Miscellaneous Friday

A few things to Blog about today. First off, Congratulations to Magglio Ordonez for hitting his 2,000th hit yesterday afternoon (click the link for the story in the Detroit Free Press). From what I've read in the article, everyone at the game gave him a standing ovation. This picture was taken earlier this month at the Tigers game.
Today, Governor Granholm signed a law banning Text messaging and driving (click the link to go to the article on the State of Michigan's website). This means that starting in July, you can be pulled over if the cops see you texting and driving . I think that this is a good idea, because you should be keeping your eyes on the road instead of doing other things while driving. I always try to talk on the phone before I leave or when I get to where I'm planning to go.
I saw this mural on the old Wurlitzer Building as I was waiting for the People Mover on Saturday afternoon. Whoever did this did a fantastic job on it. I like the colors on here. I hope you do, too.

Dmitri pays a visit

While reading the Detroit papers, I read this article about Dmitri Young coming back to see old teammates and new faces in the Tiger Clubhouse yesterday (April 27). He was let go from the Tigers in 2006 after some personal issues arose. He's currently working in the front office of a Frontier League team here in Michigan. I remember he was with the Washington Nationals for a spell in the past few years. He was there to see his brother, who plays for the Twins, play the Tigers at last night's game at Comerica Park. It seems he's doing all right for himself now. He was a pretty popular player among the fans and a great teammate with his fellow Tigers. He was my Mom's favorite player, along with Craig Monroe and Rondell White. When I saw this article in the paper, I thought about these pictures, which were taken during On-Field Photo Day in July 2006 at Comerica Park. These are some of the only pics I have of him. I'm glad to see that he's getting his life back on track again, and I think he'll be spectacular in his new role.

Best of Luck to the Tigers and Wings

I'm watching the Tigers and preparing to watch the Red Wings this evening. I wish both teams the best of luck this evening. I've been a fan of the Red Wings since 1997 and the Tigers since 2003. When I see Al the Octopus on Joe Louis Arena downtown, I think of the Legend of the Octopus. It dates back to the old days, when eight wins were necessary for the Stanley Cup. I still see Al in the Wings Victory Parade in 2008 with a crown on his head. I call him "King Al of the Octopus Garden" when I see that picture. The Tigers are at Comerica Park this evening, so that's why I post the picture of the Tiger on the Comerica Park scoreboard. They are playing the Twins tonite, and it looks like a good crowd is assembled at Comerica this evening. Hopefully us fans can cheer the Tigers to victory this evening. They just had a long road trip out west, and have more games ahead.

Great Days in Detroit

This is one of my favorite pictures taken this past weekend. It was taken near Cobo Hall and the former Pontchartrain Hotel. I title this one "Have a Great Day, Detroit!". The RenCen in the background was built in the late 1970s, and you can see in some old pictures what the skyline looked like pre-RenCen.The People Mover tracks run through the center there. The People Mover opened in July 1987. The bus was on break at the time I took this picture. I like the setup of this shot. I was going to get up on the stairs nearby, but I couldn't get the entire RenCen without being blocked by the streetlight there. That ramp goes to the Lodge Freeway, which runs from downtown to the northwest side of the city and into the suburbs. It has feeders to I 75, I 94 and other freeways.

Tiger Books

I was out and about yesterday (April 24), and stopped into King Used and Rare Books (click the words to go to their link)to check out the books that they had. I bought this book that's pictured here (I'm a Tiger fan, in case you haven't noticed :-P). The cover shows his mugshot from Jackson State Prison and with the Tigers back in the day. My dad remembers Ron LeFlore when he played for the Tigers back in the days. From the chapters I've read so far, it's a pretty interesting read. I'll give you all a full review when I finish reading it. There are other pictures around the Internet of Ron LeFlore (and even a Fan Club that popped up in the '70s) on Picasa and Flickr . Hope you get to read something you like sometime.
Lauren

Favorite ads

These Metro PCS ads crack me up whenever I see them. I also see and hear the ads on TV and the radio with the "Tech and Talk" show with Ranjit and Chad with their dance careers, and their answers to questions about wireless service from Metro PCS. These ads with the Elephand and dog make me smile when I pass them. There are probably more ads like this around town somewhere. What are your favorite ads? Besides these ads, my favorite is probably the Pepsi Refresh Everything ad campaign. They had ads around town with phrasing like "Joy", "Optimismmmmmmm", "Wow", "Oh Boy, Oh Boy" and more with the Pepsi globe replacing the O in the words. The ads appeared around Detroit last year around Auto Show time in January.

