June 16, 2008

Wildwood Boardwalk Burns

I went down the shore over the weekend -- to Wildwood, of course, because Wildwood is awesome and if you disagree you're wrong. On Saturday, wildfires from North Carolina and Virginia somehow created a haze on the beaches down the shore. "It smells like cedar," some dude told the Press of Atlantic City. Neat!

And, then, just this morning, a three-alarm fire broke out under Mariner's Landing in Wildwood, requiring 200 firefighters to get the blaze under control. I was in Wildwood over the weekend; fire in Wildwood Monday morning. Coincidence? Well, of course. The Boardwalk of Fame and Happiness (this is an actual sign) doesn't just catch fire because I went for a visit, ate at Sam's Pizza and learned that spray-on sunscreen doesn't work as well as the regular stuff.

Today's fire wasn't quite as tragic as the one that leveled Castle Dracula six years ago; the only rides that were damaged were the Super Scooter and the Seal Flume (which are probably kids' rides). Ha ha, kids, looks like we grownups win again!

Posted by D-Mac at 08:54 AM | Comments (3)

June 14, 2008

Down The Shore With Alli & Erica

Geeze, nobody did a parody of one those Philly.com beach girls so Philadelphia Weekly had to do it ourselves. Watch serious journalists Alli and Erica explore the beaches of Ocean City. Fantastic job, girls.

Posted by D-Mac at 10:06 AM | Comments (1)

June 03, 2008

Montco: Don't Bring Home Bombs

Montgomery County authorities are warning people to not bring bombs back from the beach as souvenirs. You'd think common sense would stop people from bringing back unexploded World War II munitions back from the shore, but (as we all know) people are stupid.

Apparently, a mortar round was recently brought to Narberth Police, and the Montco Bomb Squad had to retrieve one from an Upper Dublin home. For some reason, the unexploded munitions are buried on New Jersey beaches and for some even worse reason, people decide to bring them home. For fun!

"This munitions or mortar shell is equivalent to three sticks of dynamite, dropping them can set them off, riding them in a car can set them off or burying them," Montgomery County Sheriff John Durante told CBS 3. (His email was then hacked into.)

So, yes, here's a friendly warning: Don't play with any bombs. Well, unless you're playing a really good prank on a friend.

Warning Issued Concerning 'Beach Bombs' [CBS 3]

Posted by D-Mac at 08:41 AM | Comments (6)

May 22, 2008

Wildwood #1 Beach In Worthless Online Poll

In a big eff-you to a bunch of my high school friends who always whined that the Wildwood beach was "too long," the monstrosity was voted New Jersey's best beach by some sort of poll, meaning it was 100 percent factual. The poll was also online, which totally ups that even higher somehow.

Wildwood actually bested not only both Wildwood Crest and North Wildwood, despite the former having the advantage of fewer annoying people and the latter having the advantage of no curfew for people under 18, though the beach is closed by then anyway.

The tourism board was angry that some shore resorts jumped the gun on announcing their top-10 status; somehow, Wildwood was first, the Crest second, Ocean City third and North Wildwood fourth. Guh?

Also, Asbury Park was sixth, which I can no doubt say is 100 percent the result of Bruce Springsteen. And, yes, it's now shore season, which is really all this poll was designed to remind you of anyway.

Voters picks for top-10 beaches [AP/Philly.com]

Posted by D-Mac at 03:50 PM | Comments (1)

May 20, 2008

Shore Season Approaching, Is No Different

NBC 10 also reported yesterday on the shore, which will be super-crowded this weekend thanks to Memorial Day. The price of a slice of pizza is up -- oh no! -- at Sam's Pizza in Wildwood, though it's only going from $1.75 to $1.90. Eh, that ain't so bad.

And also the Morey's Pier rollercoaster, The Great Noreaster, has a new name -- and boy is it clever:

Just in time for summer, Morey's Surfside Pier in North Wildwood is putting a new spin on one of its most popular rides. "It's the Great Nor'easter, which we're now calling 'Fly the Great Nor'easter,'" Morey Organization Vice President Geoff Rogers said.

Oh, I see, they put "Fly" in front of it. Like that Sugar Ray song! After two winter trips to Atlantic City, I really can't wait to get down the shore when the sun is shining and I can actually go in the ocean.

