The Greatest Sport

Now batting, the third baseman, number 7, Dan.

He's had a pretty decent season at the plate this year.  He hasn't gotten many free passes even though he's seen a lot of playing time.

You know, you're right, Al.  He's one of the toughest batters to walk.  It just seems like every pitcher wants to challenge him at every at-bat.

That they do, Rick.  He manages to foul off a lot of pitches and stay alive, though.  He likes to make those pitchers work.

Here's the first pitch and it's high and inside.

It looks like the ole brush back move.  That pitcher wants to push him off the plate and make him uncomfortable in his own stance.  Number 7 is used to that, though.  He routinely makes pitchers throw a lot of pitches to him, and they fight back.  He can usually get on base by finding his pitch.

The pitcher looks to see the sign from the catcher.  He didn't like that sign... or that one.  He nods and sets himself...

*STRIKE*

Looks like he went with the curveball down in the zone.  Dan held up on that one.  I guess he wasn't feeling that pitch.

Rick, it's funny you should say that.  That's way out of character for this young player.  According to his scouting report, he has seen more curveballs per at-bat than any other player in history!  It surprises me that he wouldn't even swing at that.  The curveball seems to be his pitch, even if not by choice.

The batter calls time and steps out of the box.  He readjusts and gets back in.  The count's 1 and 1.  No men on with two outs.  They've been trailing the whole game, and a hit here might liven up the bench enough to start a rally here in the eighth inning.  The pitcher sees his sign, and here's the pitch...

SWING AND A LONG ONE DOWN THE LEFT FIELD LINE.  COULD IT?  BACK!  BACK!  AND JUUUUUUST FOUL.  I guess that's just a long strike, Al.

Wow, he crushed that, Rick.  That was a line drive shot that just snuck foul at the last second.  If he could have that one back, I think he'd slow it down a bit.

Yeah, can't go too fast into that.  I think that was another curveball too.

I think you're right, Rick.

The pitcher sets and fires.  A fastball at the numbers for a ball.  That leaves the count at 2 and 2.  The crowd starts to make some noise, getting behind their man.  The pitcher, working quickly, tosses another one in there and Dan fouls it off to the first base dugout.

Another curveball.  These pitchers must have his number.  If they keep throwing curveballs, you think he'll connect with one?

I hope so, Al.  This team needs him to get on base.  He's been on a hot streak lately, but who knows when Dan will run out of gas.  This is potentially his last at-bat in this game unless he gets on here.

It looks like pitch can't decide on what to throw.  Out comes the catcher to the mound.  It looks like this is a tough decision.  If I were pitching, Rick, I think I'd go after him.  I think with no one on and two outs, you have to.

I tend to agree with you, Al.  He's got to after Dan here.  The ump breaks up the conference and the pitcher readies himself.  Here's the 2-2 pitch.  Oh no, it looks like another curveball.  Dan sits back, and he swings!

Calling All Men

Recently, I was meandering through the shelves of non-fiction, and stopped suddenly when I saw a rather small book just before all of the computer books: 100 Must-Read Books for Men. Intrigued, I picked it up and checked it out to compare my reading habits.

Within the pages of this small book are names such as Hemingway, Fleming, Melville, and London. It lists some very well-known books and some very obscure books. It is published as part of the Bloomsbury Good Reading Guides, and the editors have attempted to pique the interest of male readers. Though many people may stereotype "man books" as full of action, sex and violence, this is not the case. There is a wide variety of books that may appeal to different men altogether. They have thematic lists of books, and there are over 500 books listed for further reading as well!

After reading about some of the more obscure titles like The Ox-Bow Incident, I found myself wanting to read a lot of the books on the list. I have a lot of catching up to do.  Out of 100 titles, I have only read four. There are many classics on the list, and sadly that means I haven’t read them. Maybe, I’ll try to read more in the future. Free time is hard to come by sometimes.

If you are a man (or a woman; there’s no reason that you can’t read these) looking for something to read, whether it is similar or a far cry from what you’re used to, you should check out 100 Must-Read Books for Men and see how you measure up to the list.

If you’re curious, the four that I have read are You Only Live Twice by Ian Fleming, The Motorcycle Diaries by Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara, Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, and The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger.

