Girl, you really got me goin'...

1st Inning.

Highlights of the Brew Crew....Last night, my 9-year old daughter celebrated her 9th birthday by inviting 7 of her friends (including a cousin) to our house for a sleepover.  But prior to the sleepover we took all the girls, in addition to my 11 year old and her friend and my 2 year old, to Chuck.E. Cheese for dinner and some fun.  Now this was not my first trip there nor will it be my last, but over the years I have learned there are times to go and times to avoid and well, Friday night during the winter with snow and ice throughout the city felt like a decent time to go.  The crowds were typical but not 'weekend birthday party' crazy.  We grabbed a couple of booths, piled up the coats in the booths, handed out tokens, and ordered pizzas.  As I sat there in the booth guarding eleven girls' coats I had time to observe the crowd and establishment.  I will list a few of those observations/wishes/hopes below:

1. I imagine and hope there is a wooden pallet in some back room that contains a metric ton of Clorox disinfecting wipes and the staff has to wipe down every surface in that place every night before going home.
2. The perfect background for a Chuck E. Cheese cleaning crew member would be crime scene cleanup.
3. The pizza sold there is WAY overpriced.
4. I miss Showbiz Pizza.
5. There is always one game that is the hot game when it comes to dispensing the most tickets with the least effort and best chance.
6. I imagined this place as a kiddie casino only there are no free drinks.
7. If you are there without kids and not there for a party then you have exceeded the creep factor.
8. There is always one group of kids that have never been taught manners and are rude to all patrons.
9. Where the hell is the sit-down Star Wars game?  I would have sat and played that all night long?

2nd Inning.

American History lesson...Satchel Paige nominated for Baseball Hall of Fame.  On February 9th, 1971, pitcher Leroy "Satchel" Paige became the first Negro League ballplayer to be nominated for the Baseball Hall of Fame. History.com summarizes his career quite well, "In August of that year, Paige, a pitching legend known for his fastball, showmanship and the longevity of his playing career, which spanned five decades, was inducted. Joe DiMaggio once called Paige 'the best and fastest pitcher I've ever faced.'

Paige was born in Mobile, Alabama, most likely on July 7, 1906, although the exact date remains a mystery. He earned his nickname, Satchel, as a boy when he earned money carrying passengers' bags at train stations. Baseball was segregated when Paige started playing baseball professionally in the 1920s, so he spent most of his career pitching for Negro League teams around the United States. During the winter season, he pitched for teams in the Caribbean and Central and South America. As a barnstorming player who traveled thousands of miles each season and played for whichever team met his asking price, he pitched an estimated 2,500 games, had 300 shut-outs and 55 no-hitters. In one month in 1935, he reportedly pitched 29 consecutive games.

In 1947, Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier and became the first African American to play in the Major Leagues when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers. The following year, Paige also entered the majors, signing with the Cleveland Indians and becoming, at age 42, baseball's oldest rookie. He helped the Indians win the pennant that year and later played for the St. Louis Browns and Kansas City A's.
Paige retired from the majors in 1953, but returned in 1965 to pitch three innings for the Kansas City A's. He was 59 at the time, making him the oldest person ever to play in the Major Leagues. In addition to being famous for his talent and longevity, Paige was also well-known for his sense of humor and colorful observations on life, including: 'Don't look back. Something might be gaining on you' and 'Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.'  He died June 8, 1982, in Kansas City, Missouri."

Segregation robbed many of us baseball fans from ever seeing/hearing about the great players in the Negro Leagues playing for Major League teams and going up against all those names in the record books.  Yes, they played against each other during exhibition or barnstorming games but that is not really the same.  If they had been given the chance that old records book would look a whole lot different.  With that said, if I was ever putting together an all-time fantasy baseball team, Satchel Paige is my #1 starter every time. 




3rd Inning.

Firearms Corner...AK-47. In late December 2013, Mikhail Kalashnikov, passed away at the age of 94.  Who is Kalashnikov you might ask?  Well, if you asked me 10 years ago I probably wouldn't have had a clue but over the last ten years I have learned that name and a bit of history on why he is famous or infamous.  You see Mr. K developed the iconic AK-47.  This weapon has been called the most popular assault rifle by many and has seen use in every former Soviet state/territory along with many Asian and African countries.  It's reputation for durability and reliability are discussed among any group of gun nuts you can find that have ever shot or owned one and it has seen plenty of tests to back up those claims.  I have seen video of people burying one in sand and mud, leaving it there for months then digging it up and upon clearing the barrel firing off a full magazine(that was buried with it too!). 

