Yankees’ Patchwork Lineup Is No Match for Red Sox

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><img src="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2013/04/02/sports/02yankees2_cnd/02yankees2_cnd-articleLarge.jpg" /><br /><br /><div class="articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1.7em; margin-top: 1.5em;"><nyt_text><div class="emActive emReady" data-key="YfwYfw" data-num="0" data-sentences="1" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em;"><span data-num="1" style="background-color: #f2f4f5;"><a class="meta-org" href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/sports/baseball/majorleague/newyorkyankees/index.html?inline=nyt-org" style="color: #666699;" title="Recent news and scores about the New York Yankees.">Yankees</a> fans waited five cold months for their team to come back to the Bronx and play baseball again, ever since a humiliating loss to the Detroit Tigers in the playoffs last October</span>.</div></nyt_text></div><div class="articleInline runaroundLeft" style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #333333; display: inline; float: left; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 6px 15px 10px 0px !important; width: 190px;"><div class="columnGroup doubleRule" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/global/borders/doubleRule.gif); background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border-width: 0px !important; clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 7px; padding-top: 12px; width: auto !important;"></div></div><div class="articleInline runaroundLeft collectionHeader" style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #333333; display: inline; float: left; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 6px 15px 10px 0px !important; width: 190px;"><h6 class="sectionHeader flushBottom" style="color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.4em; line-height: 1.2857em; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Multimedia</h6></div><div class="articleInline runaroundLeft firstArticleInline" style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #333333; display: inline; float: left; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 15px !important; margin-top: 0px; width: 190px;"><div class="story" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px;"><div class="wideThumb" style="margin-bottom: 4px; width: 190px;"><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2013/04/02/sports/02openingday_ss.html?ref=baseball" style="color: #666699; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" border="0" height="126" src="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2013/04/02/sports/02openingday_ss-slide-H03W/02openingday_ss-slide-H03W-thumbWide.jpg" style="border: none; display: block;" width="190" /><span class="mediaOverlay slideshow" style="background-image: url(http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/icons/multimedia/photo_icon.gif); background-position: 4px 4px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: black; cursor: pointer; display: block; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.182em; margin-top: -20px; opacity: 0.8; padding: 3px 4px 4px 20px;">Slide Show</span></a></div><h6 style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.25em; margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2013/04/02/sports/02openingday_ss.html?ref=baseball" style="color: #666699; text-decoration: none;">Opening Day: Yankees and Mets</a></h6><h6 class="byline" style="color: grey; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 2px 0px 0px;"></h6></div></div><div class="articleInline runaroundLeft" style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #333333; display: inline; float: left; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 15px !important; margin-top: 0px; width: 190px;"><div class="articleInline runaroundLeft" style="clear: left; display: inline; float: left; margin: 6px 15px 10px 0px !important; width: 190px;"></div><div class="columnGroup doubleRule" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/global/borders/doubleRule.gif); background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border-width: 0px !important; clear: both; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 7px; padding-top: 12px; width: auto !important;"><h3 class="sectionHeader" style="color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.4em; line-height: 1.2857em; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Related</h3><ul class="headlinesOnly multiline flush" style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px;"><li style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.25em; margin-bottom: 0px; padding: 0px;"><h6 style="color: black; font-size: 1em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.25em; margin: 0px;"><a href="http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/01/live-analysis-opening-day-yankees-mets/?ref=baseball" style="color: #666699; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Bats: Opening Day Ups and Downs for Yankees and Mets</a>(April 1, 2013)</h6></li></ul></div><div class="doubleRule" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/global/borders/doubleRule.gif); background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border-width: 0px !important; clear: both; margin-bottom: 12px; padding-top: 12px;"><div class="story" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 8px;"><h5 style="color: black; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.25em; margin: 0px;"><a href="http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/" style="color: #666699; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="Bats" height="24" src="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/blogs/bats/bats163.gif" style="border: none;" width="163" /></a></h5><div class="runaroundRight" style="clear: right; display: inline; float: right; margin: 2px 0px 6px 6px;"><a href="http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/" style="color: #666699; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" height="75" src="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/blogs/bats/bats75a.gif" style="border: none;" width="75" /></a></div><div class="summary" style="font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.25em; margin-bottom: 5px;">Keep up with the latest news on The Times's baseball blog.</div><div class="refer" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.182em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 2px;"><a href="http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/?8dpc" style="color: #666699; text-decoration: none;">Go to the Bats Blog</a></div></div><div class="doubleRuleDivider" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/global/borders/doubleRule.gif); background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border-width: 0px !important; clear: both; height: 4px; line-height: 0; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 12px; overflow: hidden;"></div><h3 class="sectionHeader" style="color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.4em; line-height: 1.2857em; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Major League Baseball</h3><ul style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding-left: 0px;"><li style="background-image: url(http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/misc/bullet4x4.gif); background-position: 0% 0.45em; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.25em; padding: 0px 0px 0px 8px;"><a href="http://nytimes.stats.com/mlb/scoreboard.asp" style="color: #666699; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Live Scoreboard</a></li><li style="background-image: url(http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/misc/bullet4x4.gif); background-position: 0% 0.45em; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.25em; padding: 0px 0px 0px 8px;"><a href="http://nytimes.stats.com/mlb/standings.asp" style="color: #666699; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Standings</a> | <a href="http://nytimes.stats.com/mlb/standings_wildcard.asp" style="color: #666699; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Wild Card</a></li><li style="background-image: url(http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/misc/bullet4x4.gif); background-position: 0% 0.45em; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.25em; margin-bottom: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 8px;"><a href="http://nytimes.stats.com/mlb/index.asp" style="color: #666699; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Stats</a> | <a href="http://nytimes.stats.com/mlb/stats.asp?file=recentinj" style="color: #666699; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Injuries</a></li></ul><h3 class="sectionHeader" style="color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.4em; line-height: 1.2857em; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Yankees</h3><ul style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding-left: 0px;"><li style="background-image: url(http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/misc/bullet4x4.gif); background-position: 0% 0.45em; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.25em; padding: 0px 0px 0px 8px;"><a href="http://nytimes.stats.com/mlb/teamreports.asp?tm=10&report=schedule" style="color: #666699; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Schedule/Results</a></li><li