Joe Ruiz

While it’s past Opening Day already, I really wanted to share this post. Plus, my teams both won their openers, so it’s gonna be a great season. Braves vs. Mariners in the World Series - I’m calling it now.

This past weekend, I went with my friends Dale and Tanya to see the Rangers in a Spring Training game at the Alamodome in San Antonio. We sat about as far away as you could, but at least we could see most of the field. The tickets I’d originally chosen were pretty bad, so we moved to a less-occupied section somewhere in Pleasanton.

Throughout the game, we had three different groups sit in front of us. One family came back even after Tanya dropped peanuts on the kid in front of her. It was the pair sitting in front of me who made me think of this post. The child couldn’t have been more than 6 or 7. Throughout the game, his mom talked to him about the game, but mainly, I remember her showing him love. Hugging him, rubbing his hair, pointing at the field. Always with a smile on her face.

And it made me think of my mom. And it made me think of 1991.

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You want to be a writer? Keep writing.

Neil Gaiman on his old cat and writing. Pair with his 8 rules of writing and his timeless advice on living the creative life, then break out the tissues and wash down with Hemingway Shoots His Cat.

Cats, in fact, have a long history as literary muses.

I’ve gotta get writing again. A tip from one of the best can’t hurt.

Inside the Secret World of the Data Crunchers Who Helped Obama Win

Insight like this always fascinates me despite the fact I’m not nearly as good with the analytics as these staffers are shown. Buying ads in unusual slots, specific targeting online and via text, etc.

“The “scientists” created regular briefings on their work for the President and top aides in the White House’s Roosevelt Room, but public details were in short supply as the campaign guarded what it believed to be its biggest institutional advantage over Mitt Romney’s campaign: its data.”

Source:

sharonchan:

Poynter tumbled about Friday’s concert live cast concert from The Seattle Times’ old press room. Kudos to our video producer Danny @Gawlowski!

poynterinstitute:

The Seattle Times has been featuring live webcasts of performances by local musicians, usually in timing with local music festivals. Last week, music blogger Andrew Matson had lined up two artists to perform — Truckasauras and Justin Deary, lead singer of the band Whalebones. Seattle Times’ Bob Payne tells Poynter: “The Times had originally planned to stage the webcast outdoors on the grounds of the festival. However, due to some concerns about the dependability of the venue set-up, we had to scramble for a new locale less than 48 hours before the event. That’s when Times videographer Danny Gawlowski came up with a great idea: Why not shoot the show down in the Times basement, amid the abandoned and dusty old printing presses? Heck, that space hasn’t been used for anything in years.” (The Times now prints all of its editions at a suburban facility.)  The bands ended up performing in the basement, and 7,600 viewers tuned into the live show.

todaysdocument:

August 24, 1942 - Japanese Attack on the USS Enterprise. 

This was the third Japanese bomb to hit on the flight deck of the Enterprise. The photographer lost his life while taking this picture.  

Great interview with ?uestlove

?uestlove might not rap, but he’s still one of hip-hop’s best storytellers, and he had plenty of yarns…

Some Chinese upset w/ their basketball team for Georgetown brawl

“In a country prone to nationalistic sentiment, most microblog remarks were surprisingly critical of the home team, a once-reliable champion that has in recent years fallen off its pedestal after losing some of its best players to retirement.”

Utoya: Norway Shooter Recreates Massacre for Authorities (via @Gawker)

Well, how’s this for creepy? Admitted terrorist Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in a simultaneous bombing and spree shooting, took Norwegian authorities on a tour of Utoya—the island on which he shot 69 people to death and injured dozens more. Breivik was reconstructing the…

Source:

DC Decoder: How truthy were the GOP presidential hopefuls at the Iowa presidential debate?

dcdecoder:

Politifact has a quick fact-checking rundown of the candidates at the Iowa presidential debate Thursday night.

Here’s a few choice bits:

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney complaining about the expanding size of government:

“Back in the days of John F. Kennedy, the federal government…

Rick Reilly vs. the Yahoo! Sports bloggers

Wow. Damn. From Outkick the Coverage:

The Yahoo blogs … single-handedly beat all of ESPN.com.

Let me repeat that, the Yahoo blogs standing alone have more unique visitors a month than all of ESPN.com combined.