Roller Coasters, Pizza Costs, Gas Giveaways Shaking Up Shore [NBC 10]

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May 12, 2008

Ocean City's Beach Flood

Jen Miller has photos from down the shore in Ocean City, where it's flooded all the way up to the boardwalk. (Wildwood still has about 42 miles of beach left.)

Anyway, the TV news is going bananas over this rain, so expect much hilarity on the news tonight at 11 p.m. when they have time to build it up a bit.

Posted by D-Mac at 06:04 PM | Comments (0)

April 10, 2008

Wildwood's Feelings Run Over Like Tram Car

Jen Miller points out that Atlantic City and Ocean City were named among America's top-10 boardwalks.

Atlantic City makes sense: Gambling, cute cats living under the boards -- it is so adorable, really -- and that super fancy mall that extends out into the ocean. Ocean City, too, for it's ban on games of chance so fewer annoying people yell at you.

But -- in a travesty -- the world's longest boardwalk, in WIldwood, was not named to the list. Gasp! Where else can you see drunk 18-year-olds at 5 p.m. and go to mass at the Boardwalk Chapel? (Plus: Sam's Pizza.) Okay, basically I'm just writing this because it's going to be 70 today and I kind of want to go down the shore.

Best Boardwalks [Down the Shore with Jen]
[Photo by Steve Longus]

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January 20, 2008

Ron Paul: Greatest American Ever?

Little inside secret how this business works: Somebody sends out a blast email or Myspace to all the people in the entire world and all the regularly-updated Philly blogs see it and we all post it. If it's not Milton Street knocking over a state store, sometimes I just don't update it even if it's a good story. (Here's an exception.)

By inside secret, of course, I mean common sense; yes, this is why everyone's going to have to start doing more of their own reporting or telling the best lame jokes and posting puppies. (Dibs on the last one.) Some fun changes are coming and that is why things have been somewhat slower, blah blah blah; yes, I will update my links list.

Anyway, Philebrity posted Down The Shore With Jen before I did a while back, and so I didn't. (I knew they were going to beat me to it, too.) And I read it again today and it looks fun and it's a book about the Jersey shore written by a young person in Collingswood. Yeah, it's a guidebook, but, uh, how useful. Here's an Amazon pre-order link. And it's fun and well-reported and it's the Jersey shore. "This is a great way to start your Sunday," Jen Miller writes. Oh, look, it's tied all together.

Continue reading "Ron Paul: Greatest American Ever?"

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October 08, 2007

There Is One Sign Summer Is Officially Over

It may be 80 degrees out, but, sadly, it's not July. That's the worst: too-hot summer weather without the laziness of summer.

Aw. Personally, though, I always preferred Sam's.

Columbus Day [Citizen Mom]

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September 27, 2007

Kids Nowadays, Etc.

Seaside Hights is the only shore town that might rival Wildwood for trashiness. It also recently had an awesome, awesome crime.

An adult used a toddler to steal the purse of a worker at a Seaside Heights boardwalk arcade, sneaking the child under a swinging door to pull off the midnight theft, according to a report in the Home News Tribune.

The adult, who is also carrying a skateboard, walks about the arcade with the children before using his or her foot to push the little girl under a short, swinging door to have the child steal the purse of a woman who works at the arcade.

What? The adult's just teaching the kid to be fiscally responsible at a young age. There's video here.

Adult uses toddler to snatch a purse in Seaside Heights [Star-Ledger Blog]

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August 20, 2007

Atlantic City A Last Resort, Honestly

The Press of Atlantic City walked the boards in AC recently, and learned people apparently only go down the shore because they have no other option.

"I would've liked to take a cruise," said Tony Giuliano, 28, of Albany, N.Y. "Probably the Bahamas or something" he said, dryly.

"Act like you're happy, like you're on vacation," goaded his vacation partner, Andrea Johnson, 27, also of Albany.

Julio Melendez, 28, of New York, would have preferred to visit Europe. With prices the way they are, it may just as well have been a fantasy, he said.

And the people who do enjoy the shore are either (a) dogs or (b) guys who dub themselves "The Poker Menace."

Shore visitors ponder missed summer opportunities [Press of AC]
[Image via The Sign Museum]

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August 02, 2007

Kids Nowadays With Their Parties And Their Alcohol

Young people, come read our newspaper!

I'll just say: I think for some people it wasn't marring it.

Alcohol marring teen night at boardwalk [Camden Courier-Post]

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July 02, 2007

Wildwood Finally Gets Rid Of Pesky Beach Sand

One of the best things about going down the shore is, obviously, the beach. But the worst part of the beach is the all the damn sand. If only there was a way to avoid all that sand while walking down to the ocean.

