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hi Orson, you sound like such a great boy, loving life, food and your family! happy dotd to you!
Dog of the Day
Cat of the Day
Pet of the Day
hi Orson, you sound like such a great boy, loving life, food and your family! happy dotd to you!
Adopt a shelter pet, Save a life!
Hi happy, smiling Orson! Happy Dog of the Day to you, sweetheart!!! Oh yes, Orson, let the hugging begin!
What a beautiful BC boy you are, Orson, and you and Collie brother Oliver, and your sweet little Poodle sis, make for one terrific trio! (LOVE that group shot!!!) But how on earth could it be that a BC from Scotland has never met meet a sheep? (What do we Americans know!)
What a happy go lucky, fun and life loving boy you are, Bear, what a wonderful life you have been blessed with! You're a constant source of joy and smiles to your family (if not your sister) no doubt, and how lucky they are, having a sweet and loving, personality packed best friend in YOU!
Thanks so much for dropping by, Orson, sharing with us your heartwarming life story and so many great photos! It was such fun getting to know you, the entire furry crew, and a pleasure to have the chance to pay tribute to you and all that you mean to your family!
Hope you and Oliver and little fursis, and of course your beloved polar bear, are enjoying a very happy, fun filled day, being loved and pampered to the max! Hopefully a trip to the park in on the day's agenda...and treats! hehe
Lots of love, hugs and smoochies to you precious Orson, and to dear Oliver and Poodle sis, too!
Star,Tigg'r , Mollie and the10 Gallon Gang!
And my Rainbow Bridge Furangels...Jingles, Cody, Fritz, Chessa, Satin, Buddy, Lizzie, Oliver, Squeaker, Moonbeam, Rosie, Ruby~
Orson!!! You are adorable!!! As are your fur-siblings!! I loved reading about you and YES....I totally think we should hug now Your human has a wonderful way of telling your story and a great sense of humor so I'm sure you bring them joy and laughter on a daily basis! Congrats on being our DOG OF THE DAY and I hope you get some extra treats today in celebration.
Ohhh Orson....
You and your person turned this day into a wonderful one !
I laughed.. alot.....
Your Job......is to bring smiles.....
Have a long and wonderful life !!!
Love is more than proximity.... its part of the fabric of our souls... We are their Mission.
Freebie Digital Graphics http://snowdropslighthouse.blogspot.com/
You're a cutie Orson! You sound like a very fun dog! Congrats on being DOTD!
Forever in my heart...
Dear Orson,
Hug, hug, hug, hug, HUG! Those are for you from me You gave me a HUGE smile today! And hug, hug, hug for Oliver and your poodle sister too!
Happy Dog of the Day to you, sweety!
Your fan,
I've been Boo'd ... right off the stage!
Aaahh, I have been defrosted! Thank you, Bonny and Asiel!
Brrrr, I've been Frosted! Thank you, Asiel and Pomtzu!
"That's the power of kittens (and puppies too, of course): They can reduce us to quivering masses of Jell-O in about two seconds flat and make us like it. Good thing they don't have opposable thumbs or they'd surely have taken over the world by now." -- Paul Lukas
"We consume our tomorrows fretting about our yesterdays." -- Persius, first century Roman poet
Cassie's Catster page: http://www.catster.com/cats/448678
Copyright © 2001-2013 Pet of the Day.com


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On May 17, members of the Savannah-Chatham police K-9 unit had just completed training when they received word of an attempted robbery and kidnapping that would ultimately lock down downtown Savannah during a standoff at the Olde Pink House restaurant.
The small unit of five officers and their four-legged partners train together for hours on a weekly basis. This turned out to be a stroke of luck because the case required their combined expertise as well as the keen abilities of the canines — including lowering a dog through the restaurant's roof so it could catch the suspect.
The actions of the unit that day in apprehending two suspects were recently rewarded by the U.S. Police Canine Association, which cited the unit for best performance nationally in the second quarter of 2012. The award qualifies the unit for the best canine patrol case for the year.
Russ Hess, USPCA executive director, said the Savannah case is the first he can remember that involved an entire unit being up for the case of the year award.
"That is pretty unusual," he said. "It usually only involves one officer and one dog."
The winner of the best canine patrol case for the year will be selected next spring. An award ceremony will follow in September in Washington, D.C.
A bond between a handler and his or her dog can take up to a year to obtain. The relationship is strengthened through constant hours of training exercises. Not only are the dogs seen as partners by the officers, but they also become like extended family members who live at home with them.
But "he's not a pet," officer Will Fernandez was quick to say about his K-9 Flash. "I keep my dog separate from my family just because he is a dog, and I don't need any accidents. ... he's a tool and unfortunately he has to be used as a tool."
Like most K-9 programs, Savannah-Chatham's K-9 unit handles a variety of cases. Police dogs are trained to locate and track human scent, search locations for evidence and protect their handlers. Foremost, though, is the location and apprehension of fleeing suspects.
Fighting crime
On Aug. 8, Kevin Dale Brooks, 26, and Brian Jones, 23, both of Savannah, were indicted by a Chatham County grand jury on armed robbery, burglary and false imprisonment charges, in addition to other charges in connection with the incident that occurred in May.
Savannah-Chatham police said Summerside neighborhood resident Earl Hamilton and his 12-year-old son were held overnight by two men at gunpoint at the Hamilton residence on Milton Street. According to police, Brooks forced Hamilton to drive his silver Jaguar downtown the next morning to get money from a credit union.
About 7 a.m., Hamilton drove into a curb and alerted Det. Trina Mayes, standing at Bull and Broughton streets, that he'd been kidnapped. Mayes fired a gunshot into the car, hitting the windshield, when she saw the suspect point a gun at her. Brooks then fled, dropping a stolen pistol in Johnson Square as he ran, according to police.
"The information we had at the time was that he'd shot at an officer and had a gun," said Cpl. Eric Dukarski. "That's why the dogs were used."
The breed of choice among Savannah-Chatham K-9 officers is the Belgian malinois. Intelligent and energetic, they're happiest with regular activity and a job, according to the American Kennel Club. The dogs in the K-9 unit are in high demand when other units need assistance, but Part I crimes such as murders, robberies and aggravated assaults take precedence.
In Brooks' case, police said, he had barricaded himself inside the basement of the Olde Pink House on Reynolds Square. Dozens of patrol officers and SWAT teams responded as Dukarski and his K-9 Nado, Officer Mike Drayton and his K-9 Ivan, Officer Chris Tucker with K-9 Flash, and Cpl. Amanda McGruder with her K-9 Djieno, helping to secure the busy area.
Like a scene from a Hollywood movie, Fernandez was forced to lower Flash down through the building's roof to gain entry.
"We weren't prepared because we didn't have a harness," recalled Fernandez. "We kind of had to throw him down there. Chris threw him down there, and I caught him."
Police spotted the suspect hiding behind a filing cabinet in the restaurant. After Flash bit him on the bicep to pull him into view, the suspect surrendered to end the three-hour stand-off.
"I kicked back to the my training," said Fernandez. "Everybody on the SWAT team knows how to act, and it kept me calm and I was able to function."
Ernst said the unit undergoes both certification training and what he described as real-world training to prepare the officers and dogs for any possible scenario they might encounter on the job.
"We go throughout the county and do training in all the many environments as possible," he said.
"This way when we face a real-life situation such as we faced in (May), we had dogs that were able to search three stories of a restaurant to locate a hidden suspect. We had a dog that was ready to search a residence for the other suspect on Milton Street.
"Once that suspect made it into the wood line, we actually had dogs that were used to that wooded environment that were able to search and track him through that environment."
As police swarmed the restaurant, other officers arrived at Hamilton's home, where they said Jones was holding the boy. Dukarski and Tucker, along with their canines, joined the effort.
Jones managed to back a Cadillac sport utility vehicle out of the garage before wrecking it on a utility pole. He then ran into the woods, where he was found crawling through a densely wooded area by Tucker and Flash about 12:30 p.m., police said.
Hard work
Sgt. Gregory Ernst, commander of Savannah's K-9 police division, said the award is a testament to the hard work and dedication of those in the unit.
"It would be very nice to be recognized because everybody on this unit puts an incredible amount of work into their training," Ernst said.
The U.S. Police Canine Association also cited the unit with its District 2 Award.
Tucker, a SWAT team member who joined the K-9 unit in February, said he and his colleagues have rightly earned the attention they've received.
"We train every day with these dogs," he said. "When it comes to the award, we deserve the award. We work hard. There's not a day that goes by when our dogs aren't doing something. Going into that situation, we're well-prepared because we do it every day."

