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Traveled ORD-Greensboro, NC to visit friends. Lisa and her (quiet) friend Kyle picked me up. A few (wrong) turns, and one hour later, we were north of Greensboro in the small town of Danville, VA.
Danville is isolated and deficient of quality businesses. Goodyear Tire (Goodyear's only airplane tire manufacturing facility) and Dan River Textiles are the two big industries. This is a blue collar, tobacco growing, unskilled region. However, the towns-folk are friendly and open.
Part of the afternoon was spent helping Greg prepare for Tabernacle's evening events and tomorrow's flag football contest.
The Palmer's have a gorgeous country view. Out the front door are rolling hills lines with forests'. It is October and the leaves are turning (turned?). Looking into the valley one sees a stocked pond surrounded with large trees. Take a look at the 360 degree view!
Went to Glory restaurant last evening. Quite good New England style food. The pumpkin cheesecake was best ever had! It was out at 1952 N Damen Ave. Thyme is another recommend restaurant which we will have to checkout.
Traveled to CHI today. Weather in CHI this AM was poor - flights delayed. This afternoon it is low temp but no clouds and gorgeous.
Today was Biker Sunday at Lakeview. PHOTO ALBUM. The full album can be seen here.
Started online photo albums at PhotoAccess.com. My gallery is online here. Registration is not required.
Worked an AAU ballgame today. The Florida Marlins beat the New York Yankees (game 6) to win the 2003 World Series.
PHOTO ALBUM. Photographed the Countryside vs Sickels AAU 18U ballgame. The shots will be used for website photographs. The full album can be seen here.
Friday night football. Dunedin came into this Friday night undefeated, 7-0. Countryside had lost just two games, 5-2. Tonight was Countryside's night. They scored early and often then came back in the 4th quarter to end Dunedin's perfect season.
PHOTO ALBUM. The full photo album can be seen here.
Arrived home last night. My Canon EOS Digital Rebel arrived...
Marlins victorious over New York. Series is tied 2 games apiece.
West Virginia SHOCKS #3 rankes Virginia Tech at home, 28-7. The only Hokie score was on a disputed fumble recovery and endzone run. Police used pepper spray to stop a surge of fans from tearing down the goalposts in Mountaineer Field. Students reveled around bonfires on Grant Avenue after the game.
About the bonfires... (from the Dominion Post/Morgantown)
The initial fire call came at 10:55 p.m. when a couch on North Spruce Street was set on fire. Moments later, the fire was extinguished -- someone put it out with a can of water, fire officials said. The couch was then doused to prevent a re-ignition of th e fire.
A second fire call came at 11:05 p.m. on Stewart Street. Most fires were doused within minutes of their start by Morgantown firefighters.
Another fire came shortly after 11 p.m. on McCullough Street off Willowdale, but firefighters had it under control in about 10 minutes.
Police spent time between the stadium -- where students attempted to tear down the goal posts and rip up turf -- and the neighborhoods where revelers lit couch fires.
Police made some arrests at the stadium, subduing celebrating students who rushed the field in hopes of tearing down the goal posts.
Police and emergency personnel also scrambled in the minutes following the game as people were reportedly injured. One man was unconscious and bleeding from the head in the Blue Lot within minutes after the game. Others were reporting minor injuries from being caught in the post-game celebration.
All of this seemed minor compared to the fires that broke out on Grant Avenue shortly before midnight. Those fires summoned police and fire personnel to the scene, where they battled the blazes for more than half an hour as hundreds of students gathered for celebration. One police officer estimated the student total surpassed 5,000 as the fires raged.
World Series Update. Yanks and Marlins are battling it out. Marlins took game 1, Yanks took games 2 and 3. Last night's game was rain delayed by an hour. I have no interest in this series...
Took the 4:45 flight TPA-MDW.
Traveled back to TPA today. It was an uneventful flight.
The goat lives on in Chicago.
Steven Bartman released this statement regarding his "catch" during game 6.
"There are few words to describe how awful I feel and what I have experienced within these last 24 hours. I've been a Cub fan all my life and fully understand the relationship between my actions and the outcome of the game.
"I had my eyes glued on the approaching ball the entire time and was so caught up in the moment that I did not even see Moises Alou, much less that he may have had a play. Had I thought for one second that the ball was playable or had I seen Alou approaching, I would have done whatever I could to get out of the way and give Alou a chance to make the catch.
"To Moises Alou, the Chicago Cubs organization, Ron Santo, Ernie Banks and Cub fans everywhere, I am so truly sorry from the bottom of this Cub fan's broken heart. I ask that Cub fans everywhere redirect the negative energy that has been vented towards my family, my friends, and myself into the usual positive support for our beloved team on their way to being National League champs."