Fortunately for us, the good folks in Wildwood have spent $80,000 making sure we don't have to deal with all that sand.

Wildwood redevelopment director Lou Ferrara says all of the walks should be in place by July Fourth: “Unlike most beaches in New Jersey, we have plenty of sand. There’s about 1,800 feet of sand from the boardwalk to the water, and a lot of people have difficulty getting to the water with their coolers and their chairs and their children.”

I know the sand gets hot, and Wildwood has ridiculously long beaches, but, uh, what? They could have just given me $80,000 and I would have carried everyone to the water.

New Wooden Walkways Added to Wildwood Beaches [KYW 1060]

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May 29, 2007

The Shore: So Tacky It's Awesome

There's an Associated Press story in Metro today about all the different rules the different South Jersey shore communities have. In Wildwood, for example, camels are banned from the beach. Mayor Ernie Troiano: "Our beaches are as wide as a desert, but you won't find any camels on our sand." Hopefully, that is Wildwood's new motto.

Meanwhile, in Surf City you can't dig deep in the sand because the township isn't sure if the unexploded munitions found on the beach were all removed.

"How can you tell a kid not to dig in the sand?" asked Faith O'Dell, who lives near the beach in Surf City, where most of the old fuses and such were found. "It's their nature; it's what kids do. And when your kid says, 'Why, Mommy, why can't I dig in the sand,' what do you tell them, that they could blow themselves up?"

Yeah, that's exactly what you tell 'em. You say: "Don't dig in the sand, son, or you'll die." Scare 'em into submission. But while some were lamenting the munitions found on the beach, one entrepreneur was loving it:

Presiding over a busy cash register, a jubilant Joe Muzzillio, owner of Exit 63 Wearhouse, reported his best Memorial Day weekend ever.

"It was definitely busier than usual for me," Muzzillio said. "I came out with these T-shirts that I can't keep on the racks."

Muzzillio motioned to a display of shirts printed with "Surf City Bomb Squad," "Surf City's a Blast," and "I Got Bombed in Surf City" – which cost $8.99 to $14.99 and came in various styles, including a cute pink camouflage style for women.

Wait, did he do "I Got Bombed in Surf City"? Oh, oh, he did.

Thou shalt not [AP/Metro]
In Surf City, the goal was to have a blast [Philly.com]

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April 09, 2007

Activists Again Attempt To Ruin Fun

You know what you don't want to think about next time you're strolling along the boardwalk in gorgeous 75-degree weather? The boards you're stepping on are from the rapidly-shrinking Brazilian rain forests! And you're doing your own special part to participate in the systematic destruction of our planet's ecosystem by buying a "I'm not as think as you drunk I am" t-shirt on the boards.

Yep, that's certainly not the feeling you want when you drive two hours to Wildwood or Ocean City for a little R&R or an easy one-night stand opportunity. Well, too late, suckers! Next time you're down there you're going to think about how you're walking on Brazilian wood. Hey, maybe the wood was even assembled by sweatshop workers! Well, I don't really know that would work, so I guess not.

Brazilian wood is valued due to its durability -- it can support cars driving on the boards, be it police or drunk drivers -- longevity and attractiveness. But, surprise!, environmental activists don't want Brazilian wood used, because it hurts the planet to use it or something.

Ocean City has attempted to buy $1.2 million of "responsibly-harvested" rainforest wood, but didn't get any bids because they requested the wood not be cleaned with puppy guts or whatever.

And, yes, there's a global warming tie-in, says OC environmentalist Georgina Shanley:

"Ocean City is a very vulnerable barrier island," she said. "By us taking 1,000 acres of rain forest now, we're becoming part of global warming and rising seas. We're actually making our own island vulnerable to flooding in future years. It's very shortsighted."

That's Ocean City's problem. Fortunately for Wildwood, if sea levels rise like 20 feet the beach will still be 800 meters long, down from its current length of 8 miles.

Boardwalk wood sets off debate in Ocean City [Camden Courier-Post]
March 8: Woman In AC Did Not Watch The Tram Car

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March 30, 2007

How's The Shore? Oh, It's Great Do-KABOOM!

A mile long stretch of beach in Surf City, N.J., has been closed down by totally uncool regulators trying to stop kids from having fun this summer. Oh, and they also found unexploded munitions.

