Welcome to the my Web site, v. XII. The blog is typically published Monday - Saturday. My primary topics tend to be the Nats, Penn State (esp. football), BeltwayLand, transportation, media, photos and more. The rest of the site gets updated as warranted and is noted on the blog.
World Champs flag at Nationals Park - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Monday, June 23, 2008
World Champs flag at Nationals Park
I noticed during yesterday's telecast a flag behind the scoreboard has 1924 on it. That was the year that Washington won the World Series, defeating the New York Giants in an epic seven games.
Whether they were the Senators or Nationals then is open for debate, I suppose, since the two names were used interchangeably until the mid-1950s when Charlie Brotman made Senators the official name.
Does anybody know if they have pennants for the 1925 and 1933 AL champions as well?
Why we fight: Texas Rangers - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Friday, June 20, 2008
Why we fight: Texas Rangers
"SHORT STILL STINKS" (This was the best I could get of an excellent homage to the darkest day in D.C. baseball history)
For the second series in a row, the Nationals face a franchise that abandoned the Nation's Capital. This time, it is the Texas Rangers, formerly Senators 2.0. Owner Bob Short moved them to what Shirley Povich (The Post) called "some jerk town with the single boast it is equidistant from Dallas and Fort Worth."
Before the 1969 season, Short outbid Bob Hope for the Senators with money he really did not have. Short charged the highest ticket prices in the game by a wide margin and made a disastrous trade for washed-up Denny McLain in 1971. Broke, he bolted for Texas, only to be rewarded with lower attendance than the Senators. During a Rangers-Orioles game in 1972, Senators fans, lead by Bill Holdforth, paraded a dummy around him in the stands with photographs of Short and his effigy appearing in sports sections across the country. Even more damaging was Holdforth placing an ad in a Minnesota newspaper during Short's senatorial run.
In 1978, when Short ran for a Minnesota Senate seat, Holdforth and some friends formed the Committee to Keep Bob Short Out of Washington. They held a beer bash at Holdforth's apartment to raise $3,000. "We charged $10 a head, and we had auctions," he said with a chuckle.
The money paid for an ad in the Minneapolis Tribune attacking Short. "Bob Short held our trust for three years, and we were SHORT CHANGED," read the ad, which ran the Sunday before voters headed to the polls.
Short won the primary but lost the election to David F. Durenberger. The night after his victory, Durenberger came into the Hawk 'n' Dove on Capitol Hill, the bar where Holdforth worked, to thank the committee, Holdforth said. "I wasn't the brains behind the operation, that's for sure, because it was fairly successful," he said.
He killed D.C. baseball for 34 years through his incompetence and avarice. Screech's Best Friend says that Short made a deathbed confession that moving the Senators was the worst decision he ever made (duh). That decision is why he is in the Chesapeake Bay watershed wing of Hell*, listening to Calvin Griffith go on and on about how much he hates black people and Bob Irsay repeat his introductory speech to Indiana where he said, "it isn't your team, it isn't the city's team, it's my team."
Bob Short: loser in baseball, loser in politics.
*He's awaiting a new member, from Baltimore, to arrive when the time is right.
Newseum opens today - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Friday, April 11, 2008
Newseum opens today
The Newseum is now open. Admission is free today, but starting tomorrow, $20. The price seems steep, especially with the Smithsonian's free admission, but it is worth it
I thought I would round up some articles about the museum, some pro, some con. I reviewed it last week after attending a preview.
The New Newseum - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Friday, April 04, 2008
The New Newseum
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Since I am a "special friend" of the Newseum, I was able to get free preview tickets to the new museum. Erica, Fritz, dl004d (another media stuides major -- I'm not alone!) and Grand Marnier came along as well. Back when the Newseum was in the Rosslyn neighborhood of Arlington, Va., I went to original Newseum, which closed in late 2001/early 2002, several times over the years. In fact, when I worked in Rosslyn I parked in a garage at the old Newseum.
The beginning starts of our visit was a little awkward.. Newseum guides recommended we start on the lower level, past the Berlin Wall and into the "holding center" to wait for the next showing of the 4D movie. Thankfully, it wasn't as bad as it sounds. Several panels of the wall and a death tower are on display. The wall is not much more than a giant Jersey barrier with graffiti on one side, the barbed wire is all missing.
