Steff

So we got to Great America about 10:30 on Saturday.. hit a few coasters then went into ther IMAX to watch the Nascar movie. Pretty good, interesting, etc.. Came out and it was pouring rain. Went to get the pass to come back the next day and decided in line that we'd just get a season pass. So we're waiting in line.. and along comes a heard with that "we're not waiting in this line" look on their faces. The parents hang back while the kids move in for the kill.. they get up front and scream "mom, dad.. come on it's our turn...!!!" The 20 or so of us they passed just sighed.. The next morning we go over there about 9:30 and get in line for the water park. We're about 15th in row and standing there for a bit when Jim and I strike up a conversation with a nice couple in front of us that had a 5 year old boy. The boy makes a comment about all the kids going in and out of the line. There was no use in explaining "line jumping" to him... :rolly About 10 minutes before the park opens this woman comes roaring up behind us.. "excuse me, pardon me, can I get past, etc, etc... " I start to respond to a question from the woman we were talking to and I say "I don't really understand...." when I am promptly cut off by the "excuse me, let me past" female who says... "I am not cutting in line.. my kids are up there.. ". Without missing a beat I respond.. "of course you are, but it's not worth making a fuss over". The crowd behind us starts hootin & hollering and clapping. It was pretty comical. So the day goes on. Nice place that water park is. We pretty much hung by the bar all day watching the baseball games that were on and venturing to the wave pool or a slide when it got to hot. About 6:30 we left and went to ride a few more rides before we were going to leave. We go over to Deja Vu.. We're in line and there is a group of 12 or so youngins in front of us. They see the fast pass lane and for whatever reason they jump out and go there - without fast passes. Of course the guy says no can do kiddo's and sends them back.. they go to get in front of us and the 2 older ladies behind us say.. "umm... no. End of the line kids". They start screaming "we were here.. bla, bla, bla..." looking to Jim and I for support of which they got none. The GA worker comes over and tells them end of the line or the exit.. choose. One of them starts screaming.. "this is BS. Always trying to oppress us..." in their best gangsta voice mind you.. and soon they were all accusing GA of being racist. Ya know.. because they were making them go to the end of the line that they got out of ... The 50 or so of us that heard all of this started laughing hysterically.. poor kids.. they actually thought they were being oppressed. Don't know what happened to them. They were fighting all the way until we got to the top of the stairs. I was surprised at how often both days people just cut in front of others. I mean we're all in line for the same thing, right..? And it's not like the lines were that long anyway (average wait both days was less than 30 minutes). More shocking is the adults that do this.. using their kids as an excuse. Anyway... thanks for the heads up on the park. Overall we had a great time. Other than that stupid 20 on/ 10 off rule in the wave pool anyway. Even as hot as it was yesterday with only 7100 in the water park there was still room to move and get food/drink. If you do go though I suggest doing it first thing so that you can get a lounge chair or table. I think it would have sucked if we didn't have those things.