David Stott Building

The tall building in the center of this picture is the David Stott Building in Downtown Detroit. According to its profile on Skyscraper Page, it was built in 1929, and is built in the Art Deco style. The building sits near Capitol Park downtown. According to its Wikipedia Page, David Stott was a former businessman back in the old days. Currently, there's a couple of businesses operated there now. I like the design on the upper floors that makes it look like stairsteps, and the crown up top there makes it look nice.

Gen. Casimir Pulaski

This statue downtown is of General Casimir Pulaski. It's across Michigan Avenue from a statue of General Alexander Macomb. This statue was dedicated in 1966 by a special Mass at Cobo Hall downtown for the 2,000th anniversary of Christianity in Poland, which was celebrated by the Primate of Poland at the time, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski. There's a sign nearby that notes that the statue was illuminated by what was then Michigan Bell in the mid 1980s. I like the stance of Gen. Pulaski in this statue. It's pretty neat. This plaque tells about the General and that it was presented to the city by the many residents of Polish descent.

"The Joe"

Joe Louis Arena is a very popular place this evening. The Red Wings are playing this evening against Phoenix in the NHL Playoffs. Here's hoping for a Wings Win this evening! Go Wings! Joe Louis Arena has been home to the Detroit Red Wings since the late 1970s, replacing the former Olympia Stadium, which has since been demolished. Joe Louis has been host to a number of events over the years, ranging from Ice shows to Circuses (My mom has a picture of me at the Ringling Brothers Circus from the late '80s at Joe Louis). I was last at the Joe for TigerFest back in 2006, which was the last year the event was held there before moving to Comerica Park in 2007. The arena was built in the '70s, and is one of the older stadiums in the NHL. I found out on a Diamond Jack boat tour a couple of years back that one of the first events held here was the 1980 Republican Convention, where Ronald Reagan was nominated for the Presidency. I found that fact interesting. I hope you found this interesting

National Theatre and Water Board Building

This is the old National Theatre in Downtown Detroit. This was taken this past Saturday (Sorry for the wrong yr. on the date stamp there). This is one of the older theatres in the downtown area. According to its Cinema Treasures Page, it was a Vaudeville theatre when it opened. It showed movies in between times, and when it closed in the 1970s, it was showing some Adult-themed fare, as many theatres were in the downtown area back in those days. I like those two towers on either side of the frontage there. There was a sign in front of that archway in front of the theatre that welcomed guests to Super Bowl festivities in early 2006, and it looks like someone's fixing to do something with the theatre now, but work seems to have stalled the past few years. The tall building with the white top behind the theatre is the Water Board Building, where the Water Commission conducts business.

A new "Twist" in Social Security

This ad with Chubby Checker was on the People Mover. In the ad, he reminds people to apply for Social Security so they can save on their prescriptions through Medicare. Visit the website so you can check to see if you're getting your social Security benefits, where the nearest Social Security office is to your home, school, or place of business, do your business online if it's possible, and also if you applied for a Social Security number, you can check your application to see if it went through and when it was put in the mail to you. Hope you get to do this and other things related to where you live online or in person/over the phone if not available online.

Smokless Michigan as of 5/1/10

Michigan will be going Smoke-free at the beginning of next month, and some locales, Comerica Park among them, have already gone smokeless. The casinos and other areas have exemption from this law. I don't smoke myself, but I have had relatives who lit up I've been looking around the internet, and I notice other states have similar laws banning smoking, as well. If your state has a smoking ban, how has it affected you or the places you frequent most often?

Bullying: Cut it out!

I saw this article on Fox News' website about a girl in Boston that was hospitalized after being bullied. This is reminiscent of another story in the news in recent months of a youngster that had taken their own life after being bullied at school. What is it going to take for kids to quit picking on each other so much? I think that schools should step up their programs in that kids, as well as teachers and other staff members, can notice the signs of bullying and peer pressure, and take appropriate measures to prevent another case like these two happening to someone else. I think that if someone can talk to the person doing the bullying to see what's really going on behind the scenes, and to ask why they're bullying others, that can really be a help to a kid. Sometimes, there might be problems at home or in other situations where a kid might feel neglected, left out, or just not fitting in among friends. Sometimes, it might be to gain acceptance from others. For a kid who's being bullied, every day at school or out and around can bring a sense of dread to everyday life. They might wonder if someone is going to follow them to or from school, pick on them while riding the bus or walking down the street, or while with friends. A caring person can mean the world to a kid who's being bullied or is bullying someone. They can be their sounding board and a listening ear. Whether it be a parent or relative, a good friend, a Club or Scout leader, or someone the kid trust. If you know of someone that's being bullied or is bullying someone, take them aside, and tell them that you care, and that you're there for them.

