Viral: The Ohio State University Marching Band

image source: tbdbitl.osu.edu

As an Ohio State alum, I am beaming with pride to see the Marching Band (aka The Best Damn Band In The Land) going viral on the internet this past week. The tributes to Michael Jackson and Hollywood Movie Blockbusters, wow to the nth degree.

Featured this morning on NBC's Today Show, these impressive and no doubt difficult moves the band practices to perfection used to be mapped out with dots on paper. It is now done through the tutelage of an iPad app. In case you didn't see it, here's the Today Show's segment:



And for those of you too preoccupied choosing this year's Halloween costume the past 2 weeks, here are the full video clips of the Michael Jackson and Hollywood Movie Blockbuster shows.





Anyone who's ever been in marching band in high school and/or college, the world now knows band nerds are truly cool.

Terrell Owens to bowl in PBA World Series of Bowling

image source: PBA

On March 13, my blog entry discussed Terrell's attempt to bowl at the elite level. Can't say I was surprised to see so many negative comments when he bowled at the USBC Championships in May and his upcoming debut in the PBA World Series of Bowling at South Point in Las Vegas this weekend. However, most that follow the sport of bowling closely support TO's efforts.

Longtime PBA veteran bowler Norm Duke said it best:
"It's unfair for all the bowlers in the world to compare him with us...He does have a pretty good fundamentally sound bowling game, but we should be fair to him. He knows his role here. He wants to see what it is like."--Associated Press, October 24, 2013.

For those naysayers that likely didn't know, Terrell's average during the USBC Championships was about 167. Not great, but not terrible either. It's my guess Terrell will do better than he did in March.

Best of luck to you this weekend, T.O.

2010 MLB World Series Film

image source: Fanpop

On Wednesday, October 23, begins the 2013 World Series between 2 red-themed teams, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox. Both teams are not strangers to the series, with Boston making their last appearance in 2007, and St. Louis in 2011. Both teams won their series.

I've been revisiting film clips the past few nights from other recent post-season games, including the 2010 World Series, the first championship for the Giants in the San Francisco era. I was able to find on YouTube the full length film chronicling San Francisco's run to the Fall Classic.

Watching the film last night felt like seeing it for the first time. Many of the key players for the Giants in 2010 were not on 2012's team. Cody Ross and Juan Uribe are now with different teams. Brian Wilson spent most of 2012 on the disabled list. Pat Burrell retired. Aubrey Huff and Freddy Sanchez are not actively playing baseball at this time.

Thanks to michael2damax at YouTube for posting it. In case you haven't seen it, here it is:



Narration by actor and comedian Rob Schneider.

Remembering Loma Prieta Earthquake, October 17, 1989

Today is the 24th anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake in the San Francisco Bay Area. Epicenter was in Santa Cruz, California. As I tweeted earlier this morning, my longtime and dear friend Jeff drove me to San Francisco International Airport on a flight to visit family and friends in Columbus.

I've copied from George Kelly (@allaboutgeorge on Twitter) a series of tweets from other Tweeters, including mine, of their memories on this date. I was fortunate not to have felt it, but will never forget the impact it had on everyone else living in the area.

As extensive as the damage was to much of the Bay Area, it could have been a lot worse. The San Francisco Giants and Oakland A's were set to play in a first-ever Bay Bridge World Series and traffic was light that day because many were preparing to watch the game.

Weber Cup XIV - 2013

image source: Weber Cup

UPDATE October 13, 2013 - Team Europe rallies to a 17-14 win over Team USA. Congratulations to Mika, Stu, Dom and Martin!

Battling as we speak is this year's Weber Cup match between Europe and the United States. The United States got off to blistering start, leading 5-1. Like the recent America's Cup, a big rally from Team Europe has surged them back into contention. Europe is only 2 matches down.

As of this blog entry, United States 10, Europe 8. First team to reach 17 points wins. Competition ends tomorrow.

This year's rosters:
Team USA (same as 2012): Chris Barnes, Bill O'Neill, Tommy Jones and Mike Fagan.
Team Europe: Mika Koivuniemi, Stuart Williams, Martin Larsen and Dominic Barrett.

Looking very forward to the video of the matches in early 2014.
Go USA!

League Bowling Blog - Gutter to Glory

image source: guttertoglory.com , Roto Grip

A month into my 6th season of league bowling (yes, it will eventually match all these years I played league softball), I'm not perusing as many YouTube videos as I did in the past 2 years. I do continue to follow all levels of bowling from league and local tournaments to the WTBA and PBA.

