Fiddlestix

Really? If, say, the Greenville Journal had come up with a "TBA" story that said "Food Lion is looking at some downtown locations for a new store," you'd be happy with that news?

Just goes to show you, you always need to get that all-important media sponsor....

I'll let y'all decide on the caption.

Sorry, friends, but a simple emoticon does not do justice to that clip....

You rock, dude! First time donor? Awesome! I may have to go to a game in my Speedo and flip-flops just in your honor. I'm thinking if any single UPer can self-certify that they give 18 platelet units or 6 whole blood units over the next year, they can stop such a horrifying scene from being played out at West End Field. Do it for the humanity....

Frisco is owned by Mandalay, which was one of the three organizations hoping to move to Greenville. When they made their announcement and were trying to impress people (which was easy-to-do because it is an incredibly impressive organization) they sent packages out to people and I was on their mailing list. The stuff they sent (DVDs and brochures and various goodies that they send their season ticketholders for various teams) was awesome. Totally awesome. For an interstate ballpark, Frisco packs a lot of WOW features -- based on the pictures and materials they provided (I didn't see it live and in-person). One of the features I thought was impressive was how they marketed season packages for businesses. The typical ticket deal you'll find -- such as here -- is you buy seats for the season and you let some employees or clients/customers use tickets. But at, say, $8 a seat, you're not giving them that much. And considering they're going to buy food and souvenirs, they end up spending more than what you've given away. How about just sending them a bill instead as their reward? In Frisco, they have season packages that include dinner and more. Your guests would go to the ballpark early and have a catered meal or they can go and have coupons good for food and drinks and souvenirs at the concession stand. Throw in valet parking and that's something worth purchasing. Spread 4-8 seats per game over a season to your employees and customers and that's a package that, I think, would be practically a "necessity" for many area businesses -- a luxury box experience without the luxury box. West End Field probably couldn't host the pre-game catered meals like they can in Frisco, but they could work with area restaurants, perhaps, to have catered meals available for pick-up at a concession area. Or, failing that, they could just go with prepaid concessions -- still a great employee/customer/client reward. Mike de Maine was the Asst. GM in Frisco -- joining the team with the GM, Mike McCall, who had been the Commissioner of the West Coast Hockey League. They were both involved in the construction of the ballpark in Frisco -- which was the best new ballpark of 2003. de Maine's arrival in Greenville this spring means history will also peg him as being GM for the opening of one of the best (probably the best) new ballparks of 2006. Mandalay also owns the Las Vegas AAA team (Pacific Coast League). Its goal is to own one team in each non-rookie league. That means, at AAA, it hopes to find a suitable International League team. And, at AA, it needs to fill in with a Southern League team. It was sort of odd that they even tried to move to Greenville. Of course it made sense in terms of demographics. (At the time, Orlando was the only larger market that didn't already have a team (which should tell you a lot about what disposable funds minor league baseball competes with -- as Orlando is large enough to host major league sports teams).) But Mandalay's single A team was also a Sally League team. And while the Bombers had obtained Sally League permission to move to Greenville (and the DiamondJaxx had received approval from the Southern League), there was no Sally League approval from the Hagerstown Suns -- which had switched to the Mets affiliation that the Bombers parted with to become a Red Sox affiliate). I'm still perplexed by the decision to try to get a team in here...unless the Suns were a "placeholder" team as they tried to work a deal to acquire a Southern League or International League team in which case they would have had the upperhand in terms of winning approval from the Commissioner. I don't think the threat of a move to Greenville was played to extort a new stadium deal from Hagerstown. In fact, Mandalay promised Hagerstown that if the Suns moved to Greenville they would bring in a new team in another league -- which was a pretty classy thing to do. Hagerstown town officials that I spoke with loved Mandalay and believed they would keep baseball in their town -- which confirmed to me that Mandalay was a solid organization. But most impressive of all is Mandalay's single-A team in Dayton, OH. In fact, it's one of the most impressive minor league organizations in all sports in terms of management, community outreach, attendance (I believe they had 3 straight years of sellouts), employee relations, fan approval, etc. On the field the team's not so impressive. If you get a Mandalay team in your town, you're doing real well. They know how to entertain -- as their sports division is a sister to other units including their movie production division. Mandalay is partly owned by Peter Guber, the former Sony mogul who remains a force to be reckoned with in the entertainment industry. Given how near-perfect the Drive experience has been and how nearly flawless the ballpark is, it's hard to articulate regrets that the team isn't owned by Mandalay. But if Craig Brown hadn't come to town, I wouldn't want to see Mandalay kicked out of our bed for eating crackers...so to speak.

