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| Long Island Express November 7, 2016 1:50:58 PM Entry ID: 2079532 | Thank you League Lineup, the website is back online. |
| None Red Sox October 31, 2013 8:03:37 AM Entry ID: 2043666 | Boston's Deserved World Series Celebration Is About Much More Than Baseball |
| CWS June 26, 2013 3:10:09 PM Entry ID: 2034191 | UCLA executes a perfect safety squeeze with No. 3 hitter Eric Filia. One through nine have to be capable of bunting. Safety? or suicide? Understand the difference. |
| Class of 2013 Memories of a lifetime - Class of 2013 May 27, 2013 2:37:57 PM Entry ID: 2031134 | Hats off to the 2013 class of baseball players. We couldn't be more proud of the many young men that have done a awesome job of representing Long Island baseball. I am talking about every single player that we were fortunate to spend some time with and get to know. Nothing in my life has been more rewarding than watching this group of fine young men develope into who they are today. From the public school players to the Catholic school ball players, congrats and a job well done. Talk about blessed? Blessed beyond our wildest dreams. Thank you! |
| None Going down as the best national championship..... April 9, 2013 8:01:07 AM Entry ID: 2026108 | With the entire world watching, Louisville outlasted Michigan, 82-76, in an absolute classic that will instantly go down as one of the best national championship games in a long time. In what was the perfect way to end an unpredictable, thrilling season, this game had it all. It had under-the-radar bench players catching fire in the first half. It had the superstar point guards stepping up down the stretch. It had thundering alley-oop dunks. It had back-and-forth, scintillating action, and everyone but Rick Pitino's squad was disappointed to see it come to a finish. But in the end, senior point guard Peyton Siva, who finished with 18 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals, controlled a nail-biting second half as the Cardinals held on for the win. Luke Hancock, who kept the Cardinals close in the first 20 minutes, finished with a ridiculous 22 points on six field-goal attempts and was named Final Four MOP. In perhaps the final collegiate game of his career, Wooden Award winner Trey Burke poured in 24 points in a spectacular, albeit losing, effort. The opening 17 minutes were the Spike Albrecht Show. With Burke out for most of the half with foul trouble, the 5'11" freshman—who entered the game averaging 1.8 points per game—lit the nets on fire, hitting six of his seven shots and all four of his three-point attempts en route to 17 points. But with three minutes remaining and the Wolverines up 12, Luke Hancock hit a three-pointer. Then he hit another one. Then he hit another one. Then he hit another one. When the teams broke for the locker room, Albrecht had 17, Hancock had 16, both teams combined to shoot 57.9 percent from long range, Michigan led by one at 38-37, and we had witnessed the greatest, most entertaining half of basketball all year. The second half was full of new stars, but the same enthralling action. Siva and Burke showcased why they are two of the best floor generals in the country, making plays all over the court and trading jaw-dropping blows at the rim. Louisville was able to get more from help from its role players, however, as Chane Behanan (15 points, 13 rebounds) and Gorgui Dieng (eight points, eight rebounds, six assists) controlled the offensive glass to keep the Cardinals ahead by a small margin for most of the second half. In the waning moments, the Cardinals knocked down their final free throws, Burke's late-game magic finally ran out and Kevin Ware and his teammates were able to cut down the net as champions. In a season that was defined by unpredictability and thrilling, down-to-the wire theatrics, one couldn't think of a more fitting, perfect national championship. If this was a sign of things to come for college basketball, the often-criticized sport is in a very good place. Full highlights of Louisville's victory over Michigan |
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“My name is Matthew Jeffers......