The bombs date back to World War II and were discovered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in sand that had recently been pumped onto the Ocean County beach. The beach was immediately closed and now the beach might not be re-opened in time for Memorial Day weekend.

Authorities have posted danger signs at the beaches and blocked off the entrances. Security guards patrol the area around the clock.

“It’s like walking into a landmine,” said Sonny Mack, one of the security guards. “We make sure they stay out. If it wasn’t my job, I wouldn’t be out there.”

I think Surf City needs to use this as a marketing tool. You market it as a giant fun park where you're blown sky high by antique munitions, charge $10 to get in, and the town'll be rich in no time.

N.J. Beach Closed After Explosives Found [NBC 10]

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November 07, 2006

N.J. Teens Imitate Art

Six young teenagers apparently read The Destructors in English class and took its message of fighting against your capitalist oppressors to heart. And so they did what the book told them to: They destroyed a house from the inside.

The boys apparently skipped school for this field trip and were "bored," so they decided to head into the empty, just-purchased-by-a-cop house and tore the place apart. The kids were between 11 and 14 and totally love Graham Green's seminal short story. Their names aren't being released, but we can assume they're someting like T. and Blackie.

The Ocean County shore home -- in Barnegat Township, N.J. -- has $35k-to-$40k worth of damage and the parents could face some sort of charges as well once the township police figure out what to charge them with. The kids tore apart the house with baseball bats, metal pipes, axes and "their own hands," according to NBC 10.

A neighbor, Mary Kitzler, blamed -- who else -- a lack of adult supervision:

"I blame the parents," Kitzler said. "They're afraid to take control of their kids, in my mind."

Yeah, I'd be afraid to control my kids if they were armed with baseball bats and axes, too, y'know.

The Destructors
Kids Destroy Shore House With Baseball Bats [NBC 10]

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October 25, 2006

Giant Drink Tumbler Just What Wildwood Needed

In case you were wondering if Wildwood could get even more condo-fied, well, you're in luck. The answer's yes, and the results are... well... that thing at right (click to enlarge).

The monstrosity at right is none other than the Wildwood Beach Hotel & Resort, slated for completion in 2009. It'll sit directly across from the Wildwood Convention Center, which puts it at around Ocean & Montgomery. It's not the only new high rise going in on the tiny island. The Atlantic City Press reports that Wildwood recently raised its height maximum -- 12 stories -- allowing this 25-story resort as well as a bunch of other high rises that already have city approval. (There may be an issue clearing some of the high rises with the state's Department of Environmental Protection, because of bird migration patterns or something.)

But back to the Wildwood Beach Hotel & Resort. It's clearly positioning itself as a year-round destination, since it will feature a spa, indoor shopping, an indoor beach and wave pool (!) and a convenient hop, skip and jump to the Convention Center. (The website also calls Wildwood's sand "finer than any you'll find in the Caribbean." There's more kids' urine in it, too.)

The design is pretty good up top, with the yellow and oldish motel look. But, uh, giant drink tumbler? Giant lava lamp? Guhwha? It'd look nice and even appropriate without the giant tumbler and lava lamps, but with them, it's... uh... is there a stronger word than kitschy?

Of course, the $225 million, 190-condo, 150-hotel room resort isn't just about making money. No, it's about helping families victimized by 9/11, according to Christian Nickerson (the head of developer Princeton Junction Development Partners):

"As a survivor of the 9/11 attack on Tower One of the World Trade Center, I believe people think differently about travel," Nickerson says. "Many families would like to have a taste of the Caribbean without the hassles of airport security, passports and a long plane ride. Even in winter, visitors would be able to relax at our indoor beach."

Oh. Well. God bless your resort, then, Christian. But if your indoor shopping forces the Boardwalk Mall to close, well, there will be hell to pay. There's a bunch of links below if you want further info on the de-Wildwoodification of Wildwood.

Wildwood Beach Hotel & Resort
Holy Cow, Batman, Wildwood's Never Gonna be the Same! [Phillyblog]
Coming 2009: Wildwood Condos! Plus Waterpark! And 9/11 Exploitation! [New York Observer Real Estate Blog]
Wildwood developers look to sky [Press of Atlantic City]
Developers Unveil $225M Hotel/Condo Project [Globe St.]

