Where were you?

So where were you when you heard of the news 8 years ago? I remember very well. I was a sophomore at Bethel. I was on my way to Tennis class and walked through the Acorn and saw on the big screan TV that the Pentagon had a plane crash into it. Thought it was odd but didnt think anything of it. Went to tennis class and asked others if they saw what happened at the Pentagon. That is when I was told by other students that the World Trace Center was hit as well. Could not believe it. Went on to play tennis as usual then back to the dorm room where the replays of the planes crashing into the towers and the towers falling were shown over and over again. Day I will never forget

New Blog

So I have found a web site that allows me to track day to daymy progress as if I were running across the country starting in Yorktown, VA and heading to the Pacific. To follow my progress go to my newest blog http://marksrunacrossthecountry.blogspot.com/. I will continue to use this blog, this is just something new. I will beposting interesting facts about the town that I run through on my way through the United States so it isnt all about running. Hope you enjoy the journey

Oregon Weekend, Day 3 (Race Day)

The Morning started at about 5:15 local time (about 45 minutes earlier than expected no thanks to Coach Mikel.) Started off with breakfast (1 bagel) and vitamin water. At about 6:30 we made our way to the starting line.

7:00 the race started. I started running a 3 hours and 40 minute pace (my goal time). I started out at about the right pace. At about mile 6 I lost our pace setter and went out on my own. This would either be a good idea or bad idea, I am still not sure which one it is right now. The race was going well early. At about the half way mark I was 2 and a 1/2 minutes head of pace. Things continued to go well until about mile 23. Here is the deal with marathons. It is 26.2 miles of adventure that will go bad at some point. You just dont know when. The good news for me is that it didnt go bad until mile 23. I kept a good pace up until that point, then my legs got very heavy and tiered. I was able to keep going however without walking. My officail finishing time was 3 hours 38 minutes and 16 seconds which is about 2 minutes faster than the time I ran 2 years ago and is a post college personal record.
Also a not, there were a pear of bets associated with the races today. First off, was the race between the eliete marathon runner, Aaron Hoover and coach Mark "pappy" Mikel. The bet was that Coach could run a half marathon time that was faster than Aarons full marathon time. The Results: Aaron runs a time 45 seconds faster than coach.
Bet #2 and the MAIN EVENT was Mark "I had shin pains for 2 months" Davidhizar vs. Rick "I may have a strained Calf" Stuckey. The bet was that I would run a faster Marathon time than Rick, the catch was that there was age calculater that would be used to even out the field. After punching in the numbers before the race and what we were both aiming to run, I had to run 20 minutes faster than Rick. Well all this because a mute point when Rick dropped out of the race with cramps in the calf in question. So the "Young Pups" as we have been called all weekend, won the bets and were treated to a burger and beverage of our choice.
Overall the trip was awesome. However there just wasnt enough time to to see it all and enjoy Eugene more. I would love to come back again and run the Marathon.

Oregon Weekend, Day 2

Saturday morning started off with us heading down to watch the 5K race. We meet up with 2 ladies from California who were supposed to meet us earlier on Friday but due to flight problems didnt get in to Eugene until 11 Friday night. Julia was the Masters winner of the 5K and Hellen place 3rd in her age division running a post Cemo Personal Record. We also were able to see the Fork beat the Pancake, Flap Jack, for the race win (see pictures below.)





Later on in the afternoon we went to Pre's Rack which is the sight where famous long distance runner Steve Prefontaine died in a car crash in 1975. Prefontaine was known for his 5000 meter running. In his only olympic apperance, Pre finished 5000 in the 5000 which he was heavily favored in in 1972. There were high expectations for him for the '76 olympics. Sadly no one ever got to see if he could meet those expectations.



After Pre's Rock we went to Carbo load and an Italian restaurant in town. Service was great and the food was wonderful. Then it was off to the hotel and to bed to get ready for the big day.

Oregon Weekend, Day 1

I landed at about 10:30 Pacific time, after 7-8 hours of flying today and meet Aaron at the baggage claim. From there the two of us drove about 2 hours to Eugene where we meet our high school cross country coach, Mark Mikel, and a friend of his named Rick Stuckey who lives just north of Eugene. After meeting up with them, we went to down to Historic Hayward Field, home to the "Men of Oregon."





Coach Mikel also unvailed the new "running club" in honor of his daughter Kelsey. We are not the Yellow Flying Monkeys. Yellow because it was Kelsey's favorite color, Monkeys because they used to call her Monkey or Monkey Butt, and flying monkey because she loved the wizard of Oz. Here are the singlets we will be wearing for the race on Sunday given to us by coach.

Later on in the day we went for a little bit of a run on "Pre's Trail." it is a beautiful trail to run on and hopefully tomorrow I will have time to take some pictures of it.
Right now it is raining here which could be the case for alot of the time we are here. Hopefully Sunday morning will be drier for the race.

Should I really be flying?

According to the vice president probably not

IPod Vending machine

This might be the coolest thing I have seen in a long time.

Found this at the Indianapolis Airport

Eugene Weekend Begins Now!!!

The Weekend that I have been preparing for for 6 months is finally here, It is time to fly out to Eugene, OR to run in my 5th marathon. But this one is differnt than the others I have ran. Manily because this one is at the Track capital of the world, the Univeristy of Oregon. It is now 4:29 am on Friday and I am sitting in the Indianapolis Airport waiting to board a 6:00 am flight that will take me from here to Phoenix to Portland where I will meet my high school friend and teamate Aaron Hoover who is flying from Denver.
I wish I could say I am ready but that is not really the case. i have now recovered from about 2 months of shin pain that really set my training back.Throughout the weekend I will be blogging on the expereince and tell you later how you can follow my progress throughout the race on Sunday. Till then, have a great weekend

Cubs vs. Brewers

What better way to celebrate Easter Sunday than by going to a Cubs/Brewers. This was my first time watching a game at Miller Park. It was also the first time that I have seen a game indoors. First off, just because a game is indoors, doesnt mean that you will stay warm. Where are seats were located, it was very cold.

Also, who in the world picked the seat location for the stadium? We were right next to the slide that Bernie the Brewer slides down on after a Brewers Home Run. This slide blocked out the hole right field and center field from view. We were unable to see two huge plays in the game. The first being the lead off home run by Cubs outfielder Alfanso Soriano, we were not able to see where the ball landed in behind the center field wall. The second was that we were unable to see this play in right field:
Durring the game I am getting messages saying that it was the greatest catch people had seen and that I was lucky t be there. All I could say is i couldnt see it. Heres why:

But this view isnt so bad:

Also for being known for its Sauseage Race and haveing good tasting sausages, their Brats were not that good at the ball park. I was disapointed to say the least.


