You're missin' a great game, Blue!

1st Inning.

Sports...Royals Baseball Academy.  Not many people outside of Kansas City know the history of the Royals baseball franchise but if you do surely you have heard of the Royals Academy.  It was an innovation of the new owner, Ewing Kauffman, back in 1969.  For the baseball establishment it was revolutionary and bucked the traditional system of how you develop talent for your franchise.  The gist of it was taking athletes that may not have ever played organized baseball (kids that were never scouted or drafted) and teach them the game along with giving them an solid education.  Fourteen players emerged from the Academy to go on to successful careers in Major League Baseball including Frank White and Ron Washington.  If you make it out to Kauffman Stadium for a game check out the Royals Hall of Fame (located behind Left Field) and the Academy exhibit.  In the meantime check out the video below and learn some Royals History!

2nd Inning.

Kylie with Supergirl back in 2009.

Planet Comicon 2013...For many years since moving back to Kansas City in 2004, I would drag Gina to Planet Comicon, back when it was held in Overland Park, Kansas, then later with the kids.  It's a fun time with plenty of folks dressed up as their favorite comic book/sci-fi/fantasy character that let you take their picture.  There are a ton of comic books if you are looking for that one issue to complete your run of Batman comics or Action Comics or any title for that matter.  You can also find various artists/writers of your favorite comics there to autograph or sell original prints.  Along with the comic industry names you will also find many actors from some of your favorite sci-fi/fantasy movies & tv shows signing autographs.  Over the years I have stood in line to get autographs from Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), Kenny Baker (R2D2), and Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett).  This year Planet Comicon moved to downtown Kansas City and I missed it but it sounds and looks like it was very successful and I would imagine downtown will be its home for many more years to come.  If you are looking for a good time and by the looks of these pictures many had a GREAT time!

3rd Inning.

Highlights of the Brew Crew this week...This past week saw the Brewer clan purchase a Class C RV motor home.  It has been goal of ours to get one which should allow us to have even more fun camping and travelling on vacations to destinations we had hesitated on due to high lodging expenses.  To find the right RV, I compiled a list of them from online listings found on Craigslist, RVTrader.com, and a few other dealer websites.  The wife and I ranked our top choices then went from there.  The top choice was an RV at a local used car dealership in Riverside, Missouri.  We took a long lunch and drove there to check it out.  Opening the door and walking in we noticed little paw prints all over the counters and dashboard with little balls of fur on the furniture.  Needless to say I couldn't convince the wife to open any of the cabinets for fear a rabid raccoon or cat would leap out and attack us.  We did not purchase that RV...So, we moved on to choice #2 which was a Craigslist ad with no pictures.  We called the number listed and set up an appointment to go view it in Overland Park, Kansas.  The elderly couple selling the RV were very nice and full of information about the motor home.  We had brought the kids with us to see it and both them and the wife fell in love with it.  We purchased it a day later.  Let the adventure begin!

4th Inning.

American History lesson...Battles of Lexington and Concord.  On April 19, 1775, Tensions between the American Colonies and the overbearing British Government reached a breaking point when 700 British soldiers marched on Lexington, Massachusetts. The initial resistance met with great peril, but the call to arms lead to more and more Minutemen arriving from all of the local villages and farms to force a British retreat from Concord.  During this retreat, the British kept to the road, while the American farmers fired at them from behind trees, walls and any obstacle they could find. When the British force returned to Lexington, they were met by a relief column. The combined British units then headed for Boston. The Minutemen continued to harass them the whole way.  By the end of the day, British casualties numbered 273, while the colonials suffered only 94, 18 of whom fell during the initial clash at Lexington. The American Revolutionary War had begun.

5th Inning.

Two funny videos...This week's blog post is video heavy and here are two posted by JoBlo.com that had me rolling on the floor laughing my a$$ off (that's ROFLMAO for you youngsters)!  Enjoy!

Patton Oswalt on Parks & Recreation (hilarious show):



Harrison Ford on The Jimmy Kimmel Show:




6th Inning.

Movie I want to see...again.  My top 10 Teen Comedy Movies of the '80s Countdown Part 5--'Revenge of the Nerds'.  This may show my age but I remember a time when renting VHS videos was a new and cool thing to do.  One of the first video rental stores before all the major franchises took hold in our neighborhoods was a small store in the Truman Corners shopping center in Grandview, Missouri.  I can't remember the name but I do recall that one of the first movies I convinced my mom to rent for me and my buddies for a sleepover in junior high was 'Revenge of the Nerds'.  A classic underdog movie that takes place on a college campus and pits a group of outcasts that form their own fraternity chapter, Lambda Lambda Lambda, and compete against the jock fraternity, Alpha Betas, for campus dominance with the nerds winning the final battle.  It stars Robert Carradine as Lewis Skolnick (King Nerd), Anthony Edwards as Gilbert Lowell (two years before Top Gun), and Ted McGinley as head jock (prior to his famous role as Jefferson D'Arcy on 'Married with Children').  My favorite character is fellow nerd, Dudley 'Booger' Dawson (To this day I'm sure anyone that sees him on the street yells 'Booger' at him every time much to his pleasure).  Lots of humor and hi jinks as each fraternity plays pranks on the other as they try to co-exist on campus.  This is an R-rated movie so it's not a family flick but it is one you will remember just as much as you will remember Lewis' obnoxious nerd laugh!  Trailer is below...Enjoy!




7th Inning.

Firearms Corner...This week I'll turn my attention to an accessory that most men who own/carry firearms on a daily basis might want to look into purchasing.  The Tactical Kilt!  It started out as an April Fool's Day joke but turned into a reality.  Tactical gear is a hot item right now whether it is a firearm or firearm accessory or clothing attire.  Go to your local gun shop or attend a local gun show and you will see several dealer tables devoted to tactical gear.  I'll take two in Mossy Oak Break-Up please!

8th Inning.

FFL Factoid...(Continuing previous weeks' factoid with more info on the different types of licenses.)

• Type 03--Collector of Curios and Relics (pertains exclusively to firearms classified as curios and relics, and its purpose is to facilitate a personal collection).  It is NOT  a license to buy and sell curios and relics, for collecting.  Application fee and the first 3 years is $30.00.  Renewal every 3 years is $30. 
• What is a firearm curio or relic per ATF.GOV?
Firearm curios or relics include firearms which have special value to collectors because they possess some qualities not ordinarily associated with firearms intended for sporting use or as offensive or defensive weapons. To be recognized as curios or relics, firearms must fall within one of the following categories:
1. Have been manufactured at least 50 years prior to the current date, but not including replicas thereof; or
2. Be certified by the curator of a municipal, State, or Federal museum which exhibits firearms to be curios or relics of museum interest; or
3. Derive a substantial part of their monetary value from the fact that they are novel, rare, bizarre, or from the fact of their association with some historical figure, period, or event.

9th Inning.

Heckling...It is a lost art but when used properly is a great part of sports tradition.