Anecdotes, Antidotes, and Anodes

A Brand New Granddaughter

Eden Schmoldt . . . don't know any details.  Just happened !

Proud sister is Ava.

Proud brother is Lucien

Proud Mommy & Daddy are:  Melissa & Cary

 

JUCO World Series

(Eight related JUCO stories are at the bottom of this post &
Updated Bracket for June 1 & June2, 2011)

Posted in 2007

"If You Build It...

They Will Come..."

The Grand Junction Alpine Bank Junior College World Series celebrated its 50th anniversary with the final game between Chipola Florida College and New Mexico Junior College. Chipola was the first team to qualify for the tournament and it was also the team's first visit to Grand Junction. New Mexico Junior College was ranked the number one team in the polls. In 2005, it was the first trip to JUCO by this team from Hobbs; it was the first time in the history of the state that a team was represented from New Mexico; AND it was the first national baseball title for Coach Ray Birmingham's team.

There were 9,593 fans in the stands to cheer on their favorite team. Suplizio Field is a special place for me. When theHansMan picked me up at the airport for my first visit to Grand Junction thirteen years ago,(our first real date) we headed straight to Suplizio Field to watch baseball. The field is named for Sam Suplizio, Mr. Baseball, who passed away December 29, 2006. 
A total of 127,688 fans enjoyed watching the talents of these young men over the course of eight days. That attendance surpassed the previous record attendance of 126,455 set in 2000.
JUCO is a place where you can sit down by a total stranger, and by the seventh inning stretch, you are swaying and singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" with that person as if you had known him for years. For instance, before the first swing of the bat, you learn that the gentleman sitting next to you (see Mr. Scott's picture to the right) has a grandson who wears #2 and is a pitcher for one of the teams... or that one young man had dedicated his performance to his terminally ill mother who is fighting ovarian cancer...or that one of the coaches always tells his team a joke just before they take the field...

JUCO is a place where teenagers are signing autographs possibly for the first time in their lives...and probably not for the last time. Kirby Puckett still holds a batting record of .688 when he played for Triton in 1982. Those young men who toss those batting gloves and other memorabilia to the wildly waving, out-stretched hands of local youngsters, may never know the positive impact made on those young lives.
But there is more to watch than just a baseball game. To insure having that very special seat in 'the third-base' stands, theHansMan and I arrive about 90 minutes before the games.  This allows ample time for wandering under the bleachers to watch the antics of a younger generation, (did those youngs girls leave the house looking like that or did they remove some of their clothing and add all that make-up after they left the house?), or to get my minimun daily requirement of grease in one brat with sauerkraut, or to get a general feel for the camraderie among the players for both teams as they go through their traditional warm-up exercises.  Since there is a saying, "A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words," here are a few photos that could have been taken at any baseball game, at any ball field, in any city in the United States...but, they were taken at Suplizio Field in Grand Junction, Colorado, on Saturday, June 2, 2007.

Remember the young man I mentioned earlier who dedicated his perfomance to his mom ? That young man, Drew Parker, earned the Preston Walker Most Valuable Player award after his Indians defeated the opposing team 7-3. He picked up his second victory of the series Saturday afternoon after throwing 6 1/2 innings in a 27-12 victory over Spartanburg, South Carolina Methodist College that clinched the Indian's berth to the national final.  He struck out 14 batters in a total of 16 1/2 innings at the series and also earned saves in key victories over Spartanburg and San Jacinto, Texas College-North as his team won the national title in its first trip to the JUCO World Series.
The final score was, as mentioned above, 7-3.  Have I mentioned who won?  By now, you may have already figured that out, but I haven't intentionally named the champion.  Why?  Because both of those teams were winners.  In fact, every team who made it to Grand Junction, Colorado, for the JUCO World Series were ALL winners.
For those who have visited this blog today for the first time, and were at any of these games, may you have experienced Mountains, Mesas, Monuments, and Memories...There will be more opportunities to experience Mountains, Mesas, Monuments...and make more Memories because Wayne Baker, the National Junior College Executive Director, signed an agreement that will keep the World Series in the Grand Valley for the next ten years. All of us in Grand Junction look forward to welcoming you back next year.