“The Only Disability in Life is a Bad Attitude” March 21, 2013 1:23:26 PM Entry ID: 2023808 | Thanks to a friend for sharing this with me. Freedom from the bondage of heartache! Watch this if you have not already! http://www.danlier.com/archives/1250 |
| None Are You Raising Entitled Kids? March 15, 2013 1:44:56 PM Entry ID: 2023049 | Conventional wisdom says that the more opportunity and support you can give your kids, the more successful they’ll be. Right? Maybe not, according to a new study in the American Sociological Review. The study found that the more money parents provide for higher education (in total and as a share of college costs), the lower the grades their children earn. Wait. What?? Of course, the findings were complex, but the message was clear: when we hand our kids gifts or opportunities without any requirements or clear expectations attached, they become entitled kids, and they probably won’t value it as they should. Do your kids think of certain luxuries and privileges as entitlements? Do they sometimes take for granted things you never had as a child? If so, don’t be angry with them, teach them instead. |
| None Overscheduled kids, anxious parents. March 9, 2013 7:33:01 AM Entry ID: 2022398 | Are we, as a nation, making childhood too stressful for millions of kids? Are we cramming them into too many after-school activities without an eye toward what lessons they'll learn about themselves? Have we forgotten what childhood can and should be like? These are just a few of the big existential worries that spiral out of a simple-sounding question millions of parents ask ourselves: What activities should my children be involved in? As a dad to two young boys, I'm quickly learning what so many parents already know: It's stressful territory that involves a tough balancing act. But recently, standing before a large crowd, I had a realization that now serves as my guidepost, and that I hope will help others. What if your kid's a budding prodigy? Good parents want to help our kids learn skills, gain confidence, find interests and try new things. When they're young, it's easy to want to give them every opportunity. But that's impossible, not to mention expensive. One of my boys has drummed to the beat since he was a baby, so I'm looking into drum lessons. The other can't stop dancing, so maybe he'll take dance lessons. Both love playing catch with me. Tee ball time? The oldest, in kindergarten, chose tennis lessons. And they both love their swim lessons. The possibilities are endless. What if one is meant to be a pole vaulting chess prodigy, and the other's an Olympic gymnast who paints masterpieces? How will they know if we don't introduce them to all these things? And so the spiraling begins, which helps lead some parents to sign our kids up for too many activities. There are studies saying the "over scheduled child" is a "myth," but those are about generation-wide statistics. The fact remains that some kids are kept far too busy. "Parents need to teach their kids to balance human doing with human being," said clinical psychologist Paula Bloom. Parents need to teach their kids to balance human doing with human being. Paula Bloom, clinical psychologist Kids need to know they're not defined by what they do, she said. They need time to play, experiment, rest and figure out who they are. "As parents, we've got to get over our anxiety that we're not doing enough. Creating a sense of safety, helping kids have confidence to try certain things, those are the things that matter." As kids get older, they'll show you more and more what they're interested in, Bloom notes. And, yes, we all make mistakes. "As adults, your kids are going to tell their therapists, 'Oh my parents never let me play piano,' or some other activity. It's going to happen. Being able to tolerate that is really important." League sports for little kids? Many of my kids' friends started soccer leagues at age 3. My wife and I asked ourselves: Do we want our boys to be the only ones without soccer skills? We want them to know they can do anything and to join the camaraderie. But on top of their other activities, our kids have religious education one weekend morning. Soccer would mean not a single morning all week to relax at home, unstructured. A great dad I know, a personal trainer (full disclosure: mine) who works regularly with teen athletes, is vehemently against kids entering sports leagues before they're about age 11 or 12. Adults are "trying to instill grown-up values and competitive nature on a kid, and they're nowhere near that yet," said Robert Stephens. "They're trying to make them into world champions. That's nuts!" Adults are trying to instill grown-up values and competitive nature on a kid. Robert Stephens, trainer Stephens, who along with his wife raised two boys, wants kids to start playing neighborhood pickup games again. "It teaches them how to regulate themselves, make up rules," and fix problems, he said. But these days, that rarely happens. And as CNN has reported, league sports are helping fill a vacuum and keep many kids active. |
| Musial-strength of character not the clowns today. January 24, 2013 8:12:05 AM Entry ID: 2020855 | The life of a professional athlete is, quite obviously, very different than it was on that September afternoon 50 years ago. The glare of the klieg lights is brighter, the money is bigger, the circles of cameras around lockers are deeper, the temptations are more tempting. So it is even harder than it was back then for stars to be like Musial. Which was someone who was actually (not just professedly) humble someone who actually did value his family (he was married to Lillian for 72 years, until her death in May of last year) someone who was above all else decent, despite how easy it would have been to be otherwise. |
| 'Values' Do Count. January 20, 2013 7:24:04 AM Entry ID: 2020854 | 7 lessons Lance Armstrong's confession has taught us. |
| Long Toss / Weight Programs. December 9, 2012 3:50:08 PM Entry ID: 2020853 | Definition of insanity. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. |