League scores from the 2 centers where I bowl regularly can be found at leaguesecretary.com. My Wednesday league has its own website at chinesebowlingclub.com under the Friendly Trios icon. Our stats are usually updated Saturday nights. I just checked the site and see results for this week are already in. If I bowled well (which I did), I'm always anxious to see how well I did against everyone else.

Statistics are a great way to help track progress. More importantly for me is practice and to watch others practice. When appropriate, I'll chat with other bowlers during practice and league play for their feedback. I can usually determine that with a "nice shot" compliment, or hear a self-deprecating remark about the errant shot he/she just made.

Which leads me to Zak Becker's and Tim Merath's blog, Gutter to Glory, sponsored by Roto Grip. As fellow league bowlers, they write about their bowling experiences I can relate to in so many ways. The screen shots of their scores on their blog and Twitter look so much like my scores, good and bad. They express frustration with inconsistent scores, how to adapt to changing lane conditions, and a ton of other minutiae bowlers only know.

If you find this kind of bowling minutiae fascinating, you can follow Gutter to Glory on Facebook, and Tim's Twitter account, @guttertoglory. Good luck to Zak and Tim. My goal this season is the same as Zak's, a 165 average.

Max Scherzer, Detroit Tigers pitcher, 21 wins

image source: ESPN

Before the current era of specialized relief pitching, a starter with 20 wins earmarked whether or not you had a very successful season. If you had 30 wins like Dizzy Dean of the St. Louis Cardinals did in 1934, or Denny McLain of the Detroit Tigers with 31 victories in 1968, it was phenomenal.

Today's era of pitchers are categorized into specialized roles. They include starter, long relief, setup, and closer. There's also the 100 pitch limit teams usually restrict to a starter. If he's taken out because of the pitch count and hasn't completed 5 innings yet his team wins the game, the starter cannot be credited for the victory. So if a starting pitcher wins 15 or more games now, it's a great season.

And this is why another Detroit Tigers pitcher, Max Scherzer, who earned his 21st win last night is remarkably special. Congratulations, Max. Good luck to you and the Detroit Tigers in the post-season. Your brother Alex would be very proud. 

Happy 63rd Birthday, William James Murray

image source: Esquire Magazine

Wishing Todd DiLaMuca, The Lounge Singer, Carl Spackler, Ernie McCracken, Herman Blume and my favorite, Dr. Peter Venkman, a very Happy Birthday.

Here's a video of WatchMojo.com's Top 10 favorite Bill Murray performances:

Remembering Ray Dolby

image source: Dolby Labs

On September 12, 2013, sound pioneer Ray Dolby passed away at his home in San Francisco.

From the improvement (no hiss) in cassette recordings to the "Dolby Sound" in the classic blockbuster "Star Wars", music fans and moviegoers know they'll get the ultimate audio experience.

It may be dated and too brief, but here's a clip of the "test" sound I always immediately recognize as Dolby. I know then the movie I'm about to watch is going to sound awesome.



Rest in peace, Mr. Dolby.

Shayna Ng's cropped look

image source: Bowl.com

This afternoon, ESPN2 aired (tape delay) the USBC Queens finals. Congratulations to the top seeded player, Diana Zavjalova, who emerged as this year's winner.

Throughout the week, I followed a few live broadcasts of match play on Bowl.com and read updates on Facebook. Without fail, there was someone, usually male, who commented negatively about the sport, a player, or whatever else can be criticized. And like an ex-boyfriend I was with for 7 years too long, he opined negatively on a topic he doesn't know well.

Which brings me to the comments said about Shayna Ng. With her cropped hairstyle and no makeup, several (all men) asked if Shayna was a man. It got me upset as it's a topic all too familiar to me. I wore short hair most of my life and have had more than my fair share of being mistaken for a man.

Then as I read further along in the comments, a Singaporean (Shayna is from Singapore) clarified the reason for Shayna's cropped look. And if those same smart mouths bothered to watch the telecast, they would have heard announcer Dave Lamont mention it as well. She shaved her head for the Children's Cancer Foundation, Hair for Hope 2013 Campaign. So far, Shayna's pledges have more than doubled the target amount.

Way to go Shayna.

2013 USBC Queens Finalists

image source: Bowl.com

Today is the finals match of the 2013 USBC Queens Tournament. It is being taped today and will air on Sunday, September 8 on ESPN2 at 11:30 am PT/2:30 pm ET. I'll be bowling my very FIRST senior tournament during that time, so this is already programmed into my DVR.

This year's finalists have a great mix of backgrounds. The top 2 seeds are from Europe and Asia. The remaining 3 seeds are from places I call home, San Francisco Bay Area and Central Ohio.