style="background-image: url(http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/misc/bullet4x4.gif); background-position: 0% 0.45em; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.25em; margin-bottom: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 8px;"><a href="http://nytimes.stats.com/mlb/teamreports.asp?tm=10&report=roster" style="color: #666699; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Roster</a> | <a href="http://nytimes.stats.com/mlb/teamreports.asp?tm=10&report=stats" style="color: #666699; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Stats</a></li></ul><h3 class="sectionHeader" style="color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.4em; line-height: 1.2857em; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Mets</h3><ul style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px;"><li style="background-image: url(http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/misc/bullet4x4.gif); background-position: 0% 0.45em; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.25em; padding: 0px 0px 0px 8px;"><a href="http://nytimes.stats.com/mlb/teamreports.asp?tm=21&report=schedule" style="color: #666699; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Schedule/Results</a></li><li style="background-image: url(http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/misc/bullet4x4.gif); background-position: 0% 0.45em; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.25em; margin-bottom: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 8px;"><a href="http://nytimes.stats.com/mlb/teamreports.asp?tm=21&report=roster" style="color: #666699; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Roster</a> | <a href="http://nytimes.stats.com/mlb/teamreports.asp?tm=21&report=stats" style="color: #666699; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Stats</a></li></ul></div></div><div class="articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1.7em; margin-top: 1.5em;"><div data-key="OdiOdi" data-num="1" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">Opening day is supposed to be a time of hope and renewal for a promising new season, but the Yankees carried the heavy burden of low expectations north from spring training, and nothing that happened Monday contradicted those projections.</div><div data-key="FodFod" data-num="2" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">For one day, at least, all the early predictions of doom came true for the Yankees, who were soundly beaten, 8-2, by their old rivals, the <a class="meta-org" href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/sports/baseball/majorleague/bostonredsox/index.html?inline=nyt-org" style="color: #666699;" title="Recent news and scores about the Boston Red Sox.">Boston Red Sox</a>, at Yankee Stadium in their 111th opening day.</div><div data-key="AeaAea" data-num="3" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">As early as the seventh inning, with the Yankees being thrashed and a cold wind spitting rain in the faces of shivering fans, there was no hesitation to bolt for the exits.</div><div data-key="TfhYMJ" data-num="4" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">The fans had seen enough, and by the thousands they streamed out, convinced that their team could not weather this particular storm well. Yankees Manager Joe Girardi cited the raw conditions and the prospect of school the next morning, but a new Yankee, Vernon Wells, cited a more apt reason for the mass evacuation.</div><div data-key="AteIdb" data-num="5" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">“At the end, it was ugly out, on the field and off,” he said. “I don’t blame them for heading home a little early.”</div><div data-key="TdaTda" data-num="6" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">The day actually began in brilliant sunshine and 62 degrees in front of a capacity crowd announced at 49,514, the largest attendance at a home opener in the five years of the new Yankee Stadium.</div><div data-key="BitBit" data-num="7" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">But in the later innings, when it became clear that the Yankees’ patchwork offense would not make much of a dent against Red Sox pitching, and the storm front hovered overhead, the stands emptied, leaving behind a swirl of trash on the field.</div><div data-key="IIaIIa" data-num="8" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">“If I’m a fan and it starts to rain, I go away, too,” said Francisco Cervelli, who knocked in the Yankees’ only two runs with a single in the fourth.</div><div data-key="TehTeh" data-num="9" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">The exodus had as much to do with the score as the cold rain.</div><div data-key="TRSHfv" data-num="10" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">The Red Sox pounced on Yankees starter C. C. Sabathia for four runs in the second inning and never trailed. To see Sabathia get knocked about in that one inning was sobering, as even he could not save the day. His fastball velocity was only about 91 miles per hour, but he said that his surgically repaired elbow felt fine and that he expected to build arm strength and raise the speed of his pitches over the next few starts.</div><div data-key="AyaNsg" data-num="11" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">A year ago, Sabathia might have won anyway in front of the Yankees’ potent offense. Instead, they lost an opening day home game for the first time since 1982, a span of 11 games. Not surprisingly, given the lineup, they failed to hit a home run on opening day for the first time in 14 years, ending a major league record streak.</div><div data-key="WotWot" data-num="12" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">With only two players from last year’s opening day lineup, and six players making their Yankees debuts, the Yankees managed six hits, five of them singles.</div><div data-key="IwaIwa" data-num="13" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">It was a disappointing outcome for a day that began with a mixture of dread resulting from all the Yankees injuries, and the hope that a solid pitching staff could see the Yankees through the lean times.</div><div data-key="DJMDJM" data-num="14" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, Curtis Granderson and <a class="meta-per" href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/r/alex_rodriguez/index.html?inline=nyt-per" style="color: #666699;" title="More articles about Alex Rodriguez.">Alex Rodriguez</a>, four of the team’s biggest stars, are all out with injuries.</div><div data-key="AymWhi" data-num="15" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">“Anytime you’re missing those guys, you’re talking about some of the best players in the game — it’s going to be a little bit different,” Sabathia said. “But we know what we have to do and who’s not here. That’s not an excuse. We’ve had injuries last year and the year before.”</div><div data-key="AttBdn" data-num="16" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">At the theater, when a star actor is absent from a day’s performance, an insert announcing the changes to the cast is included in Playbill magazine. Baseball does not do that, but playing the role of Jeter on Monday was the backup shortstop Eduardo Nunez, and the understudy for Granderson was Wells.</div><div data-key="JNsYwh" data-num="17" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">Jayson Nix started at third base in place of Kevin Youkilis, who began the day at first base because the lefty Lyle Overbay, signed only last week, was not going to be in the starting lineup against Jon Lester. Youkilis, who had the Yankees’ only extra base hit, a fourth-inning double, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/15/sports/baseball/yankees-introduce-kevin-youkilis-their-third-baseman-for-now.html?_r=1&" style="color: #666699;">was signed</a> to a one-year, $12 million contract in the off-season to replace Rodriguez.</div><div data-key="AhiHdn" data-num="18" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">A hip injury has Rodriguez on the disabled list. He did not spend one day at spring training, but he showed up Monday and watched parts of the game from the bench, though he chose not to be introduced before the game.</div><div data-key="TgiSfi" data-num="19" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">The game itself was rather unremarkable, except for a smattering of fans rooting for the Red Sox. Sabathia fell into trouble early, and the Yankees had very few opportunities to tie it.</div><div data-key="TitTsi" data-num="20" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">Trailing, 5-2, in the bottom of the seventh, the Yankees had their best chance with runners at first and second and no one out. But Nunez, Robinson Cano and Youkilis all struck out against Boston’s bullpen. The stadium immediately fell into an eerie silence, reminiscent of the one in the next-to-last game at the Stadium last October when Jeter broke his ankle.</div><div class="emReady" data-key="TwiTYh" data-num="21" data-sentences="2" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;"><span data-num="1">That was in the 12th inning of Game 1 of the American League Championship Series, more than five months ago.</span> <span data-num="2">The Yankees have yet to win a true game since</span></div></div></div>