 Per BusinessInsider.com, "Kalashnikov was a self-taught peasant turned tank mechanic who never finished high school, and he only became a weapon designer after he was shot in the shoulder in World War II. The AK-47 was introduced in 1948 and became one of the first assault rifles of the 2nd generation. Its remarkable success come from a variety of factors, including durability and low production cost — they reportedly sold in war-torn countries for as little as $15. However, their popularity amongst criminals and terrorists led to some concern for the inventor.  “Whenever I look at TV and I see the weapon I invented to defend my motherland in the hands of these bin Ladens, I ask myself the same question: 'How did it get into their hands?' ” Kalashnikov said in 2006. “I didn't put it in the hands of bandits and terrorists, and it's not my fault that it has mushroomed uncontrollably across the globe. Can I be blamed that they consider it the most reliable weapon?”"It is painful for me to see when criminal elements of all kinds fire from my weapon," he explained again in 2009, on his 90th birthday."

Chambered in the 7.62x39 cartridge, the main advantages of the rifle are its simple design, compact size, and ease of ability to be mass produced. Being cheap to manufacture and easy to clean and maintain, along with its ruggedness and reliability have made it legendary.  The AK-47 was originally designed for ease of operation and repair by Soviet soldiers wearing gloves in freezing conditions. The rifle is able to endure large amounts of dirt or foreign matter without failing to cycle a round due to the large gas piston, generous clearances between moving parts, and tapered cartridge case design.  But this reliability comes at a slight cost of accuracy, as the legendary tolerances do not allow for precision and consistency when firing the rifle. 

There are many manufacturers that still produce these rifles but most are overseas and you will be buying imports.  But note--these are semi-automatic rifles NOT fully automatic.  Century Arms sells an American-made version that utilizes the black synthetic materials rather than wood.  For more information check out the video below.  Enjoy!



4th Inning.

Cool videos...

Kid guitarist kicks ass!


America!

5th Inning.

Baseball stadium bucket list...U.S. Cellular Field, White Sox.  In May 2010, I travelled with my wife on another one of her business trip conferences back to Chicago.  Just like previous trips with her, tickets were purchased for those attending the conference that wanted to take in a ballgame.  But this trip to Chicago would see us going to U.S. Cellular Field to watch the Chicago White Sox take on the Texas Rangers. This was a great opportunity to catch a fellow American League Central Division opponent's ballpark and scratch another ballpark off my  stadium bucket list. We were staying once again at the Sheraton downtown by the Navy Pier, so, after a quick cab ride we were there.  Being located off the freeway, we didn't have a chance to take in much of the surrounding environment.  I recall paying the cabbie and scurrying across an overpass to get in line to enter the stadium.  After hitting the fan store to get my customary team bobblehead we headed to our seats.  With seats out in the right field section we settled down to watch the Rangers beat the White Sox (no, I would never root for the White Sox!).

Brief history on the ballpark per the team's website:

 
New Comiskey Park / U.S. Cellular Field
The new Comiskey Park opened on April 18, 1991, three years after the Illinois General Assembly passed legislation to build the park directly across the street from old Comiskey Park. A ground-breaking ceremony was held on May 7, 1989, with Mayor Richard M. Daley and Governor James Thompson in attendance. The new park featured an exploding scoreboard, an old-time facade complete with arches and over 40,000 unobstructed-view seats. The ballpark attracted a club-record 2,934,154 fans in its first year. In January, 2003, it was renamed U.S. Cellular Field. 

Like the May evenings previously at other ballparks, we enjoyed a nice ballgame but ended up leaving before the end due to rain moving in. I'll be honest, this ballpark has a retro/modern  look to it but is probably the least eye appealing of the ballparks I have visited thus far.  Having decent concessions (first park where I saw churros being sold), good seating, and good baseball I would still recommend catching a game there.  With the opportunity to scratch another one off of my baseball stadium bucket list you can be guaranteed that wiill always leave a 'W' in my scorecard. 

A few bullet points of interest:                

• Seating Capacity-40,615
• There is a 'White Sox Legends Sculpture Plaza' featuring: Minnie Minoso,  Carlton Fisk, Billy Pierce, Charles Comiskey, Luis Aparicio, Nellie Fox, Harold Baines, Frank Thomas.
• Hosted the first two games of the 2005 World Series, the first World Series games in Chicago since 1959.

