player's unions. He said, "The players league is deader than the proverbial
door nail. When the spring comes and the grass is green upon the last resting
place of anarchy, the national agreement will rise again in all its weight and
restore to America in all its purity its national pastime, the great game of
baseball". When America saw that monopolies in industries were corrupt, they
promoted competition; in the same manner, when America saw the corruptions that
existed in Spalding's National League, both the players and fans welcomed the
American League. These scandals included what was called "rowdyball", syndicate
ownership, and gambling. Rowdyball included flying spikes, vicious verbal
abuse, and cheating. Bobby Wallace of the Baltimore Orioles recalls, "The
bricks, rocks and chunks of hard slag came through those windows as if shot
from a Gatling gun." Henry Chadwick recalls an incident in Syracuse, New York:
"The baseball season
closed here to-day with a disgraceful scene on the diamond. In the sixth inning
when the score was tied, Harper got caught between the bases, and by the
dirtiest trick ever witnessed in this city he reached second. Harper
deliberately jumped on Moss, who had the ball ready to touch him, and he spiked
the Stars' shortstop so hard in the breast that his shirt front was torn almost
into ribbons. Moss struck Harper with his first, and a rough-and-tumble fight
would have ensued but for police interference"
Goldstein compares baseball's dangers to the Gilded Age's dangers when he says; "the game was a
constant play of safety and danger" not unlike the daily journey through
hostile urban neighborhoods. The tour around the bases required a passage
through a territory "patrolled by the opposition where one could be put 'out'
for the slightest error of skill or judgment in order to return home safely". Syndicate
Ownership was another form of corruption, which occurred when the owners with
multiple teams would move players around to ensure that some teams would do
really well, which would result in others doing extremely poorly. The most
notable case of this is the Cleveland Spiders, who finished with the worst
record in Major League history of 20-134. This syndicate ownership could also
result in gambling and the fixing of games. Ban Johnson was determined to
prevent the evils that the National League permitted, and offered players more
flexible contracts. The National League had the infamous reserve clause, which
forced players to stay with one team at the whim of owners, at whatever salary
that was offered to them. Many players unions sprung up that were similar to
the unions that were appearing in factories. John Montgomery Ward said of the
reserve clause that it "denies him a harbor and livelihood like fugitive slave
law, carries him back bound and shackled to club he attempted to escape". Some
of these players unions included the Brotherhood of Professional Baseball
Players, and the Player's Protective Association. The more flexible contracts
that Johnson's American League attracted many players from the National League.
Johnson's motivations for establishing this league were similar to the motivations
of the Progressives–to clean up the game. Spalding and Johnson then signed a
sort of peace treaty that created the notion of separate but equal leagues.
This alliance inspired the first true World Series, which would be between the
Boston Pilgrims (soon to be known as the Boston Red Sox) of the American
League, and the Pittsburgh Pirates of the National League. The leagues insisted
on calling it the World Series even though the distance between the two cities
was merely 650 miles. The series proved so popular, that the leagues decided to
host one every season (with the minor exception of 1904). Mark Twain put it
best when he said, "Baseball is the very symbol, the outward and visible
expression of the drive and push and rush and struggle of the raging, tearing,
booming 19th century". Americans love baseball so much because it is
so easy to relate to the causes that they have fought for–it is our game
because it not only reflects America, but the values instilled in workers as
Although there is a theory that
baseball compensates for what work lacks, baseball's rules and ethics are
actually relevant to Harold L. Wilensky's congruent hypothesis, which states
that people tend to replicate their work situation in their leisure time.