subset: commoncrawl


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The Royal-Pedic (Queen) Natural Organic Latex Quilt-Top Mattress & Box Spring Set is the last word for individuals looking for a plush, yet supportive non-innerspring mattress. The Organic Latex Quilt-Top Mattress is Royal Pedic's softest available, yet still provides great support due to its firm lumbar zone which prevents the spine from sinking. This mattress provides motionless comfort and independent support for varying body weights. Your body will thank you for choosing Royal Pedic's all natural latex core containing 16.5% greater latex distribution and thickness along with ergonomically designed, 7-Zone technology (optional upgrade) for enhanced shoulder, better hip flexibility and exceptional support to the lower back.
This mattress features Royal Pedic's 1-Zone all natural Talalay core as standard. However, it can be upgraded to the 7-Zone all natural latex core. The design and incorporation of the 7-Zone all natural latex core was based upon sleep studies at the Kirshgarten Clinic in Basel, Switzerland by Swiss researcher and sleep specialist, Dr. Dietrich Scheider-Helmert. The 7-Zone design was found to provide optimal sleeping comfort and ergonomic support to all parts of the body.
Whether you select the 1-Zone or the 7-Zone core, the latex used by Royal-Pedic is unequivocally the highest grade latex available. The organic latex milk is tapped from the sustainable rubber tree plantations of Indonesia and Malaysia and then shipped to modern Talalay latex processing plants in England and the United States where strict quality control guidelines are met for consistency in quality and optimal latex mattress core performance. Talalay and Dunlop are the two different manufacturing methods for making latex cores. Royal-Pedic strictly uses the Talalay method. It is important to point out that just because the latex core is Talalay or Dunlop, it doesn't determine how natural the latex is. Rather, what gets poured into the moulds determines the naturalness of the latex core. The Talalay process allows the latex core to have a more natural "spring" feel. Whereas the less involved Dunlop method results in a "dead" feel in comparison. The Talalay latex actively responds to the body's contours providing better comfort and added support. After the latex core has been crafted, it is wrapped in a 100% organic cotton covering which is then quilted with layers of the finest, chemical-free French Wool.
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Royal-Pedic mattresses are the premier choice for many Los Angeles based interior design firms. Most notably, the team of architect Paul Williams and interior designer, Marti Brent, whose clients included many of Hollywood's most recognizable film actors and actresses. For over six decades Royal-Pedic has manufactured mattresses for innumerable clients, including an endless list of film celebrities and six U.S. presidents, including Ronald Reagan as well as John F. Kennedy, who insisted on Royal-Pedic mattresses wherever he traveled.
Royal-Pedic's Natural Organic Latex Quilt-Top Mattresses perform beautifully well when paired with Royal-Pedic's custom Box Spring. The H2 Organic Box Spring comes standard with the above mattress for firm, yet flexible support. However, the standard H2 box spring can be upgraded to the Royal-Pedic Double Diamond Box Spring. The Double Diamond contains a layer of organic staple cotton padding for added support for the underside of the mattress, as well as a layering of French wool to provide a natural fire barrier. Brass corner guards are installed on all corners, rather than the plastic ones and heavy duty organic cotton fabric is used on the underside of the box spring, instead of the thin synthetic sheeting that commonly droops and frays easily with other brands.
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|Royal-Pedic Organic Latex Quilt-Top Mattress Series


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Gardy sees good, bad with Twins' 2013 schedule
By Jordan Garretson / MLB.com
The first portions of the schedule that caught the skipper's attention were the Twins' two 20-day, 20-game stretches. Minnesota will play 20 straight games -- 12 on the road -- immediately prior to the All-Star break, in addition to another 20 straight to close the season.
"Those are stretches that you don't like to see during the course of the year -- 20 games in a row -- and we've got two of them," Gardenhire said.
Gardenhire was also disappointed to see that the Twins will play just four games against Interleague rival Milwaukee as opposed to six. Minnesota will visit the Brewers for two games (May 27-28) before hosting them for two more (May 29-30).
"That's crazy. You expect to see three and three with your natural rival," Gardenhire said. "That's a party when we go to Milwaukee. It really is an event for Twins fans. They go there like they go to Kansas City. So that's kind of disappointing."
But Gardenhire couldn't take any issue with another aspect of the schedule -- opening at home. The Twins start their season at home for the first time since Target Field opened in 2010 with an April 1 tilt against the Tigers.
"Starting at home is great," Gardenhire said. "If the weather says it's OK, then we'll say OK."
Span makes positive impact in return from DL
MINNEAPOLIS -- Outfielder Denard Span returned to the Twins' lineup on Wednesday night for the first time since Aug. 27, though he played like he hadn't missed a game.
Span went 3-for-5 while starting in center field and leading off in a 10-5 loss to the Royals -- the same day he was activated from the 15-day disabled list. Span was on the DL -- retroactive to Aug. 28 -- with a sprained sternoclavicular joint in his right shoulder.
"He swung the bat -- he was on the ball pretty good," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "That's hard to do when you haven't had any swings off live pitches in a couple of weeks, and he steps right in there and gets it done. We need him at the top [of the order] and we always know that, and he did a nice job."
Span, who tripled in his first at-bat to lead off the first inning against Royals starter Luke Hochevar, originally sustained the injury while diving for a ball in center field on Aug. 12. He missed nine games, though the club didn't think the injury required a stint on the DL. But the shoulder bothered him too much when he played, forcing him to miss more time.
The injury is one that likely won't fully heal until the offseason.
"That's what they kind of told me," Span said. "It's not going to really heal until I give it a month, month-and-a-half of no activity for it to fully heal. I haven't done that. I've given it some time off. I've done a lot of rehab on it. But it won't feel fully healed until I give it that time."
Span was determined to return this season, though, in order to finish on a positive note. He entered Wednesday's game hitting .286 with a career-high 32 doubles in 108 games.
"I started off strong," he said. "Had a good April, a good May. Just want to finish it the same way. Go home with my head held high knowing that I finished the season off strong."
Mauer not ready to play due to back issues
MINNEAPOLIS -- Twins catcher Joe Mauer missed his second straight game on Wednesday night due to back spasms -- which also forced him to be a late scratch from the lineup against Kansas City on Tuesday.
"I walked in [Wednesday] and asked him how he's doing," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "He said, 'Not as bad as yesterday, but still not ready to play baseball. All we can do is day to day. I'm sure this little drop in temperature doesn't help things out with a stiff back. But we'll see."
Mauer, a five-time All-Star, said he originally experienced the discomfort when he tried to loosen up in the indoor batting cage prior to batting practice on Tuesday.
"I couldn't even get to the cage -- it [my back] just locked up," Mauer said after Tuesday's 9-1 loss to the Royals. "I'm in a little pain right now but it's calmed down from earlier [on Tuesday], so it's feeling a little bit better."
Mauer's injury calls for ice and muscle relaxers. He played in 35 of the Twins' last 36 games before missing Tuesday's contest, and has played in 131 of 142 of the team's games this season entering Wednesday's contest.
"Those kinds of things can clear up quick," Gardenhire said. "But while they're there, you know you just don't have any movement. You can't catch and you can't swing. We'll see how he goes today. Hopefully get in tomorrow and see if he can play tomorrow."
Jordan Garretson is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Try temporary N. Korea sanctions
What to do about North Korea after its third nuclear test on Monday - this one possibly involving a device employing highly enriched uranium rather than plutonium, and perhaps small enough to fit on a missile?
Unfortunately, the international community is at a loss. North Korea is already sanctioned extensively and without China, we cannot tighten the noose a great deal more. China for its part does not wish to increase the economic pressure on Pyongyang much further, fearing that North Korean instability could result. Moreover, North Korea has already shown that when it is sanctioned, it often ups the ante rather than back down.
Story Continued Below
There is another dilemma: North Korea may be producing highly enriched uranium at a secret site. This could give it the capacity to produce up to several bombs' worth of U-235 per year, in theory. As Graham Allison of Harvard and others have warned, this could lead to North Korea selling nuclear materials to the highest bidder — something the United States should, as Allison advises, warn North Korea not to do in the strongest possible terms.
And there is one more complication, although this one is of a different sort. It has to do with the longer-term prospects for encouraging North Korean reform. While hope is clearly evaporating that North Korea's new leader, Kim Jong-Un, might be more inclined to consider changes at home, and detente with the outside world, than did his father or grandfather, we should want to keep that option alive. After all, Vietnam and China ultimately reformed even while keeping their communist systems. There is a chance that North Korea will too — less out of any softening of the regime's attitudes than out of economic necessity.
Clearly the new, 30-year old Kim is not showing any reformist inclinations right now. But it is possible that he feels political pressure internally to establish himself with hardliners before he can pivot to a more reasonable line. This may not be the likely future trajectory, yet it cannot be ruled out.


text: LOL. Agreed. I don't like to attempt play on wet courts because of the likelihood of slipping and getting hurt. But as much as I LOVE hot weather tennis, I can't stop playing just because of temperature. Unless the wind is an issue, I've played (and DO play) at temps well below 40. You layer up, and as you warm up you remove layers. Geez, guys, this is TENNIS! How can you not play when you have a chance??? LOL


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Gwen Stefani Addresses No Doubt Members' Side ProjectNot exactly the kind of open communication that bodes well for a reunion.
No Doubt, Zac Brown Band & the Killers Headlining First Kaaboo FestSan Diego has landed its own music festival and the inaugural edition, happening on the weekend of Sept. 18, has some heavy hitters lined up to play.
Gwen Stefani Announces First Solo Headlining Show in 6 YearsDon't worry, she's also playing shows with No Doubt this year.
Sam Smith, Charli XCX, Jessie J to Perform at Rock in Rio USARock in Rio will celebrate its 30th anniversary this year with a show in Las Vegas. Sam Smith, Charli XCX, Jessie J and Bleachers have been added to the lineup.
Rock in Rio Comes to Vegas: Metallica, Linkin Park, Taylor Swift, No Doubt to HeadlineThe dual-weekend festival will separate artists by genre, with rock acts playing May 8-9, followed by pop acts May 15-16.
Gwen Stefani Officially Joins 'The Voice'"We're very happy to officially announce that two superstars will be joining the next season in these coaches' chairs: Pharrell Williams and Gwen Stefani will be added to the Voice family," Carson Daly announced.
Gwen Stefani Joins Instagram to Announce Big Baby NewsGwen Stefani has been keeping mum about her baby bump, that is until now.
Style Files: Gwen Stefani Launches New Clothing Line, 'Design With Purpose'The "Hollaback Girl" singer has teamed up with renowned "denim expert" Michael Glasser to launch a new clothing line called DWP, i.e. "Design With Purpose," due in stores this spring.
Gifts For The Music Lover In Your LifeDon't just buy them a CD or a band t-shirt this year, get them something personal from their favorite artist like a One Direction body pillow or a Lady Gaga toothbrush.
Watch fun., Neon Trees, No Doubt, Alex Clare, The Killers & More Live TodayIf you weren't able to get out to Los Angeles for the concerts over the weekend, the station are thoughtfully streaming the show again today, Tuesday, December 11.
Tweet Beat: The MTV EMAs In Photos Taylor Swift, Carly Rae Jepsen, Rita Ora & No Doubt posed for photos together on and off the red carpet.
No Doubt Apologizes For Native American Themes In "Looking Hot" Video: "We Have Offended People"Fans were really psyched when the new No Doubt video came out last Friday. But after a whirlwind of controversy over the band playing dress-up as cowboys and Indians, the band has pulled the clip and apologized for offending anyone.