Okay, since they are miserable when it comes to disseminating information via their web site, I'll try to keep fans up-to-date on news items that they release. Not the game summaries that you can easily obtain in a slightly modified form from Willie Smith of the Greenville News, but news you, the fan, can put to use. How to get a last minute giveaway. When promotions are scheduled or cancelled. And, how you can BE TREATED LIKE THE DRIVE'S OWNER WHILE LOSING WEIGHT FAST -- as detailed in this latest press release: GREENVILLE DRIVE PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 14, 2006 MEDIA CONTACT: Eric Jarinko (864) 240-4515 [email protected] “Be a Designated Donor” For The Greenville Drive The Blood Connection at West End Field on Tuesday, June 20th Greenville, SC – You have the opportunity to help save a life on Tuesday, June 20 as the Greenville Drive and the Blood Connection team up to host a blood drive at West End Field. Those wishing to donate blood must be at least 17-years-old and can come between the hours of 11 AM – 2 PM, and 4 PM – 7 PM. For those attending, the Drive will be offering several family-friendly events. The Drive’s lovable mascot, Reedy Rip’It, along with several members of the Greenville Drive baseball team will be available for photo opportunities and autographs. The first 50 donors will also receive two tickets to a July game. In addition, the Greenville Drive will also offer a 10% discount to donors at their ever-popular merchandise store – where you can get anything from official Drive hats and jerseys, as well as t-shirts and items featuring Reedy Rip’It. Each donor will also receive a 2006 Blood Drive t-shirt, hot dog, chips, and a Coca-Cola soft drink. Starbucks Coffee will also be on hand, providing complimentary coffee and pastries, as well as free drink coupons to River Place Starbucks. A drawing will also be held where one lucky winner will receive a stainless steel DeLonghi Coffee Maker, retail value of $129. Founded in 1979, The Blood Connection is the largest non-profit, community blood center in upstate South Carolina. It provides 100% of the volunteer blood supply to all hospitals in Greenville, Greenwood, Pickens, Oconee, Laurens, Newberry Counties in SC, and Stephens County in GA. The Blood Connection has centers in four upstate counties and has an average of five blood drives every day collecting over 85,000 blood units each year. It serves as the connection between volunteer blood donors, hospitals, and patients needing life-saving transfusions. www.GreenvilleDrive.com :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: I'm a big fan of donating blood products. If I may brag, I gave 24 times in the past year (on a rolling 12 months basis), usually triple donations of blood platelets for cancer patients (about a 2 hour-long draw) via apheresis with a few red blood cell donations thrown in for good measure (which is nearly 5 lbs. of fluid all told when it's a triple platelet donation combined with red blood cells). As much as that sounds like a whole lotta blood, you should know that there's a guy I see over there every now and then who is the certified Guiness World Record Holder for blood product donations. If any of you do 6 whole blood donations (the quickie 5-minute jobs you can do at any blood mobile drive) in the next year (which is the max for that kind of donation), I will bow down before you and sing your praises. And if any of you squeeze in 24 platelet donations inside of a year, I vow -- before the entire Urban Planet community -- that I will go shirtless in a Speedo swim brief to a Drive game next year (preferably on a school night to minimize the trauma to children). Deal? Good! You can start RIGHT NOW! Click Here

Yep, but it seems that if the Peace Center acquires this property it will become a theater. It would be a dramatic shift from the plans as they were unfolding just a few months ago (which were hardly fully formed). Instead of art studios and the like -- Greenville's version of, say, The Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, VA -- it will be a small, black box stage that would be a companion for the Peace Center. This raises another concern, I suppose, which would be whether this deal -- if true (as stated above) -- will effectively take away opportunities for visual artists that would benefit Greenville. EDIT: Question from a lazy poster...Is there a thread here dedicated to the arts scene in Greenville? We've got sports, architecture, transportation. What about the arts? Or, better still, the various disciplines and media that make up the arts scene? I suppose some of these questions I'm raising would best fit in such a thread.