Stephen M. Gelber's article Working and Playing: The Culture of the
Workplace and the Rise of Baseball further illustrates the idea that
baseball expressed and reinforced urban life, business organization, and the
values that underlay them; that it is an expression of free choice providing us
with one view of the nineteenth century American male's ideal world entered
without compromise. Gelber expands on Wilensky's congruence theory when he
says; "The congruence between baseball and business explains the rise of the
game during the expanding economy of the nineteenth century". Christopher
Lasch, in his book "The Corruption of Sports" said, "Industry has routinized,
rationalized and stultified the work experience. Men cannot satisfy their
craving for excitement and creativity on the job so they turn to leisure,
especially sports to find "risk, daring, and uncertainty", which is relevant to
Wilensky's notion that "factory workers sought emotionally charged
leisure–baseball". Gelberd explicates Frederick L. Paxson's relation between
the "safety valve" and the frontier, which asks us to examine the question:
"Why was there no explosion when the frontier closed and the "safety valve was
screwed down?" Sports provided the necessary release. They were a "New safety
valve built upon the new society". Gelbard goes speculates; "The city and its
businesses were closed, crowded, interior places of darkness, noise, and bad
air". The frontier was open, uncrowded, light and healthful. In his view,
baseball is seen not merely as a safety valve like the west, but as a miniature
version of the west". Gelberd partially refutes the compensatory argument when
he argues; "The attraction lay instead [of taking for example, a walk] in the
many ways that the game replicated an legitimized the social and intellectual
environment of the urban workplace". Andreano's No Joy in Mudville helps to further this argument by saying;
"Sportsmen and businessman professed faith in organization, cooperation,
success, and fairness". Melvin Adelman places the sport in a context of
bourgeois values that include competition, discipline, self-control, and
courage. The fact of the matter was that there was a common workplace
experience shared by the ballplayers that instilled values such as a scientific
worldview, an appreciation of rationality, and competitiveness between groups
with cooperation within–all of which were expressed through the pastime of
baseball. The fundamental reason for the popularity of baseball, as Ken Burns
puts it, "is that it is a rational safety value, a young, ambitious, growing
nation needs to let off steam". Few Americans knew that the precision it took
to "let off steam" was the same precision it took to work in a factory. Alan
Dawley quoted an 1863 observer calling the factory a "beehive of industry;
everything systemized, everything economized and each part made to act in
concert with every other part". These precise, systematic ethics of the work
place distinguish America from previous, current, and future pastimes.
The ethics of baseball have
reflected some of the most important ethics to Americans such as individualism,
the struggle for identity, nationalism, and the struggle to retain innocence,
which is why Americans love it so much. Baseball has presented the notion that
an individual is accountable for a precisely defined end result, not unlike
machines for productions whose success or failures affect the collective end
result. It retains elements of personal accountability, particularly when one
goes to bat. Baseball is the perfect of the individual subsuming into the
collective group. Melvin Adelman points out; "Baseball's structure expressed
the American notion of individualism, with its emphasis on independence,
self-reliance and equality," "American commitment to equal opportunity as each
batter is afforded roughly the same number of at bats regardless of success".
Baseball initially struggled for identity because it was a direct descendent of
rounders, a British game. Then again, America is a direct descendent of Britain
as well. Alan Sangree said, "So long as it remains our national game, America
will abide no monarchy, and anarchy will be too slow". In a sense, baseball
will help America retain its integrity because it would have trouble thriving
in another form of democracy. Baseball's configuration lay on a diamond, rather
than a square or circle, which is not only aesthetically pleasing to the fans,
but evokes the notion of American exceptionalism. Baseball not only inspired
city pride, but it established a national pride. Even though there were intense
rivalries between teams, at the end of the day, they were still playing the
game of baseball, the fans were still rooting for the game of baseball, and
everyone was singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" after Jack Norwith wrote it
in 1908. Americans have since introduced baseball to Japan, and many countries
in the Caribbean and South America. "It makes me feel American, a part of this
culture", Gerald Early says, "Baseball will be remembered for three things, the
constitution, jazz, and baseball". Bob Costas speculates on how baseball
retains the innocence that Americans lack; "It says I think, at root, we're
children, or we'd like to be and the best of us keep as much of that childhood
wit as we grow into adulthood as we can muster. If we love it then it's like
Peter Pan–we remain boys forever, we don't die". Even though the owners and
players were corrupting the game, the institution itself evoked a childlike
passion. Baseball may not compensate for what work lacks, but it does compensate
for what our emotions lack as Tom Boswell puts it:
"I think baseball is a great support to people who
have emotional voids, gaps, emotional difficulties. That is to say all of us.