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Click Here to view this video.
Having completed year No. 11 of operation, the Pangos All-American camp is firmly entrenched as a must stop on the grassroots/scouting circuit. The 2013 edition proved to be one of the best as kids generally played hard, performed up to expectations and came through with strong showings. There was plenty to learn, and here's a look at what we learned about five-star Stanley Johnson, among others.
Johnson needs to be ranked in the top 10 in 2014
When somebody is ranked as high as No. 12 nationally, it is hard to call him underrated. But that's exactly what Johnson is. The 6-foot-6 wing from Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei deserves a boost in the rankings, and he's a lock to move into at least the national top 10 during the next update to the 2014 Rivals150.
Physical, tough, skilled and motivated to win, Johnson delivered a dominant effort from the beginning to the end of camp. He made jump shots, he pounded the glass, and he was a terror going to the rim. You always want to see the baddest guy on the block establish himself as the baddest guy on the block, and that is what Johnson has done.
Over the years, people have questioned whether he can be a wing. They've questioned if he is athletic enough, too. Each step of the way he's answered any question that somebody might have about his game, and there's no reason to think he won't continue to do so. Johnson is an established winner and worker, and he will make one of his final eight of Arizona, Duke, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Oregon, UCLA and USC very happy it landed him.
Mudiay is getting back on track
When you are the second-ranked player in the country, as Emmanuel Mudiay is, you will get judged by a different standard. It comes with the territory of a ranking that high. Because of what the 6-foot-4 point guard from Dallas (Texas) Prime Prep has proven he can do in the past, much is expected from him.
More than likely, the five-star prospect would be the first to admit that his game wasn't at the level it can be during the earlier parts of the spring. Sure, he's gotten to the rim, but he struggled with his jumper in Nike's EYBL and didn't seem to play with the confidence he has in the past.
At Pangos, it looked like Mudiay was getting things headed back in the direction he wants them to be going. Yes, there were times when he looked hesitant to shoot open jumpers. But as the weekend wore on he became more and more comfortable with letting open shots fly and the results got better as his confidence grew.
Mudiay is being mentored and trained by NBA point guard Maurice Williams, and it should have a positive effect on his game. He will learn the intricacies of using screens and how to pace himself (something he's already outstanding with). After his performance in Long Beach, Mudiay looks to be back on top of his game and to have momentum as he prepares for the NBPA Top 100 camp.
Larrier will make a splash in new rankings
A few weeks ago, we included Terry Larrier on a list of 15 class of 2014 prospects who were making a play for the Rivals150. At Pangos, the 6-foot-7 small forward punched his ticket and locked up a spot in the rankings.
Now the question is how high the native of the Bronx, N.Y., who is going to Malvern (Pa.) Phelps School will enter in the rankings.
Let's look at what Larrier can do. He has tremendous size for the wing, he is a good shooter off the catch and off the dribble, and he has the athleticism and length to finish at the rim. Although he has proven that he is a true small forward, Larrier gives a coach flexibility with his lineups because he is big enough to play as a stretch four man if a team wants to play small and fast or to spread the floor.
While he needs to add strength and improve upon his consistency, there is no doubt that Larrier is deserving of entering the rankings as at least a strong four-star. Things can change, but for now we'll ballpark him as a guy with the potential to make his rankings debut in at least the top 50 range. Florida, Miami, VCU, St. John's, Rutgers, Texas and West Virginia are a few of the schools that have shown interest, and he can play for any of them.
Perkins is legit
Players who rank in the top 50 nationally aren't exactly in the position of having to prove themselves. But the truth of the matter is that heading into the Pangos camp there were questions about No. 42 Josh Perkins.
The Denver native, who will spend his senior year at Huntington (W.Va.) Prep, is coming off an outstanding junior season, and he played well during the spring. However, he had not been seen by many national scouts, and everybody -- Rivals.com included -- was curious to see how he would do when tested by the competition at Pangos.
Given that he had a matchup with the nation's top point guard (Mudiay) and pretty much played him to a draw on Friday night, Perkins has passed the test. His strong play continued through the weekend, and he solidified himself as one of the top playmakers in the country.
Perkins is an outstanding passer with incredible floor vision. He sees plays and alleys that most don't and generally delivers the ball on target. His style is flashy and crowd pleasing, but there is plenty of substance to it and he can also score. At about 6-foot-2, he has good size and is making a push for the national top 25.
Click Here to view this Link.


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I think a huge problem with our perimeter defense is our desire to help our bigs inside.
Example: Today vs. Atlanta, Jose cheats off his man inside to go "help" Reggie, who is holding Horford very well about 12+ feet from the rim.
This is useless. What help can Jose possibly hope to provide here? In my opinion, Horford is not much of a threat handling the ball this far out, and Reggie was doing an EXCELLENT job of keeping Al in front of him.
Jose's only hope of providing ACTUAL assistance is forcing a turnover by trapping Al (which won't happen, as Horford will just pass over Calderon to Bibby), or getting a lucky steal by having active hands in the passing lane (very unlikely).
Pretty low percentage help. Meanwhile, we get torched from the 3.
All of our wings do this- we go in to help at times when we really don't NEED to, and it frees up the (now) open threes.
What's the reasoning? I don't get it.


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The LA Galaxy are back on the road this afternoon as they head to Dallas for Saturday's match against FC Dallas.
I'll have more upon landing including my "Three Points" to the match. Until then, catch up on news from earlier today including Chad Barrett's potential inclusion on Saturday and Bryan Gaul's task having to step up for the injured Todd Dunivant.
WATCH: Galaxy discuss Dallas match


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Terry Richardson Is Peaches Pornographer Big Ben's Role Model
Big Ben rises again. Ben Mills, the ex-junkie Williamsburgian who made waves with photographs of a heroin-fueled Scientology sex party with scenester socialite Peaches Geldof, finally gave an interview. He admires perv photographer Terry Richardson and likes "wasted" sex.
The interview in question is a "Crushable Questionnaire," which is pop culture site Crushable's 18-point answer to "21 Questions" feature. Consequently, the man of the "Big Ben" penis tattoo didn't talk about the Peaches scandal, but he did talk about sex, because apparently that's what he's got on the mind. UPDATE: As readers point out, it seems like he breaks AA's rules about anonymity, too, by identifying Richardson as a member. Unless he meant American Apparel?
6. Whose job would you like to steal?
Terry Richardson. He totally gets to be pervy and get handies from young models and met Obama. That could be really fun. Though I saw him in AA a few months ago so if he's stone sober doing all this that's real creepy. So I'd steal a young Terry Richardson's job, back when he was still going coke off models' assholes.
7. What was your best date?
Any one that involves dinner before you get wasted and bone.
If only the Peaches' pleasure-fest had included a nice PB&J, it'd have been Big Ben's best date. If you want Ben to ask your questions, try imploring him in the comments! He's a Gawker commenter now, so maybe he'll make an appearance! Just like Tinkerbell: Say his name and clap your hands, and you, too, can bring Big Ben back to life. [Crushable]


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THIS MODEL RELEASE (the "Agreement") is made and entered into this ____________________ (the "Execution Date"),
____________________ of ____________________, _______________, _______________ __________Email: _______________Phone: _______________(the "Artist")
(the "Model")
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text: Had to mention a current player so that it stays in this forum Justin wrote about working out with Pete in his SI.com column... http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/justin_gimelstob/12/21/sampras.federer/index.html and an excerpt... But this column isn't about me -- it's about one of, if not the greatest, tennis players of all time. Everyone, me included, has been quick to anoint Roger Federer the new alpha male of tennis history. But after spending some time practicing with retired Pete Sampras, I think we've shortchanged Pistol Pete. Sampras has participated in a few of the aforementioned charity/exhibition events this month, so obviously he has been practicing plenty. Since we live in such close proximity to each other in Los Angeles, working out together was a convenient fit. Our practices vary in intensity -- the main factors being how my back is feeling on that particular day and how motivated Pete is -- but the tennis Sampras is still capable of playing at 35 is astonishing. ... I was laughed at and ridiculed in ATP Tour locker rooms a few years back when I defended John McEnroe when he was boasting about his ability to still compete at the highest levels of tennis in ideal conditions. (We were both proven right by the way, with his doubles win in San Jose earlier this year.) I will probably be mocked again when I make this statement: Pete Sampras is currently playing at a level as high as anyone in the world except for Federer. You'll have to read the rest to see how he backs that up.


