#Baseball Camps in Florida

[vaughnsportsacademy]

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[silvertechnicolor]

Marilyn Monroe and ex-husband Joe DiMaggio relaxing by the beach in Florida, March 1961 :

“I came down here for some rest, some sun and to visit Joe”. "We're friends," said Joe DiMaggio. "We're friends." echoed Marilyn Monroe in her soft sigh. The "friends." who are sharing a beach cabana and have nearby hotel rooms at this Gulf Coast resort, declined to elaborate. It was enough to make DiMaggio temporarily abandon baseball. Until Miss Monroe flew to Florida, DiMaggio had been assisting at the Yankees spring training camp in nearby St. Petersburg.

[skycycleboy]

Already had this idea knowing that Daniel and Logan were into baseball, but seeing Daniel's new commercial kind of reignited a Cooliver baseball AU lol.

I picture them being Florida natives for this AU, considering it has two teams and the in-show connections. One is from Miami and the other is from Tampa Bay. The two had met in high school during baseball camps and some games and summer leagues, having minor crushes on each other, but never talked much.

The two are rookies in the MLB, keep meeting each other, develop a rivalry and secret relationship which heighten when both teams make it to the World Series. Insert your sport rivals romance cliches where you want lol. They have to deal with fraternizing with a rival, and if you want more angst add in the state of Florida.

Have very little intention of writing this, but would love to read it if anybody wants to steal it.

[stephenjaymorrisblog]

Republicans Are Soft on Fascism

(I try to put my head in the sand, but I suffocate.)

Stephen Jay Morris

9/7/2023

©Scientific Morality.

Billionaire Elon Musk blames Jews for the failure of his social Media venture, “X” (formerly “Twitter). It has something to do with the ADL. I saw recent videos of neo-Nazis on a Florida bridge, waving their swastika flags left to right in view of the oncoming traffic. Hitler fan and podcaster, Nick Fuentes, tells the world he hates poor people. Anti-Semitism has come full circle, again, to being blatantly expressed in public. There used to be repercussions for talking shit about the Jews. I am watching this cadre of Jew haters unfold in front of my very eyes.  Lots of American Jews once thought that if they converted to Christianity and married a Gentile, they would be immune to being put in concentration camps or thrown into ovens. I can still hear my father pounding his fist on the dining room table, in a rage, yelling that the Jews are a religion not a race. “Why is he yelling at his family and not to real Jew haters?” I thought. That is a story for another time.

 But alas, you can’t convince a Nazi that Jews are white. They think and feel that Jews are a mogul race of mud people and should be destroyed. Once they find out that you are Jewish—bye, bye!

In 1935, Sinclair Lewis published a book, “It Can’t Happen Here.” It warned about the possibility of Fascism in America. I read that book in 1969. I told my parents and they thought I was crazy. America is the strongest country in the world, they said; it would never happen here!

It is now happening here. What about the owners of massive wealth and the military industrial complex? Do they care? First, the so-called deep state couldn’t give a damn about Jews at risk for death! Second, Nazis are pro-capitalism so long as White men control it. I’ve asked this question a million times: have you ever seen a Right winger protest a Nazi? Neither have I. Conservatives are soft on fascism. They get embarrassed by Nazis because they say the quiet rhetoric out loud. They say things like, “the East elites (Rich Jews) want to run our country” or “the globalists (Rich Jews) want to run the world!” They say, “the Jews will not replace us!” to which the conservative agrees, but thinks the Nazis are giving the game away.

But when it comes to Communism? Holy fuck burgers! Bomb them! Kill them all and let God sort them out! They know that Communists would take away their property and businesses and give it all to the poor. If you ask me, I’d rather live in Stalin’s Russia than in the 1950’s America, anti-communist hysteria. Fuck anti-Communism!!! Conservatives outlawed free speech in America in the 50’s. If you slightly inferred liberal tendencies in your speech, the FBI would tap your phone and follow you to work! You think I am exaggerating? Go through some time machine and find out. During the 50’s, if you were in America and, simultaneously, in the then Soviet Union, you wouldn’t know the difference! In Russia, The KGB would follow you around and, in the USA, the FBI would follow you around.

As an anarchist, I am not surprised. As a Jew, I am highly concerned. Oh, and your gentile spouse will not be spared. During the Nazi’s regime, many Aryans were put into camps for marrying non-Aryan husbands or wives. The price for race-mixing is death.

I sure miss the Jewish Defense League, even though they were Right wing, Zionist revisionists. They were pro-active. Whenever there were Nazi rallies, they were there with baseball bats. I am not pro-violence, but I am not pro-surrender, either. I’ll tell you one thing. I will not walk into a gas chamber peacefully. Never again, motherfuckers!

[brookston]

Holidays 5.24

Holidays

Aviation Maintenance Technician Day

Battle of Pichincha Day (Ecuador)

Bermuda Day [if weekend, nearest weekday]

Blink 182 Day

Brooklyn Bridge Day

Brother's Day

Camping with Barry White Day (David Letterman)

Carb Day

Culture and Literacy Day (Bulgaria)

Cuti Bersama (Indonesia)

Day for the Naming of Rocks and Planets

Duck Day (French Republic)

Dylan Day (a.k.a. Bob Dylan Day)

Empire Day (British Empire; Pre-1930s)

European Day of Parks

Eurovision Song Contest Day

First Responders Appreciation Day (Ohio)

International Clown Day

International Day Against Epilepsy

International Tiara Day

International Women’s Day for Peace & Disarmament

Little Lamb Day

Long Snapper Appreciation Day

Lubiri Memorial Day (Uganda)

Morse Code Day

National Aviation Maintenance Tech Day

National Beautiful Girls Day

National Blue Badge ay of Action (UK)

National Caterers Appreciation Day

National DevOps Day

National DILF Day

National Emergency Medical Services Recognition Day

National Mike Day

National Poppy Day

National Road Trip Day

National Schizophrenia & Psychosis Awareness Day (Canada)

National Telegram Day (Utrean Empire)

National Work From Home Day

National Wyoming Day

Night Baseball Day

Pansexual and Panromantic Awareness and Visibility Day

Parking Meter Day

Play Kick the Can With A Kid Day

Public Garage Day

Sara the Black's Day (Gypsy)

Scavenger Hunt Day

Sinking of the Bismarck Day

Slavonic Enlighteners' Day (Macedonia)

Slavonic Literature and Culture Day (Russia)

Vala Asteroid Day

What Hath God Wrought Day (Morse Code)

World Product Day

World Schizophrenia Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Asparagus Day

Endless Breakfast Day (Denny’s)

Judgment of Paris Day

National Coffee Day (Brazil)

National Escargot Day

National Lamb Day (New Zealand)

National Schlumpia Day

Yucatan Shrimp Day

Independence & Related Days

Commonwealth Day (Belize, Lesotho)

Ecuador (from Spain, 1822)

Eritrea (from Ethiopia, 1993)

Nueva Vizcaya Day (Philippines)

Orange Free State (Annexed by UK; 1900)

4th Friday in May

Ascension Friday (Belgium)

Don't Fry Day [Friday before Memorial Day]

Flashback Friday [Every Friday]

Fry Day (Pastafarian; Fritism) [Every Friday]

Heat Safety Awareness Day [4th Friday]

National Cooler Day [Friday before Memorial Day]

National Death Busters Day [Friday before Memorial Day]

National Polka Festival begins [Friday before Memorial Day]

National Road Trip Day [Friday before Memorial Day]

National Wig Out Day [Friday before Memorial Day]

Title Track Day [4th Friday]

Weekly Holidays beginning May 24 (3rd Full Week)

National Polka Weekend (Ennis, Texas) [thru 5.26] (Memorial Day Weekend)

Old Time Player Piano Weekend (thru 5.26) [Memorial Day Weekend]

Festivals Beginning May 24, 2024

Arcadia Broiler Dairy Days (Arcadia, Wisconsin) [thru 5.26]

Bath Fringe Festival (Bath, UK) [thru 6.9]

Nattjazz [Bergen International Jazz Festival] (Bergen, Norway) [thru 6.1]

Blue Crab Festival (Palatka, Florida) [thru 5.26]

Blues, Brews, and BBQ (Beaver Creek, Colorado) [thru 5.26]

BottleRock Napa Valley Music & Food Festival (Napa, California) [thru 5.26]

California Roots Music and Arts Festival (Monterey, California) [thru 5.26]

Cannon River Rendezvous (Cannon Falls, Minnesota) [thru 5.27]

Carassauga Festival (Mississauga, Canada) [thru 5.26]

Comicpalooza (Houston, Texas) [thru 5.26]

ConFuzzled (Birmingham, United Kingdom) [thru 5.26]

Feast of the Flowering Moon (Chillicothe, Ohio) [thru 5.26]

Fredericksburg Crawfish Festival (Fredericksburg, Texas) [thru 5.26]

Garden Grove Strawberry Festival (Garden Grove, California) [thru 5.27]

Jambalaya Festival (Gonzales, Louisiana) [thru 5.26]

Marcon [Multiple Alternative Realities Convention] (Columbus, Ohio) [thru 5.26

MCM London Comic Con (London, United Kingdom) [thru 5.26]

Moonshine Festival (New Straitsville, Ohio) [thru 5.27]

Morgan Hill Mushroom Mardi Gras Festival (Morgan Hill, California) [thru 5.26]

Mudbug Madness 39 (Shreveport, Louisiana) [thru 5.26]

Newport Beach Wine Festival (Newport Beach, California) [thru 5.26]

Northwest Folklife Festival (Seattle, Washington) [thru 5.27]

Orlando Carnival Downtown (Orlando, Florida) [thru 5.26]