Those parts of us that don't function well, those parts of us that are sad or
depressed. Not everyday they can really use baseball. That isn't just the child
in the wheelchair or the shut in senior citizen listening to the radio that
needs the game. There's a part of us, part of everybody, who is a baseball fan,
that needs the game at that level"
Murray Ross says, "[baseball was] conveyed in nostalgia, in
the resuscitation of the Jeffersonian dream. It established an artificial rural
environment". Ken Burns talks about the psychological aspect of coming home
when he says; "Laborers leave the shade and quiet of a shop for the sun and
fury of a ball ground. They stand and they exercise for hours. They attest that
they need to be men not machines. Athletic games carry men back to their days
of childhood. There is indeed morally a home base in all afflum as there is
literally in baseball". There is a perfect balance in baseball, as Michael
Novak points out; especially the distance between the bases, "another two feet
between them might settle the issue decisively between them". David Lamoreaux
compares the infield and outfield division between that of civilization and
wilderness; the infield "an abstract symbol of the civilized portions of the
country, and the outfield with its theoretically illimitable reach… suggests
the frontier" Americans have been attracted to baseball because the struggles
that they watch on the field are virtually congruent to the ones they encounter
on a daily basis.
Baseball's longevity is remarkable
and is credited to the fact that it embodies everything that America
represents. Robert Angell says, "The biggest appeal of baseball is that it
looks so simple, it looks so familiar and in its outward dimensions, it is
still almost exactly the same game that we played as we were kids. There is a
continuity there that is very attractive to us because some of the other
institutions that we've known have disappeared or fallen into disarray… but
baseball feels the same, and I think that is probably its prime attraction".
Baseball is played in parks, playgrounds, and prison yards, back alleys and
farmers fields, by small boys and old men, raw amateurs and millionaire
professionals. The Saturday Evening Post
talks about the integrity of the institution of baseball when it says,
"It is important to remember in an imperfect and
fretful world that we have anwhich is practically above reproach and above
criticism. Nobody worth mentioning wants to change its constitution or limit
its powers. The government is not asked to inspect it, regulate, suppress,
guarantee, or own it. There is no movement that we know of to uplift it like
the stage, or to abolish it like marriage. No one complains that it's vulgar
like the newspapers, or that it assassinates genius like the magazines. It
rouses no class passions and while it has magnates, they go unhung with our
approval. This once comparatively perfect flower of our sadly defective
civilization is of course baseball. The only important institution so far as we
remember, which the United States regards with a practically universal approval". In the 1989 movie Field of Dreams, based off of W.P.
Kinsella's novel, Terrance Mann speaks to baseball's longevity when he says,
"The one constant through the years has been baseball. America has rolled by like
an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and
erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game, is a
part of our past. It reminds us all of what once was good, and that could be
again". Over the years baseball has provided opportunities, and liberties for
everyone, regardless of their socioeconomic background, and eventually,
regardless of their race; baseball has evolved as America has evolved and it
will continue to do so, long after we are gone.


text:
Good evening from Ventura, Calif. where the first team escaped the snow of Chicago Saturday morning to begin Phase Two of 2013 Training Camp.
After arriving at our beach-side hotel, the team quickly ate and changed before heading to Oxnard Community College for a little over an hour long training session.
Notes from today:
- The long-rumored trade that would send forward Dominic Oduro to Columbus in exchange for Dilly Duka seems to have happened according to both players Twitter accounts and multiple reports. Oduro is not in Fire camp and Duka tweeted Saturday that he was headed to join the team in California. Expect an official announcement Monday.
- The Daily Herald's Orrin Schwarz also added a significant rub to the trade: the Fire will also reportedly gain the MLS rights to out-of-contract U.S. international Robbie Rogers.
- 2012 Fire Defender of the Year Arne Friedrich trained with the team for the first time after being allowed to take extra time off while the side was in Ave Maria, Fla.
- After flying from Norway all day Friday, new signing Brendan King also trained for the first time.
- It was good to see midfielder Patrick Nyarko do some light ball work off to the side as he continues his comeback following a grueling 2012 campaign.