text:
No pass rush, defense gives up third down conversion. What a ****ing shocker.
Damn that was a quality catch...
No pass rush, defense gives up third down conversion. What a ****ing shocker.
Pettis? Who the fug is that? Oh wait, eric smith blitzing......
That was a great pass...forget what those look like.
Bradford 100000 x better than Sackchez ... Look at the zip on that ball.
Rex Ryan you are a god damn joke.
The Jets are tteh suck!
nice defense Rex and now we waste a Time out unPHUCKING real
Yeah, burn a 1st quarter timeout, Rex, because your defense ****ing sucks.
This Jets team can't make routine plays. 31 other teams can. We can't.
What is good about our DL? We don't rush the passer and we get shredded on the edges.
Looks like they called a timeout to see if ball hit the ground...looked like it moved when he hit the ground
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
Do the Jets EVER score first?
Jackson will have a day
Allen was a much better blitzer than slow as smith
where was that playcall when he was here, think it was sanche not executing the playcalls
Yes, Rex, keep playing zone against a quick-pass offense. Awesome strategy.


text:
The Pleasant Valley Wine Company, popularly known as the Great Western Winery, located near the village of Hammondsport, New York is the oldest winery in the Finger Lakes region. Established in 1860, the winery proudly displays the designation U.S. Bonded Winery No. 1 and has eight remarkable stone buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Open 10am - 4pm January, February, and March (Closed Sundays and Mondays)
Open Daily April thru December 10am - 5pm. Tasting Bar and Visitor Center closes at 4:45 p.m.


text:
Its funny but I went back on the Derozan thread to see what kind of future I think he will have during his rookie year:
If I were to guess T -Ross right now and look at this thread 2 seasons from now, this is what I see:
T-Ross avg about 11-13 points a game, higher FG % then Derozan and 3 pointer FG % of about 37-38%. Ross therfore will be mostly a perimeter oriented player and be used alot like Mo Pete was in Toronto. I don't believe he will be as aggressive attacking the basket type of a player that will go to the free throw line due to his handles.