6th Inning.

Random thoughts...The person that invented the onion ring needs a national holiday in their honor...I don't really have a problem with Coca-Cola's commercial from the Super Bowl...Now that my wife has some gray in her hair I like to pretend that I'm making out with Rogue or Storm from the X-Men...What is the appropriate amount of melatonin to add to punch for a group of seven 3rd-graders?...In the event of a natural disaster in my area the week long+ food supply in my home will be consumed in 24 hours by my wife and daughters (they have no self control)...

When will Sonic start offering the 5-gallon bucket cherry limeade?...The only one to complain about you eating tacos for lunch and dinner for 3 days straight is your colon...I always want to dump someone out of those motorized carts at the grocery store or Wal-Mart when they are not elderly and they have no visible leg/foot cast...Rooting for the Broncos seemed to bring bad luck to them in the Super Bowl so maybe I will start doing that when they play my Chiefs...


7th Inning.

Articles of the week...

• New Gun Study... "Quinnipiac University economist Mark Gius, examined nearly 30 years of statistics and concluded that stricter gun laws do not result in a reduction in gun violence. In fact, Gius found the opposite – that a proliferation of concealed carry permits can actually reduce incidents of gun crime." Another gun violence study that proves the point that many of us 2nd Amendment supporters have been saying all along. 
• Honey badger don't give a $h!t... Ten great rules for parenting!
• Build your own garden of the future... A great little article and video explaining how to build an aquaponics system for anyone wanting to grow their own food or live off the grid.
• Wheelchair of the future... "The TEK Robotic Mobilization Device is a machine developed to replace the wheelchair. In this demonstration video, we see a man with a severe injury to his spinal cord able to move about in ways that a wheelchair would make very difficult."  Not an article to read but a great video demonstrating this new wheelchair substitute.
• Crazy T-Rex... A great little article with video of an optical illusion.
  
• Homeland Security?... "The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) received at least 7,868 complaints of DHS “employee criminal misconduct” in the first half of fiscal year 2013 alone."  Another example of a bloated government department that needs to be thinned from the herd.
• Corrupt politicians... "Judicial Watch (JW) has released its list of Washington’s “Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians” for 2013, and it’s bipartisan in nature. Not only are eight members of the Obama Administration named, starting with Obama himself, but also GOP Speaker of the House John Boehner and GOP Senator Saxby Chambliss."  Power corrupts...absolute power corrupts absolutely...
• One last gift... "David Schmitz knew his wife loved him, but she confirmed the depth of her affection and fondness for him and their children with a surprise gift this Christmas — two years after she died from cancer."  A great story sure to warm your heart.
• Unions Gone Wild... "Defending workers’ rights is a noble mission.  But sometimes labor unions take it too far." Five great examples of your local unions working for you! 
  

8th Inning.

FFL Factoid...Purchase of Firearms by Current or Former Law Enforcement Officers (ATF FFL Newsletter, March 2013)

"Federal firearms laws contain provisions for the carrying of concealed firearms by qualified active duty and separated law enforcement officers. These provisions of the Act do not affect the requirements applicable to the sale of firearms to current or former law enforcement officers.

For the purposes of purchasing a firearm for personal use, the same requirements apply to current and former law enforcement officers and to other individuals purchasing a firearm. This includes compliance with the requirements of 27 CFR 478.124, which include completion of an ATF Form 4473, 27 CFR 478.102, which generally requires a background check, and meeting residency requirements.

Law enforcement officers may purchase a firearm for official use by providing the licensee a certification on agency letterhead. The letterhead must be signed by a person in authority within the agency (other than the officer purchasing the firearm), state that the officer will use the firearm in official duties, and that a records checkreveals that the purchasing officer has no convictions for misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence. If these conditions are met, the purchasing officer is not required to complete an ATF Form 4473, or undergo a NICS background check. However, the licensee must record the transaction in his or her required records and retain a copy of the certification letter. A law enforcement officer purchasing a firearm on agency letterhead may purchase a firearm in another State regardless of where the offi-cer resides or the agency is located. Reference 27 CFR 478.134."


9th Inning.

Baseball video...Royals highlights over the years. With pitchers and catchers ready to report shortly I am ready for baseball.  To get pumped up for a new season I am posting my top ten highlights from over the years.  First up is Game 3 of the 1980 American League Championship Series.  Brett and the Royals finally get past those damn Yankees.