But over all, it was a great time with 5 other guys from my church. We had a great time and great discussions on the way to the game and durring the game (I said great discussions, not in-depth). Where else besides church can you get friends ranging in age from a high school junior to Empty nest fathers to go to a ball game together? Not only that, but I also got to knock another park off my list of ball park to visit. It wasnt Wrigley Field (although Cub fans do like to call it Wrigley North), but I would go back up there again without hesitation. After all, the Cubs did win the game. And nothing beats singing "Go Cubs Go" and holding up the W flag after a Cubs win especially at a rivals stadium!!! (By the way, who cares about getting back home at 4:15 am and having to work at 6:00?)

Heres to a start of a new Baseball Season

THIS IS THE YEAR!!!!!

This day in History

1930 - Leo Hartnett of the Chicago Cubs broke the altitude record for a catch by catching a baseball dropped from the Goodyear blimp 800 feet over Los Angeles, CA.
1970 President Richard Nixon signed a measure banning cigarette advertising on radio and TV.
1933 Nazi Germany began persecuting Jews with a boycott of Jewish-owned businesses.
1996 Baseball umpire John McSherry died after collapsing during a game between the Cincinnati Reds and Montreal Expos.
1999 A New Jersey man was arrested and charged with originating the "Melissa" e-mail virus, which infected more than 1 million computers worldwide.
2003 American troops rescued Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch from a hospital in Nasiriyah, Iraq, where she had been held prisoner since her unit was ambushed nine days earlier.
2008 The Pentagon made public a legal memo dated March 14, 2003, that approved the use of harsh interrogation techniques against terror suspects, saying that President George W. Bush's wartime authority trumped any international ban on torture

The 5/3 Burger

The West Michigan Whitecaps baseball team have come up with a new Burger, the 5/3 Burger (named after their ball park, 5/3 Field). THe burger is made up of five-thirds of a pound of grilled hamburger topped with lettuce, tomatoes, nacho cheese, chili, salsa and crunched corn chips. Holding it all together is an eight-inch sesame seed bun. The burger costs $20, and can be cut into fourths and served as a family meal. Here are the important stats: 4489 Calories. And you also get a free shirt with it if you finish it by yourself. YOu start by needing a medium shirt and by the time you finish it you need and XXL.

Obama Gives The Queen and IPod

Well, Obama has done it again. Another lame gift to Britan Royalty. This time he gies the queen and IPod as a gift with video of her 2007 trip to the United States. First off, I think he probably already has video of her trip. A woman of her power I am sure has someone taking care of that I am sure. Also, she already has an IPod. Someone is dropping the ball in the White House when selecting these gifts. First, DVD's that cant even be viewd over in Brittan then and IPod to the queen who already has one. How does the IPod represent America, it isnt made here!!! As my mom said, the IPod is nothing you cant buy in any store. Jumbo Jelly Beans from the Wakarusa Dime Store would be a mone eunique gift than an IPod.
But they again, the Queens gift wasnt much better. The Queen gave a sterling silver framed picture autographed by the Royal Family. What do you do with that?

Bob Knight with another great commercial

Bob Knight and other great coaches make a great commercial for Guitar Hero Mettalica version. Got to love this

The Weekend in Indy

So this weekend, my dad and I took a trip down to Indy for the IHSAA state basketball finals. It was a day consisting of four high school basketball games. This used to be an event that we were able to attend every year, however due to work schedules and track in college, we dont always get to. This year I took a holiday I had saved up and took the trip down leaving shortly after 6am. Memories of past IHSAA state finals that we attended came back to mind.
1. The best memory was the first state final I went to. 1990, the first year that the finals were held at the RCA Dome (rest in peace). It was Damon Bailey and Bedford North Lawrence Stars vs. the Concord Minutemen. At this time i didnt care that Bailey was going to Indiana, I wanted Concord to win just because it was a local team. Well Bedford won, due to the outstanding performance of Bailey and his 30 pts. Largest crowd to witness a high school game. It was unreal.

2. The second woud be Clay vs. Valpo ending with a game winning shot by a future Purdue player who shall remain nameless because of the sins that he compited by going to Purdue
3.Luke Zellers half court shot against Plymouth to win the class 3A state that year. What a shot was after Plymouh nailed a 3 to take the lead.

Then this year was the 3A title game featuring Rochester and Princeton. Rochesters Bruce Grimm scored 40 points and sent the game into overtime by hitting a huge 3 at the buzzer. The game went into double overtime before Princeton pulled out the win. Rochester made a record 14 3's in this game and Grimm finished with 40 points.

The last two mentioned games were great and had alot of suspence.
However all this being said, I still want one class basketball back in Indiana!!!

Today in History

1822 Florida became a U.S. territory.
1867 Secretary of State William H. Seward reached agreement with Russia to purchase the territory of Alaska for $7.2 million, a deal roundly ridiculed as "Seward's Folly."
1870 The 15th amendment to the Constitution, giving black men the right to vote, was declared in effect.
1964 The TV game show "Jeopardy!" premiered on NBC.
1999 A jury in Portland, Ore., ordered Philip Morris to pay $81 million to the family of a man who died of lung cancer after smoking Marlboros for four decades.
2008 President George W. Bush threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Washington National's new stadium, Nationals Park.

Today in History

1939 Oregon won the first NCAA men's basketball tournament with a 46-33 victory over Ohio State in Evanston, Ill.
1989 - Sport Illustrated exposed Pete Rose's gambling activities. The magazine article alleged Rose bet on baseball from the Riverfront dugout using hand gestures with an associate.
1994 - Magic Johnson became head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. He coached the final 16 games of the 1993-4 season.
1997 Dexter King, son of Martin Luther King Jr., met with James Earl Ray, the man in prison for the assassination of the civil rights leader. Ray denied having anything to do with the shooting, to which King replied, "I believe you."
2006 Al-Qaida conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui testified at his federal trial that he was supposed to hijack a fifth airplane on Sept. 11, 2001, and fly it into the White House.
2007 - NFL owners voted 30-2 to make the video replay system a permanent officiating tool.

My letter of Resignation

It's that time of year people. time to get ready for baseball season. With that being said I would like to thank the fine people at http://www.cubby-blue.com for preparing my letter of resignation. Hopefully Bashor will take me back in late October after the celebration is over with.

Obama's Special Olympics

Here are Obabma's comments about his bowling game and more. YOu know if this was a republican, the media would be going mad over this. Also, with him still campaining, I am shocked he has been at the White House to go bowling and play basketball. With all the traveling he has done, it is no wonder the country is strugeling financially.

Today in History

1918 Germany launched the Somme offensive during World War I, hoping to break through the Allied line before American reinforcements could arrive.
1945 Allied bombers began four days of raids over Germany during World War II.
1963 Alcatraz prison in San Francisco Bay was emptied of its last inmates.
1965, more than 3,000 civil rights demonstrators led by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. began their march from Selma to Montgomery, Ala.
1994 - Michael Jordan was cut from the White Sox roster and was sent to their minor league club.
2005 Armed with a new law rushed through Congress and signed by President George W. Bush, the attorney for Terri Schiavo's parents pleaded with a judge to order the brain-damaged woman's feeding tube re-inserted. (The judge later refused.)