Patchwork Lineup Yankees Yankees’ Patchwork Lineup Is No Match for Red Sox

Yankees  fans waited five cold months for their team to come back to the Bronx and play baseball again, ever since a humiliating loss to the...

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The best and worst of 2013 MLB giveaways

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><script src="http://player.espn.com/player.js?&playerBrandingId=4ef8000cbaf34c1687a7d9a26fe0e89e&pcode=1kNG061cgaoolOncv54OAO1ceO-I&width=576&height=324&externalId=espn:9120405&thruParam_espn-ui[autoPlay]=false&thruParam_espn-ui[playRelatedExternally]=true"></script><script src="http://player.espn.com/player.js?&playerBrandingId=4ef8000cbaf34c1687a7d9a26fe0e89e&pcode=1kNG061cgaoolOncv54OAO1ceO-I&width=576&height=324&externalId=espn:9120405&thruParam_espn-ui[autoPlay]=false&thruParam_espn-ui[playRelatedExternally]=true"></script> <br /><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Woooo! Baseball! </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Woooo! Free stuff at baseball games. </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">As connoisseurs of free things, we went through every major league baseball team’s 2013 promotions and giveaways calendar to find you the best and worst of this season’s loot and events. </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">May your 2013 baseball season be one of getting the finest free crap. </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><br /><h3 style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">WORST 2013 MLB GIVEAWAYS AND PROMOTIONS</h3><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><b style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Ryan Howard Whiffle Ball Set -- April 7</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">When the entire fan base is concerned that Howard has lost the power of his prime, maybe giving away a bat with his name on it and a ball that can’t be hit farther than 150 feet isn’t the best idea. </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><b style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Mets Drawstring Bag – April 7</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Drawstring bags have long pieces of rope. Long pieces of rope should never be made available to Mets fans. If a fan harms himself or herself, the Mets are liable. </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><b style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Miguel Cabrera Bobblehead -- April 10</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">The head looks right, but the body is </span><a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/det/images/promotions/y2013/cabreramini_lg.jpg" style="border: 0px; color: rgb(96, 143, 214) !important; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="new">Cabrera circa Marlins 2003</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">. </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><b style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A.J. Burnett T-Shirt -- April 12</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Last season the Pirates had a postgame Daughtry concert. </span><a href="http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/pit/images/promotions/y2013/tshirt_0412_175x175.jpg" style="border: 0px; color: rgb(96, 143, 214) !important; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="new">This is the Daughtry of T-shirts</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">. </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8896966065785019252" name="more" style="border: 0px; color: #225db7; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></a><b style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Rockies “Win Lose Rain Shine” T-Shirt -- April 15</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Seems like the Rockies </span><a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/col/images/promos/y2013/tshirt_180x223.jpg" style="border: 0px; color: rgb(96, 143, 214) !important; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="new">are shooting for .500 this year</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">. Or not. Whatever. Win, lose, rain, shine. Que sera. </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><b style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">White Sox Puzzle Cube -- April 20</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">As though being a baseball fan in Chicago isn’t maddening enough, now we have to torment 10,000 kids with a </span><a href="http://www.mlb.com/cws/images/promotions/y2013/puzzle_cube_200.jpg" style="border: 0px; color: rgb(96, 143, 214) !important; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="new">White Sox-themed Rubik’s Cube</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">? </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><b style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Mets Dog Bandana -- April 20</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">We pull our dogs around with leashes, feed them table scraps and make them go to the bathroom outside. But putting Mets paraphernalia on them is going too far. It’s simply not humane. We can treat animals better than this. We must. </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><b style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Joe Maddon Gnome -- April 24</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">It turns out </span><a href="http://tampabay.rays.mlb.com/tb/images/promo/y2013/gnome_300x300.gif" style="border: 0px; color: rgb(96, 143, 214) !important; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="new">a bespectacled gnome</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> is even creepier than a regular gnome. Good to know. </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><b style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Giants Announcers Bottle Stoppers -- May 11</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Who wants </span><a href="http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/sf/images/promos/y2013/promo_0511.jpg" style="border: 0px; color: rgb(96, 143, 214) !important; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="new">these guys’ butts</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> in your wine? Not me. Probably not you. </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><b style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Giancarlo Stanton Arm Sleeve -- June 2</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">The 17 fans at Marlins Park will find it pretty awkward when they’re handed a Giancarlo Stanton arm sleeve six weeks after he’s been traded for cash. </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><b style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Cleveland Indians Fireworks Night: Bon Jovi Theme -- June 22</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Bon Jovi-themed fireworks at a Phillies, Yankees or Mets game is one thing, but at an Indians game? Come on, Cleveland. You can do better. We hope. </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><b style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Cardinals Replica 2011 World Series Game 7 Ticket -- June 23</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Bad idea. Now everyone at this game will get to pretend they were at Game 7 of the 2011 World Series. “Really! I was there! Don’t believe me? I even have my ticket! David Freese gave me a high-five!” </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><b style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Joe Mauer/Justin Morneau Double Bobblehead -- July 19</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Don’t take this out of the box. It will break immediately. </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><b style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Cubs Toiletry Bag -- August 16</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Always bring your Cubs Toiletry Bag to Wrigley Field, as Wrigley Field is </span><a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/fandom/post/_/id/12398/bwrigley-is-the-grossest-filthiest-ballpark-ever" style="border: 0px; color: rgb(96, 143, 214) !important; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="new">like a big toilet</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">. </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><h3 style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.2em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">BEST 2013 MLB GIVEAWAYS AND PROMOTIONS</h3><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><b style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Cubs Texting Gloves -- April 11</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">“Cubs lost. Don’t care. Drunk.” </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><b style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Yankees Flower Seed Packet Night -- April 18</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Watch as these beautiful flowers come to life, grow and bloom. It will be a great distraction from the rotting, death and misery that will be 2013 New York Yankees baseball. </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><b style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Twins Rain Gauge -- April 22</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">First they lose the dome, now they’re giving away rain gauges. They Twins organization has really embraced precipitation. </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><b style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Justin Verlander Bobblehead -- April 24</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">You can’t go wrong with a bobblehead giveaway of a big star. Although people would probably much prefer if this came with a Kate Upton figurine. </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><b style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Mariners Beards Hat Night -- April 26</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><a href="http://seattle.mariners.mlb.com/sea/images/promotions/y2013/promo_0426.jpg" style="border: 0px; color: rgb(96, 143, 214) !important; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="new">The picture</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> is better than any words that could go here. </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><b style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Ryan Braun Bobblehead Presented by Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board -- May 26</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">See, guys. The only performance enhancer Ryan Braun has ever gotten near is delicious and nutritious Wisconsin milk! Nothing to see here! </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><b style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Minnesota Twins Wine, Women and Baseball -- May 30, June 28, Aug. 12</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">This is a women’s night featuring a pregame wine tasting at a nearby hotel. But the single men of the Twin Cities should circle these games on their calendars, too. The stadium will be full of female wine drinkers who like sports. No dating site has ever pre-selected the perfect woman this well. </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><b style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Coco Crisp Cereal Bowl -- June 2</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">The fact that it took until the 12th year of Coco Crisp’s career for a team to have </span><a href="http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/oak/images/schedule/y2013/promotions/150x150_coco_bowl.jpg" style="border: 0px; color: rgb(96, 143, 214) !important; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="new">Coco Crisp cereal bowl</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> giveaway is evidence that America is in decline. Credit to Billy Beane’s A’s for doing this, though. He’s not known as a top GM for nothing. He noticed a cereal bowl market inefficiency and exploited it. </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><b style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Carlos Ruiz Bobblehead -- June 4</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Good job by the Phillies giving out a Carlos Ruiz bobblehead </span><i style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">after</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> his PED suspension ends. That’s Baseball Promotions 101. </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><b style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Don Sutton Bobblehead -- June 6</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">The Dodgers unfortunately have not yet provided a picture of the Sutton bobblehead, but</span><a href="http://tomatonation.com/media/DonSutton2-300x210.jpg" style="border: 0px; color: rgb(96, 143, 214) !important; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="new">this is what he looked like</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> during his playing career. So if you are a bobblehead collector and have yet to own one featuring a man with permed hair, get to Dodger Stadium on June 6. </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><b style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Mike Trout Fish Hat -- June 18</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><a href="http://losangeles.angels.mlb.com/ana/images/promotions/y2013/trout_fishhat_promo.jpg" style="border: 0px; color: rgb(96, 143, 214) !important; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="new">It’s a baseball hat with a fish sticking out of it</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">. You know, because of his name? He’s a baseball player and his name is Trout? Like the kind of fish? Ah, never mind. Subtlety is lost on some people. </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><b style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Cardinals 1926 Championship Beer Stein -- June 21</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">In many cities, it would be unwise to arm 40,000 fans with a hunk of glass. But Cardinals fans are good people. They have never tried to kill anyone with a beer stein, as far as we know. </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><b style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Yankees Old-Timers' Day -- June 23</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Sometimes the jokes just write themselves. And then when those jokes get old, Brian Cashman signs them. </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><b style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Yankees Car Air Freshener -- July 11</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Fans could hang them in their car. But it might be smarter to hang them around Yankee Stadium to get the stink out. </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><b style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Chicago Bulls Night -- Aug. 6</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">A baseball game on Aug. 6 is probably the day Derrick Rose finally returns. A little late for the Bulls perhaps, but it might sell a few extra White Sox tickets. </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><b style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">John Kruk Action Figure -- Aug. 23</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Kruk once said: “I’m not an athlete, I’m a professional baseball player.” Now he has an action figure. The Phillies haven’t released a photo of it yet. Probably because they’re trying to figure out how to sculpt an oxymoron. </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><b style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Houston Astros Batting Practice Replica Jersey -- Aug. 31</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">This is your big chance. Just slip one of these on, sneak onto the field, take batting practice, wow the coaches with your ability to hit the ball out of the infield, become a real member of the Houston Astros and bat cleanup in that day’s game! </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><b style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Willie McGee Replica Jersey -- Sept. 7 </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"></span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Remember, to properly wear your Willie McGee jersey, you have to constantly </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7dV8skf36Nb-KEVHbglqX22_aKnbM8f-F8NS9ejsoR7Po_MNLcbTHbNysLrbxtfIaVjpbdLhzi5lPG_jeS3BvVGgLZde9g7FaY5UhU3XBdGZ9nWGYvB36Ov_eqxJHiibUdCABUjDsIgmx/s1600/willie.jpg" style="border: 0px; color: rgb(96, 143, 214) !important; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="new">make a face like this</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">. </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><b style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Cubs Zubazpalooza -- Sept. 23</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><br /><br style="color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">What’s the only way to get people to attend a late-September Cubs-Pirates game? Zubaz, obviously. This is how the Cubs keep getting fans losing season after losing season. They’re marketing geniuses.</span></div></div>