Well, hand it to the Marlins. Jack McKeon gets his trip to the fall classic. The Marlins are the 2003 National League Champions. To get there, the Marlins beat Wood and Prior -- who woulda thought. Cubs fans - wait til next year.
Marlins get Cubs' goat, 9-6
Florida caps comeback, extends Wrigley curse to reach World Series; Games 6, 7, it aces ivy league test; MVP "Pudge" Rodriguez rallies wild card team to 3 wins in row; Chicago stays second city
AC005895: 00 - years since last division win, 58 years since last penant/NL win, 95 years since last World Series win.
Gonzo goes down swinging. Cubs are down to their final out.
Simon K's on four straight change-ups. Gonzalez, with 3 home runs in the series, bats.
Ramierz hit by pitch. Nobody out. Simon is pinch-hitting.
Bottom of the ninth. Cubbies down to their last 3 outs. They are still losing by 3.
Holy cow! Game 7 of the NLCS is going to the 9th with the Marlins ahead 9-6. If they lose...
The Red Sox have just beat the Yankees forcing game 7. Time for the Cubs-Marlins game to begin. I'm outa here to find a party near Wrigley...
Last night's actions at Wrigley Field are reminiscent of a Jeffrey Maier's fan interference between Baltimore and the Yankees, 1996.
For those not familiar with the circumstances, Derek Jeter hit an apparent deep fly out to Orioles right fielder Tony Tarasco. While Tarasco camped under the warning track to catch the ball, and register another out, 12 year old Jeffrey Maier reached far over the wall, and took the ball out of the air, just above Tarasco's glove.
The umpire covering the play mistakenly thought the ball was heading over the fence (because of Maier's "catch") and ruled Jeter's hit a home run. The Yankees went on to win the game in extra innings, and eventually won the playoffs as well as the World Series.
Maybe there is something to this Chicago Cubs curse after all. The Cubs were only 5 outs away from a world series birth when the team, aided by a fan, errored and sent the series to a game 7.
Scott and I trooped down to Wrigleyville. The atmosphere was festive. Everyone who had come was ready for the celebration - winning game 6 and moving onto the world series. We walked down Sheffield, Waveland, Addison and Clark St. Every street, every sidewalk, and every bar was jam-packed. Saw xNew York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and the Chicago chief of Police. We found Chen's on Clark St. wasn't overly full and had a good TV view.
The restaurant crowd was lively. With each passing out it got louder - inside and out. But one fan in the eighth inning changed all that.
From MLB.com:
Wednesday night's seventh game of the National League Championship Series will decide who goes to the World Series, and that is not all. It also will decide whether the eighth inning of Game 6 will be remembered in Chicago Cubs history for only 24 hours as a delay ... or forever as The Inning.
 In a sudden eighth-inning turnaround, the Florida Marlins took advantage of left fielder Moises Alou's run-in with a fan on a foul fly and an error by shortstop Alex Gonzalez to score eight runs in an 8-3 victory, forcing the NL championship series to a decisive Game 7. People, who minutes earlier were dancing and singing the praises of the Cubs, suddenly turned their wrath on the fan who grabbed for the fly ball just as Alou attempted to catch it. Obscene chants echoed from inside the stadium and from the surrounding streets, where thousands gathered to celebrate what they hoped would be the Cubs' first trip to the World Series since 1945. Ballpark guards escorted the man, who was wearing a Cubs hat, from his seat along the low outfield wall and into a security office as the game ended. He covered his face with a sweater as he walked past fans who pelted him with cups of beer and shouted obscenities. Some chanted "kill him." Jim Cuthbert, 33, said he was sitting about 15 to 20 rows behind the fan and was kicked out after approaching to berate him. "My wife was hanging on to my arm. I was going nuts. That idiot. We were five outs away," Cuthbert said. Fans outside the ballpark at first couldn't believe what they were hearing on radios or watching on portable televisions. From CBS2Chicago.com: The meddling fan was a 26-year-old man sitting at Seat 116, Row Nine. He was escorted away by security with his face covered after the irate crowd began pelting him with cups of beer and threats of violence. Some of the fans chanted "kill him!" From the St. Pete Times:First a fan - a fan wearing a Cubs hat! - reached out to catch Luis Castillo's foul ball, denying leftfielder Alou the chance to record the second out of the pivotal eighth inning. There was no fan interference call because umpire Mike Everitt felt the ball was in the stands. "No doubt in my mind I was going to catch it," Alou said. "It was something that happened out of our control." Castillo instead walked, with Juan Pierre moving to third on a wild pitch. Mark Prior got ahead of Ivan Rodriguez 0-and-2 but gave up a run-scoring single. Then the Cubs were vexed again. Surehanded shortstop Alex Gonzalez booted Miguel Cabrera's grounder, a fairly routine play that should have led to at least one out but instead loaded the bases. "When that happened you could see the opening," McKeon said. Derrek Lee, who was 3-for-25 in the series, ripped a double to make it 3-3, chasing Prior. After an intentional walk, Jeff Conine's sacrifice fly put them ahead 4-3, and a bases-loaded double by Mike Mordecai (Mike Mordecai!) pretty much spoiled the night. Pierre's single made it 8-3 and over. "It has nothing to do with the curse," Cubs manager Dusty Baker said. "It has to do with the fan interference and the very uncharacteristic error by Gonzo, because he doesn't miss anything. And then they just started hitting. It has nothing to do with the curse. It has to do with their bats." ------- Shortly thereafter fans started heading home. They couldn't bear to continue watching. Game Seven is tomorrow tonight.