Today in History

1933 President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered the first of his radio "fireside chats," telling Americans what was being done to deal with the nation's economic crisis.
1985 - In Katmandu, Nepal, 80 people were trampled to death because stadium doors had been locked during a soccer game. The people had been seeking cover during a violent hail storm.
1992 - Coach Don Nelson (Golden State Warriors) became the first man in NBA history to participate in 2,500 games as a player and coach.
2003 - The YES Network and Cablevision reached an interim deal to air New York Yankee games. Three million viewers had not had access to the games for 2002.
2006 A 14-year-old Iraqi girl was raped and her family killed in Mahmoudiya, near Baghdad. (Five American soldiers were charged; three pleaded guilty, one was convicted and one has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.)

Today in History

1993 North Korea withdrew from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
1997 Rock musician Paul McCartney of the Beatles was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.
2002 Two columns of light soared skyward from ground zero in New York as a temporary memorial to the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks.
2004 Ten bombs exploded in quick succession across the commuter rail network in Madrid, Spain, killing 191 people and wounding more than 2,000 in an attack linked to al-Qaeda.
2004 - Major league baseball banned THG. The health policy advisory committee of management and the players' association unanimously determined that THG builds muscle mass.
2005 A man being escorted to court for trial in Atlanta took a gun from a sheriff's deputy and went on a deadly rampage, killing four people, including a judge. (Brian Nichols was later found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without parole).

Emma's First Haircut

So I got to experience something this week that most single fathers dont get to, their daughters first hair cut. I took Emma to where my mom gets her hair cut in Nappanee. Emma took it like a champ with no problems and for the most part sat still. Best of all, no more baby mullet! Here are some pictures of the event.
Before:



After:

Today in History

1836 The Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, fell to Mexican forces after a 13-day siege.
1857, in its Dred Scott decision, the Supreme Court held that Scott, a slave, could not sue for his freedom in a federal court.
1944 Heavy bombers staged the first American raid on Berlin during World War II.
2006 Gov. Mike Rounds signed legislation banning most abortions in South Dakota. (The ban was rejected by the state's voters in November).
2006 Baseball Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett died at age 45.

Today in History

1861 President-elect Abraham Lincoln arrived secretly in Washington to take office after an assassination plot was foiled in Baltimore.
1945 U.S. Marines on Iwo Jima captured Mount Suribachi and raised the American flag. The moment was captured in a Pulitzer Prize winning photo by AP photographer Joe Rosenthal.
1985 Indiana basketball coach Bobby Knighthrows a chair durring a game. In his defense I have seen the game, the refs were awful that game.

1991 President George H.W. Bush announced that the allied ground offensive against Iraqi forces had begun.
1997 Scientists in Scotland announced they had cloned an adult mammal, producing a lamb named Dolly.
1997 A Palestinian man opened fire on the observation deck of New York City's Empire State Building, killing one person and wounding six before shooting himself to death.
1999 A jury in Jasper, Texas, convicted white supremacist John William King of murder in the dragging death of a black man, James Byrd Jr.

True Sportsmanship

I found this story on www.highschool.rivals.com about true sportsmanship. This is awesome!!!
The coach never considered any other option.
It didn't matter that his DeKalb, Ill., High School basketball team had ridden a bus two and a half hours to get to Milwaukee, then waited another hour past game time to play. Didn't matter that the game was close, or that this was a chance to beat a big city team.



Johntel Franklin scored 10 points in the game following the loss of his mother.
Something else was on Dave Rohlman's mind when he asked for a volunteer to shoot two free throws awarded his team on a technical foul in the second quarter. His senior captain raised his hand, ready to go to the line as he had many times before.

Only this time it was different.

"You realize you're going to miss them, don't you?" Rohlman said.

Darius McNeal nodded his head. He understood what had to be done.

It was a Saturday night in February, and the Barbs were playing a non-conference game on the road against Milwaukee Madison. It was the third meeting between the two schools, who were developing a friendly rivalry that spanned two states.

The teams planned to get together after the game and share some pizzas and soda. But the game itself almost never took place.

Hours earlier, the mother of Milwaukee Madison senior captain Johntel Franklin died at a local hospital. Carlitha Franklin had been in remission after a five-year fight with cervical cancer, but she began to hemorrhage that morning while Johntel was taking his college ACT exam.

Her son and several of his teammates were at the hospital late that afternoon when the decision was made to turn off the life-support system. Carlitha Franklin was just 39.

"She was young and they were real close," said Milwaukee coach Aaron Womack Jr., who was at the hospital. "He was very distraught and it happened so suddenly he didn't have time to grieve."

Womack was going to cancel the game, but Franklin told him he wanted the team to play. And play they did, even though the game started late and Milwaukee Madison dressed only eight players.

Early in the second quarter, Womack saw someone out of the corner of his eye. It was Franklin, who came there directly from the hospital to root his teammates on.

The Knights had possession, so Womack called a time out. His players went over and hugged their grieving teammate. Fans came out of the stands to do the same.

"We got back to playing the game and I asked if he wanted to come and sit on the bench," Womack said during a telephone interview.

"No," Franklin replied. "I want to play."

There was just one problem. Since Franklin wasn't on the pre-game roster, putting him in meant drawing a technical foul that would give DeKalb two free throws.

Though it was a tight game, Womack was willing to give up the two points. It was more important to help his senior guard and co-captain deal with his grief by playing.

Over on the other bench, though, Rohlman wasn't so willing to take them. He told the referees to forget the technical and just let Franklin play.

"I could hear them arguing for five to seven minutes, saying, `We're not taking it, we're not taking it," Womack said. "The refs told them, no, that's the rule. You have to take them."

That's when Rohlman asked for volunteers, and McNeal's hand went up.

He went alone to the free throw line, dribbled the ball a couple of times, and looked at the rim.

His first attempt went about two feet, bouncing a couple of times as it rolled toward the end line. The second barely left his hand.

It didn't take long for the Milwaukee players to figure out what was going on.

They stood and turned toward the DeKalb bench and started applauding the gesture of sportsmanship. Soon, so did everybody in the stands.

"I did it for the guy who lost his mom," McNeal told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "It was the right thing to do."



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They may not remember our record 20 years from now, but they'll remember what happened in that gym that night.
? Dave Rohlman, head coach of the opposing DeKalb team on what his players will take away from this experience.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Franklin would go on to score 10 points, and Milwaukee Madison broke open the game in the second half to win 62-47. Afterward, the teams went out for pizza, two players from each team sharing each pie.
Franklin stopped by briefly, thankful that his team was there for him.