| His father's name is Francisco. Good chemistry part of the science behind Giants' October 29, 2012 8:42:34 AM Entry ID: 1996823 | DETROIT -- Miguel Cabrera watched strike three sail by, and finally, for the first time in this World Series, a San Francisco Giant did not know what to do. Sergio Romo stood on the mound and thought: Is that it? Is it over? Did we win? Impossible.Can you fault him? Who can make sense of this? Nine days earlier, the Giants trailed the St. Louis Cardinals three games to one in the National League Championship Series. Who thought they would win seven straight games to sprint away with the championship? Romo saw everybody running around the field and hugging each other, and pretty soon everything around him signaled a massive celebration. In the clubhouse, the Giants sprayed Mumm sparkling wine (from Napa Valley, of course) on each other, and they hoisted the World Series trophy and wore World Series champion T-shirts, and still, Sergio Romo was not satisfied. He wanted them to understand what they had done. He wanted them to know what they meant to him. Romo went face-to-face with second baseman Marco Scutaro, one of the great in-season acquisitions in baseball history, who singled in the winning run in the 10th inning. Three months ago, Scutaro wasn't even a Giant. But by the 10th inning of Game 4 against the Detroit Tigers, Scutaro was an essential bone holding up the whole team. Star Buster Posey, a leader since he was a rookie, said he watched Scutaro step into the batter's box in the 10th and "he just looked so calm and relaxed". Posey had a feeling Scutaro would deliver. In the clubhouse, Romo told Scutaro: "You have big (bleeping) (Scutaros!)" Then Romo found Hunter Pence, another summer pickup, and said, "The rest of your life, you are a world champion. Eternity, baby." Eternity? They have been teammates for three months, and now Romo was talking about eternity? Yes. Perfect. That is the 2012 San Francisco Giants. All around the world, at every level of competition, coaches and players try to figure out how to create a true team -- how to mesh, how to play for each other, to take isolated sets of individual acts and piece them into one. And then a team like these Giants comes along, and it all happens so naturally. Scutaro and Pence arrived and it was like their parts in the play were already written. They just had to read the lines. "The smile on my face does not mean as much to me as the smile on my teammates' faces," Romo said. "It makes it more special when you are not playing for yourself." Is this why they won? Well, it had to help, right? Posey walked into the clubhouse, surveyed the chaos of his drenched teammates, and thought: This is an awfully small clubhouse. He had nowhere to go. They were stuck together. They like it that way. "I think chemistry plays a huge part in this sport because we play so many games," Posey said. And ace Matt Cain said "Guys really had a great feeling of being around each other and had a lot of fun with each other. I think that ended up showing and ended up paying off." Maybe you believe in this stuff and maybe you don't. Maybe you think Series MVP Pablo Sandoval hit three Game 1 home runs simply because he made three great swings, and that Posey hit a homer in Game 4 ("the feel off the bat, I wasn't sure if it was going to stay fair" he said) simply because he is a great player. You might be right. But understand: The Giants believe. Cain said he doesn't know how much their closeness contributed the championship. But look: When the Giants needed Barry Zito to set aside six years of criticism and failure, and pitch like an ace again, Zito did it -- twice. Pitching coach Dave Righetti sat with Tim Lincecum in the weight room one day and had a tough talk about yanking Lincecum from the starting rotation. Tim Lincecum! The freak, the two-time Cy Young Award winner, maybe the most recognizable player on the team even today. "That wasn't the easiest thing," Righetti said, but Lincecum responded by willingly becoming an essential bullpen weapon. When Righetti worried about the location of Madison Bumgarner's pitches ("I really thought he was going to finish up in the 'pen," Righetti said), Bumgarner recognized if he didn't do it, they would lose. He found a way to hit his spots again. Individual acts, individual fixes, individual successes. Collectively, it seemed like magic. And so came the time for one final act: Sergio Romo on the mound in the 10th inning, clinging to a 4-3 lead, pitching to the reigning American League Triple Crown winner, facing a genetic mismatch. Romo and Cabrera were born six weeks apart in 1983. Cabrera was a phenom almost from birth, a stunning natural talent, trained by his parents in Venezuela to be a star. When Cabrera was 16, the Florida Marlins gave him the largest signing bonus for an international player. Romo grew up in California, the son of a Mexican farm laborer who loved baseball. Sergio was nobody's phenom. When he finished high school, his father suggested he join the Navy. Sergio took the test and was ready to join. He went to Mesa State community college instead. At 24, he was still pitching Single-A ball. He finally made it to the majors, and when wacky closer Brian Wilson got hurt, Romo became the closer. He cannot believe they asked him to get "those outs, the ones to end all seasons this year. With everything I've been through in my life, just to be here, just to be a part of this, just to be accepted as an equal to my teammates, it definitely means a lot to me." Romo does not throw typical closer smoke. In the final inning of the season, none of his pitches hit 90 miles per hour. But he throws strikes. To Cabrera, he threw five straight sliders, his signature pitch. Finally he shook off Posey. In the dugout, Righetti wondered if it was a "fake shake," just to rattle Cabrera. Then Sergio Romo threw an 89-mile-an-hour fastball to the best hitter in baseball. It would be the final pitch of the 2012 season. Strike three. Game over, World Series over, and Romo would later say he felt "blessed ... beyond blessed." It was the culmination of a dream so big, he dared not dream it, back when his father gave him his first glove when he was 2 years old. His father's name is Francisco. |