They're looking at -- ahem, RUMORED TO BE looking at -- the Klingman-Williams Building at 301 River Street. Look here and check out the Google map link: http://www.google.com/search?q=klingman-williams+greenville We have some very talented actors and production people here, but we're not really all that deep. Many in our community could be easily replaced with better quality artists and others would benefit from the learning experience that would come from resident artists of a high caliber. I definitely see this as a threat to the lesser artists in the community from having access to the top stages -- but that's because I see this as a boost to the theaters overall and they'll be able to -- and will need to -- insist on the highest standards for those who act and create productions, from set design, lighting, sound to marketing. Is it legitimately scary for Centre Stage and the Warehouse Theater? You betcha. But I think they'll benefit from a Peace Center-backed LORT...in the long run.

They'd do well to hire some college kid to be their webmaster...or at least their webupdater, that's for sure. Obviously I get press releases. But how do they communicate updated information to their season ticket subscribers? Express mail? E-mail? Newspaper? Telephone calling tree? Whisper campaign? I have the impression from reactions here to press release information that the season ticket subscribers aren't in the loop as to team news and late changes to the schedule (and I'm talking baseball as well as promotions). That's wrong. The season ticket subscribers are full-fledged partners in this exciting adventure and they deserve better communication. The simplest way to do that would be through the web site, though I think that still requires subscribers to actively pursue information when it really should be spoon-fed to them. Looking at the staff (at least the people listed on their web site...for what that's worth!) posted here, I don't see a webmaster. I think you've found the Achilles' Heel to the Drive's front office. EDIT: There's a small feature in The Beat that covers Drive information of a non-baseball nature that's of interest to spectators. Of course The Beat comes out once every two weeks. And this latest press release came out today -- so the news probably isn't in the issue of the paper that came out today. Link to The Beat's coverage of the Drive: http://www.metrobeat.net/gbase/Expedite/Ar...tegory=oid:3449

RUMOR: The Peace Center is considering acquiring a new theater venue on River Street which would house a ~150 seat black box theater that would, in theory, be home to productions much like those at the Warehouse Theater and maybe even Centre Stage. A year ago the Warehouse Theater and the Peace Center attempted a merger. The Warehouse Board had approved it (contrary to what a recent Ann Hicks/Greenville News story reported) and then someone read the bylaws and saw that the "members" also had to approve it. After a vote, the members narrowly shot it down, largely on the grounds that the Peace Center was too mainstream/blue-blood/institutional and the economics didn't seem to make sense with the Peace Center assuming the Warehouse Theater's debt in return for acquiring its valuable real property in the West End. Now -- if the rumor is true -- the Peace Center is going through with the deal. Just without the Warehouse Theater...which, of course, still has all that debt. QUESTION: Is the Peace Center putting a stake in the heart of the Warehouse Theater? I actually think this is good news. I'm squarely in the "rising tide floats all boats" school of thinking. I think we have a good base for a theater community and dramatic arts here in Greenville, but we definitely could use a big boost and this may be the thing that raises local consciousness of our theater offerings and increases the quality of offerings and stage talent in town. I enjoy the local stage, but I have to say I'm not really floored by many local productions. One of the big disappointments with the abortive Warehouse Theater merger was the fact that the Warehouse would not become a LORT -- and if this new RUMORED theater venture is going to be a LORT then that would be exciting and a tremendous development for Greenville theater, so I'd be extremely excited about this if the LORT was thrown into the equation again. Does anybody else have thoughts on this? Does anybody really care about what's going on at our local stage venues?