After moving on into the holding center, 4D glasses (stylish!) are given out and a video about "getting it right" is played. The 4D movie about the power of the media in America is quite good, both for the technology and the message. It is also unintentionally funny in the beginning.
From there, we took the elevator to the sixth floor. They have an outdoor observation area that details the history of Pennsylvania Ave. and provides excellent views. The view of the Capitol building would be absolutely perfect, but for the fact there are maple leaf flags all over the adjacent building, an embassy, across the corner. It is a harsh reminder of Canadian domination on American life. The sixth floor also includes digital versions of today's newspapers.
Moving down to the fifth floor we checked out the history gallery. Newspapers in clear display drawers are heavily featured as well as other artifacts from news gathering. This area is significantly bigger than the previous Newseum -- you could spend all day right there. One disappointment though - the FORD TO CITY: DROP DEAD Daily News was not featured. How can you skip that if you are having a gallery of famous newspaper fronts? I skipped the books gallery - next time I'll check it out. I recall there being an exhibit about Edward R. Murrow on that floor as well.
The fourth floor features a 9/11 exhibit with a TV antenna from the World Trade Center, a time line of events and newspaper front pages. Photography is prohibited, which was fine with me. Having felt my office building shake when the Pentagon was attacked, I don't need to have reminders of that day. Also on the fourth floor was an exhibit on the First Amendment, which was quite interesting. We were reminded that burping is not covered by the First Amendment.
The third floor featured the Journalists Memorial and (if I recall correctly) the bombed out remains of Arizona Republic reporter Don Bolles Datsun. He was killed in the 1970s while investigating mafia. World news is also explored on this floor. I found the color-coded Press Freedom map of most interest.
Since being "On TV" was not of any interest to me, the third floor was skipped. You can do a newscast there with assorted backdrops. It did not seem very well organized.
The second floor is the Hall of News with a large screen featuring still photographs of major news events and a ticker that uses mixed-case letters instead of all capitals, which pleased dl004d. A satellite and news helicopter hang at this level.
Interactivity is a big part of the Newseum experience. There are touchscreen monitors all over the place. There is a downside to this though, the touch screens provide many opportunities to see bad news like the Challenger explosion or several different assassinations. It gets to be a bit much.
Despite spending over four hours in the Newseum, we really just skimmed it. It would probably take several days to see everything there. Also, we stopped by "The Food Section" a cafeteria with Wolfgang Puck food. The prices were high, but the quality was fairly good. On that level there is the first satellite news truck as well as a small exhibit on comics.
Overall, all were quite pleased with the new Newseum. I am sure I will go back sometime, but at $20 admission, it will probably be a while. Even at that price though, the Newseum is a good value if you can devote a day to spending in it.
"Harsh reminder of Canada's domination on American life?" Surely you jest.
# posted by CP :
Thursday, April 17, 2008 12:41:00 PM
I'm as serious as a 5 on 3 powerplay. Watch this video and see what I'm talking about.
# posted by WFY :
Thursday, April 17, 2008 2:40:00 PM
Post a CommentWho hasn't admired the integrity of the Berlin Wall? - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Who hasn't admired the integrity of the Berlin Wall?
WASHINGTON D.C -- I should have the Newseum write-up done tomorrow. In the meantime, ponder this message: ""In order to maintain the integrity of the Berlin Wall, please do not touch."
50 years of Legos - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
50 years of Legos
Pop Candy notes that Lego turned 50 yesterday! I should have known something was up when I saw Google spelled out with Legos yesterday.
I loved Legos as a kid, especially Legoland and Space sets. Legos were probably my favorite toy all time. I've avoided downloading Lego Digital Designer so far, but one of these days, I might cave in and do it.
As I have previously mentioned, I think Lego has gotten a little too specialized these days, but I'll admit I would have been all over the Star Wars Legos.
Random YouTube magic: End of good NFL broadcasting - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Random YouTube magic: End of good NFL broadcasting
The NFL ignored the social contract when it sold rights to NFC games to Fox, ending 38 years of CBS coverage. This was the last few minutes of the final telecast.
Well done, even with the cheesy syth music. Terry Bradshaw was restrained back the and not acting like a buffoon every second he was on camera.