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September 28, 2006

Leftovers: Whale Watching

• A whale has washed up on the shores of Wildwood Crest, leaving the town's current Autumn population of 15 shocked. [NBC 10]

• The dance-off for jobs at the Philly Park casino continues, with the applicants now comparing it to American Idol. This idea's a little wacky, but I'm all for replacing getting signatures with dancing to "YMCA" as a way to get on the ballot. [Bucks County Courier Times]

• Be sure to check out the New York Post's top 10 reasons why TO would want to kill himself list! It has all the hilarity of a root canal performed without novocaine by a labrador retriever who's also urinating on you. [Gawker]

• For you statheads (ok, for me personally), here's a listing of the Eagles' ranking in alternate football statistics from Football Outsiders. [Scrapple]

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August 22, 2006

Leftovers: Sign Sammy!

• With Aaron Rowand probably out for the rest of the season, it's time for the Phillies to sign a proven home run hitter. A proven bat-corker. An over-the-hill slugger. That's right: They need to sign Sammy Sosa. That, my friends, would be the only signing that could make this oh-so-strange Phillies season even stranger. [Beerleaguer]

• The weird-but-awesome Calder sculpture on the Parkway has fled the coup to New York City. Hipsters move to the Sixth Borough; art moves to one of the original five. I'm not sure this is a fair trade. [Changing Skyline]

• Drexel University was named the ugliest in the nation. For its buildings -- not its students. (Penn would take that crown.) [NBC 10]

• When two male characters kiss on The Simpsons, Bucks County Courier Times columnist J.D. Mullane doesn't know what to tell his four-year-old son! The horror, the horror! [BCCT]

• Atlantic City's Steel Pier is being converted into condos. Each room will feature its own diving horse and slot machine. [NBC 10]

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August 21, 2006

Cougars Spotted In Wildwood, Easy Jokes Made Up And Down East Coast

Once every few months, someone will spot a cougar in the area. Remember the cougar in Philadelphia in the mid-1990s? He was everywhere! And everyone's dad's brother's friend had seen him!

It's been a while since the last sighting -- late May by our best count -- so, naturally, a cougar was spotted in Wildwood recently by a Wilkes-Barre man. (Shown here is said cougar waiting to board the tram car. Hey, the Wildwood boardwalk is long.)

Corey Daly Sr. said he spotted the big cats on the beach, about 80 yards off the boardwalk, in North Wildwood. Officials are unconvinced -- the last confirmed cougar sighting in the area was in Delaware in the 1990s, and that was from a drug dealer who kept it as a pet. (But of course.) There's no word as to how cougars could even get to Wildwood, which is an island. Do you think they took Route 9 or NJ Transit?

That hasn't stopped the news media from picking it up (as they should, natch) and from everyone who's heard the story thinking about the joke they're going to tell at the bar this weekend when the story comes up. But, hey, easy jokes are our steez, man, so let's do this: Cougars? In Wildwood? Geeze, and Sea Isle seemed so much more likely.

Hunter claims he saw 2 cougars in Wildwood [Inky]
Cougar (slang) [Wikipedia]
Archives: Cougars

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August 14, 2006

The Out-Of-Towners

"Locals lament the boors at the Jersey Shore," Philadelphia Inquirer, by Jacqueline L. Urgo, yesterday:

Up and down the coast, from June to September, police, beach patrols, real estate agents, and just about anyone else who will listen field calls and complaints about disorderly conduct, or trespassing, or misappropriated parking spots, or streakers on the beach, or tourists feeding seagulls.

"There's an old saying at the Shore that people check their brain at the bridge when they come here for vacation," said Avalon Chief of Police Stephen Sykes. "Some of them just seem to let go of all common sense, and 90 percent of what they do here are things they wouldn't dream of doing back home in Pennsylvania or North Jersey."

Sykes said his department gets so many complaints in the locals-vs.-visitors category each summer that "at some point, we all just stop shaking our heads over it."

"Curbing drunks is fine with most fans: 20 arrested as Eagles crack down on rowdies," Philadelphia Daily News, by April Adamson, Nov. 24, 2997:

During yesterday's showdown with the Steelers, 20 fans were arrested .

Perhaps the biggest surprise was that only one of the 20 people who were collarred was a Philadelphia resident. Most of those nabbed hail from New York, New Jersey, Delaware and the Pennsylvania suburbs.

People are assholes. People from out-of-town are even bigger assholes. Nothing's changed in nine years.