| None October 27, 2012 8:45:13 PM Entry ID: 1996600 | Failure motivates. |
| None October 6, 2012 11:09:28 AM Entry ID: 1993163 | It took just one game for Major League Baseball's new one-game wild-card playoff format to be exposed as woefully insufficient. What was supposed to be a thrilling new sudden-death playoff between the Braves and the Cardinals turned controversial and ugly in the bottom of the eighth inning at Turner Field. A questionable call by the leftfield umpire and the disgraceful -- borderline criminal -- behavior of Braves fans who subsequently littered the field with debris, primarily beer bottles, caused a 19 minute delay that forced the Cardinals to make a pitching change. When play finally resumed, the game was being played under protest by Atlanta, and the fact that the outcome of a single baseball game is far too susceptible to being influenced by a bad call or fluke play had overshadowed the intended excitement of the double-elimination format. Here's what happened: The Braves were trailing 6-3 in the bottom of the eighth inning with one out and men on first and second when Andrelton Simmons hit a pop-up into shallow leftfield. Cardinals shortstop Peter Kozma raced back to make the catch and appeared to have the ball measured when he suddenly ducked out of the way as if he had been called off by leftfielder Matt Holliday. However, Holliday had not done so, and the ball dropped untouched for an apparent single that loaded the bases. Except that at the last second before Kozma ducked away, leftfield umpire Sam Holbrook signaled for the infield fly rule, which meant Simmons was automatically out, taking the tying run off base and erasing one of the Braves' five remaining outs. Holbrook erred in invoking the infield fly in that situation for two reasons. The first was that Kozma, though he did ultimately appear to be in position to catch the ball, had to race well into shallow leftfield to make the play. The infield fly rule specifically states that it is to be used on a fair fly ball "which can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort." Kozma's was not an ordinary effort (which was the argument Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez made in his protest, which was quickly overturned by the MLB officials on hand). Second, the rule states that "when it seems apparent that a batted ball will be an Infield Fly, the umpire shall immediately declare Infield Fly for the benefit of the runners." In this case, Holbrook didn't signal for the infield fly rule until the ball was more than half-way through its descent, mere moments before Kozma flinched and the ball hit the outfield grass. Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/cliff_corcoran/10/05/braves-cardinals-nl-wild-card-infield-fly-protest/index.html#ixzz28X2I9iXD |
| None This is a historic night in baseball October 5, 2012 12:55:46 PM Entry ID: 1993059 | This is a historic night in baseball: back-to-back elimination games to begin the postseason, with two teams facing the cold possibility of getting booted from the postseason without ever playing a home game. The format brings guaranteed urgency to the postseason every year and validates the 162-game season by rewarding division champions with a ticket straight to the Division Series. It's a night everybody can love, with the exception of four people under immense pressure: the managers. Nobody has more pressure on them in these games than Mike Matheny of St. Louis, Fredi Gonzalez of Atlanta, Buck Showalter of Baltimore and Ron Washington of Texas. Matheny and Gonzalez, having replaced legends Tony La Russa and Bobby Cox, will be managing their first postseason game. Showalter is 0-4 lifetime in postseason elimination games despite having the lead in every one of them. Washington is 1-2 when his team has faced elimination. Elimination games are managers' games, and never more so than these wild card games. The Cardinals, Braves, Orioles and Rangers submitted the best possible roster to win one game, not a series of games. That means more pieces on the chessboard. With no need for four or five starting pitchers, managers can employ such luxuries as nine-man bullpens and six-man benches. That means pinch runners, pinch-hitters, third catchers and the ability to start matching up pitchers on hitters earlier in the game. The season rides on every decision for these teams, which is why Gonzalez took the bold step of benching catcher Brian McCann and starting David Ross. McCann has been bothered by a sore right shoulder. Ross is the better defender even when McCann is healthy. Gonzalez knows the Cardinals like to start runners, and that with strike-throwers Kyle Lohse and Kris Medlen the opposing starters, the game might be low scoring and contested 90 feet at a time, not just one run at a time. Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/tom_verducci/10/05/wild-card-preview-braves-cardinals-rangers-orioles/index.html#ixzz28RcZCX40 |
| None September 7, 2012 11:57:14 AM Entry ID: 1988899 | One of the best definitions of character we’ve ever heard goes something like this: “Character is what you do when no one else is looking.” This is one reason golf is such a great life-lesson game. It’s the only professional sport where the participants call penalties on themselves. But men of integrity value what is honest, true, noble, trustworthy, kind, and right ahead of personal gain. Once integrated into our foundational operating system, integrity ceases to be optional or “add-on”, but instead becomes a way of life. Here are some suggestions that will help once we decide to make integrity a foundational value: Root yourself in a moral foundation: It’s been said that everyone has a god, the question is only, “What god do we choose?” But many of us fail to even address the issue. Once considered, this question can give us a firm place to anchor. Look for the positive: Load your consciousness in a positive direction by scanning the news for examples