"I got kind of emotional but it helped a lot just to play," he said. "I felt like I had a lot of support out there."

Carlitha Franklin's funeral was last Friday, and the school turned out for her and her son. Cheerleaders came in uniform, and everyone from the principal and teachers to Johntel's classmates were there.

"Even the cooks from school showed up," Womack said. "It lets you know what kind of kid he is."

Basketball is a second sport for the 18-year-old Franklin, who says he has had some scholarship nibbles and plans to play football in college. He just has a few games left for the Knights, who are 6-11 and got beat 71-36 Tuesday night by Milwaukee Hamilton.

It hasn't been the greatest season for the team, but they have stuck together through a lot of adversity.

"We maybe don't have the best basketball players in the world but they go to class and take care of business," Womack said. "We have a losing record but there's life lessons going on, good ones."

None so good, though, as the moment a team and a player decided there were more important things than winning and having good stats.

Yes, DeKalb would go home with a loss. But it was a trip they'll never forget.

"This is something our kids will hold for a lifetime," Rohlman said. "They may not remember our record 20 years from now, but they'll remember what happened in that gym that night."

Today in History

1862 Some 14,000 Confederate soldiers surrendered at Fort Donelson, Tenn., to Union forces led by Gen. Ulysses S. Grant.
1959 Fidel Castro became premier of Cuba a month after the overthrow of Fulgencio Batista.
1968 The nation's first 911 emergency telephone system was inaugurated in Haleyville, Ala.
2002 The operator of a crematory in Noble, Ga., was arrested after dozens of decomposing corpses were found stacked in storage sheds and scattered around the building and surrounding woods.
2005 The NHL canceled what was left of its season after a round of last-gasp negotiations failed to resolve differences over a salary cap - the issue that led to a lockout. THose were the best days of my life!!!
2008 A car plowed into a group of street-racing fans obscured by a cloud of tire smoke on an isolated Maryland highway, killing eight people.

Today in History

1929, the St. Valentine's Day Massacre took place in a Chicago garage as seven rivals of Al Capone's gang were gunned down.
1966 - Rick Mount of Lebanon, IN, became the first high school, male athlete to be pictured on the cover of "Sports Illustrated".
2003 Dolly the sheep - the first mammal cloned from an adult - was put to death at age 6 due to premature aging and disease.
2003 - A Florida judge issued a warrant for the arrest of Jose Canseco. Canseco had violated his probation that stemmed from a nightclub brawl in 2001. On March 17, he was sentenced to two years of house arrest and three years of probation.
2006 Iran said it had resumed uranium enrichment; Russia and France immediately called on Iran to halt its work.
2008 A former student walked onto the stage of a lecture hall at Northern Illinois University and opened fire on a packed science class, killing five students before committing suicide.

Today in History

1809 Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, was born in present-day Larue County, Ky.
1915 The cornerstone for the Lincoln Memorial was laid in Washington, D.C.
1999 The Senate voted to acquit President Bill Clinton on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice.
2000 Charles M. Schulz, creator of the "Peanuts" comic strip, died at age 77.
2002 Pakistan charged three men in connection with the kidnapping of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in Karachi.
2002 - Baseball owners approved the sale of the Florida Marlins and Montreal Expos.
2004 Defying a California law, San Francisco officials began performing weddings for same-sex couples.
2008 General Motors reported losing $38.7 billion in 2007 and offered buyouts to 74,000 hourly workers.

Today in History

1937 A sit-down strike against General Motors ended with the company agreeing to recognize the United Automobile Workers Union.
1993 President Bill Clinton announced his choice of Miami prosecutor Janet Reno to be the nation's first female attorney general.
2004 A car bomb at an army recruiting center in Baghdad, Iraq, killed 47 people.
2006 Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot and wounded a companion during a quail hunt in Texas.
2006 Dubai Ports World, a state-owned business in the United Arab Emirates, struck a $6.8 billion deal to take over operations at six U.S. ports. (The deal was later blocked.)
2008 The Defense Department charged Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and five other detainees at Guantanamo Bay with murder and war crimes in connection with the Sept. 11 attacks. (Charges against one were later dropped.)

Today in History

1990 - NBC-TV obtained the television rights to all of Notre Dame's home football games for the next five years. Notre Dame was the first school to sell its games to a major TV network. NBC should be looking to get their money back!!!
1999 - Mike Tyson was sentenced to a year in jail for assaulting two people after a car accident on August 31, 1998. Tyson was also fined $5,000, had to serve 2 years of probation, and had to perform 200 hours of community service upon release.
2003 - Bob Knight (Texas Tech) coached his 800th victory. Should have done this as the coach at IU
2003 Secretary of State Colin Powell urged the U.N. Security Council to move against Iraq, saying that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and was harboring terrorists - claims that later turned out to be false.

Al Gore

Here is a great message Al Gore is sending to the Kids of America. They are smarter than their parents and dont listen to them. And to think, this guy was almost our president 8 years ago.

Nazi Pelosi

This is funny. 500 million Americans will lose thier jobs every month is we dont have an economic recovery package. Hard to do if there are only 305 million people in America. Arent you glad the Democrats are in charge now?

Fight at a High School basketball game

Of all the people to have a fight at a basketball game, this takes the cake.
The scorekeepers for archrival Lexington and Watertown basketball teams have been ordered to court after trading a splash of water and a punch during a big league game, according to police.

Watertown Police reviewed a cable TV video of Monday night's Middlesex League clash and said it shows an argument start between the two scorekeepers.

"The Watertown scorekeeper then removes a cap from his water bottle and tosses water on the Lexington scorekeeper," according to a press release from Watertown Police Lt. Michael Lawn. "The Lexington scorekeeper immediately retaliates by punching the Watertown scorekeeper in the head."

Both scorekeepers will be summonsed to Waltham District Court for a show-cause hearing for assault and battery charges, Lawn said.

The fracas started with 5:26 left in the game, which Lexington won, 65-57.

Police did not say what set off the sideline clash, but among the varying accounts from witnesses, the most common version is that the two scorekeepers had been arguing throughout the game about the number of fouls a Lexington player had called against him.

As the game wound down, the Watertown scorekeeper allegedly sprayed water on the Lexington scorekeeper. The Lexington scorekeeper then punched the Watertown scorekeeper in the face, hitting his eyeglasses and opening a cut above his left eye.

Watertown Police and Watertown High administrators rushed to the scorers' table and quickly escorted the Lexington scorekeeper out of the building.