mlb The best and worst of 2013 MLB giveaways

Woooo! Baseball!  Woooo! Free stuff at baseball games.  As connoisseurs of free things, we went through every major league baseball team’s ...

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OMG! More Onion-Like Headlines?

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Hola y’all! I got nothing. So, that means it’s time for another round of Headlines. Please try to hold down the excitement!<br /><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">- Area woman pretends to fall for husband’s April Fool’s joke for 27^th consecutive year. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">- Retiring yoga instructor says his biggest professional failure was to never be named as “the other man” in any of his female student’s divorces. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">- Hitler’s grandson says he’s tired of having his grandfather compared to Barack Obama. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP5_gi1YgcEtDj_sI-A_ZkOElg68VtwNPu5cQGPa2Rz6B9qcMP1DfNBVSZBsVMOVdDB8WgSLJq2DyUTCGSHCGGRmoU_h07Rg8eUjqAo2uP0PHwMjkotLCWqVytFN6XWPV91EaxagSKfPw/s1600/sad+cubs+fan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP5_gi1YgcEtDj_sI-A_ZkOElg68VtwNPu5cQGPa2Rz6B9qcMP1DfNBVSZBsVMOVdDB8WgSLJq2DyUTCGSHCGGRmoU_h07Rg8eUjqAo2uP0PHwMjkotLCWqVytFN6XWPV91EaxagSKfPw/s320/sad+cubs+fan.jpg" width="241" /></a>- Chicago Cubs optimistic that this will be their best and most exciting last place team in years.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">- City passes ordinance requiring anyone hired to operate an ice cream truck pre-emptively register as a sex offender too. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">- In an effort to convince guard Aaron Craft to return for his senior season at Ohio State, Coach Thad Matta has convinced school officials to allow Craft to start up a White Power Club. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">- Group of Senators and Congressmen with shady pasts get together to stop universal background checks. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">- Entire nation loses its shit over gruesome injury suffered by basketball player they’ve never heard of and playing in a game they weren’t watching. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">- Baseball fan in Pittsburg falls for the old “It’s opening day and everyone is in first place” line again even though he knows it’s bullshit. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">- Obama admin sends warships, bombers, subs and nuclear capable aircraft to South Korea because he says “We just want to put them in a place where we won’t lose them.” <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">- Alaska Rep Don Young forced to stay late after congressional business to write “I will not use the word ‘wetbacks’ again” on the chalkboard 500 times. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">- Fox baseball analyst Tim McCarver says he will retire after this season. “I just can’t be a part of game that refuses to award an RBI to a player who hits into a double-play even though a run scores. I mean a GODDAMN RUN SCORES, RIGHT?” he said “And the guy DID hit the ball with a bat, right? So? Why no RUN BATTED IN? So fucking stupid!” <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Okay, that’s enough of those. I can’t use up all my funny in one past ya know! <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="mailto:Jayman3768@gmail.com">Jayman3768@gmail.com</a><br /><a href="http://www.twitter.com/jayman_iws" target="_blank">@Jayman_IWS </a><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">BTW, you really should check out “<a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/im-with-stupid/2013/03/31/christs-coming-out-party" target="_blank">Christ’s Coming Out Party</a>” on I’m With Stupid. We covered all kinds of stuff like what Jesus might have been doing while he was in that cave for three days, Jon Hamm’s HUGE package, music from Buddy Acapella, Guy’s interview of the Easter Bunny and on and on and on! <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.adobe.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" height="105" id="143577" name="143577" width="210"><param name="movie" value="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/btrplayer.swf?file=http://www.blogtalkradio.com%2Fplaylist.aspx%3Fshow_id%3D4618007&autostart=false&bufferlength=5&volume=80&corner=rounded&callback=http://www.blogtalkradio.com/flashplayercallback.aspx" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="menu" value="false" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/btrplayer.swf" flashvars="file=http://www.blogtalkradio.com%2Fplaylist.aspx%3Fshow_id%3D4618007&autostart=false&shuffle=false&callback=http://www.blogtalkradio.com/FlashPlayerCallback.aspx&width=210&height=105&volume=80&corner=rounded" width="210" height="105" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" quality="high" wmode="transparent" menu="false" name="143577" id="143577" allowScriptAccess="always"></embed></object><br /><div style="font-size: 10px; text-align: center; width: 220px;">Listen to <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/">internet radio</a> with <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/im-with-stupid">Im With Stupid</a> on Blog Talk Radio<br /><br /><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div></div>

OMG! More Onion-Like Headlines?