Phoenix Fan Fusion (Phoenix, Arizona) [thru 5.26]

Portland Rose Festival (Portland, Oregon) [thru 6.9]

Scandinavian Heritage Festival (Ephraim, Utah) [thru 5.25]

Vivid Sydney (Sydney, Australia) [thru 6.15]

Worlds Largest Brat Fest (Madison, Wisconsin) [thru 5.26]

ZestFest (Fort Worth, Texas) [thru 5.26]

Feast Days

Aldersgate Day (a.k.a. Wesley Day; Methodism)

Alexei Savrasov (Artology)

Anna Pak Agi (Christian; One of The Korean Martyrs)

Barinthus (Celtic Book of Days)

Brigantia Day (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Carmine Infantino (Artology)

David I of Scotland (Christian; Saint)

Day of the Horae (Pagan)

Donatian and Rogatian (Christian; Saint)

Emanuel Leutze (Artology)

Feast of Artemis (Ancient Greece)

Feast of Hermes Trismegistus (Patron of Alchemy)

Henri Michaux (Artology)

Jackson Kemper (Episcopal Church)

St. Jerome (Positivist; Saint)

Joanna (Christian; Saint)

John de Prado (Christian; Saint)

Joseph Brodsky (Writerism)

Mary, Help of Christians (Christian; Saint)

Michael Chabon (Writerism)

Mollusc Day (Pastafarian)

The Mothers (Celtic Prosperity Festival)

Nicetas of Pereaslav (Christian; Martyr)

Philip Pearlstein (Artology)

Pontormo (a.k.a. Jacopo da Pontormo; Artology)

Sacred Furrow Day (Cambodia; Everyday Wicca)

Saints Cyril and Methodius’ Day (Macedonia)

Sam the Robot (Muppetism)

Sarah the Black (celebrated by the Romani people of Camargue; Christian; Saint)

Victory Over the U.S. Day (Church of the SubGenius; Canada)

Vincent of Lérins (Christian; Saint)

William Trevor (Writerism)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

A Good Day for Love (The Book of Days)

Tomobiki (友引 Japan) [Good luck all day, except at noon.]

Uncyclopedia Bad to Be Born Today (because I danced ‘cause I wanted to. I left my friends behind, because my friends didn't dance and since they didn't dance, they were no friends of mine.)

Premieres

Backdraft (Film; 1991)

Beep, Beep (WB MM Cartoon; 1952)

Before Midnight (Film; 2013)

Bluebeard’s Castle, by Bela Bartok (Opera; 1918)

Booksmart (Film; 2019)

Braveheart (Film; 1995)

The Day After Tomorrow (Film; 2004)

Diamond Dogs, by David Bowie (Album; 1974)

Drop Dead Fred (Film; 1991)

Epic (Animated Film; 2013)

Fast & Furious 6 (Film; 2013) [F&F #6]

Faust, selected scenes, by Goethe (Play; 1819)

The Golden Hen (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1946)

Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn (Novel; 2012)

Gravity’s Rainbow, by Pat Benatar (Album; 1993)

Hollywood Steps Out (WB MM Cartoon; 1941)

Hudson Hawk (Film; 1991)

An Inconvenient Truth (Documentary Film; 2006)

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Film; 1989)

Jumpin’ Jack Flash, by The Rolling Stones (Song; 1968)

Le Pig-Al Patrol (The Inspector; 1967)

Mission: Impossible 2 (Film; 2000)

Onion Pacific (Fleischer Popeye Cartoon; 1940)

The Riddle-Master of Hed, by Patricia A. McKillip (Novel; 1976)

1776, by David McCullough (Book; 2005)

The Source, by James A. Michener (Historical Novel; 1965)

Spirit (Animated Film; 2002)

Spy Hard (Film; 1996)

Sugar, Sugar, by The Archies (Song; 1969)

Symphony No. 2 in Eb Major, by Edward Elgar (Symphony; 1911)

Thelma & Louise (Film; 1991)

Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (Film; 1974)

Truth or Dare (Documentary Film; 1991)

A View to a Kill (Film; 1985) [James Bond #14]

Welcome to the Dollhouse (Film; 1996)

Today’s Name Days

Dagmar, Esther (Austria)

Filip, Ivana, Šimun (Croatia)

Jana (Czech Republic)

Esther (Denmark)

Alar, Alari, Allar, Aller (Estonia)

Touko, Tuukka (Finland)

Donatien (France)

Dagmar, Esther (Germany)

Markiani, Palladia, Photini (Greece)

Eliza, Eszter (Hungary)

Amalia, Maria (Italy)

Agate, Anšlavs, Estere, Ilvija, Marlena, Ziedone (Latvia)

Gerardas, Gina, Vilmantas (Lithuania)

Ester, Iris (Norway)

Cieszysława, Estera, Jan, Joanna, Maria, Mokij, Wincenty, Zula, Zuzanna (Poland)

Simeon (România)

Ela (Slovakia)

Auxiliadora, Auxilio, María, Susana (Spain)

Ivan, Vanja (Sweden)

Christian (Ukraine)

Chelsea, Chelsey, Chelsie, Landon (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 145 of 2024; 221 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 5 of week 21 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Huath (Hawthorn) [Day 13 of 28]

Chinese: Month 4 (Ji-Si), Day 17 (Wu-Zi)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 16 Iyar 5784

Islamic: 16 Dhu al-Qada 1445

J Cal: 25 Magenta; Foursday [25 of 30]

Julian: 11 May 2024

Moon: 99%: Waning Gibbous

Positivist: 4 St. Paul (6th Month) [St. Jerome]

Runic Half Month: Ing (Expansive Energy) [Day 15 of 15]

Season: Spring (Day 67 of 92)

Week: 3rd Full Week of May

Zodiac: Gemini (Day 4 of 31)

[magnorious]

A Sea of Monsters Retrospective, 16 Years Later

You can read my Lightning Thief retrospective here.

To anyone who says these are children’s books and not for all ages – Around ten years ago, I was waiting outside a baseball stadium for the doors to open with a hundred other people dying in the heat and this 50-something dude was propped under a palm tree with this book in his hands, happy as a clam.

If I ran a more popular blog, I’d make a poll asking the favorite book of the original five. And I can say with confidence that Sea of Monsters would not win. It’s a good book! It gambles with interesting new elements and directions it takes its characters, it’s funny, it’s full of shiny new locations. It’s, I think, the least-best of a very impressive series, solely because the other four are that good.

With that said, that has been my opinion for sixteen years. Did it change upon this latest reread? **Spoiler alert**

The Sea of Monsters

If you’re keeping up with the classic myths homages, SoM is probably the most obvious one – the Odyssey/Jason and the Argonauts. TLT did steal the land of the lotus eaters, but they outright say ‘hey, this is what Odyseus and Jason did’.

We cold open on one of Percy’s nightmares and in seven pages (in the ‘06 paperback) plot, exposition, and tone have all been established: Grover is in Florida and is being chased by a huge monster. Camp is in danger, Percy’s not supposed to know about it, and he’s pissed. Tyson, a new character, is going to be important. And, we get all caught up with a quick refresher on the need-to-knows from TLT. Percy’s still young enough to doubt his instincts (lolz) about something spying on him and man, I forgot how innocent he used to be. 

The action continues with the Laistrygonian fight and all these puzzling details surrounding Tyson. As with TLT, PJO isn’t much for long paragraphs of poetic narrative, which means it’s paced incredibly fast and it doesn’t slow down at all during the taxi ride to camp, and then straight into fighting the golden bulls.

Compared to TLT, SoM spends exactly as much time as it needs to in the mortal world and at camp without first-book exposition dragging it down. Before, they didn’t get their quest and leave camp until almost halfway through the story. This time, it’s about 1/3rd and all the better for it.

The tone of this book is refreshingly different as well. This time, there’s trouble in paradise and everyone’s upset. Percy isn’t supposed to be the hero, he’s just a camper told very firmly to stay out of it. He’s not the one given the quest, he’s not at the crux of the prophecy, and he’s not the most important camper – and this bothers the heck out of him.

The stakes aren’t higher, per say, the fate of the world doesn’t hang in the balance this time, but they are more personal, and that makes the risk of failure that much more plausible. It’s not a godly civil war, it’s their home, it’s Chiron, it’s all their friends and the only sanctuary they have, and it’s Thalia’s legacy.

Exposition is handled as well as it was in book one. Percy is still the audience’s eyes and thus the audience’s mouth to ask all the expository questions, but, since it’s usually Annabeth having quite the attitude explaining things, it also builds on their relationship. One scene that comes to mind is discussing Jason and the Argonauts in the dish pit and their back-and-forth was hilarious.

Also, of course, I have to address the rather bold directions his character went – Percy has some scuffy new flaws. He resents Tyson as his brother and Poseidon for claiming him and makes some pretty crummy choices surrounding their relationship for the sake of not being bullied again by the entire camp, and not being known as the “kid with the cyclops for a brother”. He grows from this throughout the book, once he thinks Tyson is dead he regrets everything, but he’s a little jerk there for a while and I appreciate that he’s not perfect.

He’s also troubled by his physical appearance on Circe’s island, as any teenager mid-puberty is, and it doesn’t end with “you’re beautiful no matter what” or really any moral to take away. He’s just. Self-conscious. That’s it.

**Side note, before the new character art by Viria was accepted as canon making these characters much more conventionally attractive, the original art (especially poor Nico) did not try to make them all flawless and people poked fun, but there’s still a place for it. **

Now, Clarisse. I mentioned in my last retrospective that Ares was the bully house filled with bullies, but she got so much depth and development in this book, worlds beyond just being the jealous, snot-nosed brat. She’s smart, she’s cunning, she cares about her subordinates in battle, she’s got insecurities and a temper and friends who don’t really stick up for her (re: the You moo, girl! sign). She, too, has an absentee parent just like every other camper around her. She, too, is just a kid. And she, unlike Percy, has a huge jerk for a godly parent, and not one she can petrify with Medusa’s head.