- Defender Hunter Jumper and forward Maicon Santos did not train with the team Saturday. Jumper pulled up lame in Wednesday's friendly vs. Columbus while Santos was unavailable for selection in the match after suffering an injury in the days leading up to the game.
- New trialists have arrive in camp. A full list will be published on Chicago-Fire.com in the coming days.
That's it for Saturday's notes... Take in some photos from training:

subset: commoncrawl


text:
I have a HTPC and a Windows Home Server and recently when streaming videos it has started to stutter. I have a WRT600N and the HTPC is the only device on the 5Ghz band and the server is hardwired into the router. Anyway to test this or speed it up.
Possibly go with a Powerline networking kit.


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How Minerals Affect Water Supplies
Groundwater with high amounts of minerals is common in both municipal and private North Dakota water supplies. Dissolved minerals can affect the usefulness of groundwater and surface water. If the problem is bad enough, chemical treatment may help. Sometimes another source of water is needed. The following is a brief description of how some common minerals affect water supplies.
Total Dissolved Solids
High concentrations of total dissolved solids can cause water to taste bad, forcing consumers to use other water sources. Highly mineralized water also deteriorates plumbing and appliances.
Waters containing more than 500 milligrams per liter (mg/l) of dissolved solids should not be used if other less mineralized supplies are available. This does not mean that any water in excess of 500 mg/l is unusable. People may eventually adjust to drinking water containing high total dissolved solids. With the exception of the Missouri River, Lake Sakakawea, a few fresh water lakes, and scattered wells, very few untreated water supplies in North Dakota contain less than the recommended 500 mg/l of total dissolved solids.
Hardness is the amount of calcium and magnesium dissolved in the water. Hard water has no adverse health effects and may even taste better than soft waters. But hard water is less desirable because it requires more soap for effective cleansing, forms scum and curd, causes yellowing of fabrics, toughens vegetables during cooking, and forms scales in boilers, hot water heaters, pipes, and on cooking utensils.
The hardness of good quality water should not exceed 270 mg/l (16 grams/gal.) measured as calcium carbonate (CaCO3). Water softer than 30-50 mg/l may be corrosive to piping, depending on pH, alkalinity and dissolved oxygen. Whether or not to soften hard water is a matter of personal preference and depends on the natural sodium level.
The most common types of commercial water softeners replace the calcium and magnesium ions with sodium. Water softened in this way may affect individuals on sodium-restricted diets. The treated water should be tested for sodium. A personal physician should be consulted about the results.
High nitrate concentrations can occur in wells located in or near feedlots, barnyards, sewage disposal systems or areas of high fertilizer application, and often indicate the presence of other forms of groundwater contamination. High nitrate water should never be used in infant feeding. In infants, nitrate can destroy the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood, causing a condition known as methemoglobinemia. This results in an oxygen starvation condition and the infant appears blue. Serious poisonings, sometimes fatal, have occurred in infants less than six months old after drinking water containing nitrate as nitrogen at concentrations greater than 10 mg/l.
Iron and Manganese
The primary source of iron is the water bearing strata. Iron is typically dissolved in water and when brought to the surface, can form rust which may settle out. Another source of iron is iron-reducing bacteria, which depend upon iron to live. These bacteria add iron to the water by attacking the piping of the system. Removing naturally-occurring iron in the water may require special water treatment equipment. Iron-reducing bacteria may be controlled or eliminated by adequate chlorination. The most common water complaints are those of red water, laundry spotting, metallic tastes, and staining of plumbing fixtures. These are usually due to the presence of iron above 0.3 mg/l. Iron and manganese have similar adverse effects and frequently occur together in natural waters. Concentrations of manganese greater than 0.05 mg/l. may cause brown/black stains and deposits.