Hola y’all! I got nothing. So, that means it’s time for another round of Headlines. Please try to hold down the excitement! - Area woman pre...

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"Buckwild" star Shain Gandee found dead

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div class="image620 " style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: 350px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; width: 620px;"><img alt="Shain Gandee of the MTV reality series "Buckwild."" src="http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2013/04/01/20120521_buck_wild_0005_r_620x350.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; z-index: 1;" /></div><div class="imgText" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em; outline: 0px; padding: 5px 0px 20px; vertical-align: baseline;">Shain Gandee of the MTV reality series "Buckwild." <span class="greySplitter" style="border: 0px; color: #c4c4c4; font-family: Helvetica, Arial; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 2px; vertical-align: baseline;">/</span> <span class="creditImg" style="border: 0px; color: #202022; font-family: nimbus-sans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: uppercase; vertical-align: baseline;">MTV</span></div><div class="imgText" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em; outline: 0px; padding: 5px 0px 20px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="creditImg" style="border: 0px; color: #202022; font-family: nimbus-sans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: uppercase; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Time New Roman', serif; font-size: 1.1em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline;">West Virginia authorities say that Shain Gandee, one of the stars of the MTV reality show "Buckwild," has been found dead, along with his uncle and a third, unidentified person.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Time New Roman', serif; font-size: 1.1em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Time New Roman', serif; font-size: 1.1em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Kanawha County Sheriff's Department Cpl. B.D. Humphreys says the 21-year-old, his uncle David Gandee, 48, and the third man were found Monday near Sissonville.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Time New Roman', serif; font-size: 1.1em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><a data-assetid="10016312" data-assettypeid="49" data-nodeid="207" data-overlay="1" data-overlayenabled="true" href="http://www.cbsnews.com/2300-207_162-10016312-1.html" style="border: 0px; color: #b12124; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="storyEmbed" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(222, 222, 222); border-bottom-style: solid; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; clear: left; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 4px 20px 20px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 220px; zoom: 1;"><figure class="gallery" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px -32px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 40px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; width: 220px;"><img class="image220" src="http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2013/04/01/fb_03_220x157.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; height: 140px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; width: 220px;" /></figure><div class="meta" style="border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Time New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.85em; font-style: italic; line-height: 22px; margin-top: 4px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; width: 220px; z-index: 11;">9 <span style="border: 0px; color: #b12124; font-family: nimbus-sans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 2px; text-transform: uppercase; vertical-align: baseline;">PHOTOS</span></div><h3 style="-webkit-font-smoothing: subpixel-antialiased; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; color: #202022; font-family: nimbus-sans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.4em; font-style: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.07em; line-height: 1em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px 0px 10px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 220px;">"Buckwild" star found dead</h3></div></a><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Time New Roman', serif; font-size: 1.1em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Authorities had been searching for the men since early Sunday morning. They were last seen around 3 a.m. Sunday at a bar in Sissonville and they told people they were going driving off-road.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Time New Roman', serif; font-size: 1.1em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Time New Roman', serif; font-size: 1.1em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Humphreys said state police were getting ready to send out an aviation unit to search for the men when authorities received a call Monday morning that a vehicle was found wrecked in a muddy area a few miles from Gandee's home in Sissonville, about 15 miles outside of Charleston.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Time New Roman', serif; font-size: 1.1em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Time New Roman', serif; font-size: 1.1em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Authorities found the 1984 Ford Bronco that belonged to the Gandee family in a ditch with all three men inside. Humphreys did not provide details on the condition of the vehicle or the bodies. He said no foul play was suspected.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Time New Roman', serif; font-size: 1.1em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Time New Roman', serif; font-size: 1.1em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper said the news was devastating for the small community near Charleston.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Time New Roman', serif; font-size: 1.1em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Time New Roman', serif; font-size: 1.1em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"It's a very sad day for the Sissonville area and for these families," he said. "This is a small community, and most of us know directly members of these families. We're keeping them in our hearts and prayers."</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Time New Roman', serif; font-size: 1.1em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Time New Roman', serif; font-size: 1.1em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Shain, nicknamed "Gandee Candy" by fans, was a breakout star of the show that followed the antics of a group of young friends enjoying a wild country lifestyle. It was filmed last year, mostly around Sissonville and Charleston.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Time New Roman', serif; font-size: 1.1em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Time New Roman', serif; font-size: 1.1em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"We are shocked and saddened by the terrible news about Shain Gandee, and those involved in this tragic incident," a spokesperson for MTV <a href="http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1704696/shain-gandee-dead.jhtml" style="border: 0px; color: #b12124; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">said in a statement</a>. "We are waiting for more information but at this time, our main concern is for the Gandee family and their friends. Our thoughts and prayers are with them. Shain had a magnetic personality, with a passion for life that touched everyone he met and we will miss him dearly."</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Time New Roman', serif; font-size: 1.1em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Time New Roman', serif; font-size: 1.1em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The network announced in February that it had <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-207_162-57567971/buckwild-gets-renewed-for-second-season/" style="border: 0px; color: #b12124; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">ordered a second season</a> of "Buckwild." It said the half-hour series in the old "Jersey Shore" time slot was pulling in an average of 3 million viewers per episode since its premiere and was the No. 1 original cable series on Thursday nights among 12- to 34-year-olds.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Time New Roman', serif; font-size: 1.1em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Time New Roman', serif; font-size: 1.1em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Shain Gandee is the third "Buckwild" cast member to make headlines.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Time New Roman', serif; font-size: 1.1em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Time New Roman', serif; font-size: 1.1em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Last week, 24-year-old Salwa Amin <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-207_162-57576669/buckwild-cast-member-salwa-amin-lands-back-in-west-virginia-jail/" style="border: 0px; color: #b12124; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">was sent back to jail</a> for violating the terms of her bond following a February arrest. She was charged with two counts of drug possession with intent to deliver and initially jailed on $200,000 bond. That was later reduced to $100,000, but Amin remained behind bars without bond on Monday.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Time New Roman', serif; font-size: 1.1em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Time New Roman', serif; font-size: 1.1em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline;">State Police say a multi-agency task force arrested Amin and two other people at a residence after receiving a tip from an informant. A search found oxycodone pills, heroin and $3,000 in cash.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Time New Roman', serif; font-size: 1.1em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Time New Roman', serif; font-size: 1.1em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Another cast mate, Michael Douglas Burford, was charged in February with driving under the influence.</div><br /></div>

Shain Gandee "Buckwild" star Shain Gandee found dead

Shain Gandee of the MTV reality series "Buckwild."  /   MTV West Virginia authorities say that Shain Gandee, one of the stars of t...