1. Diana Zavjalova, Latvia, currently a bowler at Webber International University.
2. Shayna Ng, Singapore. I blogged about Shayna previously on May 20, 2013, where she won the 48th Annual Qubica AMF World Cup.
3. Leanne Barrette-Hulsenberg, 1999 USBC Queens Champion. San Francisco Bay Area native. I saw her bowl in a junior-adult tournament last year in Dublin, California.
4. Jennifer Petrick Higgins, 3-time member of Team USA and currently resides in Westerville, Ohio.
5. Lynda Barnes, 1998 USBC Queens Champion, San Francisco Bay Area native, bowled at San Jose State and married to PBA great Chris Barnes. 

Here's a video profiles of the finalists. Good luck to all. 

Back-to-back slams, Hunter Pence

*UPDATE: Evan Gattis of the Atlanta Braves takes over as having the longest home run of 2013. He hit a 486-foot home run against the Philadelphia Phillies in Citizens Bank Park.

As of tonight, the San Francisco Giants are in a tie for last place in the National League West. Post season hopes gone. And extremely unlikely they'll repeat as World Series Champions. But there's a hard working, even harder playing Giant who has played in ALL 132 games of the 2013 season to date. His name is Hunter Pence. He plays right field.

Hunter's consecutive game streak almost ended in last night's game against the Colorado Rockies. Rockies batter Michael Cuddyer crushed a hard, deep fly ball Pence tried to catch, running full speed. Here's the video:

After a few minutes, Hunter got up, understandably dazed. Still wobbly, he jogged back to the team dugout. Remarkably, he only had the wind knocked out of him and played the rest of the game. Tonight, sans cobwebs, the wall slam a semi-distant memory, Hunter does the slam again. With a bat. 476 feet over the fence. And now the longest home run of the 2013 season. Watch and admire:



Wow, perhaps Hunter should slam into walls more often.

*UPDATE: September 27, 2013. As no surprise to Giants fans, Hunter Pence wins Willie Mac Award. Named after former Giants great Willie McCovey, the award exemplifies the spirit and leadership McCovey showed consistently throughout his career. Former recipients include Matt Cain, Buster Posey, Ryan Vogelsong and 2-time winners Mike Krukow, J.T. Snow, and Bengie Molina.

San Francisco, 30 year anniversary

Today is my 30th year living in San Francisco. My brother Sherman and family friend Stan (the photographer of this picture) drove out with my 1980 Toyota Celica GT Liftback (pictured behind me) from Columbus, Ohio to San Francisco, California.

The road trip took about 4 1/2 days. Sherman and Stan did most of the driving. The first 2 days we were on the road 12-14 hours and then stopped for the night. From Salt Lake City to Reno, it took about 8 hours. From Reno to San Francisco, about 4 hours.

First stop - Lawrence, Kansas (I-70 West)
Second stop - Cheyenne, Wyoming (I-70 West to I-25 North to I-80 West)
Third stop - Salt Lake City, Utah (I-80 West)
Final stop - Reno, Nevada (I-80 West)

While my recent visit to Columbus was the most fun I had in the past 2 years, San Francisco is and will always be home. After 23 years of residency in the Inner Richmond and Inner Sunset neighborhoods (see 25th anniversary blog entry), I am back to living in the same neighborhood where I started (and where the above photo was taken), the Outer Sunset.

In the 30 years I've been in San Francisco, many friends and family from Columbus have moved and are now scattered across the country. With the help of Facebook, Skype, Instant Messaging and other social media forms, communication is easy, fast and reliable. I rarely hear the term "long distance call" said anymore.

Here's to another 30 years. And if I'm still spry and feisty in 2043, it's my guess a 5 1/2 hour flight to New York will be reduced to less than an hour. All the better for this future old "fog blogger".

World Tenpin Bowling - now on Twitter

image source: WTBA

With the new season of league and professional bowling starting in the next few weeks, the international arm of professional bowling, the World Tenpin Bowling Association (WTBA) established a Twitter account (@WorldBowling).

The organization has 112 member federations and is divided into 3 zones: American Zone (Pan-American Bowling Confederation), Asian Zone (Asian Bowling Federation), and European Zone (European Tenpin Bowling Federation). The PBA is among the member federations most familiar to bowlers and fans of bowling.

For me, the WTBA is a great resource on bowling around the world. The past season included stops in Japan, Finland, South Korea and Qatar. Many of the bowling match videos I've posted on previous blog entries are part of the World Bowling Tour/WTBA.

Looking forward to a new season.

