YouTube Friday: Michigan State-Michigan Preview

In Honor of the "Big Game" between Michigan and Michigan State tomorrow afternoon, I decided to put a video up for it. This video is from ESPN's YouTube channel. It's a short preview of what to expect tomorrow as these teams play in Ann Arbor. The Michigan-MSU rivalry divides the whole state in some way or another. I'm in the middle, because I have family and friends who graduated from both Michigan and Michigan State, so I'll just listen intently tomorrow. :-P

Our Lady of the Rosary

Today, October 7, is the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. According to American Catholic's Saint of the Day, this title for the Blessed Mother was given by Pope Pius V in the 1500s after the Christians defeated the Turks in a battle. I like to say my rosary, and I need to get back to saying it on a daily or weekly basis. Many people say the daily Mysteries of the Rosary, Glorious, Sorrowful, Luminous and Joyful. All the mysteries detail some part of Christ's life, from his birth in a stable, to his death on the Cross, to his mother's coronation in Heaven. Today, the Luminous mysteries of the rosary are recited. The Luminous Mysteries are relatively new, introduced eight years ago by the late Pope John Paul II. Our Lady of the Rosary, Pray for Us

Year of the Pitcher '10

I just watched the Phillies-Reds game on TV, and I just wanted to congratulate Roy Halladay on his no-Hitter this evening. This year has truly been the "Year of the Pitcher", with Perfect games, an almost Perfect-Game (or as us Detroit Tiger fans like to call it, the "28-out Perfect Game"), No-Hitters, and some spectacular pitching performances from Rookies and Veterans alike. It seems like every time you turned your head this summer, someone had thrown a no-hitter or Perfect Game, or in many cases, came awfully close to the feat. The 2010 Season has been a season of many accomplishments on the baseball diamond. There have been references to a "Year of the Pitcher" in the late 1960s, as well, and brings to mind the 1968 World Series between the Cardinals and the Tigers. Bob Gibson pitched for the Cardinals (My Mom said that was the only time she cheered against the Tigers, because it was pretty rare back then to see a Black Pitcher), and Mickey Lolich and Denny McLain pitched well for the Tigers in the World Series.

Pochelon Building

Here is the Pochelon Building on Farmer street in Downtown Detroit. Not much can be found online for this building, but from what I've read, this building is named for Albert Pochelon, who was a florist who came to Detroit in the Late 1800s from Germany, and was the secretary for FTD Florists for a bit (info on Albert Pochelon via Google Books). As of now, the building is up for sale. This building is right across Farmer from the Water Board Building downtown. Does anyone else know of any other uses for this buildings?

Tiger Year in Review 2010

Welp, the Tigers ended their season yesterday (those who know me know that I'm nuts about the Tigers) . The team ended their season with a .500 record (81-81). The team did well in the first half of the season, but slid a bit in the 2nd half of the season to fall to the final record. Two events hallmarked the season. The first was the passing of former Tigers broadcaster Ernie Harwell, who has a statue at Comerica Park. He passed in May of this year from bile duct cancer, and was mourned by all in Metro Detroit. His casket laid at Comerica Park while thousands of fans and dignitaries paid their respects. I made sure to pay my respects, as well. The Second event of the season that stood out for me was the Armando Galarraga near-perfect game back in June. I remember everyone yelping about it. I'm glad that Armando Galarraga and the umpire forgave each other, although at the time, many found it hard to forgive the ump. I forgave the ump right away, since I know that everyone makes mistakes, and that nobody's perfect. These are just a couple of my standout moments of the 2010 season in Tiger baseball, and I hope that 2011 will bring more spectacular moments.

Hotel Eddystone

Here's a picture of the former Hotel Eddystone on Sproat street downtown, near the Masonic Temple. It's one of just a few hotels in the Cass Corridor area of Detroit. According to Detroit 1701, This building was owned by Lew Tuller, namesake of the former Tuller Hotel, at one time. It was built in the mid 1920s by Louis Kamper, and was abandoned sometime in the '70s or '80s. I remember a sign facing Woodward Avenue saying that the building was going to be remodeled as lofts or luxury condos, but nothing has been done yet. I wonder if the building will be torn down or fixed up, but from the looks of the windows here, it might be torn down, but I'm not sure.

YouTube Friday: Notice Me - Alexa Ray Joel

Today's YouTube Friday segment is from AlexaRayJoel's official YouTube channel. This song is called "Notice Me". I heard this song on the radio recently, and thought it had an interesting beat to it. If the name sounds familiar, you're right. Alexa Ray is Billy Joel's Daughter. She's following in her Father's footsteps as she makes her foray into the music business. She's a pretty good singer. I hope to hear more from her in the future.