Other beloved characters make their first appearances this book – Silena, Beckendorf, the Stolls, Chris Rodruiguez. I’d forgotten that they didn’t just show up in Battle of the Labyrinth, they’d been there the whole time.

The side-villains/monsters of the book are so colorful and unique. Circe’s island, the dead Confederates, the enchanted cruise ship. Even when they’re squatting in the cabin or stranded in the lifeboat, the conversations make it interesting where the setting comes up short – those two scenes are dedicated entirely to character drama, not plot.

Also Blackbeard was a son of Ares and Percy commandeers the Queen Anne’s Revenge, ha! I’d forgotten about that. I didn’t forget the Sirens and wow, kudos for intensity. The scene does so many things at once – plunge the tone down to the bottom of the Sea of Monsters, reveal Annabeth’s fatal flaw – hubris – and gives us some sweet, sweet percabeth all in incredibly dramatic fashion.

**Side note, I can’t remember for sure if Annabeth calls him Seaweed Brain first in TLT, but I think that nickname honor goes to Thalia in one of the dream sequences in this book.**

SoM doesn’t suffer the curse of the sequel. It doesn’t just reskin the previous book with the exact same premise: Prevent a godly civil war, go on this fetch quest across the country (there is a fetch quest but it’s different this time), the mood at camp is completely different, Chiron isn’t there, Tantalus is ass – it’s new.

It also gives plenty of new lore and backstory on Luke and Annabeth’s past that matters to the plot at large.

Speaking of lore, the gimmick of convenient dream exposition really finds its footing in SoM. No crucial information is ever handed to the characters on a silver platter and it never feels like a crutch to move the plot along where the story would otherwise be stuck, but they certainly do happen at convenient times. It is also the first and, I believe, last? time we get the empathy link thing with Grover, and the last mention of satyrs being empathic.

Unlike a certain other fantasy series, the plot holes in this series are less canon-shattering and more “huh, I wonder what happened to that,” and this empathy link is one of them. I don’t know what happened, if Riordan just didn’t like it after this book, but it seems like a useful power given how central a character Grover is for most of the series. We get one good use of Grover’s empathy in TLT when they’re lost in the forest and he tells Percy exactly what he’s feeling, and we get plenty of dream sequences with the link this series and then… never again. 

It’s a shame. They were interesting concepts.

Monster Donuts as well never appear again and Ares’ curse specifically said “every time” Percy raises his sword, not the one time he needs it most. Enforcing said curse in every single one of Percy’s battles would be tedious, but in the climax of the Polyphemus fight, Annabeth’s down, they’re all exhausted and out of options, that would have been a fantastic time to mention it.

It’s a shame. They were interesting concepts.

Something I didn’t touch on much for TLT that I will do now is the villain’ plan.

Step 1: Poison Thalia’s tree

Step 2: Get Chiron to take the blame and leave

Step 3: Wait around hoping the camp figures out they need the Golden Fleece

Step 4: Since we don’t know where it is/can’t be bothered to get it ourselves, we’ll steal it from the heroes once they’ve done the hard work

Step 5: Possibly raise Kronos but more importantly, raise Thalia

Also, somewhere along the way, free Tantalus from the Fields of Asphodel and give him Chiron’s job. Who’s idea was that? Not even Dionysus likes him after the Stymphalian birds attack. Why is he still here?

It’s a good, non-convoluted plan for a kids’ book. Luke definitely spouts some mustache-twirling propaganda that would be cheesy if you didn’t realize he’s being groomed (and most kids reading this wouldn’t) but looking back… damn, that is tragic. He was just an angry kid.

His dialogue reads a bit corny now. Luke’s only excuse for falling victim to the classic “I won’t be efficient and kill these interlopers myself, no I’ll turn my back and leave it to the minions” trope is that he needs them alive to do his dirty work and think they escape of their own volition. Percy’s solution to the camp problem at the end is clever and works solely because Luke is such an arrogant prick.

Now, the prophecy, one we don’t hear for most of the book because it’s not Percy’s:

You shall sail the iron ship with warriors of bone,

You shall find what you seek and make it your own,

But despair for your life entombed within stone,

And fail without friends, to fly home alone.

Since it wasn’t Percy’s prophecy he and the audience would spend the quest trying to decipher, it doesn’t need to be all cryptic, and it’s not. Unfortunately, it doesn’t show up until chapter 17/20 so by that point it just kind of… exists, giving Percy and co the idea to get Clarisse on a plane. This detail, the emergency flight, is the only reused plot thread from TLT, I think.

Concerning the ending: I also forgot about the raid by the Party Ponies! I can’t gauge how easy it would have been for younger me to predict Thalia’s Fleece-granted revival, but reading again — her showing up in the dream, the reminders that Percy is the only eligible prophecy kid on technicality because of what happened to her, it wasn’t obvious, but it was well seeded through the book.

**Side side note, the font is a bit difficult to make out, but I’m pretty sure the address to Camp is Pi. Farm Road 3.141. Also, headcannon, but I think the unnamed first year Apollo Cabin chariot driver in the redo race is Will Solace.**

And, though it’s not revealed that Thalia is older than Percy by a couple months in SoM, this mysterious Great Prophecy we’ve been hearing whispers about suddenly gets flipped on its head. Now, Thalia’s back. Now, Percy can’t be the prophecy kid unless she dies again. Now… Now what?

In the words of Poseidon: Brace yourself.

I think the only negatives are again, the established empathy rules with Grover that don’t matter after this book (which isn’t really this book’s fault) and the reminders that they’re all technically related? Luke, aboard the Princess Andromeda, greets Percy and Annabeth as his favorite cousins and it’s… kind of weird knowing that Annabeth has a crush on him. They establish later that, outside of same-cabin-coupling, the gods don’t have DNA so it doesn’t really count, but still. The reminders are a bit squicky, and that’s ignoring the age gap between “college age” Luke and 13 year old Annabeth, per Percy’s description.

—

To answer my own question at the start of this: I think I have to move Sea of Monsters up a slot in my ranking and unseat Titan’s Curse (which I believe was the trend years ago, for reasons I’ll save until that retrospective). It was so fun to reread and such a different adventure to the Lightning Thief without any first-book worldbuilding baggage.

[blondeheroine]

Marilyn Monroe Told Joe DiMaggio Someone Was Going to "Do Her In," a New Book Alleges

The baseball star never forgave Frank Sinatra for introducing her to the Kennedys.

Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio tied the knot at San Francisco City Hall on January 14, 1954, barely two years after DiMaggio asked a friend to set him up on a date with the blonde bombshell. The marriage was short-lived: it ended nine months later with Monroe citing DiMaggio's "mental cruelty" in her filing.

There we rumors that their divorce was the result of DiMaggio not wanting to take a back seat to his wife's fame, but a new book claims the split happened because Monroe couldn't have children. DiMaggio had a son, Joe Jr., from his first marriage to actress Dorothy Arnold, but wanted a family with his new wife, according to the biography Dinner with DiMaggio: Memories of an American Hero co-authored by brothers John Positano and Dr. Rock Positano.

"Joe wanted kids with Marilyn, and Marilyn wanted to reward him with a family," the book reads. "In Italian terms, sex meant kids. Great sex meant great kids. Marilyn gave goddess sex, but no kids."

Dr. Positano first met DiMaggio while treating him for an old heel spur injury, People reports. Their friendship formed over dinner at various New York City restaurants.

Monroe and DiMaggio on the beach in Florida.

However, the dissolution of their marriage didn't stop DiMaggio from caring about Monroe, who was 12 years his junior. In 1961, when the end of Monroe's four-year marriage to playwright Arthur Miller left her feeling "emotionally fragile," DiMaggio picked up the pieces. He secured her release from a psychiatric clinic, according to History.com, and whisked her away for some R&R at the Yankees' spring training camp in Florida.

"He felt that she was very vulnerable and very sweet and that it was very easy for people to take advantage of her," Dr. Positano told People.

DiMaggio cared for his former wife so much, in fact, that he never forgave his friend Frank Sinatra for introducing her to the Kennedy family. Monroe was coping with depression and drug addiction around the time rumors about affairs with John F. Kennedy and Bobby Kennedy began circulating.

"The understanding was that her involvement with Mr. Sinatra and the Kennedy clan put her in a position where maybe it wasn't good for her mental health or her emotional health," said Positano. "[DiMaggio] didn't think they were good people for her to be around."

Monroe's death at age 36 in August 1962, just 17 months after her psychiatric treatment, was ruled a "probable suicide." But Positano claims the actress had told DiMaggio someone was going to "do her in."

"'The whole lot of Kennedys were lady-killers,'" DiMaggio told Positano, according to the book, "'and they always got away with it. They'll be getting away with it a hundred years from now.'")li

"I always knew who killed her, but I didn't want to start a revolution in this country," DiMaggio allegedly told Positano. "I'll go to the grave regretting and blaming myself for what happened to her."

The baseball star, whom the book says Monroe loved to the end, is the one who arranged her funeral. He sent roses to her Los Angeles grave every week until his death in 1999. His last dying words were, purportedly, "I'll finally get to see Marilyn."