Some more information that includes late-breaking changes and promotions and news about upcoming Drive games, including the Zoo!perstars that will be here. Shark McGwire is awesome, by the way. We're lucky he's part of the lineup. Also there's a father-son catch on Sunday and an odd double-header where Greenville is going to be the visiting team at West End Field.... GREENVILLE DRIVE PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 13, 2006 MEDIA CONTACT: Eric Jarinko (864) 240-4515 [email protected] Father’s Day Weekend Gets Better With The Greenville Drive Suspended Game from June 11th Added to the Drive Schedule Greenville, SC – When the Greenville Drive host the Asheville Tourists this weekend at West End Field for the first three-game series of the season, fans will have an added bonus. Thanks to a suspended game in Asheville on June 11, Drive fans will be treated to a doubleheader on Saturday with first pitch set for 5:05 PM. Those holding tickets for Saturday’s game will be able to get into West End Field for both games of the doubleheader and gates will open promptly at 4:05 PM. The first game, which will be played in its entirety, will be continued from the point at which it was suspended June 11th when the teams met at McCormick Field in Asheville, NC. Asheville will be the home team for the remainder of the game. The Drive and Tourists will resume play in the top of the second inning with the Drive at-bat. Game two of the doubleheader, in which Greenville and Asheville will play seven innings, will begin approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game. The Drive will be the home team for the second game. The ZOO!perstars will also make an appearance Saturday. The ZOO!perstars are a zany, lovable act that has been wowing fans since 1998. Fans will surely be amazed as this crazy combination of animalistic superstars rock West End Field. The ZOO!perstars that will be in attendance Saturday night are Harry Canary, LeBronco James, Clammy Sosa, Tiger Woodschuck, and Shark McGwire. Friday night will kickoff the weekend’s festivities as fans will be able to enjoy a spectacular fireworks display at the conclusion of the game. Sunday is Father’s Day and all fathers in attendance will have the opportunity to play catch on the field with their children prior to the start of the game. If time permits, fathers will have the same opportunity at the conclusion of the game. First pitch is set for 5:05 PM. Tickets to all Drive home games can be purchased by calling the Drive Ticket Office at (864) 240-4528 or by ordering online at www.GreenvilleDrive.com. www.GreenvilleDrive.com

Here you go, chief....(I'm relying on precedent here to provide the contents of a Drive press release for material not posted on their web site): GREENVILLE DRIVE PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 8, 2006 MEDIA CONTACT: Eric Jarinko (864) 240-4515 [email protected] Chris Jones and Mark Wagner Named South Atlantic League All-Stars Both Will Represent the Drive in the 47th Annual All-Star Game on June 20th Greenville, SC – When the 47th Annual South Atlantic League All-Star Game is played on Tuesday, June 20 at Classic Park in Eastlake, Ohio, the Greenville Drive will have two representatives. Catcher Mark Wagner and starting pitcher Chris Jones were chosen to be members of the Southern Division club. This will mark the first time that either Wagner or Jones has been selected to a league all-star game. Mark Wagner, a 9th round selection of the Boston Red Sox in 2005, currently leads the Drive and is ninth in the South Atlantic League with a .321 batting average. He also ranks fourth on the team in home runs (5), fourth in hits (50), fifth in RBI (29), and third in doubles (12). From May 16th through May 22nd, Wagner saw his average reach a season-high .362 when he recorded a five-game hitting streak, batting 10-for-21 (.476) with a home run, seven RBI, and three runs scored. Chris Jones, who was promoted to Greenville on April 26, is a perfect 3-0 in eight starts with the Drive. Jones has completely overpowered South Atlantic League batters, posting a 1.94 earned run average and limiting the opposition to a .200 batting average. On May 29, the former 29th round selection of the Red Sox, along with two Greenville relievers tossed a one-hit shutout versus the Augusta GreenJackets. Jones pitched 6.0 no-hit innings, allowing just two batters to reach base and striking out a season-high seven batters. “We are proud of Mark and Chris to be recognized as South Atlantic League All-Stars,” commented Drive General Manager Mike deMaine. “They both have had an outstanding first half that did not go unnoticed by their peers.” Tickets to all Drive home games can be purchased by calling the Drive Ticket Office at (864) 240-4528 or by ordering online at www.GreenvilleDrive.com. www.GreenvilleDrive.com

"I was kidding with (team manager) Jeff Blauser after that game," said M-Braves general manager Steve DeSalvo. "I told him you keep winning like that and we'll keep drawing like that." OMG...he can't be serious! I know, I know, he said he "was kidding." But that comment is typical of his thought process throughout that Clarion article. So, that whole article can't be serious. The reporter talked to the baseball "snobs" who think that the bulk of minor league baseball fans are actually there for baseball. Count me among those who were attracted by the non-baseball reasons to attend games. You see, when I want a pure baseball experience, I will go to Atlanta or catch a game in another big league city while traveling. If I just want baseball and am willing to settle for less because I just love the game, then I've got plenty of options -- from T-ball on up to that team down the Interstate that's going to Omaha to play ball. To get me to settle for less, Steve, you've got to compete. And having the team win games is not what it's going to take to draw me in and away from the gajillion other things I can do with my time and my disposable income. I AM a baseball fan. I saw every home game of Dwight Gooden's rookie season because he was that exciting and I went for no reason other than to satisfy that baseball pleasure node of my cerebellum. But even if the next Dwight Gooden's pitching for the M-Braves, he's still not that spectacular if he's, well, pitching for the M-Braves. That's why there has to be some extra value added to get people into the seats. Even the big-time baseball fans. Especially the big time baseball fans. If a minor league GM is relying on pure baseball fans and a winning record to get people through the turnstiles, he's worthless to the organization. He's not John Schuerholz where he has any control over the fate of the roster. And once the team wins -- that means players are putting up numbers and guess what happens to those players? And he can't change the local demographics by making more people become knowledgeable baseball fans. In short, he's betting on things that are totally out of his control for the organization to be successful. There is nothing in that article that says, "We're going to bust our butts to make people think of us when it comes to enjoying an evening or afternoon out." Nope. It's all about waiting for the real fans to come. The Ray Kinsella School of Minor League General Management, if you will. Sit back and they'll eventually show up. In DeSalvo's defense, this isn't to say he's become a total dinosaur. For reasons beyond his control, he's an oddity in the world of minor league baseball -- being an employee of the big league team and obviously having to be loyal to them and looking out for their interests first and foremost, even before the fans. He has the luxury of being nonchalant about unimpressive attendance at a minor league park. After all, if you can spend your energy helping create prospects who, collectively, will generate a mere 20 more seats per game (at $30 apiece) for the Mother Team versus 100 seats per game (at $6 apiece -- and for a dozen fewer dates) you may as well invest your capital in developing player amenities at your park as you do for your ticket sales and promotional events that enhance you own team's fan experiences. Only the Braves and Indians organizations have minor league front offices focused primarily on enhancing the big league team's bottom line and not specifically on their local team's numbers. I bet the M-Braves' clubhouse is totally sweet and the fitness amenities are top-notch. In the end, is it any wonder, really, that there's been a 100% turnover in personnel from the G-Braves to the Drive. Is there any doubt that there's a direct correlation between that fact and the attendance figures?

When the Twins were shopping around for a new home, one location that was seriously considered was Greensboro (which, at the time, was home to the Bats). They're a Single A town that could generate the support for a Major League team if one were to move to that market. Oh, and a new stadium doesn't hurt....

I agree with all of the above (except the part about the mascot, which ain't my cup o' tea). But, even though I agree with what you said... ...I think the lesson here is that the name -- from October through March -- was important to people because there was nothing else hitting the radar for them to opine about vis-a-vis the team. The things you've mentioned all conspire to reduce the significance of a terrible name to near insignificance. And, despite the Terribility Factor for the name, I think what's happening here is that the name is now pretty much locked in, like it or not. For those who are still bitter about the name (which is a stronger brew than my dislike for it), they'll need to come to grips with the fact that it's becoming "sticky" and I believe that it's here to stay.

Considering the first Memorial Day weekend crowd has set an attendance record for the Drive -- and they seem to keep setting and breaking them -- I wonder how many of these people who responded to the poll have been to one or more Drive games in spite of the name they hate.... ...And, at this embryonic stage of the team's history, as you look at the attendance, would you -- as the imaginary team owner -- be exploring a team name change. even if Minor League Baseball said you could use the "Joe's" (or whatever name you happened to like most)? I know that I, for one, wouldn't be messing with a successful equation....

Yep, the day camps and summer schools will buy group tickets to fill up a whole afternoon's activities for their urchins at a reasonable price, so I expect the place will be mobbed. Add in the shaded areas and cover from rain and it's all the more appealing than planning a trip to Municipal Stadium. The nursing homes and assisted living communities will also be more inclined to plan day trips under these weather-friendly conditions. Then, considering many don't really get into baseball until June, and I expect these day games will be closer to 4,500 a pop -- with perhaps a dip in August as summer camps wind down. DON'T FORGET THE GAME TIME CHANGES THIS WEEKEND! They're now on-line (even if the promotional changes haven't been updated): http://www.greenvilledrive.com/schedule/schedule.asp (I think Sunday adds fireworks and Monday is when they will have the "Sunday Family Fun Day" activities, like the post-game running of the bases (kids only, please).

Okay, back to the topic at hand.... I actually have a press release from the Drive and basically those of you who have tickets will want to check up on time changes and a couple related items for Memorial Day weekend games.

You know what tells me that there are people involved in this who know what they're doing? I was over at County Square late this afternoon and there were two young guys who looked like parking attendants in the lot all the way over near the County Council chambers. Then I realized...there's a game that will be going on at West End Field. And a County Council meeting. And people parking cars for the game. And County Council members expecting to have their tree-shaded reserved spaces empty when they drive in. And someone -- with the team or the schools, I expect -- stuck two college-age guys by those precious reserved spaces to make sure that there were no negative repercussions from having Drive fans use the County Square lot (even though it's a serious hike from those reserved spaces). That's the sort of thing most people only think about after the proverbial fecal matter has hit the rotary air movement device. For all the talk about Craig Brown and his group being neophytes and not being long-time baseball people -- at least that's the reason most of the former G-Braves personnel and even Bombers personnel from last year expressed as their chief concern with the team -- I have to say that this operation is everything it should be and more. Maybe they were right about Brown not knowing baseball. Maybe that's exactly what was needed to make this thing click. (I know tonight wasn't a Drive game, but I see the hand of the team's management at work here...and, if not, this sentiment still applies to the rest of this season to date.)

Thanks for clarifying that. This infuriates me. Not because I have one shred of sympathy for people who want governmental displays of the Confederate flag -- the battle flag, not even the Stars and Bars, mind you -- but because I have quite the opposite view and I resent being pegged as some backwards, insensitive hick when it was the NAACP that is most responsible for where things stand today. I followed this closely -- as a proponent of the change that the NAACP sought, even before they got vocal about it. So a review may be worth sharing with those who have a life and don't follow all the details or commit them to memory: In July 1999, the NAACP insisted on the flag being removed from a position of sovereignty -- a goal I happened to concur with. They took their position pretty much out of the blue -- and a full month after the legislature had recessed for the year, which gave the appearance of feet dragging when that wasn't the case. They set a January 1 deadline to fix the problem. Regrettably, few people reported that the January 1 was days before the next legislative session was set to convene! Few people ever point this out, but as a practical matter the NAACP artificially created a situation where it would appear to most that they were being ignored and stymied by state government. All of this had the impact for the stalwarts on both sides of this issue of rallying the troops and generating interest and compelling people to open their purses and wallets to contribute to whatever side of the issue they chose to take -- in other words, as long as the money poured in, neither side was all that interested in reaching a quick resolution. Nevertheless, in four months' time, the NAACP got exactly what they asked for during the next legislative session, the removal of the flag from positions of sovereignty inside and outside the Statehouse. HOWEVER...during the legislative session, they refused to participate in negotiations or discussions regarding any compromises -- even to shoot them down, and they declined numerous invitations and overtures to disagree or disagree or comment on a solution that was accepted across racial lines within the legislature. They claimed that they wouldn't discuss any compromises as a matter of principle. I'm sorry, but that argument doesn't hold water. The NAACP was totally mute when, in 1996, Gov. Beasley stuck his neck out to have the flag removed. They left him flapping in the breeze with the flag and they made ZERO effort to aid him or back him. That's why their July 1999 ultimatum came as such a surprise to many who had previously took political risks to bring the flag down. For the NAACP -- of all entities -- to take offense at the legislative compromise is absurd and illogical. For other groups -- particularly amateur athletic organizations -- to blindly adopt their revised position and pass judgment on the State of South Carolina is even more absurd and illogical. As disappointed as I am with the compromise personally speaking, I understand it was done fairly and not out of spite or with rancor to African-Americans. Having initiated the discussion that brought about the change, the NAACP is the culprit in this for all but disappearing from discussions that led to the ultimate (and, from my POV, disappointing) result. And yet it continues to draw contributions by remaining steadfastly opposed to a situation that it is largely responsible for creating! Does anyone believe that they will back down as long as they can continue to act offended (and make money) for getting the result they were instrumental in shaping? It's time for the NCAA, the ACC and SEC to get a clue as to the full story instead of the 12-second sound byte version which does sound racist and backwards: "The NAACP asked the State of South Carolina to remove the flag from atop the Statehouse, so they did and put it in a more prominent position just to show up the NAACP!" Sounds bad. Ain't true. This drives me crazy and makes me want to lobby the NAACP for change, not the state legislature. I was one of those out there actively supporting the removal of the flag before the NAACP even made it an action item. When they totally abandoned those who tried to reach a solution in 1996 and did little more than shrug at all pre-1999 attempts to get the flag down, some of us felt a bit like Cuban freedom fighters left to our devices at the Bay of Pigs. For the NAACP to now label us as racists for doing what they said (but failing to read their minds) is extremely offensive. For others to nod in agreement with the NAACP and support their call for a boycott over this result -- which I'm convinced they actually revel in -- disgusts me. Sorry for sugarcoating how I feel about this, but if you want to see events come to Greenville, whether we're talking ACC Baseball Tournaments or other national events, the answer is not to move the flag (though I still hope that happens). The goal is to understand the chronology of events and get the word out that the NAACP's position is totally reprehensible and morally unconscionable.

On the prospect of boycotts and hosting tournaments in South Carolina: The NCAA has taken the position that it is respecting the NAACP and Black Coaches Association objections to the "compromise" plan that moved the flag from atop the Statehouse to the Confederate Soldiers' Memorial. Until further action is taken, there will be no NCAA championship tournaments hosted within the State of South Carolina. A good history and chronology is found here, with basically no developments since the date of this facsimile letter: http://www.ncaa.org/databases/reports/3/20...agenda_s05.html That covers only NCAA events. Not events of NCAA member institutions or athletic conferences. Has it even kept Clemson from hosting early round NCAA baseball games recently? I don't know, but I think it only applies to neutral site tournament contests, not home games played as part of any tournaments. I am not aware that the ACC or SEC have adopted the same policy. Frankly, I can't even see how that vote would be tenable as it would fracture relationships, perhaps permanently, with schools in states that have Confederate symbols incorporated in some official capacity -- either as part of an official state display (as in South Carolina) or as a design element in a state symbol, such as a flag. I could be wrong -- as I was once, many years ago -- but the NCAA ban is what's preventing Greenville/Furman (and any other city or South Carolina NCAA member institution) from playing host to NCAA tournament events. (Not that it matters to South Carolina (but it does matter to Georgia), but the NCAA ban wouldn't even apply to a football bowl game as those are not conducted by the NCAA.) Skyliner mentioned above that there's no logical reason for Greenville not to be host to an NCAA tournament again very soon. I personally agree, but it wasn't clear to me if he was referring to the NCAA's (and NAACP's) illogical position or if he was just thinking it's time to bring the NCAA basketball tournament because this is a great location for it. whitehourseview mentions an ACC ban, but it's not clear to me that one exists. I'm not sure I've accomplished my goal, but my goal is here is to set the record straight about tournament bans and state boycotts -- or at least have someone set me straight if I missed the adoption of an ACC ban on ACC events being held inside the State of South Carolina.

I don't think there's a more fitting location for this, but I'd like to "advertise" a thread I started on the main UP pages for urban design. It's a "chain thread" where replies keep adding urban features to collaborate on the creation of a theoretically perfect city. http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/index.ph...ndpost&p=424778 You can choose most anything...as long as it's consistent with previous replies. So there's a premium on getting in early. Already someone has put in an 8-lane superhighway through the town, so time is short!

Okay...nobody's interested in the Monopoly contest, eh? (Last day to vote for those just coming to this...see above.) How about this for off-off-topic? What's the one superpower you would choose to have if you could choose to have it? Here's the most comprehensive list I found with superpowers you can choose from. (Lycanthrope means "werewolf," if you need to look it up as I did. I've already got a lock on the "Odor-generation" superpower and I'm sure my loved ones would love to acquire another superpower to eliminate it. But this is about adding superpowers, not taking them away. And you have to choose a power to suit yourself. No choosing for others, otherwise my wife would be here voting for "Empathy," which is clearly one of those unattainable, must-suspend-disbelief superpowers...at least for guys.) MY CHOICE: Gravity control. That way I can eat all I want and won't tip the scales by being overweight. Right? Eternal Health, not listed, would also be cool. No seatbelts or helmets! A: Adhesion Amphibious Animal control Animate/control the dead Autonomic function control B: Body duplication Body transformation Bullet-proof C: Chemical control Clairvoyance Cold generation Computer hacking Cosmic awareness D: Danger sense Dark generation/control Density control Deus ex machina Direct computer interface E: Earthquake generation Earth/rock control Elasticity Electrical generation/control Electromagnetism Empathy Encyclopedic knowledge Energy absorption Energy blasts Energy manipulation Enhanced agility Enhanced common sense Enhanced senses Enhanced senses Escape artist Explodes Extra appendage(s) Extra-dimensional travel Extreme popularity F: Flame generation/control Flight Flight Flight Force blasts Force field generation Friction manipulation G: Gadget creation Glows in the dark Growth Gravity control H: Heat generation Heat vision Hold breath indefinitely Hypnosis I: Ice generation Illusion casting Image projection Immortality Incomprehensibility Incredible balance Insect control Instant language understanding Intangibility Intuition Invisibility Invulnerability Invulnerability Invulnerability J: Juggling L: Laser vision Light generation/control Luck Lycanthrope M: Machine control Magic spell casting Magnetism Martial arts mastery Matter consumption Microscopic vision Mind control Mind-numbing beauty/ugliness Molecular control O: Odor generation Omni directional sight Omnipotence Omniscience P: Perfect pitch Photographic memory Plant control Poison resistance Power mimicry Precognition Prehensile tail Psychic Pyrokinesis R: Radar sense Radiation generation/control Regeneration Reinforced skeleton S: Seventh sense Shape-shifting Sharp shooting Shrinking Smoke generation/control Sound generation/control Speed reading Super breath Super hearing Super intelligence Super jumping Super loud voice Super speed Super spelling Super strength Super strength Super strength Super ventriloquism Super-human hand-eye coordination Super-human stamina Super-human throwing accuracy Super-human weight-guessing accuracy T: Telekinesis Telepathy Teleportation Telescopic vision Time manipulation Time travel W: Water control Weapon mastery Weather control Weather prediction U: Unaided outer space travel X: X-ray vision EDIT: Saw a spelling error....making me a prime candidate to snatch up the "Super Spelling" power!

I just added the following post to the New Hotel thread, but it is quite relevant to this thread as it describes the dynamic that will be needed to get a Charlotte-like skyline here: http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/index.ph...ndpost&p=427793 This is also a cheap way to get my 100th post. Somewhere before now, however, I earned "Whistlestop" status. I will feel it's more legitimate with 100 posts under my belt, even if I'm just laying down a bunt to get on....