of integrity. Then talk about those (with friends and family) rather than the latest scandal. Make endorsing integrity a stronger value in your life than criticism and scorn. Resist the temptation to compartmentalize your life: Too many of us are different people in different places. Determine to be a man of integrity then practice at home, at work, at play – wherever you are. Determine to live for others ahead of yourself: The root enemy of integrity is selfishness. The “Golden Rule” requires treating others the way we would like to be treated. It is impossible to follow the Golden Rule without a boost to personal integrity. Participate in an active accountability group: There’s a great story about the great leader Moses when his friends Aaron and Hur stood with him to hold his arms up high until the battle was won. We all need friends to hold our arms up, to help keep us strong. Partner with a friend where you need to make progress: Take accountability to the next level by asking another man to hold your feet to the fire where necessary. This can be a mutual arrangement. We know a man who asks his friend to call several times a week and ask point blank if he’s been looking at porn. The promise of a pointed question can help any area of weakness. Be in the habit of sharing EVERYTHING with your wife: When we don’t keep any secrets from our spouse, it tends to have an impact on who we are. Practice the habit of imagining the presence of someone whose opinion you value: What if my father was present at this business meeting? I wonder how grandpa would enjoy being part of this foursome? Would I tell this joke in the presence of my wife? How would my kids feel if they listened in on this conversation? Hold your children accountable: It’s cliché to say that, “to teach is to learn.” But the truth is, every lesson we bring to our children is something we need to hear too. “Principle of the week”: Elaborate the teaching equation to highlight a “principle of the week” at home. A week devoted to conversations about honesty. Another week highlighting trust. Then a week where everyone in the family pledges one act of selflessness per day, then shares over dinner. |
| None Are You Living for Joy or Pleasure? September 7, 2012 7:04:49 AM Entry ID: 1988828 | In his book Risk, author Kenny Luck relates a story told by Laurence Gonzales, an editor at Playboy in the 1970's: “I was on top of the world making millions...I had a private jet, unlimited expense accounts, meals served by butlers and, of course, famous Playmates running around the mansion. One day I couldn't take it anymore and took a walk and pondered the ultimate question: ‘Can I have too much pleasure?’” Laurence is not the only one who has to ask himself this question. All of us should inquire whether we are living for pleasure or joy. Pleasure is easy, readily available, but temporary. Joy satisfies our deepest desires forever. Pleasure visits illicit websites when no one is looking, while joy works through the difficulties of a marital relationship for a future payoff. Pleasure seeks to escape through too much alcohol, work, or play, while joy embraces the difficulties of family responsibilities to live for the long-term gratification of children raised well. In the end, pleasure leaves us without joy, but living for joy will, in time, become our greatest pleasure. |
| None September 1, 2012 11:22:28 AM Entry ID: 1987392 | Look into your hearts. This is our country. This is our future. These are our children and grandchildren. |
| Instill values in our future. Baseball is a huge part of our lives. But? August 29, 2012 8:37:55 AM Entry ID: 1986711 | A transcript of Ann Romney’s remarks Tuesday night at the Republican National Convention. I want to talk to you tonight not about politics and not about party. And while there are many important issues we’ll hear discussed in this convention and throughout this campaign, tonight I want to talk to you from my heart about our hearts. I want to talk not about what divides us, but what holds us together as an American family. I want to talk to you tonight about that one great thing that unites us, that one thing that brings us our greatest joy when times are good, and the deepest solace in our dark hours. Tonight I want to talk to you about love. I want to talk to you about the deep and abiding love I have for a man I met at a dance many years ago. And the profound love I have, and I know we share, for this country. I want to talk to you about that love so deep only a mother can fathom it — the love we have for our children and our children’s children. And I want us to think tonight about the love we all share for those Americans, our brothers and sisters, who are going through difficult times, whose days are never easy, nights are always long, and whose work never seems done. They are here among us tonight in this hall they are here in neighborhoods across Tampa and all across America. The parents who lie awake at night side by side, wondering how they’ll be able to pay the mortgage or make the rent the single dad who’s working extra hours tonight, so that his kids can buy some new clothes to go back to school, can take a school trip or play a sport, so his kids can feel. like the other kids. And the working moms who love their jobs but would like to work just a little less to spend more time with the kids, but that’s just out of the question with this economy. Or that couple who would like to have another child, but wonder how will they afford it. I’ve been all across this country for the past year and a half and heard these stories of how hard it is to get ahead now. I’ve heard your voices: “I’m running in place,” ‘’we just can’t get ahead.” Sometimes I think that late at night, if we were all silent for just a few moments and listened carefully, we could hear a great collective sigh from the moms and dads across America who made it through another day, and know that they’ll make it through another one tomorrow. But in that end of the day moment, they just aren’t sure how. And if you listen carefully, you’ll hear the women sighing a little bit