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 5.24

Holidays

Aviation Maintenance Technician Day

Battle of Pichincha Day (Ecuador)

Bermuda Day [if weekend, nearest weekday]

Blink 182 Day

Brooklyn Bridge Day

Brother's Day

Camping with Barry White Day (David Letterman)

Carb Day

Culture and Literacy Day (Bulgaria)

Cuti Bersama (Indonesia)

Day for the Naming of Rocks and Planets

Duck Day (French Republic)

Dylan Day (a.k.a. Bob Dylan Day)

Empire Day (British Empire; Pre-1930s)

European Day of Parks

Eurovision Song Contest Day

First Responders Appreciation Day (Ohio)

International Clown Day

International Day Against Epilepsy

International Tiara Day

International Women’s Day for Peace & Disarmament

Little Lamb Day

Long Snapper Appreciation Day

Lubiri Memorial Day (Uganda)

Morse Code Day

National Aviation Maintenance Tech Day

National Beautiful Girls Day

National Blue Badge ay of Action (UK)

National Caterers Appreciation Day

National DevOps Day

National DILF Day

National Emergency Medical Services Recognition Day

National Mike Day

National Poppy Day

National Road Trip Day

National Schizophrenia & Psychosis Awareness Day (Canada)

National Telegram Day (Utrean Empire)

National Work From Home Day

National Wyoming Day

Night Baseball Day

Pansexual and Panromantic Awareness and Visibility Day

Parking Meter Day

Play Kick the Can With A Kid Day

Public Garage Day

Sara the Black's Day (Gypsy)

Scavenger Hunt Day

Sinking of the Bismarck Day

Slavonic Enlighteners' Day (Macedonia)

Slavonic Literature and Culture Day (Russia)

Vala Asteroid Day

What Hath God Wrought Day (Morse Code)

World Product Day

World Schizophrenia Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Asparagus Day

Endless Breakfast Day (Denny’s)

Judgment of Paris Day

National Coffee Day (Brazil)

National Escargot Day

National Lamb Day (New Zealand)

National Schlumpia Day

Yucatan Shrimp Day

Independence & Related Days

Commonwealth Day (Belize, Lesotho)

Ecuador (from Spain, 1822)

Eritrea (from Ethiopia, 1993)

Nueva Vizcaya Day (Philippines)

Orange Free State (Annexed by UK; 1900)

4th Friday in May

Ascension Friday (Belgium)

Don't Fry Day [Friday before Memorial Day]

Flashback Friday [Every Friday]

Fry Day (Pastafarian; Fritism) [Every Friday]

Heat Safety Awareness Day [4th Friday]

National Cooler Day [Friday before Memorial Day]

National Death Busters Day [Friday before Memorial Day]

National Polka Festival begins [Friday before Memorial Day]

National Road Trip Day [Friday before Memorial Day]

National Wig Out Day [Friday before Memorial Day]

Title Track Day [4th Friday]

Weekly Holidays beginning May 24 (3rd Full Week)

National Polka Weekend (Ennis, Texas) [thru 5.26] (Memorial Day Weekend)

Old Time Player Piano Weekend (thru 5.26) [Memorial Day Weekend]

Festivals Beginning May 24, 2024

Arcadia Broiler Dairy Days (Arcadia, Wisconsin) [thru 5.26]

Bath Fringe Festival (Bath, UK) [thru 6.9]

Nattjazz [Bergen International Jazz Festival] (Bergen, Norway) [thru 6.1]

Blue Crab Festival (Palatka, Florida) [thru 5.26]

Blues, Brews, and BBQ (Beaver Creek, Colorado) [thru 5.26]

BottleRock Napa Valley Music & Food Festival (Napa, California) [thru 5.26]

California Roots Music and Arts Festival (Monterey, California) [thru 5.26]

Cannon River Rendezvous (Cannon Falls, Minnesota) [thru 5.27]

Carassauga Festival (Mississauga, Canada) [thru 5.26]

Comicpalooza (Houston, Texas) [thru 5.26]

ConFuzzled (Birmingham, United Kingdom) [thru 5.26]

Feast of the Flowering Moon (Chillicothe, Ohio) [thru 5.26]

Fredericksburg Crawfish Festival (Fredericksburg, Texas) [thru 5.26]

Garden Grove Strawberry Festival (Garden Grove, California) [thru 5.27]

Jambalaya Festival (Gonzales, Louisiana) [thru 5.26]

Marcon [Multiple Alternative Realities Convention] (Columbus, Ohio) [thru 5.26

MCM London Comic Con (London, United Kingdom) [thru 5.26]

Moonshine Festival (New Straitsville, Ohio) [thru 5.27]

Morgan Hill Mushroom Mardi Gras Festival (Morgan Hill, California) [thru 5.26]

Mudbug Madness 39 (Shreveport, Louisiana) [thru 5.26]

Newport Beach Wine Festival (Newport Beach, California) [thru 5.26]

Northwest Folklife Festival (Seattle, Washington) [thru 5.27]

Orlando Carnival Downtown (Orlando, Florida) [thru 5.26]

Phoenix Fan Fusion (Phoenix, Arizona) [thru 5.26]

Portland Rose Festival (Portland, Oregon) [thru 6.9]

Scandinavian Heritage Festival (Ephraim, Utah) [thru 5.25]

Vivid Sydney (Sydney, Australia) [thru 6.15]

Worlds Largest Brat Fest (Madison, Wisconsin) [thru 5.26]

ZestFest (Fort Worth, Texas) [thru 5.26]

Feast Days

Aldersgate Day (a.k.a. Wesley Day; Methodism)

Alexei Savrasov (Artology)

Anna Pak Agi (Christian; One of The Korean Martyrs)

Barinthus (Celtic Book of Days)

Brigantia Day (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Carmine Infantino (Artology)

David I of Scotland (Christian; Saint)

Day of the Horae (Pagan)

Donatian and Rogatian (Christian; Saint)

Emanuel Leutze (Artology)

Feast of Artemis (Ancient Greece)

Feast of Hermes Trismegistus (Patron of Alchemy)

Henri Michaux (Artology)

Jackson Kemper (Episcopal Church)

St. Jerome (Positivist; Saint)

Joanna (Christian; Saint)

John de Prado (Christian; Saint)

Joseph Brodsky (Writerism)

Mary, Help of Christians (Christian; Saint)

Michael Chabon (Writerism)

Mollusc Day (Pastafarian)

The Mothers (Celtic Prosperity Festival)

Nicetas of Pereaslav (Christian; Martyr)

Philip Pearlstein (Artology)

Pontormo (a.k.a. Jacopo da Pontormo; Artology)

Sacred Furrow Day (Cambodia; Everyday Wicca)

Saints Cyril and Methodius’ Day (Macedonia)

Sam the Robot (Muppetism)

Sarah the Black (celebrated by the Romani people of Camargue; Christian; Saint)

Victory Over the U.S. Day (Church of the SubGenius; Canada)

Vincent of Lérins (Christian; Saint)

William Trevor (Writerism)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

A Good Day for Love (The Book of Days)

Tomobiki (友引 Japan) [Good luck all day, except at noon.]

Uncyclopedia Bad to Be Born Today (because I danced ‘cause I wanted to. I left my friends behind, because my friends didn't dance and since they didn't dance, they were no friends of mine.)

Premieres

Backdraft (Film; 1991)

Beep, Beep (WB MM Cartoon; 1952)

Before Midnight (Film; 2013)

Bluebeard’s Castle, by Bela Bartok (Opera; 1918)

Booksmart (Film; 2019)

Braveheart (Film; 1995)

The Day After Tomorrow (Film; 2004)

Diamond Dogs, by David Bowie (Album; 1974)

Drop Dead Fred (Film; 1991)

Epic (Animated Film; 2013)

Fast & Furious 6 (Film; 2013) [F&F #6]

Faust, selected scenes, by Goethe (Play; 1819)

The Golden Hen (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1946)

Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn (Novel; 2012)

Gravity’s Rainbow, by Pat Benatar (Album; 1993)

Hollywood Steps Out (WB MM Cartoon; 1941)

Hudson Hawk (Film; 1991)

An Inconvenient Truth (Documentary Film; 2006)

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Film; 1989)

Jumpin’ Jack Flash, by The Rolling Stones (Song; 1968)

Le Pig-Al Patrol (The Inspector; 1967)

Mission: Impossible 2 (Film; 2000)

Onion Pacific (Fleischer Popeye Cartoon; 1940)

The Riddle-Master of Hed, by Patricia A. McKillip (Novel; 1976)

1776, by David McCullough (Book; 2005)

The Source, by James A. Michener (Historical Novel; 1965)

Spirit (Animated Film; 2002)

Spy Hard (Film; 1996)

Sugar, Sugar, by The Archies (Song; 1969)

Symphony No. 2 in Eb Major, by Edward Elgar (Symphony; 1911)

Thelma & Louise (Film; 1991)

Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (Film; 1974)

Truth or Dare (Documentary Film; 1991)

A View to a Kill (Film; 1985) [James Bond #14]

Welcome to the Dollhouse (Film; 1996)

Today’s Name Days

Dagmar, Esther (Austria)

Filip, Ivana, Šimun (Croatia)

Jana (Czech Republic)

Esther (Denmark)

Alar, Alari, Allar, Aller (Estonia)

Touko, Tuukka (Finland)

Donatien (France)

Dagmar, Esther (Germany)

Markiani, Palladia, Photini (Greece)

Eliza, Eszter (Hungary)

Amalia, Maria (Italy)

Agate, Anšlavs, Estere, Ilvija, Marlena, Ziedone (Latvia)

Gerardas, Gina, Vilmantas (Lithuania)

Ester, Iris (Norway)

Cieszysława, Estera, Jan, Joanna, Maria, Mokij, Wincenty, Zula, Zuzanna (Poland)

Simeon (România)

Ela (Slovakia)