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Improving I-95

On a recent round-trip drive from NYC to DC, I noticed a rest stop on the side of I-95 closed for reconstruction. At another rest stop a pamphlet described the new designs of two "travel plazas," as they're called: Chesapeake House and Maryland House. Given the sad state of highway architecture in the United States (evidenced in the "before" photos below), I was taken aback by the quality of the architecture. Both travel plazas are designed by <a href="http://asg-architects.com/">Ayers Saint Gross</a> and are presented below in before and after states without comment.<br /><br /><b>Maryland House (expected completion December 2013):</b><br /><img alt="i95-3.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/i95-3.jpg" title="Maryland House exterior" /><br />[exterior rendering by Ayers Saint Gross | image <a href="http://www.i95mdtravelplazas.com/">source</a>]<br /><br /><img alt="i95-3a.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/i95-3a.jpg" title="Maryland House exterior before" /><br />[exterior "before" condition, architect unknown | image <a href="http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/traffic/2009/08/toll_authority_plodding_ahead.html">source</a>]<br /><br /><img alt="i95-4.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/i95-4.jpg" title="Maryland House interior" /><br />[interior rendering by Ayers Saint Gross | image <a href="http://www.i95mdtravelplazas.com/">source</a>]<br /><br /><img alt="i95-4a.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/i95-4a.jpg" title="Maryland House interior before" /><br />[interior "before" condition, architect unknown | image <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Maryland_House_main_atrium,_December_28,_2010.jpg">source</a>]<br /><br /><b>Chesapeake House (expected completion September 2014):</b><br /><img alt="i95-1.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/i95-1.jpg" title="Chesapeake House exterior" /><br />[exterior rendering by Ayers Saint Gross | image <a href="http://www.i95mdtravelplazas.com/">source</a>]<br /><br /><img alt="i95-1a.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/i95-1a.jpg" title="Chesapeake House exterior before" /><br />[exterior "before" condition, architect unknown | image <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chesapeake_House_viewed_from_southbound_car_parking.jpg">source</a>]<br /><br /><img alt="i95-2.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/i95-2.jpg" title="Chesapeake House interior" /><br />[interior rendering by Ayers Saint Gross | image <a href="http://www.i95mdtravelplazas.com/">source</a>]<br /><br /><img alt="i95-2a.jpg" src="http://www.archidose.org/Blog/i95-2a.jpg" title="Chesapeake House interior before" /><br />[interior "before" condition, architect unknown | image <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chesapeake_House_interior.jpg">source</a>]

Improving I-95

On a recent round-trip drive from NYC to DC, I noticed a rest stop on the side of I-95 closed for reconstruction. At another rest stop a pam...

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TURKEY

<b>  <span style="color: #003366; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">grows faster than Eurozone's major economies</span></b> <br /><table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" id="table25" style="width: 100%px;"><tbody><tr> <td><div><table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" style="width: 220px;"><tbody><tr><td> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" id="table26" style="width: 100%px;"> <tbody><tr> <td bgcolor="#CCCCCC" height="3"></td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="#F5F5F5"></td> </tr><tr> <td bgcolor="#CCCCCC" height="3"><br /></td> </tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 16px; line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>2.2 percent growth last year is higher than all major Eurozone countries except relatively small sized Estonia.</i></span><br /><br />The global economic crisis in effect for six months forced many great economies in Europe to shrink.<br /><br />Turkish economy grew 2.2 percent in 2012 where the Euro zone economy was expected to grow 0.6 percent and EU was expected to shrink 0,3 percent. Turkey would rank second with its economic growth rate following Estonia (3.2%) in the Euro zone if it had joined the single currency.<br /><br />Although Turkey loses speed in growth following 9.2 and 8.8 percent growth rates in 2010 and 2011 respectively, Turkish economy grew 3.3 percent in the first quarter, 2,9 percent in the second quarter, 1,6 percent in the third quarter and 1,4 percent in the final quarter of 2012. <br /><br />Turkish economy has continued its growth uninterruptedly since the final quarter of 2009 despite the global economic crisis.<br /><br />Economies of Greece, Portugal, Spain and Italy shrank in 2012 whereas Ireland managed to grow 0.9 percent despite its bailout agreement with IMF and the EU in 2010. <br /><br />The economic situation of Europe's so called "locomotive" economies is not so different either. Germany, the strongest economy of the EU, grew 0.7 percent in 2012 and is expected to grow 0.5 percent in 2013 indicating that it was severely affected by the global economic crisis. <br /><br />On the other hand, the French economy is not expected to grow in 2012 and the British economy grew only 0.3 percent in 2012. <br /><br />Economic growth predictions of EU states according to the European Commission, Eurostat are given below:<br /><br /> 2011 2012 2013 2014 <br /> Estonia 8.3 3.2 3.0 4.0 <br /> Turkey 8.8 2.2 2.9 3.7 <br /> Slovakia 3.2 2.0 1.1 2.9 <br /> Ireland 1.4 0.9 1.1 2.2 <br /> Malta 1.7 0.8 1.5 2.0 <br /> Austria 2.7 0.8 0.7 1.9 <br /> Germany 3.0 0.7 0.5 2.0 <br /> Britain 1.0 0.3 0.9 1.9 <br /> Luxembourg 1.7 0.2 0.5 1.6 <br /> France 1.7 0.0 0.1 1.2 <br /> Greece -7.1 -6.4 -4.4 0.6 <br /> Portugal -1.6 -3.2 -1.9 0.8 <br /> Italy 0.4 -2.4 -1.0 0.8 <br /> Greek Cypriot administration 0.5 -2.4 -3.5 -1.3 <br /> Slovenia 0.6 -2.3 -2.0 0.7 <br /> Spain 0.4 -1.4 -1.4 0.8 <br /> Holland 1.0 -0.9 -0.6 1.1 <br /> Euro zone (17 states) 1.4 -0.6 -0.3 1.4 <br /> European Union (27 states) 1.5 -0.3 0.1 1.6 <br /> Belgium 1.8 -0.2 0.2 1.5 <br /> Finland 2.8 -0.2 0.3 1.2 <br /></span></div></td> </tr><tr> <td> <span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11px; font-weight: 700;"><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table>

TURKEY

  grows faster than Eurozone's major economies ...