more than the men. It’s how it is, isn’t it? It’s the moms who always have to work a little harder, to make everything right. It’s the moms of this nation — single, married, widowed — who really hold this country together. We’re the mothers, we’re the wives, we’re the grandmothers, we’re the big sisters, we’re the little sisters, we’re the daughters. You know it’s true, don’t you? You’re the ones who always have to do a little more. You know what it’s like to work a little harder during the day to earn the respect you deserve at work and then come home to help with that book report which just has to be done. You know what those late night phone calls with an elderly parent are like and the long weekend drives just to see how they’re doing. You know the fastest route to the local emergency room and which doctors actually answer the phone when you call at night. You know what it’s like to sit in that graduation ceremony and wonder how it was that so many long days turned into years that went by so quickly. You are the best of America. You are the hope of America. There would not be an America without you. Tonight, we salute you and sing your praises. I’m not sure if men really understand this, but I don’t think there’s a woman in America who really expects her life to be easy. In our own ways, we all know better! And that’s fine. We don’t want easy. But these last few years have been harder than they needed to be. It’s all the little things — that price at the pump you just can’t believe, the grocery bills that just get bigger all those things that used to be free, like school sports, are now one more bill to pay. It’s all the little things that pile up to become big things. And the big things — the good jobs, the chance at college, that home you want to buy, just get harder. Everything has become harder. We’re too smart to know there aren’t easy answers. But we’re not dumb enough to accept that there aren’t better answers. And that is where this boy I met at a high school dance comes in. His name is Mitt Romney and you really should get to know him. I could tell you why I fell in love with him -- he was tall, laughed a lot, was nervous -- girls like that, it shows the guy’s a little intimidated -- and he was nice to my parents but he was really glad when my parents weren’t around. That’s a good thing. And he made me laugh. I am the granddaughter of a Welsh coal miner who was determined that his kids get out of the mines. My dad got his first job when he was six years old, in a little village in Wales called Nantyffyllon, cleaning bottles at the Colliers Arms. When he was 15, dad came to America. In our country, he saw hope and an opportunity to escape from poverty. He moved to a small town in the great state of Michigan. There, he started a business -- one he built himself, by the way. He raised a family. And he became mayor of our town. My dad would often remind my brothers and me how fortunate we were to grow up in a place like America. He wanted us to have every opportunity that came with life in this country -- and so he pushed us to be our best and give our all. Inside the houses that lined the streets of our town, there were a lot of good fathers teaching their sons and daughters those same values. I didn’t know it at the time, but one of those dads was my future father-in-law, George Romney. Mitt’s dad never graduated from college. Instead, he became a carpenter. He worked hard, and he became the head of a car company, and then the governor of Michigan. When Mitt and I met and fell in love, we were determined not to let anything stand in the way of our life together. I was an Episcopalian. He was a Mormon. We were very young. Both still in college. There were many reasons to delay marriage, and you know? We just didn’t care. We got married and moved into a basement apartment. We walked to class together, shared the housekeeping, and ate a lot of pasta and tuna fish. Our desk was a door propped up on sawhorses. Our dining room table was a fold-down ironing board in the kitchen. Those were very special days. Then our first son came along. All at once I’m 22 years old, with a baby and a husband who’s going to business school and law school at the same time, and I can tell you, probably like every other girl who finds herself in a new life far from family and friends, with a new baby and a new husband, that it dawned on me that I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into. That was 42 years ago. Now we have five sons and 18 grandchildren and I’m still in love with that boy I met at a high school dance. I read somewhere that Mitt and I have a “storybook marriage.” Well, in the storybooks I read, there were never long, long, rainy winter afternoons in a house with five boys screaming at once. And those storybooks never seemed to have chapters called MS or breast cancer. A storybook marriage? No, not at all. What Mitt Romney and I have is a real marriage. I know this good and decent man for what he is — warm and loving and patient. He has tried to live his life with a set of values centered on family, faith, and love of one’s fellow man. From the time we were first married, I’ve seen him spend countless hours helping others. I’ve seen him drop everything to help a friend in trouble, and been there when late-night calls of panic came from a member of our church whose child had been taken to the hospital. You may not agree with Mitt’s positions on issues or his politics. Massachusetts is only 13% Republican, so it’s not like that’s a shock. But let me say this to every American who is thinking about who should be our next president: No one will work harder. No one will care more. No one will move heaven and earth like Mitt Romney to make this country a better place to live! It’s true that Mitt has been successful at each new challenge he has taken on. It amazes me to see his history of success actually being attacked. Are those really the values that made our country great? As a mom of five boys, do we want to raise our children to be afraid of success? Do we send our children out in the world with the advice, “Try to