Auxiliadora, Auxilio, María, Susana (Spain)

Ivan, Vanja (Sweden)

Christian (Ukraine)

Chelsea, Chelsey, Chelsie, Landon (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 145 of 2024; 221 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 5 of week 21 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Huath (Hawthorn) [Day 13 of 28]

Chinese: Month 4 (Ji-Si), Day 17 (Wu-Zi)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 16 Iyar 5784

Islamic: 16 Dhu al-Qada 1445

J Cal: 25 Magenta; Foursday [25 of 30]

Julian: 11 May 2024

Moon: 99%: Waning Gibbous

Positivist: 4 St. Paul (6th Month) [St. Jerome]

Runic Half Month: Ing (Expansive Energy) [Day 15 of 15]

Season: Spring (Day 67 of 92)

Week: 3rd Full Week of May

Zodiac: Gemini (Day 4 of 31)

[theoooos]

 hey  ,  look  !  its  THEO CRANE  rocking  up  with  their  camp  uniform  on  .  it's  their  SECOND  year  working  at  cooper  creek  so  it's  like  they've  never  been  away  .  they're  pretty  popular  with  the  kids  due  to  their  +  adventurous  and  +  offbeat  nature  .  but  it's  a  tough  crowd  and  they  can't  please  everyone  ,  especially  those  that  say  they're  -  moody  and  -  unreliable  .  they  also  remind  everyone  of  skilled fingers rolling a joint, well-worn hiking boots, the analog static of the radio, and the comforting routine of sorting through the bargain bin at goodwill   .  what's  their  favorite  activity  to  lead  at  camp  ,  you  ask  ?  oh  ,  definitely  NATURE WALKS  .  well  ,  let's  hope  they  can  survive  the  summer  .  it  can  be  brutal  out  there  ! 

{spotify/pinterest/wanted connections}

STATISTICS:

name: theodora "theo" brady crane

birthday: april 25, 1999- 23 years of age

pronouns: they/them

sexuality: pansexual

hometown: milwaulkee, WI

character inspo: jess mariano (gilmore girls), robin buckley (stranger things), stevie budd (schitt's creek)

PERSONALITY:

on a good day, theo is mellow, easygoing, ready to take their campers on a midday swim and goof around by pushing one of them off the pier when they aren't looking. theo is remarkably empathetic, even though this may not be evident in their blank face, a good listener, who will sit up with you until three AM talking about hopes and dreams. they're good at noticing things that others don't and love taking people on guided hikes.

on a bad day, theo is judgmental and pretentious. their sarcasm can turn biting and they can cross the line between joking and mean. they are not an extrovert by nature, and their social battery can flip quickly. aren't they lucky that mostly, when you're a little mean to kids, they just think you're funny? aren't they unlucky their campers like to make a game of who can piss them off the fastest?

BACKGROUND:

theo did not grow up going to cooper creek. in fact, theo did not go to summer camp at all.

poor would probably be an exaggeration, but theo's family was certainly not wealthy. summers were instead spent at the public library, the community pool, and by the time they were 15, at a string of mall jobs with different neon-colored uniforms.

they managed to get a scholarship to UC Boulder- did they go because they smoke a shitload of weed or did they start smoking a shitload of weed once they got to colorado? chicken and the egg. but theo was happy to pick up a major in english, and while they weren't the most diligent student, they enjoyed their readings and turned in fairly good writing.

confronted by the age-old question: what do you do with a BA in english? theo is still pondering the answer. right now it looks like it's " go to grad school ". but for now theo is content to return to their summer job at cooper creek they'd found on indeed last summer, looking for any position that would get them away and pay their bills for a little bit.

ECT:

what's in their fanny pack?: a deck of cards, spf 75 (they never remember to apply enough, and they are perennially sunburned across the top of their cheeks and shoulders), peanut butter crackers for cranky campers (or cranky theos), and a yankees baseball cap. they've actually never been to new york but they were a huge percy jackson kid.

hobbies: collecting vinyl, reading, long hikes to nowhere, embracing the sun and the grass and the water as much as possible

secret skills: they can play a guitar pretty well. anyways here's wonderwall.

fashion: tevas always, little tank top big shorts, weird patterned men's button-downs, weird t-shirts from thrift stores with other people's high school reunion dates on them (they collect them!)

HEADCANONS:

celeb crush is katie gavin from MUNA

surprisingly, very responsible driver- has never gotten a ticket

oldest sibling :/

their favorite parts of florida are pub subs and waffle house

mcdonalds fountain sprite w extra ice plssss

their favorite author is kurt vonnegut like a fifteen year old boy.

they didn't get on a plane until they were 17 years old

[cyanophore-fiction]

The Thing From Above

Soft sand broke its fall, and the thing from above came to rest in a crater of half-molten glass. The material was soft, still glowing with heat, comfortably molded around its crystalline exoskeleton. Over the sizzle of the cooling glass, it could hear waves crashing.

Earth, then. Somewhere coastal. Reascension wouldn’t be viable for the moment, not this deep down the well. Sidelined.

In its exhaustion, it allowed itself some rest. The sun crept down in the sky until it passed out of view, past the lip of its crater. Warmth took some of the ache out of its limbs, and it contemplated sleep until water began to splash over the edge and pool around it. Instead, it wrenched its talons free, shattering the mold around itself with a rain of shards, and sat up.

“You movin’ down there?”

Either a human’s voice, or a very good mimicry. Sluggish, syllables lurching through heavy air, shaped by soft tissues and teeth. The thing smiled as it rose to its feet.

“Yes,” it answered, forgetting itself. There was a yelp of shock, and it turned to see its visitor hunched over in a folding camp chair, hands clapped over his ears. It silenced its empyrean voice and instead felt around for the atrophied vocal organs in its throat.

“I ap-ol-o-gize,” it said, croaking its way through the words. The Truth allowed it to feel the shape of the human’s language well enough, but physically rendering it posed a challenge.

“No, no, no, you’re fine,” said the man, eyes screwed up in pain. His skin shone with sweat and sunscreen, and a damp University of Florida t-shirt clung to his shoulders. At his side was an insulated lunchbox sitting on a Coleman stove, and a baseball cap shaded his face from the evening sun. “You, uh, angel, huh?”

It hesitated. As all questions do, it emerged from ignorance, but this one came from such deep ignorance that Truth couldn’t resolve the question without altering all that it rested on. The thing from above looked down on the human’s patchwork understanding and saw immediately how Truth would tear him apart. In this case, Truth demanded its own dilution so that the human wouldn’t be destroyed by its touch, but wouldn’t be deprived of it, either. The thing responded as best it could.

“I am,” it said. “And you?”

“Here to say hi. I’m, uh, pastor down at Living Lord.”

“I see. Wh-ere are we?”

“Little ways north of Sarasota.”

“Con-tin-ent?”

“America. Yeah, North America. Tide’s coming in, you should c’mon out of there.”

It nodded, planted its talons in the blackened glass and stepped up onto the beach. Towering above the man, a figure of nested geometries and shimmering crystal, it passed a surge of vibration through its exoskeleton and shook off the last of the glass slag.

“Hey, you’re looking okay. Lemme get this going for you,” he said, stooping to screw a propane tank into the stove.

“What have you brought?” By degrees, the language was growing easier to render.

“An offering. For the Lord, of course, but for you, too, if you want some.” From the lunchbox, he pulled a ziplock bag of flour and a bottle of olive oil. “Don’t know if it’s up to Leviticus, but I hope it works.”

The thing smiled as Truth revealed the nature of the ritual to it. Decontextualized, reconstructed through translation, bristling with imperfections and leaking simple, kindly intent from every seam. Soon, smoke began to rise from the stove, and salty wind bathed its body in that intent. A pleasing aroma. The last of its pain melted away.

“How’s that?”

“Helpful. Thank you for your kindness. Others must have fallen here?”

“Yeah, every so often. On the news sometimes. Something going on up there?”

This question was so broad that a simple ‘yes’ would satisfy Truth, but it would hardly be a meaningful answer. Was there any way to accurately, safely convey understanding to him?

“There is—fighting,” it said, carefully.

“Oh, God. A war?”

“I cannot say more. I wish I could.”

“No, I understand. Not meant to know.”

“For the moment.”

[vaughnsportsacademy]

5 Reasons to Choose VSA as Your Athlete's Baseball Training Academy

As a parent, you want to give your children opportunities that nurture their talents, build their character, and prepare them for the future. If you're looking for the best baseball academy in Boca Raton, Florida, Vaughn Sports Academy (VSA) is an exceptional choice. Here are five compelling reasons VSA should be your top pick when selecting baseball academies for your young athlete.

Top-tier coaching staff

Vaughn Sports Academy is renowned for its exceptional coaching staff, which is comprised of former professional players and seasoned MLB coaches who bring experience and expertise to the academy. These coaches are skilled in teaching the technical aspects of baseball, such as batting and pitching, and fostering the mental and emotional development of young athletes. 

Professional baseball coaches like Mike Easler, Omar Moreno, Ben Rivera, Wally Horsman, Vic Gutierrez, and Yamid Haad have all played at the highest levels and now dedicate their time to mentoring the next generation of baseball stars. Their commitment to high-quality instruction ensures that your child will receive Major League-level baseball training in Florida​​​​.

Comprehensive training program

At VSA, baseball training goes beyond just playing the game. The academy offers a holistic approach to player development that encompasses physical conditioning, mental toughness, and skill refinement. The state-of-the-art baseball facility in Boca Raton includes multiple batting cages, pitching machines, and a fully equipped gym for high-performance training. This environment is designed to help athletes develop strength, agility, and resilience.