Tony Dungy

Today, Emma and I made a little bit of a road trip to go see Tony Dungy in Fort Wayne. Here is a summary of the trip:
11:15- Left home after receiving a phone call from Duane Reinhardt saying that his daughter Heather, who works at the Fort Wayne Family Christian Store that people were already getting in line. This put some urgency in me and we left earlier than planned.
11:30- McDonalds Drive through
11:45- Drove through Warsaw and was already sick of hearing the same song over and over again because of Emmas requests (Baby Bumblebee). I want to kill that stupid bee.
12:45- Arrived at Family Christian store in Fort Wayne. This was a bad sign. Didnt really have much of a plan for what Emma could do for 2 hours and 15 minutes while wating. However she did wake up after only a 30 minute nap so I thought she might go back to sleep. Read on.
12:47- walked through the door and found Heather Reinhardt, who had pre-bought a copy of Tony Dungy's new book for me which gaurenteed that I would get it signed today.
12:49- Got in line. At least we were indoors and not waiting in the cold.
12:50- sitting on the floor, Emma still out of it and I thought she might go back to sleep.
1:00- No such luck, Emma is board already and the book I brought in for here is not working the way I would have liked it too.
1:15- walked around the store with Emma a little bit. Found a Veggie Tales puzzle to buy Emma to keep her entertained. $5 well spent
1:20- start working on the Puzzle with Emma.
2:00 Emma is sick of the Puzzle after completing it about 10 times at least.
2:15- Emma hasnt had anythign to drink since we arrived. Didnt really have anythign for her so made a quick walk to Wal-Mart to get some juice. Everytime I left the line the people were really nice and kept my place in line for me. Probably because of my adorable daughter.
2:25 arrive back at the store, get back in line
2:40- Emma has just about had it. She is ready to be done with all this. One last walk around the store.
3:05 Tony Dungy arives, the line starts moving.
3:15- A woman in line comments to me: "You sure do have alot of patients for that little girl of yours." yes I do, and thank you Lord for patients.
3:25- Tony Dungy Signs my book, and I shook his hand.
3:30- we pull out of the parking lot to head home.
4:30- Emma is still awake, and I hear these words: "Emma make big poopy." And yes it was a big poopy. Maybe too much apple juice. Opps.
5:00 arrive home. ready to rest. But nope, I had to run and get ready for church.

There is the road trip in a nutshell
Here are some pictures of the trip.

the Puzzle I bought. Money well spent

The long line outside, that we didnt have to wait in.

Tony himself

Moving in for the hand shake. Yes, he did shake my hand

The signed book

Today in History

1924 - The first Olympic Winter Games opened in Chamonix, France.
1932 - The first Winter Olympics opened in the United States at Lake Placid, NY. The games were opened by New York Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt.
1993 - The Boston Celtics retired Larry Bird's #33.
1997 A civil jury found O.J. Simpson liable for the deaths of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman.
1999 Unarmed West African immigrant Amadou Diallo was shot and killed in front of his Bronx home by four plainclothes New York City police officers who said they mistook his wallet for a gun. The police fired 41 shots at Diallo
2004 The Massachusetts high court declared that gays were entitled to marry.

Today in History

1690 The first paper money in America was issued by the colony of Massachusetts.
1876 - Albert Spalding and his brother started a sporting goods store. They manufactured the first official baseball, tennis ball, basketball, golf ball and football.
1959 The day the music died. Rock 'n' roll stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson died in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa.
1998 Texas executed Karla Faye Tucker for the pickax killings of two people in 1983.
1998 A U.S. Marine jet sliced through a ski gondola cable in Italy, sending the car's 20 occupants plunging 370 feet to their deaths.
2001 - The XFL debuted. The Las Vegas Outlaws beat the New York/New Jersey Hitman 19-0 and the Orlando Rage beat the Chicago Enforcers 33-29.
2006 An Egyptian passenger ferry sank in the Red Sea during bad weather, killing more than 1,000 passengers.

What is Purdue Thinking?

An article appeared in the Elkhart Truth today about Purdue University opening up a new dorm building next fall. It is the first dorm they have built in 16 years. This dorm sets itself apart from other dorms in that every room will be single-occupant rooms. There will be 365 rooms, with private bath rooms, flat-screen TV's, wireless internet, free laundry facilities, and cleaning services. Room and board alone will cost $13,800 a school year. Now why wouldnt a college student just rent an appartment and save about 50%. Not to mention room and board cost about the same as a years worth of tuition. The sad part is that the rooms are already full for the next year. Glad to see that not everyone is strugelling right now with money

What a complement

With my job comes alot of stress and complaining from the kids along with every cuss word in the book. This week, in my pay check, just like any other paycheck, was the staffs by-weekly news letter. The news letter basically consists of information staff needs to hear about of course as well as a section that we call "High Fives." High Fives are ways for others to tell staff that they are doing a good job. Usually this is staff giving staff complements. Well in this news letter, there was one for me, not the first, but the first one like this. This one was from one of my residents who wrote one for every staff member. I thought this was cool since this is a resident who I have put alot of time into and I feel has a strong chance to make it in life. This is what is said. "Hey, man, you are a great help and friend. I hope everything goes well with your life. Your daughter is lucky to have a great dad that cares." The last sentence is what got me the most. I think I will be hanging onto this newsletter as inpriration.

Super Bowl Comercials

Careerbuilder.com


Coke Zero-great job on using an old classic


Bud Light skiing comercial. just funny


Doritos


Bridgesone-This one had to be my favorite this year.


Now for the just plain dumb comercials
Budweiser- They lost it this year. They have over used the horses



I am sure I am missing some bad ones. I jsut dont want to watch them again and go through them again.

Today in History

1960, four black college students began a sit-in protest at a lunch counter in Greensboro, N.C., where they'd been refused service.
1982 "Late Night with David Letterman" premiered on NBC.
1995 - John Stockton (Utah Jazz) became the NBA's career assist leader when he scored his 9,922nd assist to move past Magic Johnson.
1999 Former White House intern Monica Lewinsky gave a deposition that was videotaped for senators weighing impeachment charges against President Bill Clinton.
2003 the space shuttle Columbia broke up during re-entry, killing all seven crew members.
2004 Singer Janet Jackson's breast was briefly exposed during a duet with Justin Timberlake during the Super Bowl halftime show. Timberlake later referred to the incident as a "wardrobe malfunction."
2006 French and German newspapers republished caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in what they called a defense of freedom of expression, sparking fresh anger from Muslims.
2008 Remote-controlled explosives strapped to two women killed nearly 100 people in Baghdad.

Today in History

1865, the House of Representatives passed a constitutional amendment to abolish slavery.
1865 Robert E. Lee was named general-in-chief of the Confederate armies.
1919 Baseball Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson, who broke the sport's color barrier in 1947, was born in Cairo, Ga.
1958 The United States entered the Space Age with its first successful launch of a satellite into orbit, Explorer I.
1971 Astronauts Alan B. Shepard Jr., Edgar D. Mitchell and Stuart A. Roosa blasted off aboard Apollo 14 on the third successful manned mission to the moon.
1990 McDonald's Corp. opened its first fast-food restaurant in Moscow.
2000 An Alaska Airlines jet plunged into the ocean off Southern California on a flight from Mexico to San Francisco, killing all 88 people on board.