http://www.thephatphree.com/features.asp?S...D=2&LayoutType= Posted: 7/6/2005 by: J.P. Melkus "I never called a balk in my life. I didn't understand the rule." - Former Major League Umpire Ron Luciano It is not only the most controversial call a baseball umpire can make, but based on the typical crowd reaction when one is called, the balk is one of the most controversial topics in all of American public life, just behind abortion, the flat tax, and my proposal to burn the elderly for fuel. Yet despite the blood boiling rage generated by a balk call, most baseball fans have precious little understanding of the rule or its history. The word “balk” hails from the Anglo-Saxon balca, meaning, “What happened just now?” Contrary to popular belief, the balk was not created during the 1978 off-season by Peter Gammons and George Will while on a week-long ether binge in a Macau opium den. Rather, it has been with baseball since its earliest days. The balk first appeared as Rule 19 in Alexander Cartwright’s Original Rules of Baseball, published in 1845 under the working title, “Ribald Tales of Bawdy Mulatto Housemistresses”. By 1867, the rule had been concisely set forth in Section 7 of the Rules and Regulations of the National Association of Base-Ball Players, as follows: [W]henever the pitcher moves with the apparent purpose or pretension to deliver the ball he shall so deliver it, and if he fails in either of these particulars it shall be declared a balk. This fairly simple explanation has been expanded slightly since Reconstruction, but it remains just as comprehensible and straightforward as any other rule of the Great American Pastime. The most common balk occurs when a pitcher fails to come to a complete stop when taking up his customary pitching position, but before beginning his delivery. (And just by way of example, it is also a balk to pitch while not facing the batter). Some conspiracy theorists believe that the balk rule is so broad and obscure that it is now capriciously invoked by umpires just to remind everyone that they run the show, like the Second Commandment. This is clearly irrational cynicism; the balk rule is set out in black and white in the 1,757 words of Rules 8.01 and 8.05, just look it up. And before I forget, some umpires interpret any lift of the pitcher’s knee followed by a throw to first to be a balk, while others require that a right-handed pitcher’s left foot cross the plane of the rubber his right leg before a throw to first would constitute a balk. Now, when a balk is called, all runners advance one base, and if a runner is on third base, that runner scores. If there are no runners on base, a ball is awarded to the batter. Oh, and it’s also a balk if a pitcher steps to throw toward one base and then throws to another while on the rubber. Balk much? Despite the elegant simplicity of the balk rule, many fans are unsure of how to react when a balk is called. The proper reaction to a balk depends on whether the balker is on your’s or the opposing nine. If a balk is called against your team, the proper response is to: 1) Roll your head back in disbelief; 2) Say, “What the f*** was that?”; 3) Shake your head; 4) Sip your beer; 5) Mutter, “That is such bulls***,” to the buddy in the seat next to you; and 6) Spend the next ten minutes arguing with your buddy about ways a pitcher could or could not commit a balk. On the other hand, if the balk is called against the opposing squad, the proper response is to: 1) Nod your head in recognition of your encyclopedic baseball knowledge, because you saw that balk coming; 2) Say, “That was such a balk,” to your buddy in the seat next to you; 3) Spend the next ten minutes arguing with your buddy about ways a pitcher could or could not commit a balk, 4) Get up to get another beer; and 5) Balk, especially if the pitcher faked a throw to an unoccupied base, because this is also a balk. Just as importantly, it is critical to react appropriately when an obvious balk is not called. If Johnny Home Team balks and it is not called, do nothing. However, if the opposing team’s hurler does anything other than throw the ball to the catcher—absolutely anything—scream at the top of your lungs “Balk! Where’s my balk?! Come on, Ump, read the rules!” Then, explain to anyone within earshot why what just happened was a balk... unless you’re near me. If you’re near me, shut your ass... unless he threw the ball over the foul line, because that really is a balk. Despite its bell-like clarity, the balk rule remained the flat-chested tomboy of baseball rules until it blossomed into a taut, supple young woman at the beginning of the 1988 season. It was then that Major League Baseball undertook to bring the long-neglected rule to its proper place in the pantheon of baseball boilerplate. In 1988, Dave Stewart of the A’s had a record sixteen balks for the season, while Rick Honeycutt, Gene Walter and Bobby Witt each were called for four balks in a single game, and Don Heinkel had three balks in a single inning. That year, the staff of the Oakland A’s had an unheard-of seventy-six total balks. On a sidenote, a pitcher can also balk by dropping the ball while his foot is on the rubber. The balk’s finest hour, however, came during a four-day span from April 10th to April 13th 1988, sometimes remembered as National Balk Week. During that period, Bobby Witt and Rick Honeycutt set their respective records, and records were set in the American League for most balks in one game by one team, (Milwaukee and Oakland each had five on Aril 10th and 13th, respectively), and by both teams, (a tie for six by the Brewers’ and Yankees’ April 10th Balk-Off, and the Balk-an peacekeeping mission played by the White Sox and Angels on April 12th). Never before or since in such a short period have so many balks been called, and so many pitchers’ wives later “fallen down the stairs”. And before I move on, if you’re pitching, don’t go to your mouth while on the rubber, because that’s a total balk. Also in 1988, the TV series “Perfect Strangers” reached its ratings peak. The show starred Bronson Pinchot as lovable, moronic immigrant named Balki Bartokomous. Balk-i... Coincidence? I think not. The balk exists to protect base runners from being picked off by the deceitful pitcher who would feign a throw in one direction and then unexpectedly go another way, leaving the runner confused, embarassed, kind of hungry, and most importantly, out. Therefore, the balk, despite its misunderstood nature, serves an imporant purpose. In fact, it is so useful in preventing unfair deception and surprise in baseball, I propose it be introduced into other areas of life: THE DATE BALK I had such a great time tonight, Steve. I’m so glad I met you. Maybe tomorrow we could go to that jazz bar we talked about…with my boyfriend. And you could bring someone too! THE INTERVIEWER BALK Steve, we really enjoyed meeting you. We all think you are really top-notch, and would be a great addition to this company. We, of course, would want you start right away, and at a very high salary of course…except that I decided to hire my dangerously unqualified girlfriend instead, so you won’t be starting at all, actually. Sorry. THE MOM BALK Son, you know your father and I will love you no matter what you do, just as we would if you had been our biological child…woah… woops... Did you not know you were kidnapped from a maternity ward? THE JUDGE BALK Mr. Greenbaumberg, in light of the fact that is your first offense, and because you seem to otherwise be a responsible person who perhaps had the misfortune to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and suffer a momentary lapse in judgment, justice demands that your mistake... serve as an example to others. Two years, no parole. So next time you’re bemoaning a balk called on your team, or righteously applauding a balk called on the other team, remember, the balk is a longstanding and perfectly understandable rule of baseball, which can be violated in over fourteen ways—(like Paris Hilton)—and no amount of arguing over what is or is not a balk will change that fact. And before I go, if a pitcher begins his customary pitching delivery while not on the rubber? Huge balk.