Go Wings!!

The Red Wings are starting their playoff run, so I chose this picture for the occasion. This is located downtown on an old building. Here's hoping for much success for our hockey team, and a long stay in the playoffs. I thought about the 2008 Red Wings victory Parade and rally today, and what a good time it was. I became a hockey fan in 1997, when the Red Wings won the first of their back-to-back Championships. If you're on Twitter, make sure you follow the Red Wings page, and if you're watching the game, tag your tweets #letsgoredwings.
Lauren

Tiger game pics

I went to the Tigers game yesterday against the Kansas City Royals, and had a good time. My Tigers lost, 10-5 against the Royals, but I had a good time being amongst the crowd. Here are just a few of my pictures from yesterday. Luke Hochevar pitched for the Royals, and Max Scherzer pitched for Detroit. The game was pretty all right. For more info on the game, Click here for the game story from Tigers.com. I noticed fewer people, mainly because it was a workday and the kids were at school. I also noticed that GM has the fountain in center field to itself now. It shared the fountain with Chrysler and Ford last year after GM couldn't afford the fountain during its financial difficulties, so Mr. Ilitch (owner of the Tigers) had Chrysler and Ford to either side of GM, and the phrase "The Detroit Tigers support our Automakers" in a show of support for the US car companies during this economic time. I'll post more pictures soon.
Lauren

Four Opening Pics

Here are some more pictures from Opening Day for your viewing Pleasure. Hope you enjoy them
The world famous Ouzo Cruizo, shown here, is the Greektown Shuttle. It was pictured here on Adams dropping off passengers for the game. I always see the "Ouzo" through Greektown on Saturday evenings in the summer going to games and special events. Yesterday (April 10), it ran double duty with the Tigers game and the Frozen Four tournament at Ford Field.
There were autographs available at the Block Party in Grand Circus Park from TIger Alumni until the game started shortly after 1:00. There was also entertainment, freebies, different booths, food and fun for all attendees
Here's a picture of Yours Truly with Paws, the Tigers mascot, at Opening Day. I got that hat at the Tiger Gift shop at Comerica Park before Halloween last year. I thought to wear the hat a few weeks ago when I thought about how to celebrate Opening Day. The hat proved pretty popular all day. The sign is one I made. I thought of the wording "Let's Ride the Tiger Express" after wondering what to put on the sign.
The Tigers played the Cleveland Indians for the Home Opener. Rick Porcello was the starter for the Home opener, and I read in the paper that he had family here for the opener. The Tigers handed out rally towels to all who passed through the gates for the game.


Overall, The opener was a great event for all to attend. There were events for kids and adults alike. I hope you all like these pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them.
Lauren

Opening Day '10

The Tigers Home Opener was today. I had a great time, as always. I enjoyed seeing all the people out and about mingling today. There were a lot of parties and the bars and clubs were crowded. This sign was on the Fox Theatre downtown. I attended the party at the Fillmore and also attended the Block Party at Grand Circus park, as well. I'll post more pictures in the coming days.
Lauren

Odd Sight

As I look at this picture, which was taken downtown, I think of how odd it seems not to have the Lafayette building hovering over Lafayette and Michigan Avenue. It was torn down late last year and early this year, after a battle between City Council and Preservationists. City Council had its way, and the building was torn down. The Lafayette Building held the Courts when it closed in the late '90s. If anyone has any other info on the Lafayette Building, feel free to leave a comment.

Hockey, Baseball, and More, Oh My!

It's the time of year for the Frozen Four College Hockey tournament, which will be held at Ford Field downtown, shown above. There's going to be a Fan Festival at the Renaissance Center, I hear, and many activities surrounding the tournament. It was only last year that the Basketball Final Four and Championship was held at Ford Field, and the Super Bowl was held here in 2006. Lots of things going on this weekend downtown, with the Tigers' home opener, the Frozen Four, and many other activites. I hope you get out to as many festivals and activities in your town as you can. It's amazing what you can see when you're out and about.

Memorial Picture

I found this picture while going through an old photo album. This is of the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial wall in Washington DC, circa 1998. I was on a school trip with my Middle School during Spring Break '98, and this was one of the many attractions we visited in the DC area. I haven't been since this trip, and would like to go again one of these days to see the new attractions. There are some more pictures from this trip in another album I have. I decided to share this with you because I thought that it was interesting. This picture is a bit blurred, but you can tell who and what's in the picture.