The opener before that game was also quite good:
It isn't a stretch to say that my diminishing interest in the NFL began with the move from CBS to Fox. Several factors, primarily my passion for Penn State football, contributed of course, but this was the beginning. By 1997, the NFL wasn't appointment television every Sunday anymore.
I was pleased when CBS got the NFL (though the AFC) back and they do a pretty good job when they're aren't going gah-gah for the Patriots, but it is still a far cry form the glory days.
Rebel Yell is a misleading name for bourbon - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Rebel Yell is a misleading name for bourbon
While I was out in San Francisco, I sampled some of David's Rebel bourbon. In fact, we toasted with it. It was okay, but I don't think I'm in any hurry to add it to my liquor cabinet.
I could not get over two things about Rebel Yell:
Since 1849 -- Putting that year on the bottle is just silly since the Civil War did not begin until 1861 and thus the Rebel Yell hadn't been created yet.
The name -- Rebel Yell. Kentucky, a border state, stayed in the Union during the Civil War. While the were certainly Southern sympathizers there, choosing Rebel Yell for the name is historically misleading.
Wither Hotel Washington - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Wither Hotel Washington
A Many-Storied Inn - The Post Inside this article about the history of the now-closed Hotel Washington comes disappointing news:
If you waited long enough, waited up here even during winter -- when the rooftop was officially closed but the staff let you up because you begged them -- you could stand on the terrace as blasts of cold wind whipped the plastic window coverings that hang from a balcony. The open-aired balcony gives you unfettered access to Washington. They say the new owners plan to enclose this porch behind glass. What a pity, you think. Behind glass, Washington from this rooftop will not look the same.
I enjoyed sitting up there on a handful of occasions and think the new owners are making a major mistake closing that balcony up.
City Lights - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Friday, December 21, 2007
City Lights
SAN FRANCISCO -- For years had this desire to buy Marshall McLuhan's "The Medium is the Massage" off the shelf. I don't know why, but it strikes me as a more fun way to find it than ordering it. I was hoping I would be able to walk into City Lights and pull that off, but alas they didn't have one. They did have a McLuhan's "Understanding Media" which I picked up. I also picked up a copy of Howl by Allen Ginsberg and a themed bumper sticker.
Oddly enough, I'm not a big fan of the Beats. Howl, which was first published by City Lights in 1955-56, is amazing poetry though.
America's original Irish coffee - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Thursday, December 20, 2007
America's original Irish coffee
SAN FRANCISCO-- Our host David mentioned that The Buena Vista, a pub near Fisherman's Wharf, claimed to the first place in America to serve Irish coffee. Since we had spent several hours in that area buying chocolate and taken photos of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge, America's first Irish coffee bar sounded like a great way to warm up. I'm not a big coffee drinker - Irish or otherwise -, but this experience may have converted me.
We wound up having dinner at The Buena Vista and were pleased with the food, the heater next to the table and especially our waitress who was very attentive and efficient. I had the fish and chips which were quite good, while Erica had Dungeness crab cakes. She noted that they were different than Maryland style in that they had red peppers and green vegetables mixed in. While she prefers the Maryland variety, she still enjoyed her meal. The pub is a popular happy hour hangout too, so it wasn't just tourists eating and drinking there.
50 years of the Harbor Tunnel - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Friday, November 23, 2007
50 years of the Harbor Tunnel
Harbor Tunnel marks 50th anniversary - The Sun The Baltimore Harbor Tunnel is approaching its semicentennial. When I was a kid, it was a traffic nightmare, but once the Ft. McHenry Tunnel (I-95) opened in 1985, the Harbor Tunnel became a good alternate route.
Other notes:
I can't remember it before it was I-895, but I do remember all the non-MUTCD signs that only got replaced about ten years ago.
The Harbor Tunnel Thruway had unusual exit numbering schemes -- sequential starting after the tunnel headed northbound; mileage-based from the northern terminus southbound)
There used to be a Colt 45 brewery near the interchange with the Baltimore Beltway (I-695). It later became a Washington Flour facility.
I also remember the Segram's 7 advertisement that was on a brick building near the highway
The speed limit should be at least 55 MPH throughout the non-tunnel sections and maybe 60 MPH in the stretches without exits.
Washington Nationals, Nats, 1924 World Series, Wasington Senators
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# posted by
Brad Stratton :
Monday, June 23, 2008 8:42:00 AM