A person's intake of sodium is mostly influenced by the use of salt, where its role in the body is to help maintain water balance. Normally, the contribution of sodium from drinking water is small in comparison to other sources. Commercial water softeners may significantly increase the amount of sodium in drinking water. Sodium-restrictive diets are essential in treating congestive heart failure, hypertension, renal disease, cirrhosis of the liver, toxemias of pregnancy, and Meniere's disease. A diet for someone who must restrict sodium intake can be designed to allow for sodium from the water supply. The person can also use another source of drinking water. High concentrations of sodium may also make water less suitable for irrigation purposes by altering soil chemistry and absorption properties. With continued use, the soil will eventually be unable to absorb moisture. Although no evidence has shown that high sodium levels affect healthy individuals, recommended levels have been set at 100-200 mg/l.
Three reasons for limiting the concentration of sulfates in drinking water are: a) sulfates can cause laxative effects with high intake, especially in combination with magnesium or sodium; b) water containing large amounts of sulfate tends to form hard scales in boilers and heat exchangers; and c) sulfates can impact taste. The laxitive effect is commonly noted by people not used to water high in sulfates. These effects vary from one person to another and appear to fade with time. For these reasons, the recommended limit is 250-500 mg/l.
Alkalinity is a measure of the water's ability to neutralize acids. Natural waters usually contain carbonates, bicarbonates, and hyroxides. The bicarbonate ion is ususally the most common. The ratio of these ions is a funciton of pH, mineral composition, temperature, and ionic strength. Water may have low alkalinity but a relatively high pH value, so alkalinity alone is not of major importance as a measure of water quality. Alkalinity is not considered harmful to humans but may cause a distinct unpleasant taste.
Excess chloride in drinking water can have two effects. First, it can affect the taste. Second, the water may corrode hot water pipes. Consumers can decrease chloride levels by treating the water or by finding another water supply. A recommended limit of 250 mg/l has been set for chloride. For many years, chloride has been used as an indicator of pollution of the water source. Any sudden increase in the chloride content of a water supply should be investigated as a possible indication of pollution.
Varying amounts of fluoride are found in water supplies throughout the United States. Fluoride can affect teeth during the period when permanent teeth are being formed. When the concentration is best, 1.2 mg/l, no ill effects will result. The tooth decay rate will be 60-65 percent below the rate in areas where water supplies have little or no fluoride. High fluoride (more than 4.0 mg/l) in water can cause a brown color on teeth.
Chemical Analyses
General mineral chemistry analyses of water samples are performed by the North Dakota Department of Health, Division of Chemistry, 2635 E. Main Ave, P.0. Box 937, Bismarck, ND 58506. For a chemical analysis, a sample of at least one quart should be submitted in any clean glass or plastic container (do not use metal). When submitting the sample, complete an information form or enclose information regarding the water source, type of well, depth, location, and other pertinent facts. If you plan to submit a sample, we recommend that you contact the Division of Chemistry prior to sampling your well. For more information, call (701) 328-6140 or write to the above address.
Last Updated:
Carl Anderson - ND Dept. of Health


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Two Lewisville firefighters, resident hurt; duplex razed
LEWISVILLE — A gas line explosion on East Main Street demolished a duplex and left three hospitalized Friday afternoon.
Lewisville Assistant Fire Chief Brian Freed said a gas leak Friday morning reported by construction crews prompted Atmos Energy employees to start working on the line.
"At 12:34 p.m. — about two and a half hours after the initial report — the house adjacent from the line exploded," Freed said Friday afternoon.
"The explosion is believed to have occurred inside the home, leaving behind substantial damage."
"There was no warning, just an immediate explosion," he said.
One man was reported inside the duplex at 520 E. Main St. at the time of the explosion, the chief added. The man was taken to Medical Center of Lewisville, where he remains in the intensive care unit after successful surgery, Freed said.
The man, whose age and identity had not been released late Friday, was a resident in one side of the duplex and is reported to have sustained severe internal injuries.
"Neighbors report there [was] one person living on each side and the other person, a woman, was not at home at the time the explosion occurred," Freed said.
Two 20- to 25-year veterans with the Lewisville Fire Department were also hospitalized at Medical Center of Lewisville.
One suffered lacerations on his arm and has since been released, Freed said. The other is still hospitalized after suffering from cardiac injuries.
Jennifer Ryan, Atmos Energy public information officer, said the investigation is ongoing.