text:
There's no place like home for Kipnis
By Joe Popely / MLB.com
CHICAGO -- "There's no place like home" isn't a saying reserved for Dorothy. It seems to apply to Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis, too.
Kipnis, a native of Northbrook, Ill., was hitting .411 with 15 runs scored, four home runs, 20 RBIs and a 1.179 OPS in 20 career games at U.S. Cellular Field entering Friday's game. With a first-inning single Thursday, Kipnis has hit safely in 19 of those 20 contests.
"I do have a good time hitting in this place," said Kipnis, who is hitting a robust .429 with four doubles, a homer and nine RBIs in his last eight games here. "It's always nice to come home and just feel comfortable here with friends and family in the stands, and having a meal that I probably have eaten before in my stomach. Whatever is the case, I enjoy hitting here."
Kipnis still leaves tickets for friends and family, but he said the number of requests has dwindled since he made his Indians debut in 2011, now that the "awe factor" of his callup has worn off. He remains close with his coaches at Glenbrook North High School, and said he tries to get them to his games on the South Side whenever possible.
Kipnis' high-school teammate, Justin Weiner, is now a coach for the freshman team. Kipnis donates batting gloves and other equipment to the program and would like to help out more in the future.
The only other question remaining is the most obvious: Cubs or Sox? Kipnis went to many games on both sides of town growing up.
"I was a baseball fan, so I didn't pick a side," he said. "I liked the game more than each team."
Francona thinks team will handle lefties well
CHICAGO -- The early results against left-handed starters has not been good for the Indians. The Tribe has gone 1-3 against lefties entering Friday's game, hitting just .192 with a .542 OPS, both figures ranking 12th in the American League.
Nonetheless, Indians manager Francona remains confident he has the personnel to handle southpaw pitchers.
"I don't think with our bench, it should impact us a whole lot," he said. "We match up pretty good, like splits or vs. lefty or righty just by changing it, because we have three switch-hitters and have some guys on the bench that can do things, so I think it's more of how guys pitch, not the way they pitch."
It's also too small of a sample size to draw a realistic conclusion. The Indians have lost to talented veteran lefties Scott Kazmir (A's) and John Danks (White Sox), as well as highly-touted Padres prospect Robbie Erlin, and beat Erlin's rotation mate, Eric Stults.
"We've got how many more games left? We've only got a handful of games so far, so it's still early," Ryan Raburn said. "You can't look into it too much right now. Guys hitting .100, that don't mean nothing. Guys hitting .500 don't mean nothing. It's still early, guys playing hard, and that's all that matters. Sooner or later, we'll get on a hot streak and start rolling off some wins. "
U.S. Cellular always magical for Raburn
CHICAGO -- Meet Ryan Raburn, perennial White Sox killer. With a pair of hits Thursday, Raburn raised his career average vs. Chicago to .303 in nearly 300 at-bats, a significant sample size. He's even better as a visiting player, putting up a slash line of .320/.371/.551 in 178 at-bats.
But unlike Tribe second baseman Jason Kipnis, an Illinois native, Raburn can't point to why he has so much success against the Sox, and in particular, at U.S. Cellular field.
"Man, if I had a clue to that, I'd be letting everybody else know that," Raburn said with a laugh. "Nah, it's just one of those places. I see the ball well here. I'm comfortable here. I think when you're confident and comfortable, you tend to have results."
The right-handed hitting Raburn has been in high demand in recent days, as the Indians faced a left-handed starter for the fourth consecutive game Friday night. It's a big reason why he's played so much against the White Sox dating back to his days with the Tigers.
Even when Raburn had a .171 average in 2012, his final year with the Tigers, he still scratched out a .238 average (5-for-21) at U.S. Cellular Field.
"Even the last year in Detroit, it was such a terrible year, even when we came here, I was still able to get some hits," he said. "It's just one of those places that's been good to me and hopefully continues to [be]."
Quote to note
"We've got a very versatile team, and we've got a great group of guys that just play hard and that's all you can ask. We're not going to have that one superstar that has to carry the team. We've got 25 guys that help everybody and contribute, and that's what you need to be able to win some ballgames."
-- Raburn on the Indians' ability to mix and match players throughout the lineup
Smoke signals
• Outfielder Michael Bourn went 0-for-4 with a walk and two strikeouts in his first rehab start for Double-A Akron Thursday. He'll play another full game Friday night and is eligible to come off the 15-day disabled list on Sunday.
"He really wants to play Sunday, which we're OK with," Francona said. "But the weather's supposed to be really bad here, so when we told him that, we're going to talk to him tonight [about] what we should do going forward. He said he felt really good last night running. Again, we don't want to slow him down, so we'll see how he does tonight."
• First baseman/DH Jason Giambi played in his first rehab game Friday night for Akron. Francona said Giambi might not play the full game and that his second rehab game is more important.
• Kipnis was selected to join the Taylor Hooton Foundation Advisory Board, which is comprised exclusively of Major League players. The Foundation is widely acknowledged as the leader in the advocacy against performance-enhancing drug use by America's youth.
"When you really look into it and what it is and what it stands for, it's a great cause, it's a great message to be sending to the younger population of players," Kipnis said. "I'm glad and very proud to be a part of it and am looking forward to helping wherever I can."
• Justin Sellers would become the 28th Indians player to see action in 2014 if he's called into a game. He was recalled from Triple-A Columbus on Thursday to take the place of Lonnie Chisenhall, who is on paternity leave after the birth of his second son, Cannon. Cleveland has used 12 position players and 15 pitchers.
Joe Popely is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text:
Moseby returns to where his pro career started
Former Blue Jays outfielder participates in Honda Super Camp in Medicine Hat
By Melissa Couto / Special to MLB.com
MEDICINE HAT, Alberta -- Lloyd Moseby may not recognize much of present-day Medicine Hat, but 36 years after he first arrived in the city, its people still recognize him.
The former Blue Jays center fielder, who played his first professional season with the now defunct Medicine Hat Blue Jays of the Rookie-level Pioneer League, was back at his former home field of Athletic Park for a Blue Jays Honda Super Camp over the weekend.
While Moseby was there, a parent of a child attending the baseball clinic approached him with a story about how he had seen Moseby play in Medicine Hat when he was just 6 years old.
Moseby said he was happy to chat with a lifelong fan -- even if the encounter did serve as a reminder of the many years that had passed since their first meeting.
"I said, 'Oh, thanks a lot,'" Moseby said with a laugh. "That was cool. I mean, it made me feel really old, but it was still cool."
Selected second overall by the Blue Jays in the 1978 First-Year Player Draft, Moseby spent that summer playing for Medicine Hat in its inaugural season as a Blue Jays affiliate (the team remained part of Toronto's organization through 2002 before the Blue Jays moved their Rookie-level club to Pulaski, Va.)
Moseby batted .304 with a .918 OPS through 67 games with Medicine Hat, but the team finished the season 28-40.
This weekend's Super Camps marked the first time Moseby had been back in the southeast Alberta city since his playing days there. And the 54-year-old said he barely recognized the area.
"It wasn't even close to the same place," Moseby said on Sunday while en route to the next Super Camp location in Regina, Saskatchewan. "When I was [in Medicine Hat], there weren't that many people, there wasn't anything there. Now there's a Safeway, there's a lot of new things.
"But I got a lot out of my time there, that's for sure."
Moseby, who played first base and catcher at his high school in Oakland, Calif., converted to an outfielder under the tutelage of the Medicine Hat coaching staff. The move proved to be a wise one in hindsight as Moseby went on to help form the most highly regarded Blue Jays outfield trio (along with George Bell and Jesse Barfield) in franchise history.
Bell, Moseby and Barfield manned the outfield together at Toronto's Exhibition Stadium from 1984-88, with their offensive and defensive capabilities earning all three a spot on the franchise's Top 20 list in WAR.
As Moseby recalled, the seeds of his strong center-field skills were sown in the warm Alberta sunshine.
"My best memory [from Medicine Hat] was just getting to play in the outfield for the first time," Moseby said. "It was nerve wracking to do something I'd never done before, but it was a great experience and I was happy to do it."
The Portland, Ark., native made his Major League debut on May 24, 1980, and he wore a Toronto Blue Jays uniform for 10 seasons, including a 1981 campaign in which the team went 37-69 during a strike-shortened season, and a franchise-best 99-win season in 1985 that earned Toronto the American League East crown for the first time.
Moseby leads the Blue Jays all time in stolen bases (255), is second in triples (60), third in runs scored (768), fourth in hits (1,319), fifth in total bases (2,128) and RBIs (651) and eighth in home runs (149).
That success, Moseby said, is part of the reason he continues to be so connected with the Blue Jays organization.
"That's home for me, it's really the only team I ever knew," said Moseby, who also spent two seasons with Detroit and two more with the Yomiuri Giants in Japan after his career in Toronto. "I have so many great memories, like 1985, the first time really winning something and really being a part of a winning team. ... To know that we were one of the winningest organizations in the '80s, coming from the worst team in baseball to the best team in baseball, that was a tremendous achievement what we did there."
It also helps explain why Moseby has been taking part in the Honda Super Camps for the past four years -- along with other former Blue Jays such as Bell, Barfield, Roberto Alomar, Duane Ward, Devon White, Carlos Delgado, Tony Fernandez and Cecil Fielder.
"This has been a blast being here for these camps, being around some of my ex-teammates," Moseby said. "It makes me really excited. It's like playing baseball all over again."
While Moseby said he's been impressed with the level of talent he's seen from Canadian players from all over the country, he admitted the Medicine Hat camp was a special one -- and not just because of the connection he has with the city.
"The kids out here were outstanding," he said. "Among the small towns, this might have been one of the better places we've seen as far as talent goes. The kids were listening and absorbing what we were teaching them.
"It was really fun and really neat to come to a place that I'd been before -- even if I didn't recognize it much."
Melissa Couto is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text:
Read the full story here Web Link posted Monday, May 27, 2013, 4:38 PM
Town Square
Board to ponder calendar, Cubberley, new school
Original post made on May 27, 2013
Read the full story here Web Link posted Monday, May 27, 2013, 4:38 PM
Comments (9)
a resident of Adobe-Meadow
on May 27, 2013 at 7:46 pm
The Weekly missed this important story: Web Link
I am not sure whether the Weekly's education reporter understands the importance of this issue, since the Mercury News covered the fact that Palo Alto is ignored the new "fee for learning" law several months ago. [Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff.]
How about covering the fact that the district is making poor kids pay for stuff they are barred by law from charging for? That seems like a bigger and better story than a story that recites the school board agenda with no interviews, no quotes, and no reporting of any kind. But that's just me.
a resident of Southgate
on May 27, 2013 at 8:24 pm
This paragraph seems almost deliberately obtuse: "But at least one school board member has expressed skepticism about the change, and the move has been strongly opposed by some parents. The board member who provided the swing vote for the 3-2 approval of the new calendar in May 2011, Barbara Klausner, is no longer on the board."
In fact, Camille Townsend and Melissa Caswell voted against the calendar change, and Heidi Emberling opposed it during the election. Townsend and Tom (who supported the calendar) got into a tiff about the survey data at the last board meeting. Why be so coy? You shouldn't have to already know the facts to understand the story.
a resident of Adobe-Meadow
on May 27, 2013 at 8:35 pm
@J-school dropout. Also not appearing in this story is any mention of the fact that the other item on consent, in addition to the above-mentioned state-law-breaking fees, is the renewal and increase of Laurie Reynolds' contract as district counsel. Laurie Reynolds is apparently using PAUSD's evident disregard for the law as her own veritable gold mine, obtaining a 40% increase in her contract over last year due to the increase in matters and billings according to Cathy Mak (at the last board meeting). She charges us to dig the hole, and then to fill it in. Convenient. And only the bargain billing rate of $270 per hour! That makes PAUSD the golden goose, with its inability to understand or follow the law. Or maybe the golden fleece. One of those.
a resident of Midtown
on May 27, 2013 at 9:01 pm
"An early survey of students, parents and school staff indicated considerable satisfaction among high school students with the new calendar"
Actually, the survey showed "considerable" satisfaction among students, faculty, and parents for the new calendar. Between 65% and 90% of all respondents in each group preferred "finals before christmas", i.e., the new calendar.
So, I think the only real question is finding a way to start school a bit later in August...
a resident of Palo Alto High School
on May 28, 2013 at 8:45 am
We had a strange Memorial weekend. Our senior was on a high having finished and apart from a Sunday baccalaureate, he had no reason to go to school on Friday, and this week is party central. For our younger student, he had a weekend of study with the prospect of three hectic days of school.
Is this a normal Memorial weekend for Paly families with more than one student? Are we normally expected to attend school events on a holiday weekend?
I don't mind the studies for younger students - we have done that before. But why couldn't the rehearsal be on Friday rather than early this morning?
What do other families feel about this week of school?
a resident of Midtown
on May 28, 2013 at 12:45 pm
The board is always making the mistake of trying to make everybody happy. That is never going to happen in this town. And the parents keep screaming that they aren't being heard. They can't accept that they WERE heard just the decision went against them. They can't except not getting their way.
a resident of Midtown
on May 28, 2013 at 12:47 pm
In previous message replace "except" with "accept"
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on May 28, 2013 at 1:57 pm
Don't forget to fill out the Superintendent Survey! - It's open until June 4.
Web Link
a resident of Palo Alto High School
on May 28, 2013 at 2:08 pm
@Paly Parent: One very good reason why graduation rehearsal couldn't take place on Friday is that many some senior classes were giving finals that day.
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text:
Never said Westbrook is a pure PG, he's a mindless chucker and one of the dumbest PG's in the NBA.
But his skills and abilities help get guys open.
Never said Westbrook is a pure PG, he's a mindless chucker and one of the dumbest PG's in the NBA.
But his skills and abilities help get guys open.
KD lacks heart.
You think Jordan would of passed up a last minute shot?
KD is too cautious of his FG% and that will hold OKC back from taking risk and being rewarded.
Jackson should never be the man to the last minute shot, it doesn't matter if he's wide OPEN. He missed two wide open shots previously. KD was shooting 70% within the game and could afford to skew his FG%
Ibaka and Westbrook will be all star talents with or without KD. KD's passing is more less of a skill and just an attitude of caution he carries around himself.
Kevin Durant sucked defensively this game. Parsons and Delfino had his way with him and Durant was all offensive this game.
I can't wait to see Houston steal another win from OKC.
Durant is still growing. People were ****ting on Lebron but 2yrs ago for not being aggressive enough and being a finisher.
I like you. No beef or homo. I don't wanna pile onto a team still in playoff's, so I won't say much more on this till Melo and KD finish their 13' playoff dance.
Man that dunk on durant by delfino was nasty. Just made durant look silly with that. and it's delfino for goodness sakes! I love the look delfino gives after postering KD. just like "get that weak **** outta here!" Durrant is a great player but he really needs to play out of his mind to bring the thunder to the finals. I certainly can't see them beating the spurs without westbrook. I guess you could look at J.R. smith in the same light for Carmelo so i still put these players on the same level. this is proving to be a very interesting comparison for these two as the playoffs continue.
By you putting stats up you make my point even more (idiota). Durant should have a more difficult time adjusting to not having Westbrook than Melo should in the case of coping with the loss of JR due him (Westbrook) putting up bigger numbers.
^ You didn't say anything that in the argument, you got trashed in the thread. I think differently of Melo, but it definitely wasn't because of your weak argument.
JR Smith and Westbrook being second leading scorers is a meaningless fact.
1. Westbrook takes as many shots as Durant and handles the ball and gets as touches as KD. Westbrook is really a primary scorer who isn't afraid to take the ball from KD.
2. JR Smith is a 6th man spark plug to the max, but when he plays with Melo, Melo will always get more shot attempts because JR knows Melo is the superior scoring option
3. You're a dumbass that needs to get pimp slapped by comparing the 2. If you swap JR Smith with Westbrook, you'll see OKC struggle and not be an elite team anymore. They're having trouble with Houston, especially since in the OKC wins they barely beat Houston.
4. Don't use spanish.
5. That wasn't even the argument. Agruement was Durant has had Westbrook all season long. You give Melo a top 5 PG and guarantee his production increases. Felton can't elevate's Melos game. Westbrook averages 24/7, go eat some nuts. Durant has the best supporting cast in the NBA and you can't base his FG% to be all truths of truths. Put Durant on the Knicks, that FG% will drop like your sex life.
1. You will never admit you were wrong. You spit some of the most asinine comments I've ever heard on the forum in that thread, and you were exposed. You try to save face in a futile way. Many posters will remember that thread and those comments though you would like to forget.
2. You still fail to understand what I'm saying re Westbrook and JR.. see Ponderino's post for comprehension and follow suit. Idiota
Shameful. 22 assists the past two games? I'm far from a NYK hater. Won't you guys see the light, and what is really up with this dude? In his NYK career, and pre-NYK career in the NBA.
This is against a BOS team that was .500, and is without their #1 player.
Please, Melo does NOT equal Durant. It isn't even a Durant vs Melo thing; Melo just isn't on that LEVEL, and it is because of some things that you should find very troubling as a NYK fan.
Let me break this down. Melo =
Top 5 Talent
Top 10 Individual Player
Top 25 Player You Want On A a Championship Team
And let me slip the slaps that I'm sure will come about trolling after Carmelo **** the bed....I made my points PRE playoffs. And they apply even in the games this series that Melo "lit it up"
(ie, he did not much else besides score at a blistering rate, with plenty of ISO)
Hey Thunder, I agree with you but the Knicks can still win it. Its really how emotionally prepared these guys are. People can talk about how good players are but what wins championships is the mentality. Carmelo can win the game for the Knicks even on a ****ty night if he does his part on defense but what kills us is that he;s having really bad shooting nights AND not playing any defense with some grit. JR smith having a bad shooting night AND not playing defense like the championship requires it. IMO these guys gave up the fight once the refs started calling a lot of BS fouls on them but they should've kept playing hard and not let it frustrate them.
This...This....Melo is getting beaten to death in this Celts series...Melo is getting handled literally by combo of Bass,Pierce, and Garnett. I don't blame Doc for the design, but the refs for swallowing their whistles. It's ridiculous....and your boy KD....got SHOT OUT like he was back at Texas last night... Well I guess KD kinda was back at Texas against the Linless Rockets lol Make sure you come back and eat your crow when Melo breaks out and closes this series out!!!!