Whitehall Yearling High School - 35th Year Reunion, Class of 1978

My post on Twitter (lchin2) today, "Sore jaw and cheek from too much smiling & laughing at last night's reunion. Efforts not to be labeled 'Whatever happened to ?' continue."

We had a blast. Here are a few, partially edited Facebook comments from fellow classmates (last names omitted for privacy):
++++++
From Joe, our DJ for the evening, "...if it weren't for you, this would not turn out as great as it did!!!! You guys did A awesum job. The class reunion was a huge success!!! I hope you all liked the music I played. It was my pleasure to do this for you. I enjoyed all your company and cant wait 5 more years..."

From Sue, who attended her very first reunion, "... i have to admit, i was nervous because i hadn't seen anyone since graduation and this was my first reunion. everyone was so warm and welcoming and i hope i got a chance to speak with everyone. if i missed you, i'm so sorry! some of you haven't changed at all and others, well, i admit i had to look at name tags but that's the old age in me. it was so wonderful to see you all and i can't wait until the next reunion! will post pics today or tomorrow. lani - so glad u changed ur mind and came. i loved spending time with you and talking with you! janet - so disappointed you couldn't make it...hope to see you next time around. love to all!"

From Mike, "Just wanted to thank everyone involved for their efforts at making this reunion a really nice event. I know there had to be a lot of effort put into planning and organization.

It was great to see so many people, many of whom were distant memories, or that I had no memory of at all. Interesting how some people are easily recognizable, while others, even some that I am friends with here on FB, I really didn't recognize without prompting or a picture. 

It was nice to share (too little) time with people, and I apologize I didn't do very well at getting to talk to everyone. I assure you that, even if we didn't have a chance to talk, or, if I never knew you very well, that I value our connection to each other.

It renews my personal convictions, that I try to practice in my life, of not alienating anyone, being rude or obnoxious, and just being a decent person, accepting of people who ever they are. I have always tried to be one to Forgive, forget, and move on.

I was impressed at how well everyone got along, had fun, and enjoyed each other's conversations, evidently a lot of you have those same feelings and convictions in life. 
What a truly special group we grew up with, and shared some wonderful experiences.
I Wish everyone well, and hope we are able to do this together many more times as we continue our personal walks through life."
++++++
To my beloved classmates, see you in 2018!

2013 World Games in Cali, Colombia

image source: 2013 World Games

UPDATE - August 4, 2013 - Congratulations to Daria Kovalova for capturing gold in the Women's Singles. Daria defeated Kelly Kulick, 428-425.
-----------------------
Tomorrow in Cali, Colombia is the conclusion of the 2013 World Games.

Bowlers I have written about in previous blog entries (November 4, 2012 and May 20, 2013) such as Daria Kovalova (Ukraine), Birgit Poppler (Germany), and Aumi Guerra (Dominican Republic) are among those shown in the above video as participants in the Women's Bowling venue.

Kelly Kulick, last week's Women's U.S. Open runner-up to Liz Johnson, represented the United States. Kelly and PBA tour pro/2012 Weber Cup member Mike Fagan won the gold medal in Mixed Doubles.

Lipton 2013 Bowling's U.S. Open - Notes on the Finalists

image source: Bowl.com
From left to right - Jason Belmonte, Pete Weber, Marshall Kent, Wes Malott, Kelly Kulick, Liz Johnson, Diandra Asbaty, Danielle McEwen.

Yesterday, this year's Bowling U.S. Open in Columbus, Ohio was the first of its kind to be open in 3 centers - Columbus Western Bowl, Wayne Webb Columbus Bowl, and Holiday Lanes.

What wasn't mentioned but very visible on the jerseys the finalists wore: 7 of the 8 bowlers are sponsored by Storm Bowling. The only non-Storm bowler, Wes Malott, is sponsored by Roto Grip and a member of Storm Nation. Storm Bowling purchased the Roto Grip brand name in 1997.

As I wrote in my August 26, 2012 blog entry "Bowlers in the Family", the bowling community is very closely connected. Some facts about the finalists in this year's tournament confirm their closeness:

• Liz Johnson (Women's Division) and Wes Malott (Men's Division), today's champions, each earned $50,000. The Battle of Sexes match that followed after their championship matches was a PBA semi-final rematch from the 2005 Banquet Open. Liz defeated Wes, but lost in the final match to Tommy Jones. Liz earned an additional $10,000 for defeating Wes a second time.
• Pete Weber, son of Dick Weber. 
• Jason Belmonte and Diandra Asbaty are 2 of the 3 founders of the bowling experience group - International Art of Bowling.
• Marshall Kent and Danielle McEwan are Team U.S.A. members and entered the U.S. Open as amateurs. Marshall is a student at Robert Morris University and Danielle attends Fairleigh Dickinson University. The romantic in me thinks it's very sweet that they are also boyfriend and girlfriend. Both of their Twitter profiles show pictures of them together.
  