"First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers are with the families affected at this time," Ryan said.
As crews worked to turn off the 4-inch gas line, precautions were made to evacuate everyone downwind, said Ryan and Freed during a news conference.
"We believe that by doing this, many were saved from possible injury," Freed said.
Ron Batts, president of Christian Community Action Center, said the destroyed duplex and several others surrounding it belong to the center and are used as temporary housing for low-income individuals.
"My initial thought wasn't anything to do with the housing, it had to do with the people inside," Batts said. "Our prayers are with the families now, and we are already taking the proper, necessary measures to make sure there is a place to stay for anyone who was displaced resulting from all this."
Vladimir Golets, who lives about two blocks away, heard the explosion and thought it was his cat crashing into something before realizing the sound led to things much worse.
"I was on the phone with a friend and had to get off immediately. I knew something major had just happened and I didn't know what," Golets said. "As soon as I found out it wasn't my cat or two dogs, I was thinking it was someone crashing into the townhome. It was then I went outside and saw plumes of smoke and neighbors running down the street."
Many area agencies, including those from Flower Mound, Highland Village, Carrollton and The Colony, were on scene to assist as needed.
Officials had the gas turned off by 4 p.m. Friday afternoon and were preparing to go through the debris to make sure no one was left behind.
MEGAN GRAY can be reached at 940-566-6885. Her e-mail address is email@example.com.


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That should be a huge scandal... But you know, nothing to see here...
...enough bully, lying, smugass, bull****
Labor Department spends stimulus funds for ads during Olbermann, Maddow shows
Contract shows no new jobs were created
By Jim McElhatton
The Washington Times
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
- Enlarge Photo
- The Labor Department paid out hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal stimulus funds to a public relations firm to run more than 100 commercials touting the Obama administrations green training job efforts on two MSNBC cable shows, records show.
The commercials ran on MSNBC on shows hosted by Rachel Maddow and Keith Olbermann in 2009, but the contract didnt report any jobs created, according to records reviewed recently by The Washington Times.
Read more: Labor Department spends stimulus funds for ads during Olbermann, Maddow shows - Washington Times
That should be a huge scandal... But you know, nothing to see here...
my god!!!
The Government paying to advertise!
unheard of
This is where tons of jobs were created Installing solar panels. The folks who became installers needed to be trained to do it. Thus Job corps advertising. The hope was this and solar manufacturing would create jobs but China undercut our manufacturing. So all we got were installer jobs.Spending reports under the federal Recovery Act show $495,000 paid to McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations LLC, which the Labor Department hired to raise awareness among employers and influencers about the [Job Corps] programs existing and new training initiatives in high growth and environmentally friendly career areas as well as spreading the word to prospective Job Corps enrollees.
Obamao is a worthless POS.
Last edited by Frequent Flyer; 08-22-2012 at 01:56 AM.
Business as usual for political pet projects and pipe dreams. After all, it's only taxpayer money, who cares how it's spent as long as they claim to mean well, right?
Clueless in the White House!
WF, There may be MINOR subsidies, but as an example, a stock I own Exxon Mobil Last year they paid $31 bill in tax on net income of $71 bill that looks like 43% to me. A lot Previous years were similar
Conoco Phillips has similar income tax % over the years.
The lack of tax payment comes from other areas. Like 48% of our adult population. Some "Green" companies as well.
What could be more corrupt than Obama repaying the $50,000 George Kaiser raised for his campaign by flushing $535 million of our money down Solyndra? Only this: MSNBC the hard left news channel that ferociously devoted itself to getting Obama elected was paid to run 100 commercials promoting the Moonbat Messiahs absurd green agenda with money that was supposedly being used to stimulate the economy.
The ads ran on shows featuring the spittle-spewing Obamunist moonbats Rachel Madcow and Queef Olbermann.
Spending reports under the federal Recovery Act show $495,000 paid to McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations LLC, which the Labor Department hired to raise awareness among employers and influencers about the [Job Corps] programs existing and new training initiatives in high growth and environmentally friendly career areas as well as spreading the word to prospective Job Corps enrollees.