text:
NEW YORK — It's a meetup, it's a party, it's a spectacle: SantaCon is coming to town — in fact, to nearly 300 towns and cities around the world.
NEW YORK — It's a meetup, it's a party, it's a spectacle: SantaCon is coming to town — in fact, to nearly 300 towns and cities around the world.
Maybe you've seen them in your neighborhood: Dozens, sometimes hundreds of Santas ho, ho, ho-ing in and out of bars, stopping traffic and posing for photos. The red-suited, white-bearded revelers have gathered in Trafalgar Square in London and Tiananmen Square in Beijing. They've walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. And this past weekend in Los Angeles, they visited the space shuttle en masse at the California Science Center.
"It's innocent fun," said Tim Mambort, 27, who's been taking part in SantaCon in New York City for five years with friends from college.
"You end up standing in a bar singing 'Jingle Bells' with people you just met, all dressed like Santa, or walking with hundreds of Santas to Central Park, or filling up an entire subway car with Santas."
But whether SantaCon is naughty or nice depends on whom you ask.
The website for the New York City event, planned for Dec. 15, says SantaCon "is not a bar crawl. Every time you call it that, a sugarplum fairy dies."
But the fact is, most SantaCons involve stops at bars along a prescribed route, and over the years, there have been isolated reports of misbehavior. In New York, police have issued summonses for violations of open container laws, and some bars refuse entry to anyone dressed in red.
Ian Sibley, who organizes the SantaCon.info webpage, acknowledges that "a dark shadow seems to haunt the event. So we take the extra step of emphasizing not drinking too much and perhaps supporting a good cause."
Indeed, many SantaCons require participants to bring donations for food banks or Toys for Tots, or raise money for children's charities or no-kill pet shelters.
Sibley started SantaCon.info five years ago with a half-dozen listings after "encountering this crazy thing with all these people dressed up like Santa" in Asheville, N.C. The website now lists nearly 275 events in 37 countries between November and January. Sibley says SantaCons have been held on every continent — from Uganda to Katmandu to Sydney and even Antarctica — but he dates the first events to the 1990s in Copenhagen and San Francisco. He says New York is one of the biggest, drawing 20,000 Santas.
Anna Sandler, a mom from Maplewood, N.J., thinks most participants take seriously the notion that SantaCon must not hurt Santa's image. Two years ago while pushing her toddler in a stroller in Manhattan, Sandler encountered "tons of Santas crossing the street and had no idea why. It was the most amazing spectacle." She stopped a few Santas to chat, then went home and looked the event up online.
"The Santas were completely hammered, but also completely polite," she said. "They were definitely following the SantaCon creed of being super-respectful."
Like zombie walks at Halloween, SantaCon is a grassroots phenomenon, organized locally and mostly through digital media, from email blasts and websites to Twitter and FourSquare.
The term SantaCon may bring to mind Comic-Con, the pop culture convention, but there's no industry behind SantaCon, though a growth in sales of Santa suits led Party City to start advertising on SantaCon.info in 2011.
"Our Santa suits have always sold to the Santa who dresses up at the mall or dad dressing up at home," said Melissa Sprich, Party City's vice president of costumes and accessories. "But we started to see an increase in sales and were hearing that local events were occurring with people dressing up for this SantaCon thing."
Demographics for the events also led Party City to add Santa styles for women — including some sexy looks — as well as accessories like antlers.
Dana Humphrey, 29, who dressed like Mrs. Claus last year and is going as an elf this year, has made SantaCon in Manhattan a tradition with friends, starting with brunch, then joining SantaCon crowds for the route's first stop at a bar in the Wall Street area. Along the way, they've posed for photos at the famous Wall Street bull sculpture and done an Ace of Bass singalong with 80 Santas.
"You'll find groups of Santas doing all kinds of ridiculous things," she said.
Most SantaCons stress that they are not for kids, and Sibley says that's part of the appeal.
"The holidays tend to be family oriented and adults get squat," Sibley said. "They work hard all year and extra hard over the holidays.
"So when you get a costume on like Santa, the pressures of the real world are lifted. You have this strange camaraderie because everyone is dressed like you."


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Mets seek to simplify approach with baserunners
By Tim Healey / MLB.com
NEW YORK -- The Mets' shortcomings with runners in scoring position is no secret -- as a team, they own a .225/.320/.342 slash line in those situations entering Sunday's series finale -- and it cost them again Saturday. Most notably, Matt den Dekker struck out with the bases loaded in the fourth which squashed New York's best scoring chance.
Although the margin of loss Saturday -- five runs -- was larger than it has been on other occasions, the lesson is clear -- in many instances, one well-timed hit can change the course of the game. That might've been the case Saturday if den Dekker cut into what, at the time, was a four-run deficit, and it certainly would've been the case in many of the Mets' close losses this season.
New York is 8-17 in one-run games. It has suffered only six losses by five or more runs.
So what, exactly, do the coaches want Mets batters to do in those situations? In short, don't try as hard.
Manager Terry Collins explained Saturday that with the bases loaded in particular, his hitters should wait for the ball to get to the plate -- and deeper in the strike zone. This will make them work to all fields.
"That is probably mentally the best approach you can take, in my opinion," Collins said. "Quit worrying about hitting a homer, think about making contact."
It works -- just ask those who have ended up with the best possible outcome in those situations. The Mets have three grand slams this season, one from Ike Davis in April, and two more this month from Wilmer Flores and Taylor Teagarden. In the cases of the Mets still with the team, neither was trying to hit one over the fence at the time of his at-bat.
"[Phillippe Aumont] wasn't throwing strikes," Flores recalled of his June 2 blast against the Phillies. "And I was just trying to get a swing. [With a] 3-1 count, I was just trying to drive a ball.
"Bases loaded, you don't want to get too excited because then you're reaching for the ball and all of a sudden you get a ground ball. Just try to stay calm. You have to try to drive the ball."
Teagarden, who hit his grand slam Tuesday in his first game with the Mets team, had a similar, simple approach.
"I was trying to shorten up and just get a base hit," Teagarden said. "And it was just elevated enough to drive it out to right field."
Matsuzaka exits early with severe upset stomach
NEW YORK -- With the Mets' bullpen hurting and the team halfway through a stretch of 13 straight games, manager Terry Collins was looking for a lengthy outing from Daisuke Matsuzaka on Sunday. He didn't get it.
The right-hander lasted just one inning before exiting with a severe upset stomach in the Mets' 3-1 win over the Padres. After the second of two walks in a scoreless first inning for Matsuzaka, Collins and a trainer visited the mound. Matsuzaka stayed in the game to retire Chase Headley, but did not return for the second.
"I came to the ballpark today and I had breakfast and started to feel some pain in my stomach, and I just vomited everything out," Matsuzaka said through an interpreter. "I knew I wasn't physically fit to fulfill the starter's role, but I wanted to do as much as I could. That ended up being only one inning."
Matsuzaka explained that he didn't know what made him ill, but he didn't think it was the food since some of his teammates ate it as well.
Collins knew prior to the game Matsuzaka was having issues. He got sick in the clubhouse, then again in the bullpen while warming up. Matsuzaka's first pitch was an 85-mph fastball that was well high and away.
"That wasn't going to work," Collins said.
During the first-inning mound visit, Collins' question was simple: Could he finish the inning?
"He said, 'I have no strength, but I can finish the inning,' Collins relayed. "We had to get him out of there."
Right-hander Carlos Torres took the hill in the second inning in Matsuzaka's place. The Mets entered Sunday's game with a five-man bullpen given that Dana Eveland and Gonzalez Germen were out after throwing two innings apiece on Saturday.
This leaves the Mets short, again, to start their series against the Cardinals on Monday. There are a number of moving pieces on the 25-man roster -- tired relievers, Eric Young, Jr. about ready to return from the disabled list -- and a move is possible.
Another option is Matsuzaka pitching in relief Monday.
"If I'm physically fit to go tomorrow, I'd definitely like to help out the bullpen," Matsuzaka said.
Back feeling better, Mejia earns two-inning save
NEW YORK -- As if the two perfect innings of relief weren't enough, Jenrry Mejia's post-save celebration -- two hands pointed toward the sky and an emphatic knee lift -- made it clear: His back is just fine.
The right-handed closer made a triumphant return to the mound in the Mets' 3-1 win over the Padres on Sunday, his first game since leaving Thursday's contest with a tight lower back. The club had been taking it day to day, and his appearance Sunday was something of a surprise given that manager Terry Collins suggested that Mejia might land on the disabled list.
"If he can't go today, we have to take a serious look," Collins said Sunday morning. "We're [playing] with a four-pitcher bullpen right now."
Not so. Collins brought Mejia in for the eighth inning, that way if his back locked up again, Jeurys Familia would be available right behind him. Mejia earned a second inning of work when he retired San Diego in short order in his first. It was his second two-inning save of the season and seventh overall.
"They just say I was going to throw just the eighth inning and maybe Familia throw the ninth," Mejia said. "But, you know, I threw just [six] pitches, and they said, 'You feel good to go out there again?' I said, 'I'm good, I feel ready.'
"I knew I wasn't going to be on the DL. I already told [the coaches Saturday] I feel pretty good, so they stretched my back, did treatment. Today I tell Terry and everybody I feel pretty good."
Mejia didn't throw off a mound until Sunday, but when he did, there were no ill effects from the tightness that had been bothering him. Mejia's pregame activity went off without a hitch and set the rest of his day in motion.
"He played catch and said he was fine," Collins said. "In about the sixth inning, [pitching coach Dan Warthen] and I talked about how we were hopefully going to set up the eighth inning. We went to Jenrry and said, 'We're going to have to bring you in earlier than we want to.'"
Montero strains left oblique in Triple-A outing
NEW YORK -- The Mets' already-short bullpen depth took another hit this weekend. Right-hander Rafael Montero left his start with Triple-A Las Vegas after just five pitches with what the team is calling a strained left oblique.
Montero pitched in four games for the Mets this season, posting a 5.40 ERA and 1.60 WHIP before being sent back to the Minors to work on his control issues. With him sidelined indefinitely, however, the Mets have one less option should they ever need a spot-starter.
New York has already inserted Daisuke Matsuzaka and Jacob deGrom into the Major League rotation, so the options behind the current starting five are a little thin. Top prospect Noah Syndergaard is highly touted, and while he is on the disabled list for the second time in a month -- this time with a sprained A/C joint in his left shoulder -- his development isn't expected to be seriously hindered.
Manager Terry Collins stayed positive while discussing the team's Minor League options.
"We're very happy with our depth right now with what we've got," Collins said. "We've got certainly Montero, Syndergaard and a number of other guys who are waiting for their chance. I like our depth."
Beyond Syndergaard, righty Logan Verrett (4.79 ERA, 1.58 WHIP) has been the only mainstay in the Las Vegas rotation.
The wild card is Dillon Gee, who has been on the disabled list since May 11 with a strained right lat. He was expected to throw off a mound this weekend, and he will join the Mets in Miami this week to throw a bullpen.
"Hopefully, by the end of next week, he can head out into a rehab assignment someplace," Collins said. "We're very excited that he's coming back."
Worth noting
• Eric Young, Jr. -- who is rehabbing his strained right hamstring -- went 0-for-6 with a walk and two strikeouts in two games with Double-A Binghamton on Saturday. He also stole a base and scored a run. He could return to the Mets early this week.
• The team's other injured outfielder, Juan Lagares, isn't as close to returning from a right intercostal strain. Collins said he's running, throwing and hitting off of a tee.
"He's not doing any rigorous baseball stuff yet," Collins said. "He's a long way -- when I say a long way, he's days from getting in the lineup for sure."
• Curtis Granderson, who has been nursing a sore left calf, made his return to the lineup Sunday, batting first and playing center field. He made his presence known right away with a leadoff homer in the first.
Tim Healey is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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ET reports:
How much is a kiss with Rob Pattinson worth? Keep reading and watch our newly added video to find out!Thanks, Maly!
The vampy leading man was auctioned off today in Cannes for the amfAR Cinema Against AIDS 2009 Cocktail Party. The bidding got so high that Pattinson was split between two bidders, who each paid $20,000 for the chance to meet, greet and win a kiss on the cheek from the 'Twilight' idol. Watch the video to see Harvey Weinstein introduce a blushing Rob. Movie mogul Harvey explains that all three of his young daughters want to marry the actor!