This is *NOT* on Tumblr anymore

One night, I logged into my blog so that I could tell a story about vegetables (more to come later).  To my surprise, I was unable to access my dashboard in tumblr.  I tried repeatedly to only find out that my account had been suspended.  Why?  I don't know.  So, I emailed tumblr about it and their tech support was very quick to reply:

Yay!  I was able to access my dashboard finally!  Ten minutes later, my session timed out and I was once again suspended.  I'll have you know that all I did during my dashboard session was look at some post dates in case I had to switch to blogger.  I replied to their email, and again I had an expeditious response:

I found it strange that their names rhymed.  I also found it strange that the 2nd response was strikingly similar to the 1st.  I think it's a generated message (shock).  I thought that I would give them a couple of days so that they could get their affairs in order.  On my birthday (of all days), I decided to give it another shot.  Not surprisingly, I was unable to access my dashboard for the third time.  Again, my account was suspended.  Again, I sent an email.  Again, I got a response:

Obviously, Seth and Beth have *NOT* ensured that it does not happen again.  As of right now, I can access my dashboard.  I assume that it will only be a matter of time before they suspend me again.  Oh well.  Here I am, blogger.

How *NOT* to Make Friends

On a Wednesday night, like some other Wednesday nights, there was a PTA meeting at my grade school. My mom was an active member of the PTA, and she always brought me along so that I could play on my school’s playground. I use the term playground loosely because the school could afford a seesaw which was bent beyond repair, a metal slide that burnt everyone that used it in the summer, a merry-go-round that touched the ground on one side, and a small swing set with two swings. All of this was kept on a gravel plot and somehow it managed to entertain the 80 students from Kindergarten to 8th Grade at my school.

So, on this Wednesday night during my third or fourth grade year, I went about my business, playing in the gravel or trying to jump out of the swings and touch the pavement (smart, I know). I was thoroughly enjoying myself, when two young boys came up to the playground to play as well. I can’t tell you what was going through my head, but for some reason, I decided that it would be fun to throw rocks at the two boys. Maybe they would think it is as entertaining as I thought it was? So time went on and I ended chasing the kids around the playground just tossing rocks at them.

Taking a detour to hide out behind one of the giant oak trees that were in the middle of the school parking lot, I was startled by another boy who was yelling at me. He looked like he was about my age and asked me what I was doing. Of course, I said “Nothing!” Of course, that was a lie. Of course, he proceeded to chase me down and pummel me.

As it turned out, those two boys were his little brothers. As we were wrestling and fighting on the ground, our moms come out and separate us. I guess the PTA meeting was over; or maybe they just heard our commotion. They all filed into their car and drove out of sight. I didn’t really think much about that night right away, even after my mom punished me. She probably grounded me or didn’t let me listen to music or have vegetables. My weirdness is a story for another time though.

That next Monday rolls around, and who should I see in school but THAT kid himself. This can’t bode well, right? He walked up to me and asked if I wanted to spend the night at his house. Um… sure! We were 8, and apparently the rock incident never happened. We hung out all that week, and the following weekend, I rode the bus out to Mike’s house. From that point on, we were nearly inseparable in grade school. We even a speech together, Say Goodbye, Herb; it was the first speech either of us had done. I can still recite a few lines from it actually.

It’s been a long time since we first met, but I guess I have a great story about it. Also, as a rule of thumb, this is probably *NOT* the best way to make friends.

Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty

I saw this book pass through the library earlier this week, and I thought that it looked interesting. Honestly, what first caught my eye was the GIANT Coretta Scott King Award sticker on the front of the book. No matter what the reason was that I picked it up, I picked it up. I read the leaf and subsequently the introduction and was 100% hooked.

Yummy is a graphic novel that is about Robert Sandifer, an eleven year old boy who lives in the Roseland area of Chicago. He gets caught up in a gang, the Black Disciples, and the gang violence that goes along with it. As I started reading, I was completely grabbed. This book is based off of true events in 1994 and the author pulls together police reports, public records and court records to paint the whole picture. (Please don’t google it, you’ll spoil the fun of the book…) The narrator of the story, Roger, is fictitious and is used to piece together some events, and make others move faster. It creates continuity in the story. I didn’t think that I would like this story because I didn’t feel like it related to me at all. I mean, I am about the whitest guy I know and the closest I’ve come to gang violence is watching the news and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Anyway, Yummy is a shorty for the Black Disciples. I didn’t know what a shorty was either until I read this book. A shorty is a minor who is used to do the dirty work for gangs. Since they are minors, they can’t get thrown in jail. They’ll be sent to juvenile detention centers and later released. By using shorties, gangs can get a lot of jobs done without risking a member being arrested. Yummy is exceptionally good at his job, and he bullies, steals, and fights his way through life. However, he’s still eleven and hasn’t really known a real home. He still sleeps with a teddy bear at night, and doesn’t fit in anywhere. Though he’s a member of this gang, he’s still just a boy too.

As he’s looking out for the Black Disciples’ territory, he decides to make a name for himself and pull a gun at some kids playing basketball on his turf. They scatter, and he pulls the trigger. With one motion, Yummy has split his neighborhood and has become a fugitive everywhere he goes. If he didn’t feel like he belonged before, there’s no chance for him now.