The firm ultimately negotiated ad buys for two approved spots airing 14 times per week for two months on Countdown With Keith Olbermann and The Rachel Maddow Show, according to a project report, which listed the number zero under a section of the report asking how many jobs had been created through the stimulus contract.
At least by now it is indisputable that the stimulus had nothing whatsoever to do with stimulating the economy. Grossly irresponsible people used the economic downturn as an excuse to go on a spending binge that in the long run will make our economic problems much worse by exploding the national debt.
If we still had law and order in this country, people would be going to jail for this larcenous abuse of public trust. That those involved could be reelected is beyond appalling.
I have heard they crushed thousands of glass rods that were used in the solar paners and used others for a glass sculpture. Our tax money at work.
I just wonder where the left over money went to? Maybe Obama's campaign!
With any luck America will come to its senses and vote for sanity in large enough numbers to overcome the predictable voter fraud and put an end to the disgraceful farce that has been the Age of Obama. Is it too soon for retrospectives?
Green technology is in its infancy, not profitable as of yet, by definition has little to no environmental impact and, in most cases, infinite.
And you have a problem subsidizing the second, but not the first? Or is it all subsidies, Warfish?
special low tax rate exceptions are a subsidy
go take a look at the facts. the simple fact is that the taxpayer cost per megawatt of power production from either coal or natural gas or even nuclear is at least an order of magnitude less than that for solar/wind. we simply should not make a wholesale move towards solar/wind until it can stand on the same economic footing as the other primary energy sources. right now they can't and we should be funding poorly managed companies like solyndra or the other nevada company that lost even more but has pelosi's brother in law on its board. the bottom line is obummer is merely changing from one special interest group to another and we are left holding the bag.
I am looking for Hope and Change in the White House that is!
Fossil fuels don't need to be subsidized. They need to be waned off of. They are environmentally damaging, but more importantly, they are finite and with both China and India going through serious industrialization we have to be prepared for a great spike in demand for fossil fuels. Logically, we should be planning for the future and investing today for energy alternatives, especially clean-renewable ones.
And the point about fossil fuels and nuclear being more effective now is obvious, nobody would dispute that - that's why we don't need to subsidize them and we need to start subsidizing the energy of the 21st century.


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HOUSTON - Jurors reached a verdict in the case of a neighbor charged in the death of a man at a birthday party.
Raul Rodriguez was found guilty of murder in the death of Kelly Danaher. He faces up to life in prison.
Danaher's wife, Mindy, was celebrating her birthday with a party at their home on Oak Knoll Drive in Huffman, Texas, on May 2, 2010.
Prosecutors said Rodriguez lived near the Danahers. He was upset about noise coming from the party and went to the Danahers' home to confront them, prosecutors said.
Rodriguez took a gun, flashlight and video camera along, officials said. He videotaped the confrontation. That videotaped was played in court during the trial.
Investigators said the confrontation escalated and Rodriguez fired shots. Kelly Danaher was killed and two other men were wounded.
In closing arguments on Wednesday, prosecutors described Rodriguez as a bully who went to the Danaher home armed with an arsenal of weapons and knowledge of the Texas right to carry law.
"He felt like he had ultimate control," prosecutor Donna Logan said. "The control to determine who lives and who dies."
Defense attorneys said Rodriguez fired in self-defense.
"Just because there is a tragedy and there is a family is left behind, that does not mean that a crime has been committed," defense attorney Neal Davis said.
On Tuesday, Mindy Danaher took the stand. She described how she heard the gunshots and was later told that her husband was dead.
Prosecutors showed Mindy Danaher a photograph of her husband alive, as well as one from his autopsy. She broke down and sobbed uncontrollably.
The judge in the case has revoked Rodriguez's bond and he will not be allowed to leave jail.