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Do More Bars Review

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7irLPQJMr9JNHvL3KoadMkTn55X6JjPwuMG_YRYELIt-3c26yTZCDVt48K7ITtwwq5WZUFERZ6VwAtL1PXIPLW3h0GNb_zi58Oy1RQbME-gTXpOBXXgE1FnOYTbwrqS3PXBPsxbCo7AQ/s1600/do+more.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="64" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7irLPQJMr9JNHvL3KoadMkTn55X6JjPwuMG_YRYELIt-3c26yTZCDVt48K7ITtwwq5WZUFERZ6VwAtL1PXIPLW3h0GNb_zi58Oy1RQbME-gTXpOBXXgE1FnOYTbwrqS3PXBPsxbCo7AQ/s320/do+more.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If there was one thing I loved eating as a kid it was rice crispy treats whether my family made them or bought them at the store.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I enjoyed unwrapping a crispy marshmallow treat that was packed in my lunch, couldn't wait till lunch time everyday at school!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was sweet and delicious and the perfect treat for snack time!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Making them was a lot of fun too!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I came across this cereal bar company called <a href="http://stores.domorebars.com/StoreFront.bok">Do More Bars</a> that are packed with nutritious ingredients such as fruits and nuts and they reminded me of my favorite treat.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I saw them I just had to try them!</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They are a much more healthier cereal bar and they don't just have one flavor either!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I quickly emailed the company asking them if I could review their yummy products.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was so excited when I was sent their delicious bars and couldn't wait to try them!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Not only did they look like the marshmallow treats they tasted just like them too, without the marshmallow!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How amazing is that?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Pineapple Coconut:</u></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am a huge fan of all things pineapple and coconut, you name it I love it!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What can I say about this bar?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was so delicious!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Crispy, great amount of flavor with chunks of pineapple and coconut through out the bar.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So far this one is my favorite!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Orange Cranberry Pecan:</u></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This one reminded me of a cranberry orange muffin!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The cranberries gave a tangy taste with the sweetness of the oranges and crunchy pecans! </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Made a delicious and healthy sna</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ck!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Cherry Almond:</u></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-7IwCjdRGYS6CHQFJotb6vRTqwHOk6bmys7TuX9INQ-h9xHdXSwFw7Vsq-08fMdvR-_VdpnDc1c39dDT_JHtHe52J9WIozbzNqUCyxlf9QBzFwtsxjoBhruIBUszJcWi7lgqlsnX_e3g/s1600/Do+More+bar+cherry+almond.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-7IwCjdRGYS6CHQFJotb6vRTqwHOk6bmys7TuX9INQ-h9xHdXSwFw7Vsq-08fMdvR-_VdpnDc1c39dDT_JHtHe52J9WIozbzNqUCyxlf9QBzFwtsxjoBhruIBUszJcWi7lgqlsnX_e3g/s320/Do+More+bar+cherry+almond.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So delicious, reminds me of Christmas time!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Date Pecan:</u></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMlKgeFOWRwIR9x-CVc9vF2VRsDX8oEYus5qtO8BEsjwrJy6TqZrVp161CaXMcLO9xXOoOD68a4cemXT-D7L7IAd-QygIk8E-ss6tt8s3C4U3ymKYc_thMGH_yGGqM7RvKvliClD7iYqw/s1600/Do+More+Date+pecan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMlKgeFOWRwIR9x-CVc9vF2VRsDX8oEYus5qtO8BEsjwrJy6TqZrVp161CaXMcLO9xXOoOD68a4cemXT-D7L7IAd-QygIk8E-ss6tt8s3C4U3ymKYc_thMGH_yGGqM7RvKvliClD7iYqw/s320/Do+More+Date+pecan.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I absolutely loved this one, the taste of the pecans and dates went very well together!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Raisin Peanut:</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSzEMr6OiK1em4FVAwxMI5aSI6Q0EejSztog5MRcpORIPixVJuItQNhIgX46OMS1oFcB2ROdNVHanGRJ1cu2RHn4-dFEpcdsJPUw56Nus4Z0Dtcad3QS6FmvMi2bfQXGM9jlcveuzQT3Y/s1600/Do+More+Raisin+peanut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSzEMr6OiK1em4FVAwxMI5aSI6Q0EejSztog5MRcpORIPixVJuItQNhIgX46OMS1oFcB2ROdNVHanGRJ1cu2RHn4-dFEpcdsJPUw56Nus4Z0Dtcad3QS6FmvMi2bfQXGM9jlcveuzQT3Y/s320/Do+More+Raisin+peanut.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Great flavor and loved the juicy plump sweetness of the raisins!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Healthy Facts:</u></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No artificial flavors or colors</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">no hydrogenated oils</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">no sulfates or preservatives</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">no marshmallow creme</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">no corn syrup</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">packed with nuts and fruits</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">made with organic whole grain crispy brown rice</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can order them online at their Website:</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://stores.domorebars.com/StoreFront.bok">http://stores.domorebars.com/StoreFront.bok</a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Face Book:</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Do-More-Bars-Gourmet-Fruit-Nut-Cereal-Bars/235111441820">https://www.facebook.com/pages/Do-More-Bars-Gourmet-Fruit-Nut-Cereal-Bars/235111441820</a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Due to FCC guidelines:</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Do More Bars sent me their cereal bars in exchange for a product review. However, All the opinions expressed here are my own.</span><br /><div><br /></div></div>

Do More Bars Review

If there was one thing I loved eating as a kid it was rice crispy treats whether my family made them or bought them at the store. I enjoyed ...

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Minor Health Issues

It's been a rough last few days around these parts.  Just when I felt like this pregnancy thing wasn't so bad afterall, something else comes up that knocks me off of my feet.<br /><br />I hope that I can one day look back and laugh at how upset I am about this issue, but right now it's the only thing on my mind:  <i>I've got hemorrhoids</i>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRNVg7WdjEsFX0NiOa0lsyLvxtrgYse88L7SLIjJbvf-iMY7_4f3KYfHMtgTvwzQ7U46VKMGA6Ljd1friS1cEdOQP1_SnZOeApCawaAyIogY7eutT1gBhbie1c3xqy-R1NH9WJ8Hcn3lk/s1600/392968_10104226518420094_782637460_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRNVg7WdjEsFX0NiOa0lsyLvxtrgYse88L7SLIjJbvf-iMY7_4f3KYfHMtgTvwzQ7U46VKMGA6Ljd1friS1cEdOQP1_SnZOeApCawaAyIogY7eutT1gBhbie1c3xqy-R1NH9WJ8Hcn3lk/s320/392968_10104226518420094_782637460_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />It was late on Wednesday while I was getting ready to go to bed that my butt started hurting.  I've had the hemms in the past so I knew what it was about, and I also knew they were highly likely during/after pregnancy.  I went to bed in a lot of pain - so much so that I could hardly fall asleep and awoke about an hour afterward in need of Tylenol.  They hurt so bad they were inducing a headache!  I've never had them THAT badly.<br /><br />Well, I got up the next day and went into work.  I immediately switched out my usual desk chair for a more comfy one, hoping that would help ease the soreness.  No such luck.  I shared the story with a coworker and she fabricated an ice pack for me to sit on - it was <i>glorious</i> and really helped me to get through the rest of the work day.  That night I went to bed with far less pain. <br /><br />Still, when I awoke on Friday, I just knew that I should try to get to the doctor if possible.  The standard over-the-counter meds weren't helping much.  Fortunately my OBGYN was able to fit me in with a 1 PM appointment.  The midwife told me she had never seen hemms quite that badly in a pregnant lady, and that even women who've already delivered don't typically get them that bad.  Great.  After consulting with the doctor, they both agreed that I should go see a gastroenterologist ASAP for a second opinion on them.  The OB sent me away with 2 prescriptions to help in the meantime, and an order of one week's worth of bedrest.  That's right, I'm pregnant and on bedrest - but not for the typical reasons! <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/rmc/lowres/rmcn368l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/rmc/lowres/rmcn368l.jpg" width="268" /></a></div><br />I am set to see the doctor on Wednesday, and I'm actually looking forward to it.  My main concern is that they will get worse between now and June.  Also, I am worried about what might happen after the delivery, especially if I do deliver naturally.  I would imagine they would get worse, and if so, then what?  I know that people sometimes have to have surgery on them, and who wants to have surgery on their bottom after they've just delivered a baby?  That does not seem ideal!<br /><br />My doctor insisted that the hemms are a complete result of the weight of my uterus on my colon, but I cannot help but wonder if they are due to me being overweight in general.  I mentioned having them before, and according to my doctor at that time, it was most likely due to my male-like habits at sitting on the toilet for 20 min at a time reading!  <i>(It's because your butt muscles are "at attention" when you're sitting on the toilet.  Sit too long and the muscles get aggravated, hence causing the hemms).  </i><br /><br />I've thought a lot about how being overweight has affected the pregnancy.  In general, I don't think it has much, with the exception of buying maternity clothes.  Despite the number on the scale, my vitals have always pointed toward a perfectly healthy individual - excellent blood pressure, excellent blood work, strong heart rate, etc.  I think I owe a lot of that to my previously active lifestyle. <br /><br />However, when it comes to something like this, that I know can also be as a result of being overweight, I cannot help but wonder if it would've been different had I not been so heavy and pregnant.  It's hard to say.  I know many other women who are my age and are pregnant right now, who are not overweight, and who are experiencing some of the same issues I've had (such as hip pain when sleeping) and the hemms.  Still, I'm sure age is also on my side, and I know that once this baby makes her debut, I cannot wait to start the journey at removing the weight. <br /><br />Pregnancy is a hard enough physical journey as it is - there is no sense in adding anymore unnecessary baggage, if you get my drift!