Moreover, Vaughn Sports Academy strongly emphasizes correct mechanics to ensure that players can perform consistently and at their best. Whether your child is working on their swing, pitching form, or fielding techniques, VSA's comprehensive programs are tailored to help them succeed on and off the field​​​​.

Personalized coaching and small group sessions

Vaughn Sports Academy is committed to personalized, one-to-one baseball coaching. The academy limits the number of participants in its baseball camps to ensure that each athlete receives individual attention and tailored instruction. This approach allows coaches to identify and address each player's unique strengths and areas for improvement.

The close-knit environment offered by in-person coaching and baseball camps fosters strong relationships between coaches and athletes, ensuring your child feels supported and motivated. This personalized coaching is key in helping young players reach their full potential and stand out to baseball scouts and recruiters​​.

Emphasis on character-building and teamwork

Vaughn Sports Academy’s staff understands that succeeding as an athlete involves more than just physical skills. The academy strongly emphasizes building character, teamwork, and sportsmanship. Through its baseball programs, young athletes learn the importance of discipline, hard work, and perseverance.

Athletes are taught to handle pressure, overcome setbacks, and maintain a positive attitude, both on and off the baseball diamond. These values are integral to VSA's training philosophy and help develop well-rounded individuals prepared for life's challenges. Parents can rest assured that their children are becoming better baseball players and better people​​.

Support for college recruitment

Playing collegiate baseball is an excellent opportunity for young athletes to continue their baseball careers while receiving a top-notch education. Vaughn Sports Academy can increase high-school-age baseball players' chances of getting recruited by college coaches and scouts by providing valuable advice and helping showcase their talents and athleticism.

In particular, the baseball academy connects young players with former scouts who have expertise in college recruitment. These connections can provide valuable insights into the recruitment process, helping your child stand out among other aspiring baseball players. VSA can also help create highlight reels and player profiles that showcase your child's abilities and achievements, making them attractive prospects for college teams.

Vaughn Sports Academy stands as a beacon of excellence in youth baseball training. With its top-tier coaching staff, comprehensive and personalized baseball training programs, and focus on character-building, the school offers an unparalleled experience for young athletes. If you are searching for the best baseball academy in Boca Raton, look no further than VSA. For more information about Vaughn Sports Academy and to schedule a visit, please visit their official website.

[strictlyfavorites]

Shel Silverstein, poet, singer-songwriter, cartoonist, screenwriter and author of children's books, was born 91 years ago today

Silverstein grew up in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago and attended Roosevelt High School. Later, he went the University of Illinois before he was expelled. He then attended Chicago Academy of Fine Arts and Roosevelt University for three years, until 1953 when he was drafted into the Army. He served in Japan and Korea.

Silverstein began drawing at age seven by tracing the works of Al Capp. "When I was a kid — 12 to 14, around there — I would much rather have been a good baseball player or a hit with the girls, but I couldn't play ball. I couldn't dance. Luckily, the girls didn't want me. Not much I could do about that. So I started to draw and to write. I was also lucky that I didn't have anybody to copy, be impressed by,” he told Publisher’s Weekly.

“I had developed my own style. I was creating before I knew there was a Thurber, a Benchley, a Price and a Steinberg. I never saw their work till I was around 30. By the time I got to where I was attracting girls, I was already into work, and it was more important to me. Not that I wouldn't rather make love, but the work has become a habit."

After returning to Chicago, Silverstein began submitting cartoons to magazines while also selling hot dogs at Chicago ballparks. His cartoons began appearing in Look, Sports Illustrated and This Week.

In 1957, Silverstein became one of the leading cartoonists in Playboy, which sent him around the world to create an illustrated travel journal with reports from far-flung locales. During the 1950s and 1960s, he produced 23 installments called "Shel Silverstein Visits..." as a feature for Playboy.

Employing a sketchbook format with typewriter-styled captions, he documented his own experiences at such locations as a New Jersey nudist colony, the Chicago White Sox training camp, San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district, Fire Island, Mexico, London, Paris, Spain and Africa.

Silverstein's passion for music was clear early on as he studied briefly at Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. His musical output included a large catalog of songs — a number of which were hits for other artists, most notably the rock group, Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show.

He wrote Tompall Glaser's highest-charting solo single "Put Another Log on the Fire," "One's on the Way" (a hit for Loretta Lynn) and "25 Minutes to Go," sung by Johnny Cash, about a man on Death Row with each line counting down one minute closer.

Silverstein also wrote one of Johnny Cash's best known hits, "A Boy Named Sue." Other songs co-written by Silverstein include "the Taker" by Waylon Jennings and "On Susan’s Floor” by Gordon Lightfoot and a sequel to "A Boy Named Sue" called: "Father of a Boy Named Sue" which is less known, but he performed the song on television on The Johnny Cash Show.

He also penned a song entitled "F*** 'em" which is lesser known and contained a reference to "f*** children."

Silverstein styled himself as Uncle Shelby in some works. Translated into more than 30 languages, his books have sold over 20 million copies.

On May 10, 1999, Silverstein died at age 68 of a massive heart attack in Key West, Florida.

[dearkorrafrommom]

Colorado

We just got back from a month in Colorado and it was so much fun.

You loved the Colorado Rockies baseball game. Since we went to that game, every time you see a jersey in a store, you say "baseball game." And "do that again."

We went camping in Telluride and you still LOVE camping. You like picking flowers and playing with rocks and playing in creeks. I love that you're my little nature girl.

We watched the 4th of July fireworks sitting on top of the Jeep we were driving (which you called a "jeepy jeepy"). Someone saw you and gave you red star sunglasses and a headband with red/white/blue streamers coming out of the top. You LOVED them, wore them all evening, and then wanted to sleep with them that night.

I have been listening to Taylor Swift "I can do it with a broken heart" song, and one of the lines goes, "I'm a real tough kid I can handle my shit." Well... when I sing the song to you, I don't say the word "shit"; I just stop at that part. WELLLLL one time I was singing it and you filled in the blank! :) Your dad and I laughed for so long over that.

Colorado weather was so nice, and every morning when I gave you breakfast you said, "Go outside mommy" and we would go sit outside and eat together. It was nice and breezy and we sat on the steps (you do NOT like the sun/ you had to sit in the shade) and ate breakfast. That's one thing I'm going to miss a lot now that we are back in Florida where it's too hot and buggy to go outside.

I took you to a butterfly pavilion that you LOVED. You held a tarantula (named Rosie)!!! I had to lie and say you were 3 so that you could do it but I paid 16 dollars each for us to get in, and I didn't know until after paying that you had to be 3 to do it. Anyway you liked it! You weren't scared at all! And you got a sticker that said, "I held Rosie!"

In Telluride we rode a gondola up the mountain multiple times. You loved it. You don't seem scared of anything... except maybe bison. We took a train ride in Cheyenne, Wyoming where you could feed bison, but instead of feeding them, you just threw the "cake" at them. (There were big pellets that the farmers call cake.)

You love flying/airports. You could watch planes all day long. And a pilot saw you getting off the plane and gave you a pin (wings) and two cards with planes on them. You were so cute playing with those cards. Perhaps piloting is your future career.

We saw a woman painting birds, which is two things you love (painting and birds). And later we were walking around downtown Cheyenne and I said, "Korra do you want to be a painter?" and you said, "Yes, I paint you a bird mommy." <3 That melted my heart!!!!

We are back in FL, and Nana and Papa are here. They came the day we got back. You were so excited for them to come; it makes me happy but also a little sad because we really want to leave Florida and go live somewhere more exciting (perhaps abroad), but I know that what makes you the happiest is being with your grandparents. You spent the night with them last night. They are pretty much the only people who you voluntarily go away with without crying for me. It was nice but I missed you (and slept in your bed).

I don't know if I'm doing a great job as a mom. I thought I was for a while, but now you love Sesame Street (and have meltdowns when we turn it off) and you don't eat as much as you used to (I wouldn't say you're picky, but.... you used to like asparagus and now you don't) I feel like now that you've been exposed to sugar and tv, I have failed. But it's ok, right? Everything in moderation I guess .... ugh I just want to live on a farm with no outside influence!

I also worry that you're way too attached to me. I guess that's a good thing, but well, I just worry about a lot. Parenting is constantly wondering if you are making the right decision and often, regretting the decision you made. But it's mostly a joyous experience that I am so happy I get to do with you. Since Daddy is out of work at the moment, I thought about going back to teaching.... but I would probably be so depressed not getting to spend all day with you!

[novumtimes]

Seeing the Stars of Top Gun Then and Now Will Take Your Breath Away

Astrophysicist and civilian Top Gun instructor Charlie Blackwood took Maverick’s breath away and theirs was a cinematic love story for the ages…or at least the 1980s, since McGillis said she was not asked to be in the sequel. And she almost didn’t make it into the first film, either. “I didn’t want to do it,” she recalled to The Guardian in 2001. “But because I’d done Witness, I owed Paramount another film, and my agent said, ‘You have to do this.’ I took one look at it and said, ‘This is like a Western in the sky—I don’t wanna do this.’ It wasn’t about acting, it was about being a cartoon character. You know what I mean? I could have done it blindfolded. I was grateful for the fact that it gave me opportunities I wouldn’t otherwise have had. But I showed up for work, did my bit, hung out with a bunch of boys, played baseball, and went home. It was like being at camp. Why they hired me I’ll never know.” McGillis next portrayed a prosecutor seeking justice for a rape victim played by eventual Oscar winner Jodie Foster in The Accused. She kept acting in the likes of The Babe, North and many smaller films and TV movies, but she also opened a restaurant in Florida with her yacht mogul second husband, Fred Tillman, in the 1990s and put acting on the back burner. She has two daughters with Tillman, whom she divorced in 2002. She came out as gay in 2009 and had a civil union ceremony with Melanie Leis in 2010, but they broke up the following year. “I think just my priorities in life changed,” McGillis told Entertainment Tonight in 2019 from home in North Carolina. “It wasn’t like a major decision that I made to leave [acting], it was just that other things became more important. I love acting, I love what I do, I love doing theater, but I don’t know. To me, my relationships to other people became far more important than my relationship to fame.” Source link via The Novum Times

[davidshawnsown]

USA BASEBALL RPF (MODERN SETTING) 2 - Campaigns in the Ukraine (Chapter 4b)

CAMP LASORDA TRAINING RANGE

Cary, North Carolina

1201H EST

"Please introduce yourselves," Captain Frazier stated to the three individuals who were with 1LT Realmuto and SSG Schwarber and were observing the company-wide tactial combat exercise that morning.