Please feel free to comment by clicking on the little word 'comment' and filling in the boxes...your information is secure...Any word above in color is a link to more information. Just click on it to read more...

For the first time in fourteen years, the championship game will be televised on CSTV on Tuesday  06-05 (today) 4:00 p.m., Thursday  06-07, 2:30 p.m., and again June 11 and 21 both at 12:00 noon. 

"It is a culmination of a great week," JUCO Tournament Chairman Jamie Hamilton said.

 

 

Click the LINKS :

 Things to Do in Grand Junction

Hotels in Grand Junction

Grand Junction & JUCO

 

More links with stories and photos about JUCO in Grand Junction:

May 27, 2008  JUCO World Series

May 28, 2008  Play Ball, Brett

May 30, 2010 Dave Dravecky

June 4, 2010 Gators Invade Suplizio Field

 June 2010 Texas Sized Hailstones Pound Suplizio Field

June 1, 2010  Scenes from JUCO

Birds, Cracks, Hotdogs, Etc. from JUCO

Why Do Baseball Players Spit So Much ?

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2011 Teams Qualifying as of this minute:

(These are links taking you the teams' home pages.)

Southern Union AL Bisons (41-18)

 Chipola FL Indians (39-20) (See story above)

 Grayson County TX Vikings (42-15)

 Seward County KS Saints  (44-18)

Potomac State WV Catamounts (35-10)

Central Arizona College Vaqueroes  (52-13)

 Navarro Junior College TX Bulldogs  (42-17)

Jefferson MO College  (43-20)

South Georgia College (33-31)

Iowa Western Community College  (40-18)

Alpine Bank JUCO Schedule:

Saturday, May 28

Game 1: Potomac State (W.Va.) College (35-10) vs. Jefferson (Mo.) College (43-20), 9 a.m.

Game 2: South Georgia College (33-31) vs. Central Arizona College (52-13), noon

Game 3: Southern Union State (Ala.) College (41-18) vs. Navarro (Texas) College (42-17), 3 p.m.

Game 4: Seward County (Kan.) Community College (44-18) vs. Iowa Western Community College (40-18), 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, May 29

Game 5: Missouri vs. Georgia, 10 a.m.  (Loser's Bracket)   Missouri OUT

Game 6: Alabama vs. Kansas , 2 p.m.  (Loser's Bracket)    Alabama OUT

Game 7: Chipola (Fla.) College (39-20) vs. Grayson County (Texas) College (42-15), 7:30 p.m.
Florida defeats Texas

Monday, May 30

 Potomac WV vs. Arizona  (AZ wins)

Navarro TX vs. Western Iowa  (TX wins)

Georgia vs. Seward KS  (KS wins)    Georgia OUT

Tuesday, May 31

Navarro TX  vs Chipola FL

Seward KS vs. Potomac WV  Seward, KS  OUT

Grayson TX vs. Western Iowa  (Losers Bracket)   Grayson TX OUT

Wednesday, June 1

Arizona vs.Navarro TX  game at 7:30 p.m.

Iowa Western vs. Chipola, FL  game at 3:00 p.m. Chipola FL  OUT

Thursday, June 2

Iowa Western vs. Navarro Texas  3:00 p.m.  IOWA OUT

Potomac WV vs  Central Arizona   7:30 p.m.

Friday, June 3  Game 18  7:30 p.m.

Potomac WV vs. Central Arizona

Saturday, June 4  Game 19  7:30 p.m.

Navarro TX vs. Central AZ

WINNER:  TEXAS

 

The following from this website:

For one week every year since 1959, junior college baseball is celebrated in Grand Junction, Colorado. From around the country, 10 teams vie for the NJCAA Division I national championship, and thousands of fans fill Sam Suplizio Field to cheer their favorite teams. The JUCO World Series is a proving ground for future Major League Baseball stars. Past greats such as Kirby Puckett and Curt Schilling and current big-leaguers Travis Hafner, Cliff Lee, Adam LaRoche, John Lackey and rookie Brandon Belt have made a stop in Grand Junction, as well as the No. 1 draft pick of 2010, Bryce Harper.