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Equine Health, Security Protocols for Ky. Derby Outlined
The track outlined protocols in the areas of safety and welfare for both horses and jockeys, racing integrity, medication, and patron safety, and pointed to key features of the "Safety from Start to Finish" program.
Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt/The Horse
Last week Churchill Downs re-emphasized its annual enhanced security measures for horses competing in Saturday's Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands, as well as ongoing safety and integrity measures included in its "Safety from Start to Finish" program.
The track outlined protocols appearing below in the areas of safety and welfare for both horses and jockeys, racing integrity, medication, and patron safety, and pointed to key features of the "Safety from Start to Finish" program.
"Integrity and maximizing the safety and welfare of our athletes are of great importance to us, and it's imperative to reaffirm our lasting and comprehensive commitments to these very real and important issues," said Kevin Flanery, president of the Louisville, Ky., racetrack. "When it comes to integrity and making racing safer for every race, every day, we remain optimistic that the bar will continue to be raised by all stakeholders."
In addition to all other applicable state laws and track policies, Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) will require the following protocols be followed for horses competing in the Kentucky Derby and Longines Kentucky Oaks (taking place Friday):
Equine Safety and Welfare
- KHRC veterinarians will closely monitor and observe Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks participants before, during, and after training in their stalls beginning on Monday, April 28;
- A KHRC veterinarian will be present trackside at all times when horses have access to the track;
- Pre-race exams will be performed by KHRC veterinarians starting at 6 a.m. EDT on race day. In-stall exams include a general health evaluation and palpation and flexion of the legs. Veterinarians will also observe horses out of their stalls, at a trot, to further assess soundness and fitness to race;
- A team of seven KHRC veterinarians and volunteers from Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, in Lexington, Ky., will be positioned around the racetrack should there be a need for an immediate response. Additionally, three KHRC veterinarians will be in the paddock when horses are saddled for the Kentucky Derby (two for all other races);
- Three state-of-the-art Kimzey equine ambulances will be at Churchill Downs on race day, positioned at the one-mile chute, quarter pole, and the backstretch for immediate response; and
- A board-certified veterinary surgeon and board-certified anesthesiologist will be present should there be a need for immediate critical care response. Additionally, a triage facility, with X ray equipment, will be available on the backstretch for patient evaluation;
Jockey Safety and Welfare
- Immediate online access to jockey medical histories for emergency medical personnel; and
- Injured jockeys that require external medical evaluation will be transported by ambulance to the designated hospital directly from the incident; there will be no ambulance transfers.
Racing Integrity
- Horses participating in the Kentucky Derby shall be on the grounds no later than 8 a.m. EDT on April 30—more than 82 hours before the race—and shall remain on the grounds until after the running of the race, pending an unforeseeable emergency;
- Kentucky Derby participants will have 24-hour barn security by Jefferson County Sheriffs starting at 8 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, April 30 through 8 p.m. EDT on Saturday, May 3;
- Horses shall stay in their assigned barns and stalls on the grounds, which will be monitored at all times by Jefferson Country Sheriffs and additional security personnel;
- Entry-exit logs will be maintained by security personnel starting at 8 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, April 30. All persons—including grooms, veterinarians, trainers, assistant trainers, farriers, owners, and other connections—must have a valid KHRC license before permission is granted to enter a stall, engage in contact with the horse or perform any service for the horse. Such persons will be logged in by security personnel with the reason for their visit;
- All equipment, feed, hay bales, etc., are subject to search and seizure, as provided by law, by both Churchill Downs Racetrack and the KHRC;
- Horses participating in the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks will be escorted with security personnel to the paddock. When schooling, they will receive priority for paddock schooling;
- Horse identification will be performed by two Churchill Downs racetrack horse identifiers at the barn on Thursday, May 1, and again on race day in the saddling paddock; and
- All jockeys will be subjected to magnetic wand scans prior to the Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks, and other random races.
Equine Medication
- The KHRC is conducting out-of-competition blood samples of all horses competing in the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks, as well as a sample of most participants (more than 50%) in undercard graded stakes, before and after entries are taken and sending them to LGC Science in Lexington, Ky., for immediate testing. The KHRC is coordinating with other jurisdictions to obtain out-of-competition samples from horses that are not stabled in Kentucky;
- A full daily veterinarian's record of all medications and treatments given to horses from Monday, April 28, through the race shall be provided to the KHRC for complete review;
- Trainers shall submit a list of treating veterinarians to the stewards no later than 8 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, April 30;
- Security personnel will monitor all treatments performed by veterinarians. Materials used for medication administrations will be retained by the KHRC for possible testing;
- Veterinarians will not be permitted in the stalls of Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks participants within 24 hours of the race unless accompanied by a KHRC investigator;
- No medication treatments are permitted (beyond Lasix for specifically designated horses) within 24 hours of the race. In the event of a medical emergency, the stewards will authorize treatment and the horse will be scratched;
- Lasix administration will take place in the horses' own stalls by a KHRC veterinarian. Syringes will be preserved by the KHRC for possible testing; and
- Five teams of KHRC veterinarians will perform TCO2 (total carbon dioxide testing, a.k.a. "milkshake") screenings and testing 30 minutes prior to the horses' scheduled departure for the paddock.
Patron Safety
- A total of 34 emergency medical technicians (EMTs, 17 teams of two), 10 nurses, and six doctors (four on Oaks Day) will be on-site;
- There will be five first-aid stations located around the facility at Gate 1, Gate 15, Jockey Club Suites, Finish Line Suites, and in the infield;
- A minimum of 12 ambulances (an EMT and paramedic in each ambulance) will be onsite. Several others will be on standby within the area for immediate response if necessary; and
- Thirty-four federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and public safety partners will be onsite to further the level of security for all patrons in attendance.
The aforementioned measures coincide with Churchill Downs' "Safety from Start to Finish" program that was launched by Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) in March 2009 to formalize its comprehensive approach to continually improve the safety of the horses and human beings who work, train, and compete at all CDI racing venues. Key features of the program include:
- Independent, standardized third-party engineering analysis, testing, and monitoring of track surfaces;
- Post-race drug testing performed by a Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC) accredited laboratory; each sample is analyzed for more than 1,500 substances;
- Age restrictions requiring Thoroughbreds to be at least 24 calendar months of age before becoming eligible to race;
- The banning of steroids;
- The prohibition of milkshaking;
- Prohibiting the transport of horses from CDI facilities for slaughter;
- Permanent revocation of stall and competition privileges for any owner or trainer who sells a horse stabled at a CDI track for slaughter;
- Revocation of stall and competition privileges for any owner or trainer convicted of animal abuse;
- The banning of unsafe horseshoes, including front shoe toe grabs longer than two millimeters;
- The use of low-impact riding whips with restricted usage rules;
- The presence of on-site medical personnel, equipment, and state-of-the-art equine ambulances;
- Immediate online access to jockey medical histories for emergency medical personnel;
- $1 million in catastrophic injury insurance coverage per accident for jockeys paid for by CDI;
- Mandatory and uniform reporting of equine injuries to The Jockey Club's national Equine Injury Database System, thereby assisting in the compilation of comprehensive data and facilitating statistical analysis to improve safety around the country;
- Professionally designed and installed safety rails on the inside of the dirt course;
- Mandatory usage by all jockeys, exercise riders, and other on-track personnel of safety vests and safety helmets that meet internationally acknowledged quality standards;
- Three-eighths-inch foam padding on all parts of the starting gates;
- Inspection of all horses by regulatory veterinarians prior to and following all races;
- Review of security procedures around the barns and other racetrack backstretch areas;
- Protocols for the treatment of horses that have been injured during racing or training, to ensure the most humane treatment possible;
- Encouraging anyone that suspects any wrongdoing or witnesses improper conduct at all CDI tracks to speak up immediately via the independent and national office of the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau's Integrity at email@example.com; and
- Certification by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's Safety & Integrity Alliance program of all four CDI tracks.
CDI tracks will continue to work with Mick Peterson, PhD, a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Maine who is widely considered the world's foremost racing surfaces researcher, to routinely conduct engineering analyses and tests of their respective racing surfaces for safety and consistency. CDI has worked with Peterson to evaluate its racing surfaces since formally launching the "Safety from Start to Finish" program.
Through the "Safety from Start to Finish" program, CDI and its employees also raise money and awareness for nonprofit aftercare programs that help care for and find new homes and careers for retired racehorses.
Additional information about CDI's "Safety from Start to Finish" program is available online.
Originally published on BloodHorse.com.
About the Author
The Blood-Horse Staff
The Blood-Horse is the leading weekly publication devoted to international Thoroughbred racing and breeding. Since 1916, the staff of The Blood-Horse has served the Thoroughbred community with the highest standards of journalistic excellence to provide comprehensive and timely editorial coverage and analysis.
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'Perfect Homestand' set to honor Braden
By Jane Lee / MLB.com
The club will kick the promotion off Monday night when the Mariners come to town for the first of a quick two-game set. Plaza Level tickets, including Section 209, will be priced at $2.09 to correlate with Braden's dedication for his hometown area code. The deal is only available online by using the coupon code "209" at oaklandathletics.com/perfect.
The following night, Lower Box seats will be priced at $19 in honor of the 19th perfect game in Major League history. Parking will also be free.
The celebratory week will continue Wednesday when Braden makes his first home start since the perfecto. The game against the Tigers will feature a Braden T-shirt given to the first 15,000 fans in attendance. Then, on Thursday, 10,000 fans will receive a commemorative ticket dated May 9, 2010, to mark the game in which Braden accomplished the rare feat.
When the Giants make their trip across the Bay Bridge for the first of a three-game set Friday, the A's will host a special on-field ceremony honoring Braden and his grandmother, Peggy Lindsey, who is slated to throw out the honorary first pitch.
Weekend offerings include a $5 discount for all Field Level tickets Saturday, using the coupon code "Bridge" when purchasing online. To round out the promotion week, the A's will hand out a Braden perfect game poster to 15,000 fans on Sunday.
Suzuki's return pushed to at least Saturday
ARLINGTON -- Kurt Suzuki's bat proved more than ready for a big league return after a big day at the plate for Triple-A Sacramento on Tuesday night.
The catcher's intercostal strain, however, told him a different story.
Suzuki will stay with Sacramento until at least Friday to continue rehabbing the strain that landed him on the 15-day disabled list for the first time in his career back on April 30. The transaction was retroactive to April 24, and Suzuki was expected to join the A's in Texas on Wednesday.
"After the game, when he went back to his hotel, he felt a little sore," said manager Bob Geren. "He didn't quite feel ready."
In five innings for the River Cats in Oklahoma City on Tuesday, Suzuki went 2-for-2 with a double and a home run to go along with three runs and three RBIs.
Geren said the 26-year-old Suzuki will take Wednesday and Thursday off, but he will play Friday and could potentially meet up with the A's in Anaheim on Saturday, when right-hander Justin Duchscherer (left hip) is also due back and slated to start.
In the meantime, Landon Powell will be given regular catching duties. He entered Wednesday's contest against the Rangers batting .160, but has seven walks and has reached base safely in all eight games in which he has batted. Along with tallying his first career steal Tuesday, he scored the winning run in the A's 13-inning 7-6 win.
"We're always going to miss Kurt no matter how well we're playing," Geren said. "He's a valuable player to this team, but Landon's been doing a nice job."
Braden graces Sports Illustrated cover
ARLINGTON -- For the first time in nearly a decade, a member of the A's is featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
Dallas Braden, who tossed the 19th perfect game in Major League history on Sunday, is gracing the front page of America's most prolific sports magazine this week. The issue launched Wednesday and represents the 21st time that a member of the A's franchise has been featured on the cover.
Among the other A's featured on the prestigious cover include Philadelphia great Al Simmons and stars from the Swingin' A's of the 1970s, including Vida Blue and Bert Campaneris. Other A's cover boys include the likes of Walt Weiss and Oakland's 1981 rotation, which boasted Rick Langford, Steve McCatty, Brian Kingman, Mike Norris and Matt Keough.
Reggie Jackson tops the list with four covers, while Jose Canseco, Rickey Henderson, Mark McGwire and Catfish Hunter have been featured on two covers each.
Jason Giambi's appearance on the July 17, 2000, cover had been the last time an Oakland player emerged on a cover. Pitcher Jim Nash, meanwhile, became the first Athletics player to make an SI cover on March 13, 1967.
Crisp, Ellis set for first rehab starts
ARLINGTON -- Manager Bob Geren confirmed on Wednesday that Coco Crisp and Mark Ellis will make their first rehab starts together with Class A Stockton next week.
Crisp (left pinkie finger) and Ellis (left hamstring) are expected to join the Ports when they play in Lake Elsinore on May 18-20.
Ellis has been stationed at home in Phoenix rehabbing a strained left hamstring, which has kept the A's second baseman off the field since April 20. He also missed time from April 12-18 with the same injury.
Crisp, meanwhile, has yet to make his A's debut since signing a one-year contract in December. The Oakland outfielder was placed on the disabled list April 3 with a fractured finger. He was slated to take batting practice with the club for the first time Wednesday.
"He's had no pain so far," Geren said. "That will be the biggest test yet."
Worth noting
Justin Duchscherer (left hip) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Thursday. The results of that outing will determine whether the right-hander will be lifted off the disabled list and make his scheduled start Saturday. ... Daric Barton, who hit an 11th-inning home run and a run-scoring single in the 13th inning for the A's on Tuesday night, became the first A's player since 1956 to have an RBI hit in two different extra-inning at-bats in the same game. Harry Simpson had a 12th-inning homer and a 15th-inning three-run triple for the Kansas City A's in Washington on June 12 of that season.
Jane Lee is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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How can I use word maps in groups? I don't have a lot of time and what I usually do is assign one word to a group of 4/5 students. Each group does the research and comes up with something similar to Example 2, and then we share our completed words and the rest of the class takes notes. Then I post each completed word map where they are visible to the students.
A word map is a visual organizer that promotes vocabulary development. Using a graphic organizer, students think about terms or concepts in several ways. Most word map organizers engage students in developing a definition, synonyms, antonyms, and a picture for a given vocabulary word or concept. Enhancing students' vocabulary is important to developing their reading comprehension.