Locals lament the boors at the Jersey shore [Inquirer]

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July 24, 2006

Grogan Continues Wars On Beach Tags, Reasonable Debate

On Friday, Inquirer columnist John Grogan finally discovered that some New Jersey beaches charge people a few bucks to sit on the sandy shores.

Apparently believing that beach tags, like abortion or capital punishment, is one of those issues where everyone has made up his mind and there's no sense trying to convince anyone, Grogan name-checked every historical figure except Jesus who he thought would be opposed to beach tags.

Sub, a friend of mine and a frequent-ish commenter here, noted these words from Grogan's column as particularly grating: "Yeah, I'm a little grumpy. ... Maybe it's the fact that a beach tag should fit any self-respecting American about as comfortably as a tight swimming suit filled with wet sand."

He wrote:

That's good writing... if you like tortured, stretched metaphors and fake indignation over the plight of the working class. You're right, John, let's abolish property rights, starting with intellectual property: specifically the copyrights to annoying, heartwarming books about dogs.

Ba-zing! Grogan continues his beach tag fun today, calling them an "un-American and undemocratic tradition" and quoting from reader mail on both sides of this issue. As if the "un-American" comparison wasn't over the top enough, here's his response to a reader:

"This is one of the 'fair' taxes, a true user fee," wrote Brian Young Jr., who owns a home in Avalon. "Believe me when I say the property owners pay more than enough. How about I buy your beach tags and you pay my property taxes?"

How about you give me your beach house, Brian, and I'll give you my metered parking space?

Hey, I have an idea! How about I give you five dollars and you agree to never argue like that again?

John Grogan: Taking sides on beach tags [Inquirer]
July 21: WWJD (About Beach Tags)?

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July 21, 2006

WWJD (About Beach Tags)?

Having exhausted the cute puppy and AOL CD beats, Inquirer columnist and Marley & Me author John Grogan turns today to the scourge of every beachgoer in South Jersey. Okay, the scourge of every beachgoer, except in Wildwood and Atlantic City.

Yes, Grogan takes on beach tags today, saying that it's not the money that bothers him -- it's the principle. Beaches should be free, he writes! And then he wonders what American legends would think of beach tags:

I know what the beach towns say: that keeping clean, safe, lifeguarded beaches costs money, and the burden should be placed on those who use them.

But what would Walt Whitman say? What would Thoreau say? And Jefferson and Adams and Franklin?

What would Woody Guthrie, the balladeer who wrote "This Land is Your Land," say? Would he have sung, "This land was made for you and me (and anyone else who can afford the fees)"?

Yes! And what would Washington say? And Columbus? And all the American Indians? And Pope Gregory the Great and Charlemagne and Reggie White and Abraham Lincoln and St. Peter and Moses and Richie Ashburn and Johnny Goodtimes and Adam and Eve?

Hmm? Think about that shore, communities!

John Grogan | N.J. beaches not land of the free [Inquirer]

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June 26, 2006

Leftovers: 'Twins' Residual Checks Not Enough For Danny DeVito

• Danny DeVito will be joining the cast of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, which begins again on FX Thursday. Hollywood insiders are confident that DeVito can speed up the process of the show's cancellation. [Daily News]

• Here's what people did in the 1940s down the shore: "It was the height of World War II. [Al] Cunard remembers military patrols walking up and down the beaches, having to shutter the cottage's windows in air-raid drills, even keeping a bucket of kerosene handy to wash the tarry oil from feet sullied by fuel oil that washed ashore from ships sunk by German U-boats." Thank you, Lord, for letting my shore trips be a bit more fun. [Camden Courier-Post]

• Skateboarding is probably the only time white suburban kids feel some Michael Smerconish-approved profiling. Be very afraid, shaggy-haired teens with boards. [Daily News]

• Press release of the day: Sherman He[l]msley to attend Altoona Curve game on Wednesday, June 28. [Altoona Curve]

• Lines of the day, courtesy of George Mallet's blog about horses: "I have a tendency to hit the saddle harder than I should when I'm posting," and "Plus, it is always a thrill to ride a retired athlete who competed in the sport of kings." [George's Horse Blog]

• Today's afternoon activity is obsessively checking the Phillies box score. Down 6-0 after six -- it was scoreless through 5 1/2, of course -- the Phillies tied it in the ninth on a solo shot by Chase Utley. First homer rookie sensation Jon Papelbon's allowed all year. Now let's cross our fingers... [Yahoo! Sports]

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