@Danielle_McEwan

@MarshallKent299

To me, it's beyond awesome that Danielle and Marshall made the U.S. Open finals at the same time. I've become a fan. Danielle is 21, Marshall is 20 and excited to know they will be a big part of professional bowling's future.

Lipton 2013 Bowling's U.S. Open - Columbus, Ohio

image source: Xtra Frame

Tomorrow is my sister Cindy's birthday. It's also the start of one of the world's biggest professional bowling tournaments, the Lipton 2013 U.S. Open in Columbus, Ohio, where she lives.

That's not all. The tournament will be held in 3 bowling centers: Wayne Webb's Columbus Bowl (host facility), Columbus Western Bowl, and, drum roll please, Holiday Lanes in Whitehall (as shown on the PBA schedule). Whitehall is where I grew up.

Holiday Lanes holds a very special place in my heart for many reasons. As a kid, I bowled there in the 1960's until the early 1980's. It was open 24 hours a day and had 56 lanes in 3 sections. Dad rented a locker there to store his 16-pound Ebonite Gyro. When we were on summer vacation from school, Cindy, Sherman and I bowled there Sunday nights. After Dad and a few of his restaurant staff got off work, they would meet up with us. With sore thumbs and limbs from bowling countless games, we'd then go to breakfast at Western Pancake House (near Eastland Mall).

From one of the Sunday nights bowling, a female night manager taught me how to use my thumb for aim and a 4-step delivery (which I still use today). From their pro shop, I got my first bowling ball. It was a 12-pound, hot pink, plastic Columbia 300. I bought it to bowl in my first formal league from work at The Limited (now Limited Brands) while I was a student at Ohio State. On my last visit to Columbus, I drove there to see it and parked for a few minutes to reminisce. Had I packed my ball and shoes, I definitely would have gotten out to bowl a few practice games.

I'd love to be there in person to watch. But as I can't, the next best way would be to check out the free trial subscription at Xtra Frame and watch from the luxury of my cushy recliner. If so inclined while reclined, you can get started with the promotional video here:

A Freakin' Fantastic Outing - Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants

image source: SBNation.com

Tonight, Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants pitched his first no-hitter against the San Diego Padres. Final score: Giants 9, Padres 0.

Timmy's no-hitter is the 7th in San Francisco Giants history (15th in franchise history) and the first no-hitter in San Diego's Petco Park. The previous no-hitter was Matt Cain's perfect game on June 13, 2012. Buster Posey caught both games and makes him the first catcher in Giants history to catch 2 no-hitters.

Backed by some terrific defensive plays from right fielder Hunter Pence and 3rd baseman Pablo Sandoval, it took Tim 148 pitches to complete his game. He walked 4 and struck out 13 batters.

Here's video of all 27 outs and the on field celebration.



Two Cy Young Awards, 2 World Series Championships and now, a no-hitter. Pretty impressive for someone who just turned 29 last month. Way to go, Timmy. I'm sure your dad Chris couldn't be any prouder.

Asiana Airlines Flight 214

image source: ABC News

Yesterday, the world got news from the city I call home when a Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 crashed at San Francisco International Airport. While any airplane crash is serious, this one could have been a lot worse. Confirmed on Flight 214: 291 passengers and 16 crew members. As I write this blog entry, 2 confirmed deaths (2 Chinese teenage girls), and 49 injured. The flight originated in Shanghai, made a stop in Seoul and final destination to San Francisco.

Despite SFO being one of the busiest airports in the world with delays and closures due to fog and/or rain, plane crashes at SFO don't happen often. The last plane crash was in June 2008, where an ABX cargo plane caught on fire. The pilots escaped uninjured. The last crash with fatalities (all 3 on board were killed) was in December, 1964. The highest number of fatalities, 19, was in October, 1953.*

For those who have never flown on a plane or have a fear of flying, the above statistics reinforce airplane crashes are rare. Especially when you take into account how many flights around the world take off and land without incident on a daily basis.

My biggest worry when it comes to flying - the gate to where I need to catch a connection is on the other end of the terminal. Or worse, if the connection is at a completely different terminal. The comfy slip-ons you thought would ensure a speedy and uneventful trip through security are about to get a real test "run".

*news source: Bill Van Niekerken, San Francisco Chronicle