"Actually 5 of us here, but I'm not from the 2017 contingent. Name's Corporal Kody Clemens, and I'm from 1st Battalion 94th Detroit. And one of us may be also the one responding to the email lately."

"And that's from Major General Tony Reagins, sir, if you would remember," 1SGT Gose said.

"I know, sir."

"Why you're here?" asked Todd.

"Dad served with the national contingent with the 78th Brigade in 2006. He sent me there after knowing that Major General Reagins wants volunteers from all the regiments of the 169th Corps in the brigade's 1st Battalion given the ongoing Ukrainian situation as well as to help boster its ranks for future deployments abroad."

"Roger Clemens you may say?"

"Yes sir. Sent me a letter that he wrote for all of you. Stated that he will return to the brigade one day."

"Rank?"

"Retired a lieutenant colonel, and will be here in an advisory role. Was in a number of regiments of the 169th Corps."

"Speciality?"

"Rifleman/NLAW launcher and a squad deputy leader, can work with other squads when he was in the enlisted. Was a OCS grad in 1988."

"Welcome to A Company Kody, you will be a good member of of one of the platoons of your choice. Your call."

"With the 2nd Platoon I will be assigned, captain."

"Permission granted, I will inform 1LT Bohm that you've chosen his unit at once."

"Thank you, captain Frazier." Then, the young corporal gave the letter to the company commanding officer, and he read it with reverence.

"That's your father who wrote that letter?" asked CPT Tulowitzki.

"Yes sir."

"So who's with you today?" LTC Fenster asked.

Kody replied, "Let him be the one.. Actually two got the emails from General Reagins and came with to the camp with me. He will be the one first, then I'll ask the other. And also another one was part of 2017 contingent, which means six of us who came with the lads from Philly." And then he asked the one who was with him to get himself introduced.

"First Lieutenant Clayton Kershaw. A Company, 1st Battalion, 83rd Los Angeles (mechanized)."

"You served with the brigade before?" Todd asked the serviceman from Dallas.

"Yes captain, 2005 high schools contingent."

"What year you joined your regiment?"

"2006. Commander then was BG Colleti and was a direct entry specialist. Was reassigned to 1st Battalion's A Company in 2008. Got into OCS 4 years later after the regiment noticed my leadership skills with 2nd squad merited me taking the course to become an officer."

"Specialty?"

"Marksman/sniper, but I also use my sidearm pistol. Can also utlitize MPATS systems like the Javellin and M72 Law. And also, I'm a platoon commander in that company. I've delegated the duty of platoon leader to 1LT Tony Gonsolin upon recieving the email from MG Reagins, and before I left for Cary, had Tony informed in person that he's in charge while I'm away."

"Glad you took the call," 1LT Trevor Story stated. "You joining 8th Platoon?"

"Yes lieutenant Story."

"Welcome, sir, you got the job."

"Thank you sir, will be ready to help your boys."

"SSGT Sonny Gray, 1st Battalion, 1st Cincinnati City. Part of 2017 mobilization contingent under COL Leyland. But when I was being recalled from being a part of that contingent this week I got an email from the 1st Minnesota relating to a personnel transfer to that regiment. I replied accepting the offer and thus was supposed to report to Minneapolis and then to the training battalion in Florida next month."

"With my 1st Battalion?!" replied a shocked SGT Joe Ryan.

"Yes, with your unit. That regiment under COL Baldelli sent a member of the 2nd Battalion operationally deployed with one of their battalions to Cincinnati to serve in my stead."

"So welcome then to the Twin Cities, you are going to like serving with me when we're back to our original regiments. But now you will be under the colors again, Sonny."

"Thanks Joe."

"Original regiment?" MAJ Sogard asked.

"1st Oakland. Got my enlisted papers in 2011 and was moved to 1st Battalion two years later."

"And you did serve in the 78th Brigade before?"

"Yes. 2009 and 2010, with collegiate contingent. With the 1st one that I served when I got the call, it was as part of the overall contingent led by then Major Derek Jeter."

"And before you were in Cincinnati," Todd asked, "did you serve in New York?"

"Yes, A Company 1st Battalion 3rd New York. YOUR unit then, Todd. I still remember meeting you that summer when I was moved there. And you were with two others?"

"Yes, Sonny, now SSGT Tommy Kahnle and 1LT David Robertson who also was with me and the others last year in Japan."

"And you did transfer to Cincinnati after two years?"

"Yes captain."

"So you were a sniper and grenadier no matter where you served?"

"Affirmative, sir."

"1LT Bregman, please welcome him back to 5th platoon," Todd ordered. "I'm sure he has memories of that fall training exercise of 2017, but given that he was a part of that year's contingent he will be taken care of by you and the other officers."

"Thank you Todd," Alex replied. Then, looking at Sonny, he told him, "1LT Brandon Crawford expects to see you with the boys today, Sonny. Welcome to 5th platoon."

"Glad to be back there with the rest, Alex. Tell Brandon and everyone there I'm happy to be reunited with them, sir."

"Thanks staff sergeant. I expect you will be a great asset to the platoon."

Then the next one spoke.

"SGT Jonathan Lucroy, A Company, 1st Battalion 72nd Atlanta."

"Part of 2017 contingent?" Troy asked.

"Yes I was, 1st platoon.. Was a squad commander that year. Called up from 61st Texas."

"So you were with the Atlanta regiment last year?" asked 1SGT Gose.

"Yes, first sergeant."

"Welcome back to the 78th," Todd said. "You will be with Alex and the boys of 5th platoon today under Lieutenant Crawford."

"Got it, cap. Cannot wait to be back with the boys of Crawford's platoon, Todd."

"Birthplace?"

Luc, as his then comrades in Milwaukee called him, stated that he was from Eustis in Florida. He later stated that he was a grenadier for his unit.

"Sergeant First Class Giancarlo Stanton gentlemen," the next man greeted. "Part of 3rd squad of the 2017 contingent. Now a part of the very Yankees of the 3rd NY. Was in Miami when the call came out. No less than regimental colonel of the 93rd, BG Jeter, asked me if I would be fit for COL Boone's regiment in the Big Apple, and I said yes."

"Still remember you sergeant when we first met in 2012," Todd stated. "I was a young 2LT then."

"Same for me in Colorado", Troy added. "Glad you are back with the brigade. I am certain Alex will help you make the transition to being a part of 5th Platoon."

"Thanks for the welcome," he replied. "I'm ready to be back with the boys I trained with."

1SGT Gose, upon welcoming Stanton back to the 1st Battalion's A Company, told him, "You will surely be fit for your duty to the nation. You gonna call those from your battalion who are graduates of the brigade's training program to come here to Cary?"

"Sure do sergeant, as my current regimental commander was a graduate of the program".

"I'm sure you will do just that."

Then the second of those other two who responded to MG Reagins stepped up.

"SSGT Adam Ottavino, gentlemen."

"Regiment previously assigned?" asked 1LT Austin.

"1st Boston. Already accepted a transfer offer from the 62nd New York Light Infantry."

"Adam, you previously served with me in the 3rd NY before?" Stanton asked.

The staff sergeant replied, "Yes I was."

"And the same in Colorado?" added Tulo.

"Yes captain."

"Pretty much the same," said 1LT Story. "The people of Denver cherished your days here with the 93rd Colorado. And, by the way Kyle, you served with that staff sergeant over in Boston?"

"Yes I did serve with him in the 1st Battalion 1st Boston under COL Alex Cora."

"Welcome to A Company", Todd said. "It's a pleasure having you around this time. So you're planning to reunite with Trevor with his platoon?"

"Yes, captain," Adam replied. "Have to be together with one of my fellow officers."

"Accepted. 8th Platoon welcomes you staff sergeant. 1LT Story will be your platoon leader at this time."

"Thanks Captain."

"Speciality?"

"Marksman/NLAW launcher. Can also use a MANPAD for air defense."

"You're gonna make it big here, Ottavino."

"That's all that came here," Corporal Kody stated. "I know that these guys who were with me came here with one purpose in mind. They came to Camp Lasorda determined to be ready to answer the country's call and prepare to come to the aid of our allies abroad in due time. Officers, I hope these new arrivals will be part of the boost needed for 1st Battalion's A Company to be combat ready in the weeks to come, these new servicemen will not be the last of those who will be coming here."

"Indeed more of them will be coming," replied 1LT Tulowitzki. "I expect more responses to come from that email."

In the meantime BG Randolph had called up the other assigned officers of the 2017 contingent: MAJ Alan Trammell, now a retired LTC from the 895th Detroit and MAJ Tino Martinez, a 1LT then with the 1988 national mobilization contingent. Alan would be recalled back in an advisory role with Tino returning as part of brigade staff. They told him they will be in Cary that week.