do... okay?” And let’s be honest. If the last four years had been more successful, do we really think there would be this attack on Mitt Romney’s success? Of course not. Mitt will be the first to tell you that he is the most fortunate man in the world. He had two loving parents who gave him strong values and taught him the value of work. He had the chance to get the education his father never had. But as his partner on this amazing journey, I can tell you Mitt Romney was not handed success. He built it. He stayed in Massachusetts after graduate school and got a job. I saw the long hours that started with that first job. I was there when he and a small group of friends talked about starting a new company. I was there when they struggled and wondered if the whole idea just wasn’t going to work. Mitt’s reaction was to work harder and press on. Today that company has become another great American success story. Has it made those who started the company successful beyond their dreams? Yes, it has. It allowed us to give our sons the chance at good educations and made all those long hours of book reports and homework worth every minute. It’s given us the deep satisfaction of being able to help others in ways that we could never have imagined. Mitt doesn’t like to talk about how he has helped others because he sees it as a privilege, not a political talking point. And we’re no different than the millions of Americans who quietly help their neighbors, their churches and their communities. They don’t do it so that others will think more of them. They do it because there IS no greater joy. “Give and it shall be given unto you.” But because this is America, that small company which grew has helped so many others lead better lives. The jobs that grew from the risks they took have become college educations, first homes. That success has helped fund scholarships, pensions, and retirement funds. This is the genius of America: dreams fulfilled help others launch new dreams. At every turn in his life, this man I met at a high school dance, has helped lift up others. He did it with the Olympics, when many wanted to give up. He did it in Massachusetts, where he guided a state from economic crisis to unemployment of just 4.7%. Under Mitt, Massachusetts’s schools were the best in the nation. The best. He started the John and Abigail Adams scholarships, which give the top 25 percent of high school graduates a four-year tuition-free scholarship. This is the man America needs. This is the man who will wake up every day with the determination to solve the problems that others say can’t be solved, to fix what others say is beyond repair. This is the man who will work harder than anyone so that we can work a little less hard. I can’t tell you what will happen over the next four years. But I can only stand here tonight, as a wife, a mother, a grandmother, an American, and make you this solemn commitment: This man will not fail. This man will not let us down. This man will lift up America! It has been 47 years since that tall, kind of charming young man brought me home from our first dance. Not every day since has been easy. But he still makes me laugh. And never once did I have a single reason to doubt that I was the luckiest woman in the world. I said tonight I wanted to talk to you about love. Look into your hearts. This is our country. This is our future. These are our children and grandchildren. |
| None August 8, 2012 1:12:10 PM Entry ID: 1982635 | Reid returns to Eagles, says son would've wanted him to coach. Lurie reminded Reid to take his time returning to work, but wasn't surprised the coach said he'd be back with the team immediately. "I'm a football coach," Reid said Wednesday. "It's what I do. ... I know that coming back and coaching is the right thing to do." Reid left the team Sunday morning when 29-year-old Garrett Reid was discovered in a dormitory room at the Eagles' Lehigh University training camp. He issued a statement Monday that his son had lost "the battle that has been ongoing for the last eight years." Reid was asked again about his son's drug use Wednesday. He compared his son's battle with addiction to fighting a grizzly bear. "It's hard to win," Reid said. |
| None 10,000 Maniacs August 6, 2012 12:07:26 AM Entry ID: 1982166 | These are the days These are days you'll remember Never before and never since, I promise Will the whole world be warm as this And as you feel it, You'll know it's true That you are blessed and lucky It's true that you Are touched by something That will grow and bloom in you These are days that you'll remember When May is rushing over you With desire to be part of the miracles You see in every hour You'll know it's true That you are blessed and lucky It's true that you are touched By something that will grow and bloom in you These are days These are the days you might fill With laughter until you break These days you might feel A shaft of light Make its way across your face And when you do Then you'll know how it was meant to be See the signs and know their meaning It's true Then you'll know how it was meant to be Hear the signs and know they're speaking To you, to you |
| None http://www.licadd.com/ August 5, 2012 11:32:04 PM Entry ID: 1982163 | http://www.licadd.com/ |