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While in Springfield (Missouri), we visited the Botanical Gardens at Close Memorial Park. Many of the flowers were no longer in the "pretty" stage but it was a beautiful day nevertheless. There was one flower in particular that I thought was unusual. I neglected to take a picture of the nameplate so I can't tell you what it is...
It apparently goes through a metamorphosis – from a pod with a feather-like covering, unfolding to a beautiful, vibrant white flower.
And there was a visitor sitting atop one of the pods!
Monday, September 14, 2009
Springfield :: Close Memorial Park
Posted by Becky Wiseman at 11:10 PM
Labels: flowers, Missouri, The Journey
1 comment:
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The daughter of Leo and Clara Bell Higgs Holstein, she was born Aug. 25, 1943, in Norman, Okla. She was a Quality Control Tech with Tyson Foods. Stella was a member of the Branded by Christ Cowboy Church. She enjoyed crocheting, studying the Bible and beading.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Lon William Manning Sr.; her parents; a son, Lon Manning Jr., and a grandson, Richard Manning II.
Left to cherish her memory are two children, Richard Manning of Dardanelle and Anna Marie Manning of Dardanelle; 10 grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; a sister, Edie Foster of Pottsville, and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.
A memorial service will be conducted at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23, 2013, at Branded by Christ Cowboy Church. Josh Crites will officiate.
Cremation arrangements are under the direction of Humphrey Funeral Service. Internet obituary and online guestbook are available at www.humphreyfuneral.com.