The rain is coming down hard in Chicago. Cabs are hard to find. Keith (one of Westin's doormen) is working his tail off!
Traveled to Chicago today. It's still gorgeous here - temps in the 70's with lite wind. The Red Sox even the series at 2 games apiece. Dinner is at Phil Stephanios, 437 Rush St.
Cubs lost to the Fish today. They head back to Chicago for game 6, and 7 if necessary. Red Sox and Yankees were rained out in Fenway.
Yanks and Sox really got into it today! Here is a partial article from ESPN.COM.
"Stories from Saturday's game are going to be passed down (and exaggerated) from generation to generation but the best way to sum up the day is to say that the 72-year-old Zimmer left Fenway Park in an ambulance (somewhere Bill Lee is smiling) and the Boston police issued a dragnet for two Yankees players who allegedly fought a Red Sox groundskeeper in the bullpen.
All this transpired just because Pedro threw a pitch behind right fielder Karim Garcia's head and hit him in the back in the top of the fourth inning. And because Pedro faced the Yankees dugout and pointed to his head. And because Clemens had to be held back from storming the field. And because Garcia took out second baseman Todd Walker with a vicious late slide. And because Manny stepped menacingly toward Clemens after a pitch that was nowhere near him in the bottom of the fourth.
Oh, and because these two teams have hated each other for decades. The staggering moment from the game we will long remember however was in that amazing fourth inning, when the two great rivals were angrily storming the field, shouting obscenities and issuing threats -- and a seething Zimmer came racing around the bend, violently charging Pedro with such passion and energy that the Notre Dame Victory March should have been playing."
"Andy Pettitte and I went over there and I saw a bald head on the ground,'' Clemens said, delivering what may be the most bizarre quote in postseason history. "We weren't sure if it was Zim or (David Wells). I was like, Oh, my gosh, and he wasn't getting up. We went over and Andy and I were talking to Zim and we were just glad he was healthy, a man of his age. But that's Zim, he's got more fire than half those guys in the dugout and that's why I love him."
"Zim was probably out of line, too, but you have to consider his age,'' reliever Jeff Nelson said. "What, Pedro couldn't dodge him? The guy is 75 years old, how is he going to hurt you? You have to have more respect than that for someone like, an elderly man. You have to get out of the way.''
Nelson is one to talk. He was involved in such an ugly incident in the bullpen during the ninth inning that he may face arrest.
Depending on whom you believe, a Boston groundskeeper either got out of control and tried to punch Nelson (that's the Yankees version) or the Yankees tried beating up a groundskeeper who was just rooting hard for his employer (the Red Sox version). The truth, no doubt, lies in between.
All anyone knows for sure is that while closer Mariano Rivera was warming up on the mound for the bottom of the ninth, the Yankees and Paul Williams -- a special ed schoolteacher by day -- were going at it in the bullpen. It got so wild that Garcia left his position in right field to join the fray.
"The guy was waving a rally flag in our face most of the game,'' said Nelson, who denied he hit Williams. "I asked him nice to stop and then he got in my face. ... And all of a sudden crap broke loose.''
"I thought it was a fan, so I went, "All right, I want to watch them beat up the fan,' " Sauerbeck said. "Then I saw it was our grounds crew guy and we all felt kind of bad.
"Whoever started it, it was classless. If their guys started it, it was classless and if our guy started it, it was classless.''
Classless. Yes, that sums up the game. Oh yea, and the Yanks won.
SUA Ballgame: Showed up at Joe D and Dixie had only 5 players. FD and I waited for 30 minutes - they still did not have the 9 required players to start. Game forfeited.