The Junior College World Series was first played in 1958 in Oklahoma. A contingent from Grand Junction, headed by Jay Tolman, then the dean of men at Mesa Junior College, and baseball coach Bus Bergman, made a successful bid to move the tournament to Grand Junction. The first tournament turned a modest profit, and ever since, Grand Junction has become synonymous with junior college baseball. Paris (Texas) Junior College won the first title in Grand Junction, the first of 17 national championships for Texas schools, led by San Jacinto College-North, which has won a record five crowns. JUCO has grown every year since, with more than 120,000 fans annually filling the stands.

Games are now streamed live on the Internet, allowing fans everywhere, including those stationed overseas in the military, to watch their sons, brothers, nephews and grandsons compete. The JUCO World Series is a special week every year that creates memories for a lifetime.

 

Simplicity

Don't know why . . . I just like this . . .

Santa Fe

No time to post much of anything except three photos from Canyon Road, even though I took THREE HUNDRED !

A Flower with a Bee

A Window

A Sculpture

. . .

Preparing to head out and take photos of the sunset now, if there is one . . . but who cares !  There is always something in Santa Fe to photograph.

Then, leaving a 3:30 a.m. (YES, that's in the morning) to take sunrise photos at The Caldera.  

Hoping that my eyes will  be open.

Hoping for a sunrise !

Happy Birthday, Parker-Pooh-Bear

 

Birthday #1in Texas

Birthday #2 at Kiddie Park

Birthday #3 at Kiddie Park

Birthday #4 at The Gymnastic Center

 

Birthday #4 at Grandpa's

 

Birthday #6 at Grandpa's

From a little girl so very small, how and when did you get so tall ?

******************************************

Do you have any special quotes about grandchildren and grandparents ?

Here are a few that come to mind:

What children need most are the essentials that grandparents provide in abundance.  They give unconditional love, kindness, patience, humor, comfort, lessons in life.  And, most importantly, cookies.  ~Rudolph Giuliani

Our grandchildren accept us for ourselves, without rebuke or effort to change us, as no one in our entire lives has ever done, not our parents, siblings, spouses, friends - and hardly ever our own grown children.  ~Ruth Goode

When a child is born, so are grandmothers.  ~Judith Levy

Becoming a grandmother is wonderful.  One moment you're just a mother.  The next you are all-wise and prehistoric.  ~Pam Brown

Grandchildren don't stay young forever, which is good because Gammies have only so many horsey rides in them.  ~Gene Perret

When grandparents enter the door, discipline flies out the window.  ~Ogden Nash

It is as grandmothers that our mothers come into the fullness of their grace.  ~Christopher Morley

A Grandmother is someone with silver in her hair and gold in her heart.  ~Author Unknown

My grandkids believe I'm the oldest thing in the world.  And after two or three hours with them, I believe it, too.  ~Gene Perret


My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was sixty.  She's ninety-seven now, and we don't know where the hell she is.  ~Ellen DeGeneres

"Grandchildren are sweet gifts for not killing your own children."

 

This One's for You JulieBug: Throngs of Thongs

This post has been written for my friend, JulieBug, who has just recently been diagnosed with Breast Cancer.  Not long ago, she made a luminarie in my honor at Relay for Life. Yesterday, she underwent surgery and will begin treatments soon. 

She wrote this on her blog, Another Chance Ranch.

I'd love for you to tell me funny stories!  Something that is really gonna make me laugh !

While reading the comments on her post, Erika posted a story about THONGS THRONGS which reminded me of this photo and the following experience.

 

It happened during a time that might have been called my Midlife Crisis.  During that time I was still teaching middle school rug rats. My Midlife Crisis lasted about five hours.  That's about how long it took for my senses to come crashing back into my head.

Not sure what prompted me to think that a thong might help my self-esteem.  It's been so long ago, I can't even remember where I bought that thing it.  I'm sure the clerk had a good giggle after this 45+ year old walked out of the store with my purchase.  I should have sensed something was wrong when noticing the price tag was larger than the garment.

The following morning my new thong was on me as I headed out for school and I felt years younger.   It was a good kind of feeling, and not uncomforable . . . yet.

By the time I had walked from my car, up the stairs to my classroom, and sat down at my desk, it was apparent the purchase of my new thong might not have been a good investment.  It was very apparent  that I had made a mistake.