Roger tells us the tale of Yummy, and how he had to move from house to house and stay away from the police. The world is a scary place for me, and I can’t imagine how scary it was for eleven year old Yummy who lived in the projects while involved with a gang.

I finished the book in two sittings. It was a very fast read, but it was fantastic. I have to say that this book made me seriously think about things in the world. It is written in such a personable way that I felt like I knew Roger; that he was telling the story to me. It’s no wonder that this book received a Coretta Scott King Award honor. I couldn’t put it down, and I felt more complete after reading it. I would recommend Yummy to anyone! I don’t care if you’re black, white, yellow or purple. It doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor either. This book is excellent, and I hope that more people read this.

Roger Sandifer made the cover of Time magazine, and President Bill Clinton even spoke of him. Please, please, please read this book.

A Story

Today at the library, a patron came in and looked like she was feeling down. A co-worker asked if she was OK as she approached the desk. With a heavy sigh, the patron said that she had been better as she laid her library books, potentially her last, on the counter. Concerned, my co-worker asked why she was down…

“I’ve lost a book, and I can’t find it anywhere. I can’t afford to pay for it, so I’m here to turn in my library card.”

Fighting back tears, she retrieved her card from her purse and placed it on the counter. Before we could investigate further, she broke down and was in tears as she moved through the doors.

A devoted patron, she visits the library at least weekly, sometimes twice a week. She was gone before I, or anyone else, could stop her. Reserved to the fact that we wouldn’t catch her, we then discovered that the fine for her book was not nearly enough to block her account. My co-worker even offered to pay it since, obviously, the library means so much to this person.

With card in hand, something needed to be done. After thorough investigation, it was decided that the patron needed to be called. I was not there for the conversation, but apparently she thought that if she had any outstanding book and couldn’t find it, that she would be unable to use the library’s services. She was told that we would like her to pick up her card, and the borrowing details were further explained to her.

As I made my way through the stacks, she came and picked up her card. Oddly enough, as she was frantically searching her house for the missing book, she found it and brought it with her. She turned it in and carried on, looking for some new books to enjoy once again.

…

This is the first time that I have ever had an experience like this. I have never witnessed a grown person cry over the fact that they would miss out on what a library offers. I have come to realize that libraries are incredibly needed in society, and that there are a lot of people that rely on libraries for a plethora of reasons. However, I never knew how much the library could mean to one person. Libraries truly are wonderful, and even though I am not as avid of a reader as I wish I was, I can appreciate the many services that libraries provide, and for free! I also wish that more people could hear these stories about just how wonderful libraries are.

Libraries are *NOT* just a place to read or use the computer. They have become so much more, and I want people to realize that the possibilities are endless in the library world. Whether you are in the branch or online, libraries strive to provide you with the best services around, and the only thing that they ask is a few tax dollars. If someone reads this, please pass it on. If not, at least I have put the story out here for consideration.

Yeah, I can thank an old friend for this… It’s been in my head all day…

4 Year Old Conversations

This entry is *NOT* about conversations between 4 year olds, sorry to disappoint… I think that there are some YouTube videos about that, though.

This is about conversations that may not seem significant at the time, but by some strange random happenstance, they come flooding back to you and seem more meaningful than you originally thought. Maybe it’s better that those conversations didn’t mean as much back then; they can mean even more now. Sometimes the universe just has fun with us, and all we can do is smile. It’s been quite a while since I’ve gone to bed with a smile on my face like this, and I hope that it stays that way.

This Link Is Too Long for Twitt…

August 02, 2011


Twitter, the online micro-blogging tool, has changed the way that we communicate online. Users can update (or tweet) multiple times a day, hourly, or by the minute to let others know what is on their mind or what they are doing. This is great as long as you stay under 140 characters, including spaces.

However, if you have found a really great website or want to share a link to a database, 140 characters may not be enough. Some links tend to get excruciatingly long, and even after converting some of your words to text talk (c u l8r), your tweet may end up looking like the above title: cut off.

Luckily, there are resources out there that allow users to share extra long links to their hearts’ content. One such resource is bit.ly. By going to their website, users can copy their long URLs and paste them into the box on the screen. After clicking on the Shorten button, bit.ly will produce a much shorter link (usually 13 characters) that can be used on twitter. In this way, users can tweet a link and still have room to comment about it. For example: ”I just read this great article on tsunamis! You should check it out: bit.ly/giscID.” The length of the actual link is far longer, and would make it harder to comment on twitter.

If you are on twitter and don’t know about bit.ly yet, you should take a look at it. While you’re there, you should follow our branch (@MCPLBS) too!

Sic itur ad astra.

     -Virgil (70 to 19 BCE)