Returned home to TPA this evening. Flight was 1 hr late. The flight was full of Cubs fans heading to Ft. Lauderdale. Red Sox lost to the Yankees; Cubs were off.
Cubs, Red Sox dial long distance
The Chicago Cubs took 95 years of frustration out on the Florida Marlins in Game 2 of the NLCS, homering four times in a 12-3 romp. In the ALCS opener, the Boston Red Sox took Mike Mussina deep three times to defeat the New York Yankees 5-2.
Cubs are playing tonight. They have a 8 run lead in the 5th. Prior is on the mound.
The Cubs and Marlins kicked off the 2003 National League Championship Series with a bang - seven bangs (homers), that is, in a single game. Three homers came in the top of the third. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.
Got to Wrigley around 6PM. Already the block was crowded. People were streaming into the stadium. Many more were hanging out in the local bars. Scalpers were wanting $150+ for a standing room only ticket! Good seats were going for $1000+, easily. After an hour of 'looking', and just as I was ready to stop looking and go eat, I ran into a gentleman from Cleveland. He had a pair of tickets and wanted to sell one. It was a great ticket - face $75, field box 122, row 15. The ticket was comped from his company. Ninety ($90) later I was sitting beside him! A great buy and a great seat for what was going to be an amazing contest.
Zambrano started for Chicago; Beckett went for Florida. Chicago scored four in the first. A homer by Alou capped the scoring. Suffice it to say, Wrigley was loud and rocking! That noise ended in the 3rd when Zambrano gave up 5 runs on 3 homers including a 3 run blast to Pudge.
The deflated crowd roared back in the later innings as Chicago manufactured a runs and tied the game. It stayed that way until a double in the top of the 9th scored two Fish. Could Chicago come back, again? Yes. Let me paint the picture.
Bottom of the ninth. Sosa at bat. Runner on first. Two out, two strikes to Sammy. All night Sammy had not hit the ball out of the infield. For postseason, Sammy was batting around .150. Then his bat came alive. He drilled a fastball over the left field fence and onto Waveland Ave. for a 2 run, game tying homerun! Oh the crowd loved it!
This story, however, does not have a happy ending. Mark Guthrie gave up a game winning homerun to pinch-hitter Mark Lowell in the 11th. That proved to be the difference. Chicago's crowd of 39,570 went home without a win.
Tonight's game was simply unbelievable. There were spectacular defensive plays by Flordia's shortstop, there were multiple comebacks by Chicago, and a goat - Guthrie.
Tomorrow the Cubs will start Mark Prior. We'll see if this year really is the year.
Don't forget to read the news articles and view the photographs here.
Red Sox Win! They beat Oakland 4-3. Jackson and Damon for Red Sox collided head-to-head. Damon left on a stretcher with a concusion; Jackson remained in the ballgame.
Some history on the Cubs - from Espn.com - It took all of 95 years, but the Cubs finally snapped their string of playoff futility by winning their first postseason series since 1908. In that year, the Cubs beat the Tigers in five games to win the World Series.
Traveled to Chicago today. Mom and dad and Candace traveled back to BWI. Tonight the Red Sox and A's play game 5 of the ALDS. Go Sox!
Cubs Win! Cubs Win! Cubs Win! The Cubbies and Braves played game 5 tonight of the NLCS. Kerry Wood threw 8 strong innings. The Cubs got to Brave's starter Hampton with 2 in the first. Turns out that is all the runs they needed. A disputed call by the umpires led to the only Atlanta run. The call - Lofton made a diving catch in center which was ruled a no-catch/trap. TV replays clearly showed it was a catch. Cubs coulda shoulda had a triple play.
Arrived back from Orlando today. Had an enjoyable time at Disney's Blizzard Beach water park. Today we walked around Disney's Celebration. They were having an art festival. Along with that we toured a few Celebration home's.
Disney's water park, Blizzard Beach, was our entertainment today. The park includes a 120' water slide drop. Summit Plummit takes just 4 seconds to descend the full 120 ft. That's a whopping 20.5 MPH or 30 FT/SEC! [Update: Granddad Bishop broke two bones in his foot. He'll be 'booted' for about a month.] Ate at the Black Angus - Granddad's favorite - in the evening. After some shopping and hitting the pool/hottub it was bedtime.
Went to Orlando today. Grandparents and Aunt Kay/Kimberly are up. Evening includes dinner at a hibachi restaurant.
Parents have come down today. They will stay through Monday morning. Heading to Orlando now...
Cubs Win! Cubs Win! Cubs Win! The cubbies have taken game 1 of the NLDS.
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