Baby Busbee Overweight Pregnancy Minor Health Issues

It's been a rough last few days around these parts.  Just when I felt like this pregnancy thing wasn't so bad afterall, something el...

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Endometrial cancer biopsy of a nulliparous woman

Nulliparous:  a woman that has never given birth.<br /><br />I wanted to post this while the experience is fresh in my mind. Also, if there's anyone out there that does a search for this, they can read about my experience. <br /><br />I finished the procedure about 20 minutes ago. I'm not going to lie and say it didn't hurt, because it hurt like hell. The good part is it only hurt like hell for about three minutes. The other fifteen minutes were uncomfortable, but completely bearable. Those three minutes were bearable too since I'm sitting here writing about it, but it was some pretty intense pain. On my scale, I'd give it a 7 or 8. I've never given birth or had anything really bad to compare it too, so I probably tend to rate my pain higher than most people.<br /><br />I am a nulliparous woman, meaning I have never given birth. To get to the uterus my doctor had to insert a very slender straw-like tube through my cervix. The tube appeared to be less than 1/8 of an inch and I thought it wouldn't be that difficult. My cervix disagreed and was closed up tighter than a clam. It refused to let anything get through. Even the misoprostol (the abortion pill) didn't seem to have any effect on my cervix. My doctor said it probably had helped a little but she still couldn't get the tube through the cervix and into my uterus. <br /><br />This meant the big needle came out, with the local anaesthesia. Just the idea of what appeared to be a six inch needle going inside of my vagina to get to my cervix was unpleasant. There was a quick pinch with the needle, then it was over. <br /><br />Next came the tube again. Even though I'd had the local, that tiny tube cause intense pain when it went through my cervix. It was the worst cramps that I've ever experience as my cervix seem to go into convulsions. I could hear the suction as tissue was sucked from uterus lining (which now fills my uterus). Fortunately things went well and there was plenty of tissue removed for the biopsy. There were a few tears, but I got through it. <br /><br />Even after the tube was removed, I still had cramping and it took a few minutes before I could sit up again and breathe normally.<br /><br />I'm writing this because what I read online didn't match what happened to me. Every article said there might be a sharp pain or some mild cramping. Of course, the fact that I've never born a child and that nothing has ever passed through my cervix is probably what made my pain a little more intense. It was only for a few minutes but it was very uncomfortable. <br /><br />Fortunately, I have an amazing doctor. She's extremely kind and understanding and reassured me that what I felt was completely normal for someone who has never had a child. She also told me she was going to be in Seattle tomorrow and she'll call her friend in pathology and ask them to move me to the top to get the biopsy results. Hopefully by tomorrow at this time I'll know something. <br /><br />I'm fairly confident that it's not cancer. However, I read this morning that a woman that is more than 50 pounds or more overweight increases her risk of endometrial cancer by ten-fold. That means I'm ten times more likely to get this cancer. However, even if it is cancer, I'll beat it. <br /><br /><br /><br />

Endometrial cancer biopsy of a nulliparous woman

Nulliparous:  a woman that has never given birth. I wanted to post this while the experience is fresh in my mind. Also, if there's anyon...

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Teach This! Teaching with lesson plans and ideas that rock 04/01/2013

<ul class="diigo-linkroll"> <li> <p class="diigo-link"> <a href="http://lifehacker.com/5993002/create-a-modern-concrete-stool-for-5">Create a Modern Concrete Stool for $5</a> </p> <p class="diigo-description">This might be an idea for some teachers wanting inventive, creative chairs. Lifehacker teachers you to make a stool with $5 of materials. Cool.</p> <p class="diigo-tags"> <span>tags:</span> <a href="https://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/Teaching">Teaching</a> <a href="https://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/crafts">crafts</a> <a href="https://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher/ideas">ideas</a></p> </li> </ul><p class="diigo-ps">Posted from <a href='https://www.diigo.com'>Diigo</a>. The rest of my favorite links are <a href='https://www.diigo.com/user/coolcatteacher'>here</a>.</p>

Teach This! Teaching with lesson plans and ideas that rock 04/01/2013

Create a Modern Concrete Stool for $5 This might be an idea for some teachers wanting inventive, cre...

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Substitute and Temporary Library Assistant - Oliver Wolcott Library, Litchfield

<strong>Substitute and Temporary Library Assistant -</strong> <strong><span style="color: #48286d;">Oliver Wolcott Library</span></strong>, Litchfield, is seeking a substitute & temporary library assistant with excellent customer service and computer skills to assist patrons of all ages at a busy circulation desk. The Oliver Wolcott Library is a dynamic, innovative library with a friendly, fun, and team-oriented staff culture. The position is 10 to 12 hours per week from July 1, 2013 through February 1, 2014 for a scheduled maternity leave. Additionally, the ideal candidate would be available for substituting as needed beginning immediately and continuing after February 2014. Hourly rate of $12. Contemporary experience working in a public library is required and current work experience in a Bibliomation library, or Evergreen system library, is strongly preferred. Other requirements for the position include: excellent customer service skills, competent computer skills, ability to organize, ability to achieve goals in a timely fashion, ability to establish and maintain positive working relationships with other employees and the public, ability to work independently with minimal supervision, ability to work with a flexible schedule and to effectively manage time, and the ability to work with frequent interruptions. Send resume and letter to: Ann Marie White, Oliver Wolcott Library, P.O. Box 187, Litchfield, CT 06759. Open until filled.

Substitute and Temporary Library Assistant - Oliver Wolcott Library, Litchfield

Substitute and Temporary Library Assistant - Oliver Wolcott Library , Litchfield, is seeking a substitute & temporary library assistan...

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