Lunch time could not happen soon enough.  I'll not go into detail about what happened next,  but it was my hope that no one went through the trash in the girls' restroom. 

I had just experienced five hours of sheer torture. 

So, if you're in the midst of a Midlife Crisis, here's a sure-fire cure for it:   WEAR a THONG.
(Not sure this would work for Males Experiencing a Midlife Crisis.)

Reality will come blasting through to you in a short period of time.

The style shown on the gal above was not exactly the style I wore . . . Maybe my thong was on backwards because there was no "loin cloth"  in the back. . . only dental floss.

H-m-m-m.

Maybe I'll go shopping today and try this again.

 

Graphs from Graph Jam

I would love to say that I thought of these.

But I can't.

I would love to say I found these myself.

But I can't.

What I can do is post them here and thank Kelley for sending them to me and hope that Graph Jam doesn't get mad that I posted them. 

So, if they do, hurry up and look at them just in case I have to delete them . . .

 

 

When I was teaching "How to Graph"  to fourth graders, we used topics like Favorite Candy Bars and used the wrappers to graph with after we ATE all those candy bars in class . . .

Seeing these brought back memories of Butterfingers, Snickers, Almond Joys, and about 25 nine-year-olds on sugar highs but having the concept of How to Graph indelibly etched into their brains.

 

Crimson 'n Cream or Orange 'n Black ?

 The smiles say it all . . .

Many sacrifices were made by all four of them for Brooke to receive her Master's Degree . . .lots of hard work, studying, driving to Tulsa on week nights and Saturdays and Sundays . . . Dad babysitting the two little ones and taking care of things at home . . . making sure Parker got to the weekend birthday parties . . .giving up golf games . . . and on . . . and on . . .

This all was accomplished while she had a full-time job and had a baby !

Am I a proud Mama ?  You betcha I am !!

Brooke:  What are the colors on my hood ?

Us:  Er-Um . . . They look crimson and cream.

Brooke:  Are you sure ?

Us:   No. No. Wait.  They are orange and black.  Yes. Yes. They are.

Brooke:  Good.

(Please don't tell her.  She'll never know.)

Friday the 13th . . . Friggatriskaidekaphobia

Friggatriskaidekaphobia

The fear of Friday the 13th is called friggatriskaidekaphobia ( Frigga being the name of the Norse goddess for whom "Friday" is named and triskaidekaphobia meaning fear of the number thirteen), or paraskevidekatriaphobia.

Friday the 13th occurs when the thirteenth day of a month falls on a Friday, which superstition holds to be a day of bad luck. In the Gregorian calendar, this day occurs at least once, but at most three times a year. Any month's 13th day will fall on a Friday if the month starts on a Sunday.

An earlier post about this subject

With that being said, do you have supersitions ? 

Here's an A-Z list of them. 

Wyatt and the Green Magic Marker / American Idol Final Four

A conversation with Wyatt . . .

Gammy: 
Wyatt, have you seen the green magic marker ?

Wyatt: 
Well Gammy, I'll have to think about it . . . but no, no . . . I don't think I've seen it anywhere.

Wyatt: 
Well Gammy, maybe . . . just maybe I have seen that green magic marker. 
Just maybe . . . I tried to eat it.

***********************************************

Photo:  Michael Becker/Fox

For several weeks, I've sporadically and spastically posted about American Idol.

And then there were four !

Round One: Songs of Inspiration.
After the first four songs were sung, they ranked this way for me:

1. James (Journey's "Don't Stop Believing")

1. Scotty (Alan Jackson's "Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning")

3. Lauren (Martina McBride's "Do It Anyway")

3. Haley (Michael Jackson's "Earth Song")

Yup.  James and Scotty tied.  Lauren and Haley tied.

Round Two: Lieber & Stroller Songbook with Lady GaGa as their mentor.

Before we move on, was that Lady GaGa or Cruella ? 

In order of performance:

Haley ( "I Who Have Nothing")

Scotty ( "Young Blood")

Lauren ( "Trouble")

James ( "Love Potion Number Nine")

ONE word for ALL four of them:  DISAPPOINTING

None of those four songs did anything for me. 

Who do you think will be voted off ? 

I think it will be one of the girls.