Copyright 2012 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text: Computer systems have taken on an increasingly important role in our society, and the heart and soul of any computer system is the software that drives it. Individuals who love to write software and who have a talent for doing so will have unique opportunities to contribute to our society in ways we can hardly imagine today. If you wish to develop a love and talent for computer programming, this course will help you to do so. We will consider computer programming, neither as a science nor as an art, but as a craft to be learned from apprenticeship and practice. You will learn to appreciate the elegance and beauty of a computer program as well as its function. We will study principles that will serve you not just in a first programming job but for years to come. Some of you will come to this course with prior programming experience, and some without. Either way is fine; the only requirements beyond the stated prerequisites are an open mind and a willingness to learn.


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My girlfriend Beth and I made our inaugural trek to bevello and instantly fell in love not only with the merchandise but with the staff. At first full store perusal, I didn't spot my coveted Judith March dress. Then my fairy godmother appeared in the form of the sales manager. Once I shared my mission she headed to the back stockroom and reappeared with a bounty of treasures. The very dress I came in search of had been pulled from the sales floor and boxed up to ship off with other end of summer merchandise. It was my lucky day! And a true testament to one of the company's many mission statements. bevello gave me the respect I deserved and the help I needed, while making my time a fun, no-hassle experience.
I caught up with Chan Namgong, bevello founder, president and CEO.
As a fashion writer and former stylist I am inspired by the birth of bevello. Can you tell readers how it evolved?
bevello was a ready-to-wear only boutique when we first opened. Since then, we've added shoes, accessories, giftables, and undergarments so bevello can be a one stop shopping destination. We have a wonderful buying team that sources the latest fashion items from all over the country. We want to be on top of our customers' minds when it comes to shopping. We can dress them head to toe, and we want them to look pretty and feel pretty.
Do I understand correctly that you have a degree from Carolina? What is your fashion background and connection to Chapel Hill?
I'm a class of '07 with an undergraduate business administration degree. I absolutely loved my time at Carolina. Fashion is just my personal passion, and bevello was actually created when I was junior at Carolina. I wrote my first bevello business plan then and used the same plan when I launched bevello in 2009. I was very excited to open our Franklin Street store in 2011, and it's doing very well. I only wish that we had a bigger store!
At bevello the founding principle is as follows: "The love you get is the air you breathe. Love your life, love your friends, love your clothes." Who doesn't love that mantra?! It's a code I live by.
Of the 13 bevello boutiques in NC, Virginia and Texas we are lucky enough to have one right here in Chapel Hill! Let me introduce you to store manager Clair Shaw.
Your mission statements speak volumes! Love your life, love your friends, love your clothes is my own personal mantra. Explain how they started and how your team is meeting those goals.
We have been meeting these goals by delivering excellent customer service. We really enjoy when people come in and love to help our clients complete an outfit. It really makes us happy when we see a smiling client walk out of our store. Knowing that our service made them happy means a lot to us.
The Chapel Hill store was an explosion of color when I walked in recently. What have been your favorite summer styles and what can we look forward to this fall?
My favorite styles have definitely been the tunics we get in all seasons. Ellison Tunics are always so versatile. You can tuck them into some fabulous, fun colored denim or wear them loose. Our fall line is very fun! We have a lot of unique blends in tops, as well as awesome colored Hudson denim.
A university town like ours always begins to bustle with traffic as the end of summer approaches. What special events did you plan as the students and parents arrived and how do you handle the increased traffic?
We had a Style Out Event the week of August 17-25. If you made a complete outfit (ex. shoes, jewelry, tops, pants, or a dress) you got 15% of the entire purchase!! It was a great deal and a great way to get all the outfits girls need for rush and tons of other school events.
The bevello excitement builds! What can fashionista fans expect next?
You can expect LOTS of fun fall colors. We have this new line called Mink Pink that a lot of women have been going for! It includes sweaters and really fun vibrant tops.
It will be interesting to see where else bevello plans to launch boutiques or if the southern U.S. remains their landmark calling.
Like bevello on Facebook and you can enter a chance to win a store gift certificate.
Another bevello mission statement: "When you shop at bevello, we want you to feel loved. It is our mission to help you dress your best and feel your best wherever you go. You won't just be our beloved customers, but also the beloved of everyone who lays eyes on you."
Sold! Visit and feel the love today at bevello on Franklin Street. Share a bevello experience below.