25 Random things about me

Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

(To do this, go to the "notes" under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the ap) then click publish.)
1. I want to be on Survivor or Amazing Race. I want to be on Survivor first. Maybe I will be so good on Survivor that they want me to be on Amazing Race. however if Amazing Race is still around in about 14-16 years, I would love to do it with Emma. Emma and I would dominate!!!
2. I have not missed a day of running since before my Freshmen year in 1996
3. I have run 4 marathons and am getting ready to run my 5th in Oragon on May 3rd.
4. I just became a home owner for the first time in November
5. I have the cutest daughter in the world.
6. I have been to 48 of the 50 states. I have never been to Alaska and Hawaii. However the only other country I have been to is Canada.
7. I have eaten Whale (really though to chew)
8. My favorite food is steak (medium rare)
9. Despite the bad season that Indiana is having right now, I am a huge supporter of Tom Crean
10. I am going to Fort Wayne on Wednesday for a Tony Dungy Book signing.
11. Durring my college years, I painted my bdy completly blue for every home Bethel Basketabll game.
12. I have loved every job that I have had that deals with teens. I have hated every job that I have had that did not deal with teens.
13. My favorite movie is Hoosiers
14. I was at the last Yankees/Red Sox game at Yankee Stadium ( i know alot of people already know about this but I love to brag about it)
15. I love all of Peyton Mannings commercials
16. I am really hating this cold weather.
17. I have 10 fish in my aquarium right now.
18. I love war movies
19. I would love to live in Colorado some day (this one will probably never happen)
20. I want to be a coach of my daughters teams (at least little league, before she gets into middle school)
21. If I had to live in any city, it would be Indianapoils
22. My dream job would be either a youth pastor or in camp ministry.
23. I hate Notre Dame
24. I love camping
25. Before I die I want to go sky diving

Today in History

1933 Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany.
1969 The Beatles performed as a group for the last time in public in a 45-minute gig on the roof of their Apple Records headquarters in London during the filming of "Let it Be."
1972 Thirteen Roman Catholic civil rights marchers were shot to death by British soldiers in Northern Ireland on what became known as "Bloody Sunday."
2000 - John Rocker (Atlanta Braves) was suspended from major league baseball for disparaging foreigners, homosexuals and minorities in an interview published by Sports Illustrated. Should he have said what he did, no. Should he have been suspended for it, I dont think so.
2000 - The New York Mets announced that Garth Brooks would begin training with the team on February 20.
2005 Iraqis voted in their country's first free election in a half-century. Mr. President, If you need a good reason for why we are in this war, this is it!!!

Today in History

1900 The American League, consisting of eight baseball teams, was organized in Philadelphia.
1936 The first five members of baseball's Hall of Fame, including Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth, were named in Cooperstown, N.Y.
1998 A bomb exploded at an abortion clinic in Birmingham, Ala., killing an off-duty policeman and severely wounding a nurse. (The bomber, Eric Rudolph, was captured in May 2003 and is serving a life sentence.)
2002 In his first State of the Union address, President George W. Bush warned of "an axis of evil" consisting of North Korea, Iran and Iraq.
2004 A suicide bomber struck a bus in Jerusalem, killing 10 Israelis.
2006 ABC "World News Tonight" co-anchor Bob Woodruff and a cameraman were seriously injured in a roadside bombing in Iraq.

Today in History

1904 - The University of Chicago awarded blankets with the letter C to all seniors that played football during the 1903 season. This event marked the beginning of the sports letter tradition
1973 A cease-fire officially went into effect in the Vietnam War.
1986, space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff from Cape Canaveral, killing all seven crew members.

1999 Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan, honoring a personal request for mercy from Pope John Paul II, spared a triple murderer from execution.

Today in History

Alright since no one gave me any good ideas on what to do for post number 100 I will do the same old same old and give you this day in History. Here we go...

1988 The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical "Phantom of the Opera," the longest-running show in Broadway history, opened at the Majestic Theater in New York.
1996 First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton testified before a grand jury connected to the Whitewater probe.
1998 President Bill Clinton denied having an affair with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky, telling reporters, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman."

And to think, people now consider him a good president
2001 An earthquake hit the Indian subcontinent, killing more than 13,000 people.
2003 - In Berlin, Lindsay Benko broke the 400 freestyle world record. She became the first to go under the four-minute mark (3 minutes, 59.53 seconds). This is my claim to faim here. I can actually say I was on a swimmteam with a world record holder and a gold medalist. Not that she would remember me but i think it is cool.
2005 Condoleezza Rice was sworn in as secretary of state.

Today in History

1951 - Fidel Castro was ejected from a Winter League baseball game after hitting a batter. He later gave up baseball for politics.
1973, the Supreme Court handed down its Roe vs. Wade decision, which legalized abortion.
1998 Theodore Kaczynski pleaded guilty in Sacramento, Calif., to being the Unabomber in return for a sentence of life in prison without parole.
2001 President George W. Bush signed a memorandum reinstating full abortion restrictions on U.S. overseas aid.
2003 - Michael Jordan (Washington Wizards) became the third highest all-time scorer in the NBA.
2008 Actor Heath Ledger, 28, was found dead of an accidental prescription drug overdose in New York City.

A side not, the next post will be my 100th. Give me some sugestions on what that post should be about

Today in History

1861 Five Southerners resigned from the U.S. Senate, including Jefferson Davis of Mississippi, the future president of the Confederacy.
1977 President Jimmy Carter pardoned almost all Vietnam War draft evaders.
1990 - John McEnroe was disqualified and expelled for throwing a tantrum and using abusive language at an official while leading Mikael Pernfors in the Australian Open. He was the first person to be thrown out of a Grand Slam in 27 years. He was fined $6,500 and kicked out of the tournament.
1997 Speaker Newt Gingrich was fined as the House voted for first time in history to discipline its leader for ethical misconduct.
2003 The Census Bureau announced that Hispanics had surpassed blacks as America's largest minority group.
2004 The recording industry sued 532 computer users it said were illegally distributing songs over the Internet.

Today in History

1892 - The first official basketball game was played by students at the Springfield, MA, YMCA Training School.
1968 - Houston ended UCLA's 47-game winning streak with a 71-69 victory at the Astrodome before 52,693 fans. The game also set a NCAA attendance record.
1981, Iran released 52 Americans held hostage for 444 days, minutes after the presidency had passed from Jimmy Carter to Ronald Reagan.
1985 - The most-watched Super Bowl game in history was seen by an estimated 115.9 million people. The San Francisco 49ers beat the Miami Dolphins, 38-16. Super Bowl XIX marked the first time that TV commercials sold for a million dollars a minute. Joe Montana was awarded his third MVP award.
1989 George H.W. Bush took the oath of office as the 41st U.S. president.
1999 - The NBA lockout officially ended after 204 days. i actually dont remember this one. Shows how much I dont care about the NBA.
2001 George W. Bush took the oath of office as the 43rd president of the United States.