B COMPANY MESS

Camp Lasorda, Cary, NC

1430h EST

Every member of B Company 1st Battalion 78th Brigade's leadership staff as well as the rest of the companies was given a copy of the letter from the brigade commander confirming the first members of C Company, that all-women's unit, that will be beginning mobilization work this week in Cary town. They are as always to be stationed as part of 1st Battalion and will be ready to serve with the rest of that formation. 1LT Lahners was confirmed its CO with 1LT Underwood as XO, both women having arrived there in Cary last night, told BG Maxwell earlier to 1LT Fowler. MSGT Gianelloni was to be given her permanent appointment as company first sergeant, and she just arrived in Cary the night before as well. The 2021 contingent was to be the basis of company command and its 1st platoon with the 2019 contingent being 2nd Platoon of the same company. 3rd and 4th Platoons respectively would be from elements of the 2018 and 2017 contingents. Veteran officers and NCOs who served in the past would be assigned to the battalion proper and the company if needed. As in the rest of the 1st Battalion it is a Bradley battalion and thus its drivers and crews are expected to be a mix of men and women, the latter forming the majority.

The full roster of the 2021 contingent by now set to be activated was:

1LT Lahners, company CO

1LT Underwood, company XO

1LT Sementelli, company adjutant

1LT Benites

1LT Greenwood, 1st Platoon commander

1LT Kimbrell

1LT Hugo, 1st Platoon XO

2LT Gortarez

2LT Jorge, 1st Platoon adjutant

2LT Ryan

2LT Maston

MSGT Gianelloni, company first sergeant

SFC Meidlinger, 1st platoon sergeant

SSGT Baum

SSGT Reynolds

SGT Martinez

SGT Lansdell

SGT Jennings

SGT Albayati

SGT Kaplan

CPL Velez

CPL McFadden

CPL Picardo

CPL Jennings

CPL Berger

CPL Johnson

CPL Fonesca

PFC Aldrich

PFC Benach

PFC Schaber

PFC Sneddon

PFC Coria

PFC Calvet

The 2019 contingent, also being activated, was as follows:

1LT Hay, 2nd Platoon CO

1LT Schaber

2LT Paulovich

2LT Tsujikawa

SSGT Bazzano, 2nd Platoon Sergeant

SSGT Hanscom

SSGT Durham

SGT Schroeder

SGT Womack

SGT Cobb

CPL Gibbs

CPL Zimmerman

CPL Haberstich

CPL Blunt

SPC Hamilton

PFC Schutte

The 2018 contingent also being activated - per an addition to the letter - would be composed of:

1LT Diaz

1LT Corrella

1LT Baca

SSGT Cobb

SSGT Baltzell

SGT Reynolds

SGT Borders

SGT Piagno

SGT Sneddon

SGT Curtis

CPL Diaz

CPL Christie

CPL Purser Collins

CPL Estocado

MAJ Alex Oglesby would be reassigned to 1st Battalion as part of its staff while the roles of the rest of the command officers of the 2019 and 2021 contingents would come later. The 2017 and 2016 contingents would later be announced as the basis of the company's 3rd platoon.

"Is that all that will come here?" Asked 1LT Fowler. Captain Arrietta said yes, stating that they will be the first to arrive to form C Company and more will be arriving there.

The captain knew that it would be a matter of time before C Company would be activated, and soon the rest of 1st Battalion will be formed up from cadre status while the 2nd Battalion is being activated. Also he added that there would be more slated to arrive to reinforce the unit and they would be undergoing refresher training.

Then SSGT Reynol Mendoza arrived alongside 1LT Kylee Lahners - who would be potenially promoted to being a captain. Part of the women's mobilization units of the years before, she was appointed C Company's new CO and had began to tour Camp Lasorda as part of her preparations for the refresher course before the company would be activated. Reynol, part of the 2021 mobilization team, had to be recalled as part of company staff.

"Afternoon gentlemen," she said, as B Company staff stood at attention.

"Welcome back, Kylee," Jake responded. "And hello, sir, and welcome to Camp Lasorda."

"It's a pleasure, captain," Reynol responded. The two were among the first to be acquainted - once more - to their surroundings in Camp Lasorda alongside those other officers and NCOs who arrived to the camp that week as part of the mobilization process already ongoing. They are by now getting set to prepare to answer the nation's call to service at any cost.

"What brings you here to B Company mess?" 1LT Brian Barden asked.

Kylee responded, "I'm here because I'm set to formally begin taking over command of C Company in days and to prepare for its active duty tour. I and the many women who were trained here are now being asked to return to fill its ranks by now."

"Captain," Reynol added, as one of those who are assigned to the women's contingents, it has been a great duty to help these ladies. Now that the call for mobilization is upon us, I thank the 78th Brigade command for trusting us to help the women be ready for combat operations in the future possibly in Eastern Europe."

Major Gall then suprised them with word from the battalion. Come their Ukrainian deployment he would be promoted LTC possibly if the brigade would be OK with, because his long time leadership skills as part of territorial companies and battalions in the USA and his reassignment in 2013 as part of 46th Command's HQ have been noticed by LTG Gaski who is looking for a potential successor to him he may be starting to be training to. However he would be assigned to either Kyiv to study in the National Defense University, not at the Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, if the deployment to Ukraine may proceed, or to Bulgaria at the Rakovsky Command and GS Academy, or to the UK's Joint Services Command and Staff College. Thus he may miss more time with the rest of his men from 2008 in preparation for command positions.

"You're now a major?" Asked Kylee.

"Yes I am. Preparing to be ready for my first full command duty in the future. Right now, I may be set to leave B Company to join 1st Battalion staff," he replied.

"I cannot believe you're leaving Bravo Company," Jake added.

"I'm sure to miss you guys. But I will never forget those days wherein I trained to fight with this outfit," Gall replied.

"Will cherish those damn days in Beijing, major," added 1LT Fowler. "But never forget that all of us have an oath to defend this nation from her external and internal enemies. Remember always that no matter where you go, the memories of your time in Cary will help you be ready to go to greater heights. You will always carry in your uniform your brigade insignia as a reminder of your duty to help defend this nation no matter what the cost, for one day you may be appointed to lead this outfit and soon be at the helm of the legendary 46th."

"Same as well," added 1LT Strasburg. "No matter what may happen, the Beijing Boys will always remember you being a part of that group. Remember always, you have a country to represent and help defend no matter where you may go."

"Good luck Major Gall," Kylee said. "Your battalion and company will miss you for now but know that you will always be a soldier of this nation and a part of the legendary 46th Command and the great 78th Brigade Combat Team. Don't you always forget your calling."

"Same for me here," added SSGT Mendoza.

"Add my greetings, added SFC LaPorta. "I am damn proud of how you grown since we deployed. I wish you the best."

Gall replies, "Thanks everyone. I have made it so far to this point thanks to all of you. My departure has not yet been set, and I don't know where I can study my courses, but I will always keep you in my thoughts while I'm away."

"Major," CPT Arrieta informed him, "we have a word first. D Company is being activated under 1st Battalion in weeks."

"Has Battalion command been informed?"

"Yes but no final roster for its 1st Platoon. We will find out who will be CO, adjutant and Company 1st Sgt in days, but we have a company XO: 1LT Travis Swaggerty."

"Who's that captain?"

"Part of 2017 national collegiate mobilization unit. He's from the 82nd Pittsburgh and has been informed yesterday that he's being recalled."

"Noted. All of us in the battalion will make sure he will feel welcomed back by this week."

"Thanks Major Gall. I am sure he and others will be ready to prepare to answer the nation's call and the pleas of the Ukrainian people and those of Eastern Europe."

"He will better be," Jake replied. "The brigade needs him to take his place now."

@joeybosa-aaronjudge @lukeexplorer @lightninging @homerofthebraves @dilangleywritesfanfic @alekmanoah @ilovetheyankees @darkorderaf @highwaytothedangerzone502 @zackcollins @lukeexplorer

[lboogie1906]

Tracy Lamar McGrady Jr. (born May 24, 1979) is a former basketball player, known for his career in the NBA. He is a seven-time NBA All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection, two-time NBA scoring champion, and winner of the NBA Most Improved Player Award in 2001. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He is regarded as one of the greatest scorers and shooting guards in NBA history.

He entered the NBA straight out of high school and was selected as the ninth overall pick by the Toronto Raptors. Beginning his career as a low-minute player, he improved his role with the team, forming a duo with his cousin Vince Carter. He left the Raptors for the Orlando Magic, where he became one of the league’s most prolific scorers and a candidate for the NBA MVP Award. He was traded to the Houston Rockets, where he helped the Rockets become a perennial playoff team. He retired in 2013 following a brief stint with the Qingdao DoubleStar Eagles of the Chinese Basketball Association and the San Antonio Spurs.

He has worked as a basketball analyst for ESPN. He realized his dream of playing professional baseball, pitching for the Sugar Land Skeeters.

He was born in Bartow, Florida to Melanise Williford. He played high school basketball and baseball at Auburndale High School for three years before transferring to Mount Zion Christian Academy in Durham for his senior season. At Auburndale, he posted averages of 23.1 points, 12.2 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4.9 blocks per game.

He made a name for himself at the Adidas ABCD Camp. He was named a McDonald’s All-American, and USA Today High School Basketball Player of the Year. He considered playing college basketball at the University of Kentucky but decided to enter the NBA draft.

He has three children with his wife, CleRenda Harris.

He shifted his focus to his business investments, including Dasdak and Blue-04. He was an initial investor in a Minor League Baseball team that would become the Biloxi Shuckers.

In August 2021, he launched an app, SOLEcial, designed to sell autographed shoes, trading cards, and other memorabilia directly to buyers. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence