Here’s a parting shot from 2007 – I’ll start doing a catch-up series tomorrow. But first:

More about it over there tomorrow (though there will be a post or two up today also).

Cheers.

That’s my recollection of hearing Phil Rizzuto call the home run hit by Don Mattingly that tied the consecutive home run record held by Pittsburgh’s Dale Long. Ironcially I’d just listened to the audio clip on Monday afternoon. I had no idea I’d be hearing of Rizzuto’s death while waiting for lunch today. He was 89.

Growing up in New York, especially before I discovered how much fun listening to games on the radio was, I watched every New York Yankees game broadcast on WPIX, which meant hearing the games as called by Phil Rizzuto and Bill White. I made the switch to listening to John Sterling after it was decided that Yankees games would be broadcast on cable long before The Bronx would be privileged to receive it. But it was still a treat to watch television whenever we knew the game was being broadcast locally.

Long before I knew that Harry Caray was known for saying “Holy Cow” to me it meant hearing “the Scooter” tell stories of past Yankees glory, of cannolis being eaten and of birthday and anniversary wishes being shared. He showed some of that style during his Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 1994. He was a bridge to franchise’s past at a time when it was greatly desired and needed from its fan. The only Yankee that drew more applause at an old-timer’s game than Mattingly or DiMaggio was Rizzuto.

We knew he’d been sick for some time, though we as the fans of the team known as the Evil Empire hoped he could make it to see his beloved team play one more time in the Fall Classic. He was the same age that my grandmother would have been this year and she loved watching him call games. Most times we’d sit in front of the television and watch the game, my parents still wondering how their child could love baseball more than soccer.

Hopefully he’ll get the chance to watch the guys send the House that Ruth Built out in style from a box seat upstairs. I think those of us who enjoyed him would like that more than anything else. As for me, I see a cannoli in my future this evening, just right for someone who proved while playing that the content of a man should be measured by what they do and not by how tall they are. Steinbrenner must have been right; “heaven must have needed a shortstop,” and they went out and got the best one available. Maybe the big guy is a Yankees fan after all.

Cheers.

This is one of the newer signs here in town. It belongs to the new offices for Sims Architectural Studio. The office was formerly located on 20th Street in the city center. Now they’re enjoying digs in what’s becoming another design district for the city along 2nd Avenue South.

The official homepage for the series has moved to the (soon to be) new home for Dre’s Ramblings. You can always check out the Flickr set for the series and visit the Magic City Flickr Group’s set for more images.

Cheers.

This year has been a crazy one for me, with the death of my grandmother and the decision to go off on my own and launch a website. Both have definitely affected how I view the world and have made me appreciate those that can continuously burn a candle at both ends. In many respects, I guess I’ve accomplished the intent of the 101 in 1001 list (already moved to the new site), to get out of the comfort zone and push the limits. I just hope I’m not pushing too hard.

Realizing that it’s been two years also made me realize that it’s been a long time since I’ve posted regularly. Though I will probably never post at that insane level that I did last summer on this blog, I do intend a slow but steady return to doing this more personal site. Plus, I’ve gotten a lot of grief about not putting up a picture in the about us section. We’re in the process of moving to a new site, so I’ll save you from that (not really). Here’s a shot that Bob Farley took for use in an upcoming online magazine article about The Terminal.

Speaking of the hub, this link will take you to a submission form that allows you to submit questions for the 2007 mayoral candidates here in Birmingham. It’s my intention (with my now growing staff) to ask the candidates these questions soon and share them with you. Some will be asked to all of them while others will be asked to specific ones. You get to decide who as well. I’m determined to make this more about using the medium as a tool to inform even if it’s become one that leans towards making sure that one’s opinion will reign down on you and you must agree. I’ll keep you posted.

I’ll also take a moment to thank those of you who’ve still stopped by the check on the site and those that are supporting The Terminal. It’s definitely been an interesting journey so far and I’m looking forward to more adventures in the coming year.

Cheers.

It partially grew out of a white paper I wrote nearly two years ago (and published here) and is the first of two unique opportunities for the YP community this year. It also grew out of the hard work and discussions among those that participated in the Chamber’s COOL Community Task Force and the organizations that have stepped up to make tomorrow happen.

A lot has changed since writing it, most notably the level of communication that is beginning to exist among these organizations and hopefully the rest of the community.

I’m hoping to see many of you out there tomorrow night. It’s a great way to start off a busy weekend of fun…

& PLEASE REPOST if you can!

Enjoy the day!

Cheers.