Today in History

1937, millionaire Howard Hughes set a transcontinental air record by flying his monoplane from Los Angeles to Newark, N.J., in 7 hours, 28 minutes and 25 seconds
2001 In a deal sparing himself possible indictment, President Bill Clinton acknowledged for the first time making false statements under oath about Monica Lewinsky; he also surrendered his law license for five years.
2004 John Kerry won Iowa's Democratic presidential caucuses; Howard Dean, who finished third, delivered a fist-pumping, bellowing concession speech that was viewed as politically damaging. Lets take a look shall we?

Today in History

1984 The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the private use of home video cassette recorders to tape TV programs did not violate federal copyright laws.
1997 - NBA suspends Dennis Rodman indefinitely/$25,000 for kicking cameraman
1998 President Bill Clinton became the first U.S. president to testify as a defendant in a criminal or civil suit when he answered questions from lawyers for Paula Jones, who had accused Clinton of sexual harassment.
2001 Faced with an electricity crisis, California used rolling blackouts to cut off power to hundreds of thousands of people.
2006 The Supreme Court protected Oregon's assisted-suicide law, ruling that doctors there who helped terminally ill patients die could not be arrested under federal drug laws.
2008 Bobby Fischer, the chess master who became a Cold War icon when he dethroned the Soviet Union's Boris Spassky as world champion in 1972, died at age 64.

Thank You Mr. President

As your terma as president comes to and end I would like to say, thank you Mr. Bush for the way that you served our country. I know you have been ripped on and mocked for the job that you did in office, but I would like to thank you for being the Christian President and the man of God that you showed the American People that you are.
Thank you for your leadership following 9/11. Your leadership and strength that you showed at the base of the wreckage of the WTC with the fire men and others was a great sight to see and gave this great country hope. Thank you for throwing out the first pitch in Yankee Stadium that cold day in late October to show the rest of the country once again that you were one of us and you are there to be our leader. That moment sent goose bumps all over my body.
Thank you for what you did for the Iraqi people. People my say it was the worst move in American history but I believe that if you ask the people over there that they are greatful for their new freedom and the ability to vote and not be afraid.
I would just like to say, desipite what people are going to say, you were not the worst president in the history of America. That title still belongs to President Jimmy Carter I believe.

Your fellow American
Mark Davidhizar

A Miracle in the Hudson

Today a jetliner carrying 155 people landed in the Hudson River in New York City. Amazingly, no one was killed and only one major injury reported, where a victim reveied 2 broken legs. The Pilots are given alot of credit for keeping cool and calm durring the event. However I beleive that God had his hand on the situation. I would say, great job to the pilot and the rescue personel. But praise God for his protection over the passengers and the pilots of that aircraft.

Today in History

1892 The rules of basketball were published for the first time, in Springfield, Mass.
1929 Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta.
1942 - U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave baseball the approval to play despite World War II. He encouraged night games so that war workers could attend.
1973 President Richard Nixon announced the suspension of all U.S. offensive action in North Vietnam, citing progress in peace negotiations.
1978 Serial killer Ted Bundy murdered two students in a sorority house at Florida State University in Tallahassee.
1978 - The Super Bowl was played indoors for the first time. The game was played at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. The Dallas Cowboys defeated the Denver Broncos 27-10.
1997 - Dennis Rodman (Chicago Bulls) kicked cameraman Eugene Amosin in the groin.
2004 The NASA Spirit rover rolled onto the surface of Mars.
2005 A military court at Fort Hood, Texas, sentenced Army Specialist Charles Graner Jr. to 10 years behind bars for physically and sexually mistreating Iraqis at Abu Ghraib prison.

Why I will not watch American Idol tonight

So I was actally thinking about watching American Idol tonight. Well, not anymore. Why you may ask would I not watch one of the most popular shows on TV? The only time I have ever watched American Idol was to see the Auditions and see all the bad singers. I could care less about the good singers. I could care less about the actuall competition. I want to see those who are willing to go on tv, even though they know they cant sing and embarase themselves. It makes me feel better about myself and lack of singing ability. So thanks American Idol, you lost one viewer tonight. (I know, I am probably the only one with this oppinion but oh well)

Today in History

1906 - The forward pass was legalized by the football rules committee.
1991 a deeply divided Congress gave President George H.W. Bush the authority to use force to expel Iraq from Kuwait. (The Senate vote was 52-47; the House followed suit 250-183.)
1998 Linda Tripp provided Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr's office with taped conversations between herself and former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
1999 The baseball that Mark McGwire hit for his record-setting 70th home run of the 1998 season was sold at auction in New York for $3 million to an anonymous bidder.
2000 The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 ruling, gave police broad authority to stop and question people who run at the sight of an officer.
2005 Britain's Prince Harry apologized after a newspaper published a photograph of the young royal wearing a Nazi uniform to a costume party.
2006 A stamped broke out during the Islamic hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, killing 363 people.

Sledding

Today I took Emma sledding for the first time. She loved it. The one time we "crashed" she started to cry because her mitten came off and her hand got cold. I figured that was the end of our day out there but then I asked her if she wanted to go down again. Still crying she just responded, "yeah." That was awsome. Other than the one time, she had a blast. Here of course are some pictures of the day.

Today in History

1973 Owners of American League baseball teams voted to adopt the designated-hitter rule.
1990 - Bobby Knight becomes basketball's Big 10 winningest coach (229)
1991 - Ric Flair wins NWA/WCW wrestling title (WOOO!!!)
2003 Calling the death penalty process "arbitrary and capricious, and therefore immoral," Illinois Gov. George Ryan commuted the sentences of 167 condemned inmates, clearing his state's death row two days before leaving office.
2006 A Georgian court convicted a man of trying to assassinate President George W. Bush and Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili in 2005 with a grenade in Tbilisi and sentenced him to life in prison.
2007 English soccer star David Beckham announced a five-year deal to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy.
2008 Former Olympic track gold medalist Marion Jones was sentenced to six months in prison for lying to investigators about using performance-enhancing drugs and her role in a check-fraud scam.
2008 Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person to conquer Mount Everest, died at age 88.

Today in History

1945 - No one is elected to baseball's Hall of Fame
1946, the first General Assembly of the United Nations convened in London.This also began the most pointless organization in the world.
1964 The Beatles' first album in the United States, "Introducing the Beatles," was released.
1990 - NCAA approves random drug testing for college football players
2005 CBS issued a damning independent review of mistakes related to a "60 Minutes Wednesday" report on President George W. Bush's National Guard service and fired three news executives and a producer for their "myopic zeal" in rushing it to air.
2007 President George W. Bush announced he would send 21,500 additional U.S. forces to Iraq in an effort to quell violence there.