No problem ptatc.. I didn't express properly anyway.

QUOTE(ptatc @ Jul 25, 2005 -> 11:54 AM) Certain bones heal differently than others. Some have better blood supplies, others due to the shape. I know we've discussed this before but I never thought he would be fully healthy this year if he came back too soon. I was wrong that he couldn't hit early but he couldn't handle the running. With a few weeks off he may be able to play for a few weeks before it gets bad again. Hopefully, he can play into Oct. It will just depend on the infalmmation of the soft tissues of the foot and his pain tolerance. I'm aware.. Apparently my point was lost somewhere.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Jul 25, 2005 -> 11:51 AM) Not all breaks are the same. No.. really..???

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Jul 25, 2005 -> 11:46 AM) Last year's ankle injury was far more serious than anyone let on. It broke. I don't really know how much more or less serious it could have been reported..

QUOTE(ptatc @ Jul 25, 2005 -> 11:41 AM) Right. JR is the softy everyone potraits him to be. Scueler was doing the smart baseball decision by trying to get rid of a player who couldn't play anymore. I wouldn't go that far.. But the logic at the time was on the right track.

Some of you better hope we don't play them in the playoffs..

QUOTE(ptatc @ Jul 25, 2005 -> 11:35 AM) So...the fact that kept him on was the greatest compliment they could pay him. What's the difference where they released him? To Fisk the record was more important that the airfare he had to dish out. But I agree... it was bulls***.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Jul 25, 2005 -> 11:22 AM) And they let him fly to Cleveland and released him. Uhh.. Yea.. OK.

Funny comments.. Some of you guys never fail to bring a smile to my face.

QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Jul 25, 2005 -> 08:34 AM) I'm sure they have all the scenerios given to them by doctors about Frank's ankle. He has already stated he won't be 100% at anytime this season. I think you have to proceed like he won't be back this season. As far as next year, I think that all depends on who the Sox acquire before the deadline and whether they sign them or not. Frank gets a $3.5 million buyout. He has been paid approximately $80 million by the White Sox during his career. He's had a great career but the last few he's been very injury-prone. He can only DH. Call it disrespectful, call it cold, we've all heard JR would never let Frank play anywhere else, but it probably is the wise thing to do at this point in time. Letting him go with a $3.5 million going away gift is far more classy than what Ron Schueler did to Carlton Fisk. Umm.. they kept Fisk on the team so he could break the record.

QUOTE(JimH @ Jul 23, 2005 -> 02:36 PM) Actually, let me edit the post here because I wasn't clear, nor do i have all the ticket prices memorized. Get an upper deck resserved ticket from someone outside who'll sell it cheaper than $13, say, $12.99. Or maybe he has a Granton coupon book There, I think I have all my bases covered with the accounting majors now. I don't have the UD prices memorized either.. but I did read the post from the Sox stating what they would be charging for a LD ticket.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Jul 23, 2005 -> 06:06 AM) I'm sure we'll work it out. Where are your seats? For Friday... IIRC right behind the Yanks dugout. Same section our seasons are in but 1st row behind the dugout.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Jul 23, 2005 -> 06:04 AM) That would be cool, assuming we actually cross paths on the 19th. That's the day Jim's doing BP so we'll be there. Plus I have to give Jason all their tickets that day..

QUOTE(YASNY @ Jul 23, 2005 -> 01:40 AM) I want to issue a public thank you to Rowand44 for hooking me up with tickets to the Sox v. Yankees game on August 19th. It's not easy for us out of towners to score decent seats at these high demand games. Now Steff .. where are those August 20th tickets? I got them.. gave Mike his already, and I have the ones for you, Jason, and Mario sitting right here.. just too lazy to mail them. Can I just give them to you on the 19th..? And Soxy.. there is a slim chance I'll have 2 extras... so if you're interested let me know.

OK.. I'm outta here. Have a good one guys..

QUOTE(robinventura23 @ Jul 22, 2005 -> 05:13 PM) Thank God Willie's #9. He is useless at #2. Then again... Watch him go 4 for 4 with a homer tonight..

Ugh.. not looking forward to going to this game with this lineup.

LOL... Sam was 29 lbs at his heaviest. A lot of the reason he ended up with urinary issues. Sidney is 18 lbs which is small for a Bengal but he's from a litter that accidentally mated with a "common cat" so I got him from the Animal Welfare. Lucky find there.

The few that I've known are friendly.. but not lap cats. I like lap cats.

QUOTE(drowninginflame @ Jul 22, 2005 -> 04:11 PM) We were talking to a bunch of dudes from boston and they were cool as f***. We talked to some at Jimbo's after the game.. probably meet up with them again tonight. We didn't encounter any bad ones at all. Just one issue with one of them lighting a smoke in our section but he quickly put it out and didn't light up again the rest of the game.

Those are so ugly they're cute. Very friendly I've heard. Another one I love is a "maine coon cat".. very pretty but not so social.

The vet sent me a nice card with Sam's paw print on it.. I was like a baby. So.. I think I'm gonna get a replacement. Sidney is part bengal so I'm thinking about another like him and I found this site.. these cats are unbelieveably georgeous!!! http://www.savannahcatbreed.com/index.shtml Not gonna buy one from there... I would never spend that much on a pet.. but they are amazing looking..

One day The Lord spoke to Adam. "I've got some good news and some bad news," The Lord said. Adam looked at The Lord and replied, "Well, give me the good news first." Smiling, The Lord explained, "I've got two new organs for you, one is called a brain. It will allow you to create new things, solve problems, and have intelligent conversations with Eve. The other organ I have for you is called a penis. It will give you great physical pleasure and allow you to reproduce your now intelligent life form and populate this planet. Eve will be very happy that you now have this organ to give her children." Adam, very excited, exclaimed, "These are great gifts you have given to me. What could possibly be bad news after such great tidings?" The Lord looked upon Adam and said with great sorrow, "You will never be able to use these two gifts at the same time."