| "I don't want to die doing drugs. The Destruction Of Addiction. August 5, 2012 8:11:32 PM Entry ID: 1982144 | BETHLEHEM, Pa. (AP) -- Garrett Reid, the oldest son of Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid, was found dead Sunday morning in his room at the club's training camp at Lehigh University. He was 29. The police chief at Lehigh, Edward Shupp, said a 911 call was made at 7:20 a.m., and that Garrett Reid was dead when a policeman arrived at the campus dormitory. A cause of death has not been determined. "There were no suspicious activities," Shupp said. The 29-year-old Reid struggled with drug abuse for years and was imprisoned for a 2007 high-speed car crash in which another driver was injured. Police found heroin, which Reid admitted to using, and more than 200 pills in his car. When he surrendered to begin serving his sentence in that case, prison guards found Reid had tried to smuggle prescription pills into jail. Reid seemed to have rebounded from his problems in recent times and was assisting the Eagles' strength coaches at camp in an unofficial capacity, a not-uncommon sort of role for NFL coaches' sons. Many of the coaches and staff stay in the Lehigh dorms. In the midst of his legal troubles in his early 20s, Reid said he "got a thrill" out of being a drug dealer in a lower-income neighborhood just a few miles from his parents' suburban Villanova mansion. "I liked being the rich kid in that area and having my own high-status life," Reid told a probation officer, according to court testimony in November 2007. "I could go anywhere in the 'hood. They all knew who I was. I enjoyed it. I liked being a drug dealer." At his sentencing hearing, Reid told the judge: "I don't want to die doing drugs. I don't want to be that kid who was the son of the head coach of the Eagles, who was spoiled and on drugs and OD'd and just faded into oblivion." His younger brother, Britt, also had problems with drug use and was arrested on the same day as Garrett in 2007 for a road-rage encounter. Police discovered weapons and drugs in Britt Reid's vehicle. The Eagles practiced Sunday morning after gathering for a team prayer, but Andy Reid was not present. Assistants Marty Mornhinweg and Juan Castillo ran the team's walkthrough and will oversee the Eagles until Reid returns. Owner Jeffery Lurie said he expected Reid back this week. The afternoon session Sunday went on, but Lurie canceled his annual state of the team address. "Today is one of life's tough days," Lurie said. "Andy is a rock solid man. I think what makes him a great coach is his combination of compassion, feeling and strength. And today, he exhibited it all. It's unimaginable. We've all suffered - most of us have suffered tragedy in our lives. Losing a son is unimaginable. Losing a child is unimaginable - the pain. Again, he is rock solid." Expressions of sympathy came from everywhere around the league. "My condolences go out to Coach Reid and his family," quarterback Michael Vick tweeted. "Stay strong and we LOVE you coach." Said Commissioner Roger Goodell: "We are deeply saddened by the news about Garrett Reid. Our thoughts and prayers are with Andy, Tammy and their family. We will support them and the Eagles in any way we can through this difficult time." Authorities had few details about Garrett Reid's death. "What I can tell you is this morning we were contacted by the Lehigh campus police department and (were) requested to respond for the discovery of a deceased male," said Northampton County coroner Zachary Lysek. "We are conducting an investigation with the cooperation of the Lehigh campus police department and I personally pronounced Mr. Reid deceased at the scene." Andy Reid, a father of five, took a leave of absence from the Eagles during the 2007 offseason to spend more time with his family. Reid is in his 14th season in Philadelphia. He's led the Eagles to nine playoff appearances, six NFC East titles, five conference championship games and one Super Bowl loss. "We've been with Andy for a long time. He's always been strong for us we're going to be strong for him right now," Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said. "As a father and a friend, we're all hurting." Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/football/nfl/08/05/reid-son-dead.ap/index.html#ixzz22ihNLPcW |
| None Curtis Martin August 5, 2012 1:56:40 AM Entry ID: 1982054 | He described growing up in a rough neighborhood in Pittsburgh, the son of an alcoholic father who would beat and torture his mother by setting her hair on fire or pressing burning cigarettes to her legs. His mother, Rochella, wiped tears from her eyes as he shared his story, occasionally pausing to collect himself. "My greatest achievement in my life was healing my mother and nurturing my mother," Martin said. She urged him to play football to stay out of trouble. Even when New England coach Bill Parcells decided to draft him out of Pitt, Martin wasn't sure he wanted to play. His pastor told him he could use football as a platform to do greater things. "I played for a purpose bigger than the game because I knew that the love for the game just wasn't in my heart," Martin said. He followed Parcells to the Jets and finished his career and the fourth-leading rusher in NFL history. Parcells became one of his biggest influences, and Martin chose him for the introduction on Saturday. "He has tremendous compassion for his fellow man," Parcells said. "He is, I think, the poster child for what the NFL is supposed to be. You come into the league, maximize your abilities, you save your money, you make a smooth transition into society and then you pass all those things on to other people. That's what this guy has done." Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/football/nfl/08/04/pro-football-hall-of-fame-inductions.ap/index.html#ixzz22eGaD25d |
| None Celtics take control of East June 6, 2012 1:49:18 PM Entry ID: 1973340 | MIAMI (AP) -- When the Boston Celtics last left Miami, they were on the ropes. Down 2-0 in the Eastern Conference finals. Unable to solve LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. On the cusp of being ousted by the Heat for a second straight season. Three games and three wins later, the plot could not be more different as they sauntered out of Miami this time. And for one of sports' most storied franchises, yet another trip to the NBA finals might be looming. Kevin Garnett finished with 26 points and 11 rebounds, Paul Pierce scored 19 - including a huge 3-pointer over James' outstretched arm with 52.9 seconds left - and the Celtics beat the Heat 94-90 on Tuesday night, stealing home-court advantage and taking a 3-2 lead in the East finals that now shift to Boston for Game 6 on Thursday night. "This is like a heavyweight bout," Garnett said. If so, it's the Celtics who have fought their way off the ropes. Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/gameflash/2012/06/05/31847_recap.html?sct=nba_t2_a3#ixzz1x2KS86Mq |