This day in History

1788 Connecticut became the fifth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
1861 Mississippi seceded from the Union.
1958 - In basketball Oscar Robertson (Cin) scores 56, Seton Hall team 54
1962 - NFL prohibits grabbing of face masks
1967 - NFL New Orleans' franchise takes name "Saints"
1968, the Surveyor 7 space probe made a soft landing on the moon, marking the end of the American series of unmanned explorations of the lunar surface.
1991 - A special committee of Major League Baseball authorities officially banned Pete Rose from being elected into the Hall of Fame.
2005 - Randy Moss (Minnesota Vikings) pretended to pull down his pants and moon the Green Bay Packer crowd during a playoff win. On January 13 the NFL fined Moss $10,000 for the act.
2007 Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone.

Old Baseball Cards

i have kept all my baseball cards that I had collected as a kid and also have alot of the cards that my dad had growing up. But I wish I could have a card like this. Here is the story off of Yahoo. Wed Jan 07, 2009 5:50 pm EST

Woman finds 139-year-old baseball card in box of antiques
By 'Duk
The strange story goes like this: Last summer, Bernice Gallego pulled an old baseball card from a box of antiques. She figured it might be worth something to someone, so she listed it on eBay.

The starting bid was $10.

But after getting a flurry of inquiries about whether the card was authentic or not, Gallego started to suspect she was holding something a little more valuable and immediately ended the auction.

Turns out her hunch was correct. She did have something more valuable. The card she found was made in 1869 and featured the "Red Stocking B.B. Club of Cincinnati," the sport's first professional team. It's considered one of the first baseball cards ever produced and its actual value could be worth more than $100,000 when she puts it back on eBay (with a higher starting price, of course).

Of course, the news that she had found a rare piece of early baseball history came as a shock to the 72-year-old Fresno, Calif., resident who said she's never been to a baseball game. Her tale, from unwitting discovery to learning about the card's history, is wonderfully captured by our old pal Mike Osegueda of the Fresno Bee. Click here to read it.

From the Fresno Bee:

"When I came to meet her and she took it out of a sandwich Baggie and she was smoking a cigarette, I almost fainted," (collector Rick) Mirigian says.

"They've uncovered a piece of history that few people will ever be able to imagine or comprehend. And it comes out of Fresno," he says. "That card is history. It's like unearthing a Mona Lisa or a Picasso."

Gallego said she doesn't know exactly where the box of antiques came from since she and her husband are collectors and frequently buy lots from different estates around California. She does have a history of being lucky, though, having once won $250,000 on a slot machine.

(And with that, I'm off to see what I can find in my basement.)

News of the Weired, Animals

Mule Credited With Saving Woman in Fire
Lou the mule is being hailed as a hero for saving the life of his owner in McMinnville, Tenn. Jolene Solomon, 63, says she stepped outside her home on New Year's Day to see why Lou was braying and saw that her house was in flames. It burned to the ground, but she and Lou are safe.

Talk about avoiding a "cat"-astrophe! In an unusual operation Dec. 9, Boston veterinarians reattached Edgar the cat's face after the feline was severely injured in an accident. The feline crawled under the hood of a car, and was likely mangled by the fan belt. The kitty should be fine.

Who was hunting who? When Randy Goodman went hunting in Sedalia, Mo., in November, he shot a deer twice. But when he got close, the buck attacked him with its antlers and hooves, knocking him to the ground. Goodman shot and permanently killed the 240-pound animal as it was running away.

Today in History

1789 The first U.S. presidential election was held. Americans voted for electors who, a month later, chose George Washington to be the nation's first president.
1942 The World War II siege of Bataan began.
1996 A major blizzard paralyzed the eastern United States, claiming more than 100 lives.
1997 Newt Gingrich became the first Republican re-elected House speaker in 68 years.
1999 President Bill Clinton's impeachment trial began in the Senate. (He was later acquited on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice.)
2006 American journalist Jill Carroll was abducted in Iraq and a translator was killed. (She was released unharmed after 82 days.)

Today in History

1941 President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in his State of the Union address, outlined a goal of "Four Freedoms" for the world: freedom of speech and expression, the freedom of people to worship God in their own way, freedom from want and freedom from fear.
1942 The Pan American Airways Pacific Clipper arrived in New York after making the first round-the-world trip by a commercial airplane.
1994 Figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was clubbed on the right leg by an assailant in Detroit. Four men, including the ex-husband of Kerrigan's rival, Tonya Harding, were later sentenced to prison.
1995 - Atlanta Hawks' Lenny Wilkens becomes NBA's winningest coach
2001 With the vanquished Vice President Al Gore presiding, Congress certified Republican George W. Bush the winner of the close and bitterly contested 2000 presidential election.
2005 Former Ku Klux Klan leader Edgar Ray Killen was arrested 41 years after three civil rights workers were slain in Mississippi. (Killen was later convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 60 years in prison.)

Today in Histor

1914, Henry Ford, head of the Ford Motor Company, introduced a minimum wage scale of $5 per day.
1920 - Boston Red Sox sell Babe Ruth to NY Yankees
1927 - A three-day public hearing began on the charges that four games played between Chicago and Detroit on September 2 and 3 of 1917 had been thrown.
1934 - Both the National and American baseball leagues decided to use a uniform-size baseball. It was the first time in 33 years that both leagues used the same size ball.
1957 - Dodgers' Jackie Robinson retires rather than be traded to NY Giants
1972 President Richard Nixon ordered development of the space shuttle.
1993 - Mike Ditka was fired as coach of the Chicago Bears. Never understood this move.
1998 Sonny Bono, the pop singer-turned-politician, was killed when he struck a tree while skiing in South Lake Tahoe, Calif., at age 62.
2004 After 14 years of denials, Pete Rose publicly admitted that he'd bet on baseball while manager of the Cincinnati Reds.

Today in History

1994 The 104th Congress convened, the first entirely under Republican control since the Eisenhower era; Newt Gingrich was elected speaker of the House. Those were the good old days
1999 Former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura was sworn in as governor of Minnesota.
2006 Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a stroke and his powers were transferred to his deputy, Ehud Olmert.

Somethings Never Change

Last night I went over the the NorthWood/Northridge game at the NorthWood Holiday Tourney. One things has not changed since I can remember, the Northridge student section. As the game went on, the students just got worse and worse. The chants coming from the students were more attacks on NorthWood players than encouraging their own team. Usually they were attacking a certain player in the game. Also the chear "A rope, a tree, hang the referee" came out. Is that really appropreate? I would like to give the NorthWood students alot of credit for not doing the same. NorhtWood kept its integrity and continued to cheer on their team. So I say to the NorthWood students, thank you very much.